Xilamuren grassland
90 km north of Hohhot, with ger camps, horse riding and a sunset that lasts an hour. The classic Inner Mongolia overnight.
Inner Mongolia · Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Inner Mongolia Tours 2026 | Hohhot & Grasslands | JoyoTour
The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region starts at Hohhot, its capital: Xilamuren grassland, the Kubuqi dunes, Dazhao Monastery and a Naadam festival every summer. Private Inner Mongolia tours from US$219 a day.
The short version
The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is entered through Hohhot, its capital, three hours north-west of Beijing. From there the Xilamuren and Gegentala grasslands open out — steppe where Mongolian herding families still live in gers — with the Gobi and the Kubuqi dunes beyond. Three days is the minimum and five reaches the deeper steppe; come between July and early September, when the grass is green.
- Hohhot is the capital of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 3 hours from Beijing by rail.
- Xilamuren grassland is 90 km north of Hohhot and is where the ger camps are.
- Naadam festivals run through July and August: wrestling, horse racing and archery.
- The Kubuqi dunes and the Gobi begin west of Baotou.
- Hohhot Baita (HET) has domestic flights plus regional services to Ulaanbaatar.
The place itself
What Inner Mongolia is actually like
Inner Mongolia is 2,400 km long and most of it is grass. The region stretches from the birch forests of the north-east to the Gobi in the west, and of its 24 million people roughly four-fifths are Han Chinese. The Mongolian culture that gives the place its name survives on the steppe itself, in the ger camps north of Hohhot.
Hohhot means the Blue City, and as a capital it is efficient rather than beautiful: wide roads, a Soviet-era grid, excellent lamb. What it offers is immediate access — Xilamuren grassland is 90 km north, and within two hours of leaving the airport you can be watching a herder bring horses in at dusk.
Timing is the whole game here. The grass is green only from July to early September, and the Naadam festivals of wrestling, horse racing and archery cluster in that window. Come in May or October and the steppe is brown, cold and largely closed.
Destination — click to open the guide
Province or autonomous region
Provincial capital
Major river
Pins are plotted from real latitude and longitude on a 5° graticule. This is a schematic orientation diagram, not a political map — no boundaries are drawn.
What not to miss — Inner Mongolia
Dazhao Monastery
A 1579 Tibetan Buddhist temple in Hohhot with a silver stupa and a 3 m bronze Buddha — the reason the city was founded here.
Naadam festival
Mongolian wrestling, long-distance horse racing and archery, held across the grasslands through July and August.
Gegentala and the deeper steppe
Further north than Xilamuren, with fewer tour buses and families who will put you on a horse without a handler.
The Kubuqi desert
Dunes two hours west of Baotou, with camel treks and a railway running across the sand.
Genghis Khan Mausoleum
At Ejin Horo south of Baotou — a ceremonial shrine rather than a tomb, since the burial site was never disclosed.
China tours that include this stop — Inner Mongolia
Great Wall & Beyond
Walk the restored battlements of Mutianyu, then camp overnight on a wild, unrestored stretch of the wall at Jinshanling.
★★★★★4.9 96 reviews
From US$890/per person
View tourGrand China Odyssey
Five regions, one journey: imperial north, panda country, the karst rivers of Guilin and the skyline of Shanghai, with Hangzhou's West Lake.
★★★★★4.8 132 reviews
From US$2,580/per person
View tourGetting there and away
Hohhot Baita International (HET) takes domestic services from Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Guangzhou, plus regional flights to Ulaanbaatar. Most international visitors connect through Beijing.
High-speed rail from Beijing North takes about 3 hours, which makes Hohhot a genuine long-weekend trip from the capital.
Beyond Hohhot the distances are enormous. The grassland, the desert and the Gobi all require a private vehicle with a driver-guide; we plan these as loops rather than out-and-back runs.
Best time to visit — Inner Mongolia
| Month | Weather | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4°C / -4°C · dry, cold | Quiet | Avoid |
| February | 6°C / -1°C · dry, cold | Very busy | Avoid |
| March | 14°C / 5°C · dry, cold | Moderate | Good |
| April | 21°C / 12°C · clear and mild | Moderate | Best |
| May | 27°C / 18°C · clear and mild | Busy | Best |
| June | 31°C / 23°C · hot, humid | Moderate | OK |
| July | 32°C / 25°C · hot, humid | Busy | OK |
| August | 30°C / 24°C · hot, humid | Busy | OK |
| September | 26°C / 19°C · clear and mild | Moderate | Best |
| October | 20°C / 12°C · clear and mild | Very busy | Best |
| November | 12°C / 4°C · dry, cold | Quiet | Good |
| December | 5°C / -2°C · dry, cold | Quiet | Good |
How many days do you need?
Three days minimum: one in Hohhot for the monasteries and the museum, one overnight on the Xilamuren grassland, and one returning via the Kubuqi desert. Five days lets you reach Gegentala and the deeper steppe properly.
Plan these days properlyMeet guides who cover this area
Beijing
Zhang Wei
National Tour Guide Certificate, English
★★★★★4.9214 reviews
- English
- Mandarin
Zhang Wei grew up in a hutong ten minutes' walk from the Drum Tower, and he still starts most Beijing days there, before the crowds, when the lane smells of fried dough and soy milk. He has walked the Great Wall more than 300 times and keeps a hand-drawn map of which stretches are restored, which are not, and which justify an extra hour of driving. Guests tend to remember that he explains a Ming emperor's decision by first describing what the weather was doing that year.
We had seen the wall in pictures; Zhang Wei took us to a stretch where we were the only people for two hours.
Sarah M., United Kingdom
- Imperial Beijing: the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and hutong courtyards
- Unrestored Great Wall stretches: Jinshanling, Gubeikou and Jiankou
- Ming and Qing history explained through buildings rather than dates
- Photography timing — empty courtyards at opening, wall sections at golden hour
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Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Inner Mongolia?
Hohhot, in the south-central part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Hohhot is the transport and cultural hub — Dazhao Monastery, the Inner Mongolia Museum and the road north to the Xilamuren grassland ger camps all start here, and it is 3 hours by rail from Beijing.
How many days do you need in Inner Mongolia?
Three minimum: one day in Hohhot, one night in a ger camp on the Xilamuren grassland, and one day back via the Kubuqi desert. Five days is better, and lets you reach Gegentala and the deeper steppe where there are far fewer visitors.
When is the best time to visit Inner Mongolia?
July to early September, and only then. The grass is green, the ger camps are open and the Naadam festivals run. Outside that window the steppe is brown and cold, and many camps close from October to May.
Is staying in a ger comfortable?
More than people expect. The camps we use have proper beds, electricity and attached bathrooms, with a shared fire and Mongolian music in the evening. The authentic herder gers are a separate, rougher experience that we can arrange for one night.
How do I get to Inner Mongolia from Beijing?
High-speed rail from Beijing North to Hohhot East takes about 3 hours, or fly from Beijing Capital in just over an hour. Most visitors combine Inner Mongolia with Beijing in the same trip, since the connection is so quick.
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