Inner Mongolia: To tour or not to tour

The sun rises over the Xilamuren Grasslands.[Photo by Meghan Horihan/chinadaily.com.cn]

If you look at the Ulanqab government, they invested 5.98 billion yuan into 62 different tourism projects in 2016 alone. And Baotou has spent over 2 billion yuan on road infrastructure and tourist centers.

With the growing focus on tourism, Inner Mongolia is becoming more accessible and convenient, yet many tourists still turn to tour groups to make sure they know what to expect from their trip. The question that remains is whether the ease of accessibility of tour groups leaves tourists with only a surface level experience of the region.

On my recent trip to the region, however, I decided to try my hand at one of the tours a friend recommended due to the lack of time to plan and the limited amount of days we could spend traveling. We would join a two day tour of the Xilamuren Grasslands and Kubuqi Desert then spend the last day exploring Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

My excitement when I first arrived in Hohhot was slightly dampened by the soggy weather, but that quickly changed as we got on the bus and made our way into the grasslands. Once we got past the highways we started the bumpy ride on dirt and gravel roads. The adventure really began when the driver took amusement in accelerating through potholes, causing people in the back of the bus to be flung into the air.