Ordos 3 Days 2 Nights|Grassland + Desert + Kangbashi, Deep Summer Escape
🏜️ One trip, three experiences! The most comprehensive Ordos guide
If you have 3 days, this itinerary is absolutely perfect
The vast grasslands + the stunning desert + modern Kangbashi
June’s weather is just right, fewer crowds and beautiful scenery, just save this guide!
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📅 Day 1: Kangbashi — The Magical New Desert City
🌞 Morning: Arrive in Kangbashi
✈️ Fly to Yijinhuoluo Airport, then a 20-minute taxi to Kangbashi
The first impression is truly stunning! It’s nothing like the imagined desert
The roads are smooth and new, greenery is excellent, the city is as clean as new
Being called a "ghost city" is really unfair, this is clearly a treasure city!
🏛️ Afternoon: Kangbashi City Tour
📍 Ordos Museum
Very avant-garde design, looks like a huge stone
Inside showcases Ordos’ history and culture
Also has dinosaur fossils, great for kids
Free entry with ID
📍 Kangbashi Fountain Square
Asia’s largest musical fountain, starts at 8:30 PM
The fountain dances to music, shooting water over 200 meters high
With lights and music, it’s truly breathtaking
Next to it is Ulan Mulun Lake, perfect for a relaxing walk
📍 Genghis Khan Square
City center with a giant Genghis Khan statue
Surrounded by government buildings with unique architecture
You can rent a shared bike and leisurely explore the city
🍜 Evening: Kangbashi Cuisine
Recommended to visit Mongolian Food Street
· Ice-boiled lamb: a must-try! Lamb cooked with ice cubes, tender and without gamey taste
· Copper pot hotpot: Inner Mongolia’s lamb is incredibly delicious
· Yogurt pancake: sweet and fragrant
· Sand scallion scrambled eggs: local specialty, definitely try it
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📅 Day 2: Ordos Grassland — 25℃ Summer Paradise
🌞 Morning: Head to the Grassland
🚗 1.5-hour drive from Kangbashi to Ordos Grassland Tourist Area
The grassland in June is stunning! Lush green grass and wildflowers everywhere
The air smells of fresh grass, temperature only 25℃, so comfortable
🐎 Morning: Grassland Activities
· Horse riding: gallop across the grassland and feel the freedom
· Archery: experience the three traditional Mongolian skills
· Sightseeing train: for those who don’t want to walk, it circles the grassland
· Grass sledding: super thrilling, kids love it
🍖 Noon: Grassland Lunch
Eat hand-pulled meat and milk tea in a Mongolian yurt
Freshly cooked lamb dipped in chive flowers, original flavor
Milk tea is salty, the more you drink, the better it tastes, a great palate cleanser
🌅 Afternoon - Evening: Deep Experience
📍 Visit a herder’s home
Visit a real herder’s house, milk cows, make milk tea, feed lambs
Listen to herders’ stories about the grassland and experience true nomadic life
This is something you can’t get on group tours, a must-go!
📍 Nadam Festival Show
Starts at 4:00 PM, featuring horse riding, wrestling, and archery performances
The riders’ skills are amazing with all kinds of difficult moves
Also Mongolian singing and dancing, very exciting
📍 Zhamayan Banquet
Starts at 6:00 PM, wear a Mongolian robe and experience a Yuan Dynasty court feast
Eat roasted whole lamb while watching performances, full of ceremony
The whole event lasts 3 hours, an unforgettable experience
📍 Grassland Starry Sky
Lie on the grassland at night and watch the stars, no light pollution
The Milky Way is very clear, and if lucky, you can see shooting stars
A sight you’ll never see in the city
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📅 Day 3: Xiangshawan — The Desert Disneyland
🌞 Morning: Head to Xiangshawan
🚗 1-hour drive from Kangbashi to Xiangshawan
One of China’s three singing sands, the sand "sings"
The desert in June isn’t too hot, very comfortable in the morning and evening
🏜️ Morning: Fairy Sand Island
A desert amusement park with many attractions
· Desert surfing car: super thrilling, a must-try!
· Camel riding: cross the desert and feel the desert charm
· Desert off-road vehicle: race over sand dunes, very exciting
· High-altitude zipline: overlook the entire desert, amazing views
· Theater show: "Desert Legend" is especially spectacular
🏊 Afternoon: Lotus Sand Resort Island
A high-end resort area, Lotus Hotel is here
· Infinity pool: a desert pool, perfect for photos
· Desert yoga: do yoga in the desert, very healing
· Afternoon tea: poolside afternoon tea, so relaxing
· Watch the sunset: desert sunsets are stunning, with orange-red skies
🌆 Evening: Return Trip
After watching the sunset, head back
3 days is just right, not too tiring
You get to do everything and have a full experience
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💡 3 Days 2 Nights Practical Guide
· *🚌 Transportation Tips
✅ Self-driving is most recommended: attractions are far apart, self-driving is most convenient
✅ Car hire with driver: 300-500 RMB per day, driver also acts as guide
✅ Group tours: convenient but not flexible, not recommended for deep travel
✅ Public transport: inconvenient, not recommended
· *🏨 Accommodation Recommendations
📍 Day 1: Kangbashi city hotel (200-400 RMB)
📍 Day 2: Grassland Mongolian yurt (300-800 RMB) or return to Kangbashi
📍 Day 3: Xiangshawan Lotus Hotel (1500+, all-inclusive)
· *💰 Total cost for 3 days (per person)
· Transportation: 500 RMB (excluding major transport)
· Accommodation: 600 RMB
· Tickets + activities: 800 RMB
· Food: 500 RMB
· Total: 2400 RMB / person (budget 1500, luxury 3500+)
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⚠️ Important Reminders
· *🌡️ June Weather
· Grassland: 25-30℃ daytime, 12-18℃ nighttime
· Desert: 30-35℃ daytime, 15-20℃ nighttime
· Kangbashi: 28-32℃ daytime, 15-20℃ nighttime
· Bring a thick jacket! Nights are really cold!
· *☀️ Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen!
· UV rays are very strong on grassland and desert
· Use SPF 50+ sunscreen, reapply every 2 hours
· Bring hat, sunglasses, and sun-protective clothing
· Lip balm and moisturizing masks, very dry environment
· *📸 Photo Tips
· Wear white, red, or yellow long dresses on the grassland for perfect shots
· Wear black, white, or blue in the desert for strong contrast
· Kangbashi’s architecture is very modern, dress cool
· Best light is morning and evening, avoid noon
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Accommodation
🏨 natrail Jiwai・Peng Guesthouse
National top-grade tourist guesthouse, top wild luxury on the grassland, 5,000 sqm with only five rooms, rammed earth texture wabi-sabi aesthetics, perfect fusion of nomadic culture and modern design
🏨 Huazhu・Future Grassland Hostel (Ordos Grassland Branch)
Immersive ecological art village in the heart of Ordos Grassland, avant-garde ovoo cluster design, outdoor pool, collision of nomadic civilization and future poetry
🏨 Xiangshawan Lotus Hotel
Desert landmark building, lotus shape won design awards, all-inclusive resort mode, terrace pool to watch desert sunset, ultimate desert wild luxury experience
🏨 Yinken Tala Desert Space Capsule Camp
Newly opened in 2024, smart voice control system, floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic desert views, nighttime bonfire party performances, unique space capsule accommodation experience