Hulunbuir Travel Guide

Hulunbuir is a region that is governed as a prefecture-level city in northeastern Inner Mongolia. It borders Heilongjiang Province to the east and shares boundaries with Outer Mongolia and Russia in the southwest and northwest. The Daxing'anling Mountains stretch through the central region of Hulunbeier City from the northeast to the southwest.

 

History

From 10th to 13th century, Hulunbuir belonged to the Liao Kingdomand and the Jin Kingdom. In 1214, Genghis Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368), granted this piece of land to his brothers. Till 1734 during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), the Hailar City was founded here. In 1949, this region was renamed Hulunbeier League, under the administration of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region government. In October 2001, Hulunbeier League was displaced by the prefecture-level Hulunbeier City, approved by the State Council.
 

Attractions

The Hulunbuir Grasslands

It is one of the most three famous grassland in the world and also the best one among our country's existing pasture. So it is praised “The purest grassland in the world”. The Hulunbuir Grasslands abound in sheep, cattle, cashmere goats, some camels, and of course lots and lots of horses. You can enjoy all-sheep banquet and Bonfire Party of course.

Hailar National Forest Park

Covering an area of 210,000 Chinese acres, Hailar National Forest Park is the only national forest park in China focused on evergreen pines and was renowned as one of the Eight Scenic Wonders of Hulunbuir in Qing Dynasty. The Hailar pines, renowned as “Green Queen”, are one kind of precious needle pines in North China.
 

Phoenix Mountain Villa

Phoenix Mountain Villa (Fenghuang Shanzhuang) is an excellent winter resort located in the Daxing'anling Mountains. It is a natural ski field with rolling hills and devious deep valleys, broad terrain and natural ski runs shuttling the woods.
 

Hulun Lake

Hulun Lake is the fifth largest lake of our country and the largest lake of the Inner Mongolia. Covering an area of 3,253 square kilometers, it is an integrated Nature Reserve to mainly protect rare birds, wetland ecosystem and prairies. It is a paradise for various migratory birds’ and fish.

Additionally, there are other interests you can have a look: Baerhu Grassland, Bayanhushuo Grassland, Manzhouli Museum, Sino-Russian Border, Yimin River, etc.
 

Transportation
 

Hulunbuir Hailaer Dongshan Airport is only 7 km (4.3 miles) from the city downtown area. Every week, there are flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Hohhot, Shenyang, Dalian, Harbin, and Tianjin from Hulunbuir. There is no airport bus available. A taxi ride from the city center to the airport costs around 30 yuan.

The main railway station is the Hailaer Station. You can get to Hulunbuir by taking train from Beijing, Harbin, Hohhot, Baotou, Datong and Dalian.
 

Weather and climate
 

Hulunbuir is situated in the continental climate zone, with cool short summer and long chilly winter. There is a wide range of temperature within one day, and the annual average temperature is -5�� to 2�� (23°F to 35.6°F). There is not abundant rainfall in Hulunbuir. Rainfall in summer (especially in July and August) takes up 65 – 70% of the yearly volume.
 

Food and Restaurants
 

The vast grasslands in Hulunbuir are natural grazing grounds for cattle, sheep and horses. Numerous lakes and rivers here teem with fish and shrimps. All these provide abundant material for local cuisine.

Famous dish: Roasted Whole Lamb (Kao Quan Yang), Whole Fish Feast (Quan Yu Yan)
 

Accommodation
 

Recommended hotels
 

Gelisha Family Hostel, Yiliya Family Hostel, Haina Family Inn, and some gers are also a good choice for your trip, CNY50 in the peak tourist season.
 

Shopping
 

Beef, mutton, edible fungi, cow horn picture and some things of old style Russian

Hailar has two major department stores- Friendship Shopping Center (it also had a four star hotel: Friendship International Hotel) and Busen store- which are a major innovation and improvement on anything.
 

Travel Tips
 

The best time to visit is from late -May to mid-September. There is a wide temperature range within a day. Please bring jackets and trousers for cool morning/evening hours. Raincoats are more practical than umbrellas, because the rain usually comes with strong wind.

There are many customs and taboos, please follow the guide’s direction to avoid any unnecessary troubles.

Bank

Hulunbuir Branch, Bank of China

No.16 Alihe Road, Hailaer District

Post Office

Hulunbuir Branch, China Post

Yimin Street, Hailaer District