Hulunbuir (or Hulun Beier) Grasslands

Located outside the remote Russian border town of Manzhouli, Inner Mongolia, the Hulunbuir Grasslands are the most lush and pristine in China. The grasslands here are known locally as the "most unsullied prairie" for the area’s pollution-free skies. In summer, the uninterrupted green stretches in all directions. In addition, Hulunbuir is fed by hundreds of rivers, large and small, that have made this area popular with Mongolian nomads and herders.

Visitors can try horseback riding in the Hulunbuir Grasslands and sample a local dish of boiled or barbecued lamb. At night, you can spend a night in the yurts that will give you a picture of the lives that the nomads and the marauding Mongols of the past lived.

Enhe - A Russian Township near Shiwei

Shiwei was listed as one of top ten most beautiful townships in China in 2007. Although the town is still beautiful, this distinction has led to an influx of tourists! Thus, CCC selects Enhe near Shiwei. Located by the Erguna River, which acts as the border between China and Russia, the Enhe township features Russian descendants, Russian-style wooden houses and filled windows, and a golden-silver birch forest.

Manzhouli (Sino-Russian Border Town)

CCC does not include Manzhouli in group tours, as it has been urbanized so quickly. It has become a busy city and lost its original flavor.). But we arrange the visit unpon request. It needs another one and half to two days to visit from the grassland.

Manzhouli, about 70km west of Hailar, is a small city with a population of around 150,000 and an area of 696 square kilometers. The town lies on the Sino-Russian border, giving it a lively feel that is especially interesting in this far corner of China. This is a place for hardy travelers, entrepreneurial Russians, and bartering Chinese trying to thrive on cross-border trade.

Erguna River, Genhe Wetland and Erguna City The water of the Hailaer River flows from east to west before turning northeast about 20 km north of Hulun (or Dalai) Lake. At this point, the Hailaer River becomes the Ergun (Chinese name) or Argun (Russian name) River and forms the Chinese border with Russia's Zabaykalsky Krai region (formerly, Chita Oblast).

Ergun City occupies 28,400 km2 on the southeastern bank of the Ergun River. It was the hometown of Genghis Khan (1162-1227), who conquered most of Asia and Eastern Europe to the Dnieper River.

Highlights

* Enjoy one of the few remaining, well preserved Mongolian grasslands in China & Mongolia

* Walk in the footsteps of Genghis Khan in Ergun, and see the Ergun River and Wetland

* Explore a Russian township and meet its Russian descendants at the border to Russia

Best time to visit

Summer from June to early September.