Real Experience and Feelings Sharing of the July Hulunbuir Grand Loop

📍Just back from Hulunbuir, it’s really not like what’s said online. Here are my true feelings: 1️⃣ Weather: We stayed in Hulunbuir for 8 days. There were 2 days with heavy rain, 2 days with strong wind, and the rest were sunny days. The weather basically didn’t affect our trip, and overall the experience was good. 2️⃣ Temperature: It’s quite cool in the mornings and evenings, but as long as it’s not raining, short sleeves are fine, no need for jackets. On rainy days, elders and kids need jackets. The Genhe area is a bit colder. The midday sun is really strong, hot, and dry. 3️⃣ Sunrise and Sunset: Sunrise is around 4 AM, sunset around 8 PM. So in Hulunbuir, it’s bright by around 3 AM and only completely dark after 9 PM. If you have trouble sleeping, be sure to close the curtains well. 4️⃣ Road Conditions: Hulunbuir is grassland, so the terrain is generally flat. Although many roads are just two-lane, they are easy to drive on. Because it’s vast, even in peak tourist season, there’s basically no traffic jam. The roads towards Genhe and the Greater Khingan Range have permafrost sections, causing rough and bumpy surfaces. Other roads are in good condition, so self-driving shouldn’t be difficult. 5️⃣ Food: Mainly beef and mutton. I personally prefer mutton, which has no gamey taste. We tried hand-pulled mutton, stuffed tripe, roasted lamb ribs, roasted lamb leg, cumin lamb, and mutton hotpot—all good, but eating too much can be greasy. Beef is generally tougher and not as tasty as mutton in my opinion. In Hailar, I recommend Buryat steamed buns and Namulun mutton soup—delicious; in Manzhouli, you must try Russian cuisine, which is generous and affordable. I recommend blood sausage, tender and juicy; at Hulun Lake, try the whole fish feast, including fried willow roots and fried river shrimp. There are many carp there, so fish lovers can try it, but restaurants near the Hulun Lake scenic area are a bit pricey. If time allows, it’s better to eat in Zhalainuoer city. Shieweiman Street offers barbecue, hotpot, and food with a Northeastern Chinese flavor; Heishantou also has a Northeastern style; Genhe has no good recommendations. 6️⃣ Accommodation: If you have high standards for accommodation, I suggest not staying in wooden log cabins or Mongolian yurts, as conditions are quite tough. Breakfast is basically pickles with porridge, which is hard to get used to if you’re used to city life. All of Hulunbuir uses groundwater, which is ice-cold and freezes your hands. Places like Shieweiman, Genhe, and Heishantou have no tap water, so water pressure is low, and sometimes water doesn’t come out when showering. They use electric water heaters, which don’t look very safe. Wooden log cabins and yurts are expensive but uncomfortable, feeling like paying for hardship. 7️⃣ Attractions: Attractions are quite scattered and far apart. I estimated that we drove more than 4 hours every day. Many scenic spots’ views are not as good as the views along the road, which might be due to the weather. Rainy days are definitely worse than sunny days, and no clouds are less beautiful than some white clouds, especially low clouds, which look best. This really depends on luck, but over seven or eight days, you should encounter some good weather. There are basically no mosquitoes on the grasslands, but the Greater Khingan Range has a lot, followed by birch forests, which also have many caterpillars. At all attractions, you have to take a shuttle bus, electric car, or small train from the entrance to get to the main area, which is a bit tiring. 8️⃣ Scenery: Actually, the most beautiful scenery is on the road. The views along the way are really better than those in the scenic spots, so don’t sleep while riding. If you’re driving, find a safe spot to stop and enjoy. Especially crossing the Greater Khingan Range and the border defense line—it’s incredibly beautiful, with vast fields of rapeseed flowers, wheat fields, and grasslands of varying heights and colors, like a natural palette. Photos can’t capture half of its beauty. ❣️I will share a special series of posts about my real feelings at each attraction. If interested, you can refer to them.