Arshan 7 Days | Hulunbuir Grassland Autumn Colours (via Hailar)

Every autumn, the Hulunbuir grassland completes a magnificent transformation: emerald pastures become a golden carpet, birch forests blaze yellow, and the Moergele River winds like a ribbon between earth and sky. In this season the grassland has no summer crowds, yet holds its most intense colours and clearest weather. This seven-day route starts and ends in Hailar, threading the Hulunbuir grassland and the Aershan forest into a loop with no backtracking: the first four days belong to the grassland — the nine-bend curves of the Moergele River, gentle reindeer in the birch woods, a dusk gallop across the pasture at Heishantou, and a single glance over two countries from the border highway; the last three days belong to forest and volcano — with Manzhouli's exotic character as the transition, then Aershan National Forest Park's Wusulangzi Lake, Santang Gorge, Shitang Forest and Camel Peak Tianchi, telling a billion-year story of the earth in the language of volcano and forest.

The itinerary also includes a complimentary Horse Dance (Ma zhi Wu) show, a herdsman's home experience and drone filming — capturing an aerial video over the grassland is almost every traveller's most anticipated moment. The route targets families, friends travelling together and photography lovers; access in and out of Hailar is straightforward, with off-road vehicles or business vans throughout, and stays ranging from Russian-style log houses (muke leng) and yurts to four-diamond hotels in Manzhouli. This is a route born for autumn — a journey that packs grassland and forest, culture and nature into one bag; specific departures and prices come in discount and regular tiers, confirmed at booking.

Who is this route for?

It suits families, parent-child trips and photography lovers who enjoy natural scenery and can accept grassland accommodation conditions. Horse riding, grass sledding, feeding lambs and similar activities suit all ages, and the log houses and yurts bring novelty — but they also mean relatively simple soundproofing, facilities and toiletries; travellers who expect a lot from accommodation and are used to city hotels should weigh this first. The route does not accept travellers with infectious diseases, heart or cerebrovascular conditions, or pregnant women; travellers over 75 must be accompanied by a direct relative. Autumn grassland mornings and evenings swing widely in temperature, so seniors and children need extra attention to staying warm.

What should you note before departure?

• September–October brings big day–night temperature swings on the grassland — bring a windproof warm jacket, scarf and hat.

• For horse riding, wear long trousers and flat shoes and follow the wrangler's guidance; first-time riders should pick a suitable horse as arranged by the instructor.

• The grassland is vast and sparsely populated with relatively high prices — bring your own snacks and common medicines; the log houses and yurts don't provide toiletries, so bring your own.

• The final day arrives back in Hailar around 16:00 — book return flights or trains after 18:00 to leave a comfortable margin.

What's the day-by-day plan for the seven days?

• Day 1 — Assemble in Hailar: 24-hour airport/train pickup; after checking into a three-diamond hotel, enjoy free time — you can visit the Ewenki Museum or the Hulunbuir Natural History Museum.

• Day 2 — Into the heart of the grassland: Follow the Moergele River to see its nine-bend curves, cross pastureland, meet the reindeer in the birch forest, and spend the night in a log house at Enhe.

• Day 3 — Border scenery: Drive the Valley of the Wind and the border highway, visit a herdsman's home to feed lambs and drink milk tea, watch the grassland sunset at Heishantou in the evening, and stay in a yurt.

• Day 4 — Horse riding and Manzhouli: Ride horses at Heishantou for about 2 hours in the morning, grass-sled at the 186 Colourful River in the afternoon, and view the Matryoshka Square and the national gate from afar in the evening.

• Day 5 — South to Aershan: Cross the wind-turbine grassland to watch the Horse Dance (Ma zhi Wu) equestrian show, stop at Wuli Spring for natural mineral water along the way, and see the Aershan railway station in the evening.

• Day 6 — A full day in Aershan National Forest Park: Wusulangzi Lake, Santang Gorge, Shitang Forest and Camel Peak Tianchi — a whole day immersed in volcanic and forest landscapes.

• Day 7 — Return to Hailar: Stop at Qixian Lake for views along the way and arrive back in Hailar around 16:00 for a unified airport/train drop-off.

What's included in the cost, and what's extra?

The itinerary covers 6 nights' accommodation with next-morning breakfast, local off-road vehicle or business van with driver, the listed scenic-area tickets and experiences, plus the Horse Dance show and herdsman's home experience. Not included: your round-trip transport to Hailar, main meals, the horse-leading service fee (about 100 yuan/person) and personal spending — budget about 800–1,200 yuan extra. The log houses and yurts are mainly for the experience, so earplugs and your own toiletries make it more comfortable. Discount and regular departures fall on different dates; National Day and its surroundings usually run on the regular tier — just confirm with the advisor at booking. Scenic-area opening times, equestrian show schedules and grassland road conditions change with the season — please defer to the latest notices from the local scenic areas and official sources.

Closing words: take the grassland's autumn home

Seven days begin with the aroma of milk tea in Hailar and end by the volcanic lake of Aershan. You'll remember the golden bends of the Moergele River, the gentle eyes of the reindeer, the tremor of hooves across the grassland, and that pool of clear blue autumn water at Camel Peak Tianchi. The autumn of Hulunbuir is short, which makes it precious; the forest of Aershan is quiet, which makes it healing. When the journey ends and you lift off from Hailar airport, looking back over this land gilded by autumn, you'll understand — some scenery only appears in autumn, and some journeys can only be appreciated by living them.

If you're planning to fit the autumn colours of Hulunbuir and Aershan into a seven-day holiday but worry about nailing down departures, accommodation and details like horse riding, tell a 0765trip travel advisor your travel dates, group size and preferences, and we'll confirm a concrete plan against the season's departures and room availability. Before you leave, remember to recheck your round-trip flights, grassland weather and scenic-area opening information — everything should be subject to the latest official announcements. One last word: agree with your travel companions in advance on how long to linger over the moments you most want to shoot (like the Heishantou sunset or the reflection at Camel Peak Tianchi). Autumn light changes quickly — keeping a little patience to "wait for the light" is often worth more than rushing to one more stop.