Hulunbuir Landscape Photography Tour

After arriving in Hailar Airport, local staff will be waiting for you at the airport and will take you to the hotel to check in and rest. Along the way, the tour guide will provide you with a detailed introduction of the itinerary planning. If you have any questions, please communicate with the tour guide and our travel consultant in a timely manner.

After breakfast, we drive deep into Hulunbuir Grassland to reach Morigele River. Renowned Chinese writer Lao She called it "the most winding river under heaven"—its meandering course twists like a blue silk ribbon through green grass, with cattle and sheep scattered like stars along the banks. When the sun rises or sets, the river shimmers with golden-red hues, like flowing flames. It's perfect for photos of the river and grassland together. Come in summer (bright green) or autumn (golden yellow) for richer colors. You can ride horses here (at your own cost) to experience Mongolian horse culture.

Hulunbuir Grassland

Morigele River

After lunch, we'll drive to visit Ergun Wetland—an important global bird conservation area and Asia's largest wetland. It boasts beautiful scenery, with birch trees, winding rivers and grasslands complementing each other, making it an excellent spot for wetland photography. Moreover, Ergun Wetland is the last stop in China along the East Asian-Australasian bird bird migration route, serving as a key supply station for migrating birds. Every autumn, large numbers of migratory birds like white cranes, swan geese and mallards arrive here one after another, making it a rare place for bird photographers.

Ergun Wetland

Your Journey's Rewards：

Enjoy the beautiful scenery of the grassland, record the wetland landscapes and the agile moments of bird flocks, and feast your eyes on the color changes of vegetation throughout the four seasons.

Educational Focus：

As a key stopover for migratory birds, how does the Ergun Wetland support the survival and energy replenishment of intercontinental migrating birds?

Takeaway：

The rivers, grasslands and birch forests of the Ergun Wetland are intertwined to form a complex food chain, providing birds with sufficient food such as fish, shrimp and plant seeds. The vast waters are matched with vegetation cover, which can not only regulate the local climate, but also provide a safe micro-environment for rest and reproduction. The complete wetland hydrological system and less human interference can also ensure that birds replenish energy and recover their physical strength during migration.

Thoughts Challenge：

In today's era of growing global warming, will it significantly affect the timing of migratory birds' southward migration?

After breakfast, we will go to the depths of the primeval forest of the Greater Khingan Mountains to visit the Moerdaoga National Forest Park, the largest national forest park in China with the most complete forest ecological diversity. The natural scenery here is beautiful, and it has been rated as "the most desirable place in China". The scenery such as the sea of clouds and the sound of the sea of trees can be called a spectacle, and it is an excellent place to shoot the scenery of the original forest. After that, we will take the forest train thru the primeval forest to experience the natural ecology and beautiful scenery of the primeval forest of the Greater Khingan Mountains.

Moerdaoga National Forest Park's road

After visiting the primeval forest, we went to Shiwei, one of the top ten charming towns in China. Shiwei is separated from the Olochi of Nerchinsko-Zavodsk district of Russia by a river. Here, the four seasons are distinct, the scenery is picturesque, the land is vast and the population is sparse. Most of the 1,000 permanent residents are of Russian ethnicity. The unique ethnic integration culture here is a topic worth exploring. That night we would stay in the Mukeleng (local characteristic wooden buildings), and feel the local folk culture at close range.

Shiwei scenery

Your Journey's Rewards：

Enjoy the wonders of the primeval forest, experience the fun of the forest train, appreciate the Sino-Russian border customs, and live in the characteristic wooden houses to feel the exotic humanities.

Educational Focus：

How did the Russian ethnic group's settlement pattern and unique culture in Shiwei form and pass down in the geographical environment of the Sino-Russian border?

Takeaway：

The Russian ethnic group's settlement pattern and unique culture in Shiwei are the result of the geographical location of the Sino-Russian border, historical migration and cultural integration. Since modern times, Russian people have moved into this place due to war, business and other reasons, and lived together with local ethnic groups. The relatively stable environment on the border provided a basis for the preservation of culture, while the vast and sparsely populated living space allowed traditional customs to continue. The practical attributes of the wooden buildings to adapt to the cold climate, as well as the integration of Chinese and Russian elements in diet and festivals, not only retained the Russian cultural genes, but also absorbed the regional cultural characteristics of northern China, forming a unique cross-border cultural landscape.

Thoughts Challenge：

How should border villages maintain their uniqueness and roots while adapting to the development of the times?

After breakfast at the Mukeleng, we will head to Enhe, a Russian folk township. After arriving in Enhe, we will have a special cycling tour, riding horses through grasslands, wetlands, high mountains, and rivers, with a depth of 10 kilometers. The scenery along the way is different, like a colorful oil painting, and we will feel the different charm of cycling. After the cycling, take a vehicle to the Birch Forest Scenic Area, visit the only pure birch forest natural landscape in the Greater Khingan Mountains Hulunbuir area, and feel the beauty of the birch forest.

Riding through the forest

Birch Forest

After the visit, we will go to Heishantou, and then go to the nearby grassland for free activities to watch the magnificent grassland sunset. After dinner, we will hold a grassland bonfire party (if the activity is canceled due to force majeure factors such as scenic spot policy behavior or weather), sing and dance with Mongolian girls and boys, spend a wonderful night together, and then stay in the yurt to rest.

Your Journey's Rewards：

Ride through diverse landforms, enjoy the scenery of pure white birch forest, quietly enjoy the magnificent sunset of the grassland, go to the bonfire party to sing and dance, and experience the special accommodation of Mongolian yurt.

Educational Focus：

How does Enhe, a Russian folk township, maintain its own unique folk culture in the Sino-Russian cross-border environment?

Takeaway：

Enhe maintains its unique folk culture in the Sino-Russian cross-border environment through two dimensions. First, the intergenerational inheritance of families and communities, the core folk customs such as the production of Lieba, Russian dance, and traditional festivals are passed on through daily practice and collective activities. Second, the adaptive integration of culture and environment, while retaining the core characteristics of Russian culture, absorbs the elements of life in northern China, which not only does not deviate from the roots of the ethnic group, but also integrates into the local context.

Thoughts Challenge：

How can we balance folk culture's "adherence" and "integration" to avoid cultural distortion under the dual impact of cross-border cultural exchanges and tourism development?

After watching the magnificent grassland sunrise in Heishantou in the morning, we went to the Mongolian ranch, experience the pure nomadic culture. We changed into exquisite Mongolian costumes to capture the beautiful grassland scenery, took the oil drum train to shuttle thru the green sea, fed the cute sheep with our own hands, and pulled bows and arrows to experience the pride of the horse-riding nation. After the experience, we took the bus back to Hailar, with the vast memories of the grassland and the warmth of folk customs, and successfully ended the journey and went to the return flight.

Mongolian herdsmen

Your Journey's Rewards：

Freeze the golden red sunrise on the grassland, experience the interesting Mongolian folk activities, touch the root of nomadic culture, and keep the warm memories of the border journey.

Educational Focus：

How do Mongolian ranch retain the pure nomadic culture?

Takeaway：

Mongolian ranch have always adhered to animal husbandry as the main industry, followed the traditional production logic that is compatible with the grassland, did not break away from the native environment, relied on family inheritance, and relied on the way of elders leading younger generations to pass on the old rules such as Mongolian clothing, archery skills, and ethnic etiquette from generation to generation. The most important thing is not to over-commercialize, but to moderately open up folk experience, which not only allows everyone to understand the culture, but also does not destroy its original appearance.

Thoughts Challenge：

In the face of the dual impact of modernization and tourism development, what kind of balance between 'preservation' and 'adaptation' can allow purely nomadic culture to retain its authenticity while ensuring long-term survival?