Planning a Trip
Getting There
The airport is 16km (10 miles) east of town. A taxi into town costs about ¥25 to ¥30 ($3.10-$3.75/£1.55-£1.85). Locals negotiate the price in advance and don't use the meter. The CAC (Zhongguo Minhang) shuttle (¥5/65¢/35p) meets flights and is also an option. It leaves from CAC's main ticket office on Xilin Guole Lu just south of Wulanqiate Xi Jie 1 1/2 hours before every flight. There are direct flights from many major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. Mongolian Airlines (MIAT; tel. 0471/430-2026) shares offices with the Mongolian Consulate (Menggu Lingshiguan) and offers flights to Ulan Batar.
The railway station is in the north part of town. Of the many trains linking Hohhot with Beijing, the K90 (10 hr.) at 9:23pm is the most convenient. Datong is also on this line. Another useful service is the K43 link with Lanzhou (17 hr.). Yinchuan (8 hr.) and Zhongwei (11 hr.) are two of the stops on this line. Tickets can be bought in advance at all windows, but sleepers are often in short supply. Try agents in hotels for these.
The Long-Distance Bus Station is west of the railway station. There are hourly buses to Beijing (6 hr.; ¥130/$17/£8.45) and Datong (4 hr.; ¥45/$5.85/£2.95). Yinchuan is served by one sleeper bus daily at 6pm (10 hr.; ¥145/$19/£9.45). To get to the grasslands, Xilamuren is served by hourly buses (2 hr.; ¥20 ($2.60/£1.30) from 7:50am.
Getting Around
Bus fare is ¥1 (15¢/5p); minibus fare is ¥1.50 (20¢/10p). The taxi rate for the first 2km (1 1/4 miles) is ¥6 (80¢/40p); after that, it's ¥1 (15¢/5p) per kilometer.
Tours
The CITS office is located on the third floor, Yishuting NanJie 95 (tel. 0471/628-3861). It can arrange expensive tours to the grasslands with an English-speaking guide (from ¥350/$46/£23). Most hotels have desks offering cheaper, non-English tours. Shop around and bargain.
Festivals & Special Events
Da Zhao has more than a dozen temple festivals. Among the best are Songjing Da Fahui (8th-15th days of the first and sixth lunar months), 8 days of prayer and chanting sutras; Songbalin (14th day of the first and sixth lunar months), a morning spent exorcising demons -- chanting, performing ritual dance, burning of demon effigy; Liang Dafo (15th day of the first and sixth lunar months), which begins with the Sunning of the Maitreya thangka (a giant image of the Future Buddha hung in the courtyard to air and be admired), and is followed by prayer, chanting, ceremonial dance and music, circumambulation, and alms-giving; and Mani Hui (14th-17th day of the eighth lunar month), Da Zhao's most solemn festival of the year, 3 days and nights of continuous prayer for good fortune (at the end, visitors who give alms are rewarded with a packet of "sacred medicine," said to cure all manner of illness and disease).
The traditional sports festival, Nadam, which features wrestling, horse and camel racing, and archery, occurs when and if the grasslands turn green. That's usually mid-August, but it can be as early as July. Last-minute cancellations aren't uncommon. Note that the dates don't coincide with (the People's Republic of) Mongolia's Nadam festival, which is tied to their National Day and always occurs from July 11 to July 13.
Fast Facts
Banks, Foreign Exchange and ATMs -- Two branches of Bank of China that have full-service foreign-exchange counters and 24-hour ATM access are at Xincheng Dong Jie 88 (2 blocks east of the Xincheng Dong/Xi Jie and Xincheng Bei/Nan Jie intersection); and on the south side of Xinhua Dajie between Xilinguole Bei Lu and Yingbin Bei Lu. Hours are 8am to noon and 2:30 to 5:30pm. There's also an ATM in the lobby of the Guohang Dasha hotel.
Consulates -- The Mongolian Consulate (tel. 0471/4303-3254) issues 30-day tourist visas at Xincheng District, Wulan Xiaoqu, No. 5. Service is available Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Two photographs are required. The next-day fee is ¥495 ($62/£32); regular processing can take a week and costs ¥270 ($35/£18). Take bus no. 2 or 16.
Internet Access -- There's a no-name Internet cafe opposite the station, next to a small Bank of China. It's open 8am to 3:30am and charges ¥2 (25¢/15p) per hour. Dial-up is 169.
Post Office -- The main branch of the post office is on Zhongshan Dong Lu (open 8am-6:30pm summer, until 6pm winter).
Visa Extensions -- The visa office (Mon-Fri 8am-noon and 2:30-5:30pm) is on the left beyond the guards at the PSB office (Gonganju; tel. 0471/669-0018) at Zhongshan Xi Lu 42, almost opposite the big pink Minzu Shangchang.
Planning a Trip
Getting There
The airport is 16km (10 miles) east of town. A taxi into town costs about ¥25 to ¥30 ($3.10-$3.75/£1.55-£1.85). Locals negotiate the price in advance and don't use the meter. The CAC (Zhongguo Minhang) shuttle (¥5/65¢/35p) meets flights and is also an option. It leaves from CAC's main ticket office on Xilin Guole Lu just south of Wulanqiate Xi Jie 1 1/2 hours before every flight. There are direct flights from many major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Guangzhou. Mongolian Airlines (MIAT; tel. 0471/430-2026) shares offices with the Mongolian Consulate (Menggu Lingshiguan) and offers flights to Ulan Batar.
The railway station is in the north part of town. Of the many trains linking Hohhot with Beijing, the K90 (10 hr.) at 9:23pm is the most convenient. Datong is also on this line. Another useful service is the K43 link with Lanzhou (17 hr.). Yinchuan (8 hr.) and Zhongwei (11 hr.) are two of the stops on this line. Tickets can be bought in advance at all windows, but sleepers are often in short supply. Try agents in hotels for these.
The Long-Distance Bus Station is west of the railway station. There are hourly buses to Beijing (6 hr.; ¥130/$17/£8.45) and Datong (4 hr.; ¥45/$5.85/£2.95). Yinchuan is served by one sleeper bus daily at 6pm (10 hr.; ¥145/$19/£9.45). To get to the grasslands, Xilamuren is served by hourly buses (2 hr.; ¥20 ($2.60/£1.30) from 7:50am.
Getting Around
Bus fare is ¥1 (15¢/5p); minibus fare is ¥1.50 (20¢/10p). The taxi rate for the first 2km (1 1/4 miles) is ¥6 (80¢/40p); after that, it's ¥1 (15¢/5p) per kilometer.
Tours
The CITS office is located on the third floor, Yishuting NanJie 95 (tel. 0471/628-3861). It can arrange expensive tours to the grasslands with an English-speaking guide (from ¥350/$46/£23). Most hotels have desks offering cheaper, non-English tours. Shop around and bargain.
Festivals & Special Events
Da Zhao has more than a dozen temple festivals. Among the best are Songjing Da Fahui (8th-15th days of the first and sixth lunar months), 8 days of prayer and chanting sutras; Songbalin (14th day of the first and sixth lunar months), a morning spent exorcising demons -- chanting, performing ritual dance, burning of demon effigy; Liang Dafo (15th day of the first and sixth lunar months), which begins with the Sunning of the Maitreya thangka (a giant image of the Future Buddha hung in the courtyard to air and be admired), and is followed by prayer, chanting, ceremonial dance and music, circumambulation, and alms-giving; and Mani Hui (14th-17th day of the eighth lunar month), Da Zhao's most solemn festival of the year, 3 days and nights of continuous prayer for good fortune (at the end, visitors who give alms are rewarded with a packet of "sacred medicine," said to cure all manner of illness and disease).
The traditional sports festival, Nadam, which features wrestling, horse and camel racing, and archery, occurs when and if the grasslands turn green. That's usually mid-August, but it can be as early as July. Last-minute cancellations aren't uncommon. Note that the dates don't coincide with (the People's Republic of) Mongolia's Nadam festival, which is tied to their National Day and always occurs from July 11 to July 13.
Fast Facts
Banks, Foreign Exchange and ATMs -- Two branches of Bank of China that have full-service foreign-exchange counters and 24-hour ATM access are at Xincheng Dong Jie 88 (2 blocks east of the Xincheng Dong/Xi Jie and Xincheng Bei/Nan Jie intersection); and on the south side of Xinhua Dajie between Xilinguole Bei Lu and Yingbin Bei Lu. Hours are 8am to noon and 2:30 to 5:30pm. There's also an ATM in the lobby of the Guohang Dasha hotel.
Consulates -- The Mongolian Consulate (tel. 0471/4303-3254) issues 30-day tourist visas at Xincheng District, Wulan Xiaoqu, No. 5. Service is available Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Two photographs are required. The next-day fee is ¥495 ($62/£32); regular processing can take a week and costs ¥270 ($35/£18). Take bus no. 2 or 16.
Internet Access -- There's a no-name Internet cafe opposite the station, next to a small Bank of China. It's open 8am to 3:30am and charges ¥2 (25¢/15p) per hour. Dial-up is 169.
Post Office -- The main branch of the post office is on Zhongshan Dong Lu (open 8am-6:30pm summer, until 6pm winter).
Visa Extensions -- The visa office (Mon-Fri 8am-noon and 2:30-5:30pm) is on the left beyond the guards at the PSB office (Gonganju; tel. 0471/669-0018) at Zhongshan Xi Lu 42, almost opposite the big pink Minzu Shangchang.
