Xilamuren Prairie
Xilamuren Prairie
3.5
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
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3.5
65 reviews
Excellent
16
Very good
22
Average
21
Poor
3
Terrible
3
BlackyMLeo
Singapore, Singapore2,013 contributions
Mar 2016
Well, I know i went there on a wrong season, the best season to be there will be on July which i know the place will look really beautiful. Its only that the day i go the weather went on a sudden change of - 3 degree which is really freezing. I would suggest if those can drive can do a self drive over which will be cheaper or go with a big group. I still managed to see their lovely horses, tent houses, visiting their local home trying out their local home made food. Most of the place is still frozen with snow and even the river. Riding on the horse to take you around will cost 400 yuan to 5 or 6 station of their main hot spots. But i think you will be able to bargain the price if you have more people unlike me traveling alone. Overall, i do enjoy the trip and hope to see a really green green Glassland on my next visit.
Written 10 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
robin338
Singapore, Singapore234 contributions
Aug 2011 • Friends
The grasslands were really quite beautiful but the locals running the place are so desperate to make a quick buck out of everything that it somehow spoils the atmosphere. We arrived at around 2pm from Hohhot and weather during the end of August is fairly pleasant, lots of sunshine and warm weather of about 25 degrees maximum during the day and about 4 degrees at night. 2 types of accomodation are available, the modern ger with air-conditioning and bathroom attached and versus the traditional ger without. My advice is to take the modern ger. The traditional ones are extremely dusty and dark inside and the toilet is easily 100-200 metres away, not a good idea at night when there's little lighting. The modern ger is a 1-2 star accomodation, acceptable in this part of the world. I set the air conditioning at 16 degrees during the day and brought it up to 25 during the night when it became chilly. The bathroom was unfortunately abit dirty and smelly so we had to keep the bathroom door closed all times. Hot water was not available so one might want to consider showering during the day. Horse riding is a must, and here is the most irritating part. The locals running the place will try to get you to pay extra, about USD$30-40 for an additional 1 hour distance where there are some small lakes. When you reach their supposed destination, you will find that the small lakes are just behind the little brick houses and you just walk there from where you alight from your horses. They didn't seem to allow the other tourists who have paid extra to go near the waters even though there weren't any barricades of any sort. Thru'out the horse riding thingy, the local herdsman was always trying to rush the horses, probably so that he could get a longer break if he finishes with us earlier. Half the tourists/ other tour groups that arrive at the place seemed to have spent only half a day here. Dinner: large servings of everything but really not tasty. If you haven't been to a Mongolian grassland before, then it is worth a visit, 1 night is the maximum. Alternatively, arrive in the morning and depart after lunch to stay in better accomodation in the main city of Hohhot.
Written 22 September 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stephytse
Ankara, Türkiye115 contributions
Aug 2011 • Friends
Like many chinese I was expecting to see the big prairies as shown in the TV soap called "Gengishan". Due to development of the city apparently whoever left on the grassland are no longer nomad but people who are investing in mass tourism. The only attraction in the location is a Yurt for praying.
The situation of greens are more worrying: no longer green, and bearly any grass on the land. So the miles and miles of greens would only appear on photoshopped pictures I'm afraid. Still a good opportunity to visit "shepherd's home" and the local cuisine though. The horse ride is main attraction, try not to participate with your group tour and negotiate a price by yourself, it'd be much more economical!
The situation of greens are more worrying: no longer green, and bearly any grass on the land. So the miles and miles of greens would only appear on photoshopped pictures I'm afraid. Still a good opportunity to visit "shepherd's home" and the local cuisine though. The horse ride is main attraction, try not to participate with your group tour and negotiate a price by yourself, it'd be much more economical!
Written 14 September 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heryanti Abdul Wahid
Singapore380 contributions
I was here in June 2006. From Huhhot it was about 2 hours drive (with 1 stop) if I remembered correctly. I stayed for 1 nite at the Xilamuren grasslands. It was great and the air was so fresh. No wonder the Mongolian singers have such good voices. I really missed the scenery, the friendly locals and the unique food. Oh, the leather goods eg, sandals, wallets, jackets are very affordable. They are sold in shops across the Xilamuren grassland resort where I stayed. I miss Xilamuren already!!
Written 6 November 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rosie38c
Harpenden, UK406 contributions
Apr 2016 • Solo
I had two days in hohhot so took a one day tour to the Xilamuren grassland with Choula who was an excellent guide and very reasonable prices for private tours (Chaolu Inner mongolia ) I include it as it took me ages to find a tour company locally.
As you approach the grasslands I agree with previous reviewers it looks very tacky, very touristy, in fact if you're english it reminded me of a caravan park near the coast. but with Yurts rather than caravans. These places are full of large groups and offer a night in the yurt and horse riding (but not across the grasslands, just in their bit of land). But if you drive farther you find yourself alone in this amazing wilderness, although it wasn't very green when i visited this weekend, the landscape was still beautiful and the sky was an amazing deep blue. There are lots of sheep, wild horses and even cattle to be seen.
We stopped at the farthest yurts in the Xila Muren where they were just finishing building some stunning wooden upmarket Yurts, and the craftsmen even invited us in to eat with them before letting us look round the yurts... now if you're looking for upmarket yurts but with an unbeatable view (with no other tacky parks nearby) this is the place.
It was another amazing place to visit in China that my colleagues are all now going to visit on my reports on my return. It's one of the few places you can lose yourself in natural beauty without a busload of tourists arriving to ruin it.
Dont just go in July and August now is a great time, there were few tourists and amazing weather.
If you only have a short time for a trip to inner mongolia it's a great way to see such an amazing geography.
As you approach the grasslands I agree with previous reviewers it looks very tacky, very touristy, in fact if you're english it reminded me of a caravan park near the coast. but with Yurts rather than caravans. These places are full of large groups and offer a night in the yurt and horse riding (but not across the grasslands, just in their bit of land). But if you drive farther you find yourself alone in this amazing wilderness, although it wasn't very green when i visited this weekend, the landscape was still beautiful and the sky was an amazing deep blue. There are lots of sheep, wild horses and even cattle to be seen.
We stopped at the farthest yurts in the Xila Muren where they were just finishing building some stunning wooden upmarket Yurts, and the craftsmen even invited us in to eat with them before letting us look round the yurts... now if you're looking for upmarket yurts but with an unbeatable view (with no other tacky parks nearby) this is the place.
It was another amazing place to visit in China that my colleagues are all now going to visit on my reports on my return. It's one of the few places you can lose yourself in natural beauty without a busload of tourists arriving to ruin it.
Dont just go in July and August now is a great time, there were few tourists and amazing weather.
If you only have a short time for a trip to inner mongolia it's a great way to see such an amazing geography.
Written 25 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ShirLs B
Singapore, Singapore699 contributions
June 2014 • Friends
Granted, I guess I didn't go during the best time. Winter in Inner Mongolia was only just over, and the grass was only just beginning to grow, so we'd still see brown patches on the ground. That was all fine though; the vastness of the Xilamuren Grasslands is still some sight to behold. Also, don't expect to see countless herds of cows and horses and sheep grazing -- due to government regulations, the Inner Mongolians can only rear a limited number of livestock now, so the sights of unlimited animals will not likely be possible in the next few years. For that, I would suggest the Republic of Mongolia itself, where rearing is not restricted by the Mongolian government.
Xilamuren Grassland is probably the one that's most commercialized out of the many in Mongolia, and frankly, it's not like I have a problem with that. While I'm eager to experience the grasslands, I'm not keen on sleeping overnight in a real, traditional Mongolian yurt, where I have to sleep on the ground with 7 other people, and go outdoors to use the loo. So the "luxury yurts" they have for tourists is just fine for me. That said, however, everything else was not at all satisfactory.
First, they charge rather exorbitant prices, to bring you around the grassland on horseback / horse cart. CNY 455 to see four "special" spots, and that's not the worst part. The worst part is that these Mongolian horses appear to be gentle, but they are NOT. They tend to be disobedient, breaking into canter without warning. That's not good at all, if you're not an experienced horse rider. The herd of horses and other tourists I was with went berserk at one point, at the sight of another mare with her foal, and they all broke out galloping at full speed. To cut the long story short, my aunt sprained her back trying to hold on, and another lady was eventually thrown off the horse. It was horrible. So be very careful if you're paying over CNY400 for these horse rides.
Second, other than these unsafe horse rides, there's pretty much no other entertainment here. They call themselves a "resort", but entertainment is limited. There's a horse race and wrestling competition in the afternoon, and that's about it. There aren't even any horse stunts performance, which Mongolians are supposedly famous for. And then in the evening, there's a bonfire, but that was so horrible because it's completely commercialized for shallow tourists. They basically took a leaf out of beach resorts where Europeans swarm, and sang pop songs with horrendous disco beats. What happened to the throngs of Mongolians singing traditional Mongolian songs, and dancing in a big circle around a real bonfire? If I want pop song performances, I'll go to a beach resort, thank you very much. I don't need the same in a Mongolian grassland.
So in the nutshell, if you're looking for some real Mongolian culture and traditions, head to the Republic of Monglian, head to Ulanbaatar. But if you're afraid of sleeping in a real, stinky Mongolian yurt yet don't mind fake and commercialized Mongolians, then yeah, Xilamuren in Inner Monglia should suffice.
Xilamuren Grassland is probably the one that's most commercialized out of the many in Mongolia, and frankly, it's not like I have a problem with that. While I'm eager to experience the grasslands, I'm not keen on sleeping overnight in a real, traditional Mongolian yurt, where I have to sleep on the ground with 7 other people, and go outdoors to use the loo. So the "luxury yurts" they have for tourists is just fine for me. That said, however, everything else was not at all satisfactory.
First, they charge rather exorbitant prices, to bring you around the grassland on horseback / horse cart. CNY 455 to see four "special" spots, and that's not the worst part. The worst part is that these Mongolian horses appear to be gentle, but they are NOT. They tend to be disobedient, breaking into canter without warning. That's not good at all, if you're not an experienced horse rider. The herd of horses and other tourists I was with went berserk at one point, at the sight of another mare with her foal, and they all broke out galloping at full speed. To cut the long story short, my aunt sprained her back trying to hold on, and another lady was eventually thrown off the horse. It was horrible. So be very careful if you're paying over CNY400 for these horse rides.
Second, other than these unsafe horse rides, there's pretty much no other entertainment here. They call themselves a "resort", but entertainment is limited. There's a horse race and wrestling competition in the afternoon, and that's about it. There aren't even any horse stunts performance, which Mongolians are supposedly famous for. And then in the evening, there's a bonfire, but that was so horrible because it's completely commercialized for shallow tourists. They basically took a leaf out of beach resorts where Europeans swarm, and sang pop songs with horrendous disco beats. What happened to the throngs of Mongolians singing traditional Mongolian songs, and dancing in a big circle around a real bonfire? If I want pop song performances, I'll go to a beach resort, thank you very much. I don't need the same in a Mongolian grassland.
So in the nutshell, if you're looking for some real Mongolian culture and traditions, head to the Republic of Monglian, head to Ulanbaatar. But if you're afraid of sleeping in a real, stinky Mongolian yurt yet don't mind fake and commercialized Mongolians, then yeah, Xilamuren in Inner Monglia should suffice.
Written 29 June 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gigi T
5 contributions
May 2018
The plains were amazing, awe-inspiring, and beautiful. The resort, not so much.
Food: Meals provided were basic (vegetables, rice, tofu, traces of meat) and insufficient for the number of people at the table. To have roast lamb, expect to pay about 100Y extra a person.
Entertainment: What's included is a joke of a "horse race" and "wrestling match". Together they last 2 minutes and are super fake. Basic horse rides are 380Y and last less than an hour. The visit to the "herdsman's house" is really a visit to a store located slightly further away from the resort where you are offered some samples... Want to see a horse show? Pay 280Y. Want to upgrade to a nice dinner show? Pay more. During dinner, someone comes around to harass you into paying for song requests (50Y). After dinner at the bonfire, you can also pay for more song requests.
It was much more fun avoiding the extra shows and walking around the plains, watching the locals horsing around (literally) with their horses, the sunset / sunrise, and looking out at the horses at rest. Super beautiful and unforgettable.
Food: Meals provided were basic (vegetables, rice, tofu, traces of meat) and insufficient for the number of people at the table. To have roast lamb, expect to pay about 100Y extra a person.
Entertainment: What's included is a joke of a "horse race" and "wrestling match". Together they last 2 minutes and are super fake. Basic horse rides are 380Y and last less than an hour. The visit to the "herdsman's house" is really a visit to a store located slightly further away from the resort where you are offered some samples... Want to see a horse show? Pay 280Y. Want to upgrade to a nice dinner show? Pay more. During dinner, someone comes around to harass you into paying for song requests (50Y). After dinner at the bonfire, you can also pay for more song requests.
It was much more fun avoiding the extra shows and walking around the plains, watching the locals horsing around (literally) with their horses, the sunset / sunrise, and looking out at the horses at rest. Super beautiful and unforgettable.
Written 23 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeffrey L
Taipei, Taiwan133 contributions
May 2017 • Family
I am sure everyone who travels to both Mongolias expect to see grasslands and desert and today was our excursion to Xilamuren Grasslands [希拉穆仁草原], two hours drive from Hohhot.
For the life of me, I do not know why I did not consult the comments on TripAdvisor before embarking on the trip, since I am a TA top contributor. Our guide began selling the grassland options during the drive and the rip-off experience we encountered were exactly as described by the TA commenters.
My mom did not intend to ride either a horse or a camel during the trip, but when we were told that horseback-riding was the only activity for the morning, Mom thought that she might as well join the other elders in riding the horse-drawn carriage. We were given the option of joining the 3-spot visit for RMB360 or the 2-spot visit for RMB260. Mom and I had intended to just do the 2-spot since we just wanted a simple experience, but everyone else in the tour raised their hands for the 3-spot visit so we thought we might as well join them.
Upon arrival, we were greeted at the resort gate by staff in traditional costumes bearing bowls of wine. Then we were led to the horse stables to pick up our safety helmets and to choose our horses. The helmets looked more like equestrian hats, and not wide-brim straw hats as I had expected. It was good I applied sunblock on my neck and face. Temperatures at this time of the day could reach 30 degrees Celsius. Mom and three other ladies were assigned to a carriage that looked more spartan than the calesas we have in Manila.
Galloping in the grasslands was not a bad experience after all. But RMB360 seemed a bit too pricey, as if horses do not exist anywhere else.
The first spot the herd approached was an ao bao "stone heap" so we alighted from our horses to take some pictures. The supposed-to-be "third spot" was a swamp and when we passed it, the herders just assumed that no one was getting off his horse. The carriages didn't even pass by and took a drier path closer to the stables. At this point I already knew we had been ripped-off. The 2-spot and 3-spot visits were exactly the same. I even found out later that the price for riding the carriage was supposed to be much lower than RMB360 since there were four to a carriage. No one in the group complained and I would find out later on Trip Advisor that this seems to be the SOP at Xilamuren.
The other spot visited was a Mongolian yurt and we were served horse milk tea and snacks. Of course, the objective was to make us buy more of the snacks if we wanted. The entire experience at Xilamuren smelled so much of commercialism. I wouldn't say that it was an awful experience though, because this was my first time to ride a horse and I actually enjoyed it. But I would say that the experience was, at most, worth RMB200. The carriage ride was worth no more than RMB100 and Mom even got scratched by an uneven metal frame.
After lunch and a short rest, we were asked to congregate to watch some activities organized by the resort like horse-racing and Mongolian wrestling that were very inauthentic, just something to show "ignorant" tourists.
The grass wasn't green and was sparse. I do not even remember seeing sheep running around or grazing cattle. My overall impression of Xilamuren was that of a touristy and inauthentic grassland experience.
For the life of me, I do not know why I did not consult the comments on TripAdvisor before embarking on the trip, since I am a TA top contributor. Our guide began selling the grassland options during the drive and the rip-off experience we encountered were exactly as described by the TA commenters.
My mom did not intend to ride either a horse or a camel during the trip, but when we were told that horseback-riding was the only activity for the morning, Mom thought that she might as well join the other elders in riding the horse-drawn carriage. We were given the option of joining the 3-spot visit for RMB360 or the 2-spot visit for RMB260. Mom and I had intended to just do the 2-spot since we just wanted a simple experience, but everyone else in the tour raised their hands for the 3-spot visit so we thought we might as well join them.
Upon arrival, we were greeted at the resort gate by staff in traditional costumes bearing bowls of wine. Then we were led to the horse stables to pick up our safety helmets and to choose our horses. The helmets looked more like equestrian hats, and not wide-brim straw hats as I had expected. It was good I applied sunblock on my neck and face. Temperatures at this time of the day could reach 30 degrees Celsius. Mom and three other ladies were assigned to a carriage that looked more spartan than the calesas we have in Manila.
Galloping in the grasslands was not a bad experience after all. But RMB360 seemed a bit too pricey, as if horses do not exist anywhere else.
The first spot the herd approached was an ao bao "stone heap" so we alighted from our horses to take some pictures. The supposed-to-be "third spot" was a swamp and when we passed it, the herders just assumed that no one was getting off his horse. The carriages didn't even pass by and took a drier path closer to the stables. At this point I already knew we had been ripped-off. The 2-spot and 3-spot visits were exactly the same. I even found out later that the price for riding the carriage was supposed to be much lower than RMB360 since there were four to a carriage. No one in the group complained and I would find out later on Trip Advisor that this seems to be the SOP at Xilamuren.
The other spot visited was a Mongolian yurt and we were served horse milk tea and snacks. Of course, the objective was to make us buy more of the snacks if we wanted. The entire experience at Xilamuren smelled so much of commercialism. I wouldn't say that it was an awful experience though, because this was my first time to ride a horse and I actually enjoyed it. But I would say that the experience was, at most, worth RMB200. The carriage ride was worth no more than RMB100 and Mom even got scratched by an uneven metal frame.
After lunch and a short rest, we were asked to congregate to watch some activities organized by the resort like horse-racing and Mongolian wrestling that were very inauthentic, just something to show "ignorant" tourists.
The grass wasn't green and was sparse. I do not even remember seeing sheep running around or grazing cattle. My overall impression of Xilamuren was that of a touristy and inauthentic grassland experience.
Written 9 June 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stktchang
Singapore, Singapore149 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
We came here to stay one night, like chalet resort except the chalet build in the shape of a yurt. Quite comfortable room with modern faculties, ensuite toilet and shower, came with a television too. It was cold and we had a split unit but it just blew out hot airs and didn't managed to warm up the room. The place reminded me of a big caravan park with yurts instead of cabins. We went for a horse ride around the paddock within the property, was quite fun and we stop at a yurt who served us milk tea and some snacks. It is too commercialize, not quite what I was expecting. Looking out of your room will be rows and rows of yurts instead of the grassland.
Written 23 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah A
China118 contributions
Sept 2016 • Solo
we stayed a local family in their yurte, I joined the tour from anda guesthouse, the landscape is amazing, so relaxing and beautiful, the yurts are very comfortable for sleeping, the food was ok (I am vegetarian, not so many veggies in Mongolia:), this grassland gives a good impression about Mongolia life style and it is easy to reach from hohhot
Written 18 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hello,
We will also be going to Xilamuren with our toddler and would like to stay in a traditional yurt. Can you please advise how and with whom did you book your yurt?
Regards,
Shawn
Written 11 May 2016
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