Exploring Xiangshawan: The Disney of the Desert

I thought I had seen it all in the dunes when we explored sand in Gansu and even half sand-half sea in Vietnam. But Xiangshawan (响沙湾), in Inner Mongolia, blew my mind in the most literal sense — the singing sands.

It also had dune roller coasters and a gigantic desert resort shaped like a blooming lotus flower in the sand.

Xiangshawan is one of those places that you know has “malls and sand” written all over it. The $130 million hotel/resort in the middle of Kubuqi Desert isn’t necessarily the reason to visit, but the singing sands and local scenery? Absolutely.

Plus, I kept hearing locals refer to Xiangshawan as the “Disneyland of the Desert” and had to see for myself (with a side of skepticism).

What is Xiangshawan?

Xiangshawan lies in the east of the Kubuqi Desert and covers an area of 24 square kilometers. It has a population of about 30,000 locals and is known for its “singing sands” (响沙) where the sand vibrates and creates a humming sound when you step on it, creating a natural musical instrument.

Xiangshawan, surrounded by Hantai River, is a typical “desert oasis” landscape with 45 km to Baotou and 50 km to Ordos. It is regarded as the nearest desert to the urban areas in north China. Locals also call it the “golden button on the Yellow River’s waist.”

The park is built on a “One Port, Four Islands” system. Xiangshawan Port is the main hub, and there are 4 other themed zones:

• Fairy Sand Island
• Joy Sand Island
• Fortune Sand Island
• Lotus Sand Island

Each island has a very different theme, varying from extreme sports, Mongolian Buddhist buildings, Mongolian tradition and culture, to desert slow life. Our experience in each is below.

Fairy Sand Island (仙沙岛): Thrills in the Dunes

Fairy Sand Island in Xiangshawan

Xiangshawan feels like a giant resort-hotel-meets-theme-park with its one-mile cable car, ATV tracks, themed sand islands and more. If you like extreme activities, you will love it in Fairy Sand Island (仙沙岛).

The most popular activity is sandboarding and the ATV track followed by the sand buggy and a surprising, but actually kind of fun camelback roller coaster. My partner and I did a couple of activities together. The ATV and zipline were by far the highlights, where you feel like flying over the golden dunes. It’s a crazy heart-racing adrenaline rush!

Getting from one place to another is half the adventure: the cable car takes you into the park entrance and then it’s jeeps, sand boats, and desert buggies to the hotels, activities or restaurants.

Transportation in Xiangshawan: Plan to take at least 2 different vehicles between any two locations.

You kind of feel like you’re in an actual theme park. In our case, we had just hopped on a jeep to get from the check-in hotel to the central hub when my toddler wanted off and back on our ATV. Family travelers may want to know that our daughter was only 3 years old and had access to a subset of rides, as well.

Some highlights that she tried and loved included the beetle car, caterpillar train, mini track bike, sand no-power play zone, and just…rolling in the dunes. We took her on camel rides, too, which is also very traditional for a desert experience.

Yep, I saw a KFC restaurant too. There must be something about fried chicken and deserts…

Joy Sand Island (悦沙岛): Performances, Sand Sculptures, and… an Ice-Cold Pool

Joy Sand Island (悦沙岛) was smaller and “prettier” to me, with a lot more sand sculpture performances, sand art, and an absurdly cold swimming pool in the sand.

The marquee performance here was The Ordos Wedding, a cultural show about wedding traditions. It’s not a full day activity but is worth including if it’s in the program when you visit.

Note that mornings are exceedingly cold. My daughter is actually very used to cold weather and used to hike with us at high altitude (sometimes in temperatures down to 8°) but the pool was freezing at another level! We gave up after playing for around 5 mins.

Tip: A lot of the activities on Joy Sand Island were restricted to ages 12–50. 

Medic services also felt abit off on Joy Sand Island. My sister was out walking with the baby when she stepped on a long piece of wood splinter from the boardwalk directly in front of the pool area. No warnings, no safety railings or even tape. We called for staff, got no answer, went looking for first aid, and were told “the medic is on duty but very busy” when we reached the aid booth. 🙁

Fortune Sand Island (富沙岛): Mongolian Culture & Desert Living

For people more interested in desert life and culture, Fortune Sand Island features traditional yurts for accommodation, horse riding, rituals, and bonfire parties. This is the cultural stop.

We didn’t actually stay on this island, but this is one of the only places you can try local dishes of hand-cut mutton and fermented mare’s milk.

It’s more relaxing, with less of a Disney vibe than Fairy Sand Island.

Lotus Sand Island (莲沙度假岛) & The Iconic Lotus Hotel

The first place that knocked my socks off at Xiangshawan was the Lotus Hotel (莲沙度假岛). If you can believe it, this global award-winning architectural gem sits in the middle of Kubuqi Desert looking like a giant glowing white lotus flower.

Fairy Sand Island at Night

Visiting Xiangshawan in the evening was a sensory explosion with the entire structure lit up in a surreal, neon way.

It’s not just the aesthetics that impress. This entire lotus flower structure was built without a single brick, beam, or slab of cement. Its light-steel anchoring system rests lightly on top of the dunes and creates a lower ecological footprint.

The Lotus Hotel won the Iconic Award in Germany, the A’Design Silver Award in Italy, and is on CNN’s “China’s Most Stunning Hotels.”

Trust me, it’s worth it and very instagram worthy.

Xiangshawan Resorts and Hotels: Staying There

Full Disclaimer: We stayed at the Xiangshawan Resort in Fairy Sand Island. Our experience is a composite from our stay there as well as across different sand islands and hotels. We tried almost everything on the list, but definitely not all.

Pricing

We paid a total of around ~1880 RMB per adult for the full resort experience all-inclusive. This was dependent on when we stayed (seasonal pricing) and by person (not per room).

Kids under 4 were free, 4–12 years paid by the head.

Rooms

The rooms are really SMALL. The property booking system is a confusing mess, too, because while some room types list a hard age minimum under 4 not being allowed, other listings do allow it.

Our sister and mother had to pay an extra 400 RMB for the hotel to provide an additional room. The triple room was just too small to fit an additional matress and still being able to move around. 

Dining

Food is buffet or hotpot only. Buffet meals varied, but nothing tasted great and it was more on the lower end in quality. Hotpot was average; pretty standard spread. Drinks and snacks are available all day in the lounge area, but no cocktails. I’m usually cool with this in Chinese hotels, but given the “premium” billing for Xiangshawan Resort, it was a bummer.

I had to ask several times whether there was a bar. “The bartender will be here later” was a repeated refrain. He did not show up the entire time.

Activities

Activities indoors and around the islands include archery, laser tag, and for the toddler: miniature train rides, sand playgrounds, and a giant sand bar.

There is a fire-dancing show every evening at 19:30 in the hotel lobby.

Fireworks are available in the evenings and if the sky is clear, they also offer a “Star Gazing activity.” Sounds fancy but it’s actually just a nighttime trek into the desert and a guide will point out the stars and constellations. There is also sunrise viewing (which was AMAZING if you could wake up before noon).

Entrance to Fairy and Joy Sand Islands are free for guests, with VIP to Fairy Sand Island ride access.

The less-than-glamorous

The lobby lounge is not air-conditioned. It was very hot and stuffy at both check-in and when we lounged there for rest periods.

It was also not possible to order alcoholic beverages. I’ve stayed in AI (all inclusive) hotels in the past where there were free-flow cocktails.

Room space is small. This is a common complaint from others as well

The circular train ride in hotel requires reservations—and even after we had one, we waited for 30+ minutes for the train to show.

Packing for a Desert Park like Xiangshawan

A few last tips for people interested in visiting a desert resort or similar: what I packed.

• Sand gaiters or special desert boots. These are totally worth it if you plan to do much walking or spending time in the sand.
• UV face masks or buffs. These are available to rent but bring your own.
• Sunglasses & wide-brim hats
• Light, sunproof jacket or windbreaker
• Broad-spectrum strong sunscreen
• Mosquito patches & children-safe balm
• Portable fan
• Cooling wipes or essential oils (mint, eucalyptus, etc.)
• Saline spray (dry eyes and nose)

Final thoughts

This was the 3rd consecutive year we had traveled with our daughter and I cannot express how impressed I was with her passion on travelling. Xiangshawan is definitely a place you have to experience at least once in your lifetime! I am glad we challenged ourselves and went for a desert vacation.

Have you traveled to a desert park or unique hotel like Xiangshawan? Share your experiences in the comments!