Exploring some scenic areas in China can be a love-hate relationship. You land somewhere with a little suspicion and a little anticipation, half-expecting to be suckered into a money-making facade, and half-hoping to discover a pristine spot of natural beauty.
My visit to Huanghuagou (黄花沟) was right in that grey area…
Perched on the northern slopes of the Yinshan Mountains at a 2,100-m altitude, Huanghuagou (literally “yellow flower ravine”) is a massive tourist attraction within the Huitengxile Grassland in Chahar Right Center Banner (昌赫右中旗), Ulanqab (乌兰察布市), Inner Mongolia.
If you’re expecting sweeping vistas, lush grasslands, and rolling hills, you won’t be disappointed. But Huanghuagou is also a closed-off, paid section within the larger Huitengxile Grassland. Once you’re in the roped-off area, you’re bombarded with attractions, stages, trinket shops, souvenir stands, and—you guessed it—pretty expensive transportation options to shuttle you around.
Is the visiting the grassland itself really that expensive? It’s a tough call. In some ways, charging admission protects the environment from over-tourism and helps fragile ecosystems from being trampled by hordes of visitors. In other ways, excessive development of artificial attractions and overcharging for transport can take you right out of the natural experience.
Huanghuagou walks that line precariously, but in my opinion, it crosses it on the wrong side. Read on to see why…
Getting to Huanghuagou (黄花沟)
Huanghuagou is in Anda town (安达镇) and is a quick 15-minute drive from the town center. Our taxi driver told us he also had more affordable tickets available if we wanted to visit from his home in Anda rather than Huanghua Town (黄花镇), the government-sanctioned tour center.
After reading some negative reviews online about the expensive transport and underwhelming attractions, we bought the full-access pass to Huanghuagou and hopped in.
Entrance Fees & Ticket Options
As I mentioned before, Huanghuagou is a contained zone within the greater Huitengxile Grassland where all attractions are ticketed and paid for separately.
There are three different tickets to choose from, depending on your transportation and activity preferences.
The Basic Ticket (¥90) only includes entry into Huanghuagou. There are no performances or transportation included, so if you want to hike the entire trail, this ticket is for you.
The Panoramic Ticket and the Full Transport Ticket (¥265–295) include all access to Huanghuagou’s internal transportation and the “Meeting at the Aobao” live performance. We bought the full-transport ticket since we were traveling with our 3-year-old daughter and didn’t want to carry her the entire way.
It’s worth noting these ticket prices are all very, very inflated, especially if you see the relatively short distance of each ride. It will set your wallet back, but you are paying for the ability to do a whole series of shuttle rides across the attractions, so there is some value if you’re traveling with kids or have mobility issues.
Suggested Route: Enter from North, Exit South
When you enter the premises, you’re actually at the north end of the tourist area. The standard route takes you into the north entrance and out through the south, which was also the advice of seasoned travelers and local insiders.
Why take that route? The Aobao performance, a staged attraction we’ll talk about later, is by far the best around 2 PM, and the entire southern section has the grass sledding hill, scenic mini train, and Aobao performance.
We were in Huanghuagou from around 10 AM to 3 PM with full transportation, which worked quite well, especially with our toddler in tow.
Transportation
If you have the full-transport ticket, you can choose to ride all or some of the internal transport options in Huanghuagou.
Full-transport is the term for a whole series of shuttle rides taken across the attractions to see everything Huanghuagou has to offer. If you want to know the order we took, it was as follows:
Open Chairlift (无厢缆车): I have to say, I was very worried about our 3-year-old daughter’s safety on this chairlift in the beginning. We reassured her all would be okay by promising delicious, unlimited strawberry ice cream, but our biggest fear was our daughter slipping out of her father’s grasp in the open seats. They assured us she’d be fine in his arms, but after being up there, we all felt very secure once we were on top, and she wasn’t scared at all. This was a very fun ride!
Gravity Car (蓄力车): We enjoyed this short ride down into the gorge—it was bumpy, and she loved it.
Electric Shuttle (电瓶车): Okay, this one we found to be a waste of time and money. It’s short, bland, and evidently a fake-out to help Huanghuagou justify part of the admission fee.
Enclosed Cable Car (箱体缆车): You’d guess by now, this is the way back up. It’s a much more comfortable ride, but even shorter.
Mini Grassland Train (草原小火车): This train comes in green, white, and pink. I saw most taking the green one.
The “Meeting at the Aobao” Show
It’s a show! Performance! Carnival! You can call it what you will, but this is a staged attraction complete with Mongolian cultural music, singing, and dancing. Straight up, it’s not worth it. You’re free to come and go as you please, but the location of the venue is a 20-minute walk from the southern train station, making logistics and the sweltering sun an unnecessarily harsh trial, especially if you have kids.
Huanghua Town (tourist trap or lunch spot?)
You land in Huanghua Town after the chairlift drop-off, which is like a mini-version of Huanghuagou complete with extra-cost activities, restaurants, shops, and souvenir stands. It’s fun for a little while, but more carnival games and random vendors than places to rest or enjoy tranquility.
If you want to stay, you can catch a grassland acrobatics show. However, you can only attend one show or the other. You’re not allowed to attend both the acrobatics show or the “Meeting at the Aobao” show.
Highlights (and Lowlights)
Okay, don’t get me wrong. Even after all this grumbling about high prices and not-so-secret price gouging, I did enjoy Huanghuagou.
The timing was amazing. The weather was warm and dry with crystal-clear mountain air. I breathed in heavy gulps at almost every vista point. Our daughter was in high spirits, and I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the trip.
When you’re in Huanghuagou, you’re treated to an endless sea of rolling hills, grasslands, and sometimes wildflowers. The expansiveness is truly one-of-a-kind, and there’s no shortage of photo ops.
And the best part was just seeing my daughter light up like a little champ in this space. She was squealing from excitement as we rode the gravity car. She stood on tiptoe, wide-eyed with amazement in front of the Sun Wukong (Monkey King) statue like she was meeting a real-life superhero.
She giggled on the train and practically bounced up the grass sled hill with zero hesitation. She scurried and skittered like a little mouse across the plains, between wildflowers and small hillocks of grass.
I even caught her at one point, with her entire face in the cable car as she gazed out at Huanghuagou with the biggest grin, and I just had to pause a moment to let it all soak in.
Huanghuagou Travel Tips
Timing
I’d avoid national holidays or weekends if possible. You won’t have much time to yourself, especially in the summer when kids are out of school. We went on a weekday and it was fine. By the end of our trip, we didn’t have any crowds in front of us and sometimes even had an entire grass sled to ourselves.
Footwear
I can’t say I walked a ton in Huanghuagou with all the transportation around. But I can tell you, I wish I had better footwear (sandals or hiking boots). You still walk a long way between transfers, and my feet were sore at the end of the day.
Snacks & Food
The food on-site was also incredibly overpriced for your average meal. Bring some snacks with you and just have a light lunch.
Full Transport Ticket: Worth it for families with small kids?
The full-transport ticket will cost you around ¥200 to ¥300 depending on the season, so it’s a big price to pay, especially if you’re traveling as a family.
I think if you have kids under the age of 6 and are traveling with them alone, the full transport is worth it. We didn’t actually need it but chose to get it for convenience and flexibility.
For other visitors and independent travelers without children, you can save money by ditching the open chairlift or gravity car and walk instead. But if you’re bringing a little one along, or traveling with other mobility issues, the full transport ticket is probably your best bet.
Grass Sledding (草橇垂足滑雪)
Price: ¥30 each
Level: Easy
Highlights: Quick, fun, and a fun photo op!
Tips: Try to do it in the morning before the heat
Review: 5 out of 5
Wrapping up: Should You Visit Huanghuagou?
Would I return to Huanghuagou? I’m not sure I would. But would I recommend it to first-timers to Inner Mongolia who want a taste of the grasslands in a more digestible form, complete with transportation and stunning views? Absolutely. With the caveat: temper your expectations of a pricy slice of heaven.
It’s a classic case of “overpriced but beautiful.” If you can manage to look past inflated entry fees and some logistical inconveniences, the fresh air, scenery, and photo-worthy moments will be well worth the sticker shock.
Have you visited the grasslands of Inner Mongolia? I’d love to know what scenic areas you’ve been to. Let me know below!
Thank you! This was extremely helpful as I am trying to plan a self-driving trip to these grasslands myself (with my family and kids) for upcoming summer. So, if we choose to not purchase the full transportation package but just the entry – is it still possible to walk and see all these sights? I understand that it would be a lot of walking, but we could still see everything, right?
Hi Liene, thanks for dropping by and glad you find our experience helpful!
Yes, this is possible, but it may take hours – note that it can quite be tiring for seniors or if you have a small kid.
Thank you for your reply! Would there be any areas that we would not be able to reach if we chose to forego the transportation tickets and just walked? And how about the grassland areas outside the paid Huanhuagou Tourist Area – is there enough to see while just driving around, pulling the car over on the side for photos etc.?
We will also continue on to the Wulanhada Volcano area, Hohhot and Kubuqi Desert. I read your articles about those areas as well. I appreciate you writing in English as it is extremely difficult to find any meaningful information about these sights not in Mandarin (which I do not speak). As you mentioned – they have not yet been overrun by foreign tourists (like myself, lol), hence very little information is available. So I am glad I came upon your trip reports!
I believe all areas in the attraction can be accessible by walking. Yes, you can experience grassland outside the Huanghuagou scenic area. Inner mongolia is full of grassland and windmills, the scenery is magnificent… coming from a city dweller perspective ~ The resort hotel we stayed in inner mongolia is sort of like a glamping campsite which is build on top of grassland.
Enjoy your upcoming visit~!