National 5A Scenic Area
Inner Mongolia
Hulunbuir Grassland and Morigele River Scenic Area
One of the best-preserved grasslands in the world, and the river that loops across it so tightly it is called the first winding water under heaven.
Location profile
At a glance
- Province or region
- Inner Mongolia
- National rating
- 5A Scenic Area
- Coordinates
- 49.233333, 119.3
Where it is
The Hulunbuir Grassland covers roughly 100,000 square kilometers of northeastern Inner Mongolia, up against the Russian and Mongolian borders. It takes its name from two lakes, Hulun and Buir. The Morigele River scenic area sits on the grassland near Hailar District, around 49.2°N, 119.3°E — note that this is a point inside a very large area rather than a single gated attraction, and the grassland itself extends for hundreds of kilometers around it.
The Morigele is a small river that meanders so extravagantly across the flat pasture that its loops nearly close on themselves; the Chinese nickname translates as roughly "the first winding water under heaven". Seen from the ridge above, the effect is the reason the site is on the 5A list.
Season is everything
This is a landscape with a short window. The grass is green and high from roughly late June through August, which is also when the herding families are out on the summer pasture; by September the grassland has turned gold, and in winter Hulunbuir is one of the coldest inhabited parts of China, with temperatures that regularly fall far below freezing.
Distances here are the main planning problem. Hailar is the usual base and has both an airport and a railway station, but grassland itineraries involve long driving days between widely separated sites, and the road network is sparse. Budget time in hours on the road rather than kilometers on the map.
What the 5A rating tells you
China's national scenic area system uses 5A as its highest quality tier. The assessment considers the attraction itself together with visitor services, accessibility, safety, cleanliness and site management. It is a quality classification, not a live status feed: opening hours, ticket rules and entry procedures can still change.
Planning your visit
Use the coordinates above to identify the correct entrance area, especially when English map labels vary. Before setting out, confirm current opening dates, reservation requirements, passport rules, transport access and weather conditions through the attraction or local tourism authority.
Save the English name and coordinates on your phone before setting out. They help you distinguish the correct entrance when map labels or ticket listings use several different romanizations.