Aershan Travel Notes | Stroll through Oriental Switzerland and experience the natural oxygen bar in the Daxingan Mountains

Aershan is located in the northwest of Xing'an League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

It is one of the highest latitude cities in the country

Has the title of China’s Natural Oxygen Bar

Bordering Mongolia to the west

Generally, you will choose to drive by yourself when going to Aershan.

There is a direct flight from Beijing to Aershan

Or you can drive yourself to Hailar

The whole city of Aershan is not big.

If you only visit the Forest Park for 2 days

If you still need to visit the country, add 1 more day

If you are interested in "Dear Inn"

You can leave one more day to go to Bailang Peak

Day1 Beijing-Aershan Forest Park

Morning flight operated by China United Airlines

The blind box I bought for 498 round trip is a good deal.

I just need to rest next to Daxing Airport the night before.

Otherwise, a taxi ride from Chaoyang would cost no less than 300 yuan.

However, the facilities next to Daxing Airport are still not well constructed.

The only two hotels nearby are a thousand dollars smaller per night.

If the accommodation conditions are not so demanding, you can choose to go to a private residence.

200 yuan also includes airport pick-up and drop-off

It takes two hours to fly from Beijing to Aershan.

Arrive at Ilsch Airport

Backed by lush green mountains

The airport is very small. You can pick up your luggage and go out as soon as you get off the plane.

At present, the supporting facilities at the airport are not ready

You can only take a taxi to the city or scenic spots

The drivers here don’t use meters either

It costs 200 yuan from the airport to the forest park

The road was very bad and was full of repairs. It was very dusty.

It took about an hour to arrive at the entrance of the scenic spot

Ticket price is 285 per person, including shuttle bus, valid for 48 hours

It is recommended to buy tickets online in advance for 10 yuan cheaper

You can take a bus when you enter the scenic spot. It leaves when the bus is full.

There are more than 100 buses operating in the scenic area.

Three fixed routes

• Jinjiang Goumen District (Ticket Office) - Tianchi Service Area - Shitanglin - Xing'an Service Area (Turtle Back Rock) - Dujuan Lake - Tuofengling Tianchi

• Chaiheyuanmen District-Grand Canyon-Tuofengling Tianchi

• Tianchi-Tianchi Service Area-Santan Gorge-Dichi

Normally it would be a bit rushed to visit all these attractions in one day

Unless you charter a car yourself

But you still have to pay for the shuttle bus to the scenic spot

So I plan to stay in the scenic spot for one night

There is an RV campground at the entrance of the scenic spot, which costs about 300 per night

Tianchi service area is a transfer station

many hotels here

However, the accommodation conditions in the scenic spot are very average.

They are all wood-carved and have poor sound insulation and no warmth.

The weather in July is like using an electric blanket at night, as if I’m spending the winter

There is also a Xing'an service area

From the gate to Tianchi service area, you will pass by Wusu Langzi Lake

No stop, you can only enjoy the lake from the car

It takes about 20 minutes to reach Tianchi service area

Here you can choose short or long

Let's go to the hotel to check in first

There is only one supermarket here and it is very expensive

The hotel is also a restaurant. Northeastern cuisine

I'm not used to it, so I suggest you prepare some dry food.

After a short rest, start the short trip

It is the rainy season recently. It is recommended to check the weather forecast in advance.

It was raining when I went out, which was a lot of inconvenience

The first stop was Santan Gorge

As soon as we entered, we heard the sound of rushing water pouring from both sides of the river.

The source of the Halaha River originates here and finally flows into Lake Bell.

There are Woniu Lake, Hushi Lake and Yuexin Lake in the canyon, hence the name.

Follow the river upstream

To the left is a lush pine forest and birch forest

Climb up the wooden plank road

It took half an hour to get out of this attraction

The second stop is the pool

Compared to the first stop, the ground pool looks particularly mini.

A volcanic lake is a volcanic lake formed by the cooling, shrinkage and depression of volcanic lava.

Named because it is below relative ground level

The ground pool is one of the many volcanic lakes in Aershan

The only sunken lake below ground level

Typical Maar Lake

This form of crater lake has not been found in other parts of China

The water surface at the bottom of the pool changes with the seasons

The trees on both sides are reflected in the lake

Like a blue mirror set in the dense forest

The third stop was Shitanlin

I can’t tell the difference between the name and Santan Gorge.

But the landscape is very different

Shitang Forest is a geological relic of the Quaternary volcanic eruption.

It is the largest recently extinct volcanic basalt landform in Asia.

Geological structures, soil, vegetation, and biota remain in their original state

Reproduces the whole process of succession from lower plants to higher plants

Volcanic lava cools to form bare rock - wind carries lichen spores to invade and settle - crust-like lichens appear on rocks - lichen bodies mix with rock debris to form soil - dendritic lichens invade - moss enters - soil and moisture Conditions are better improved - ferns settle - small shrubs appear - grass tussocks form - trees grow - forests develop

As soon as you enter the scenic spot, you feel like you have entered the underwater world

I thought it was a relic left by the low tide

Rock blocks of various sizes scattered throughout

The rocks are covered with dense mosses.

The soil here is poor

But the tenacious vitality of plants should be rooted in the cracks of rocks

Flowers, trees, rocks and lakes form a harmonious picture

The last bus is at five o'clock in the evening

Return to Tianchi service area to end the short trip

Although it is a forest area, there are also relatively wide meadows

In addition to operating tourism

They also raise cattle, horses and other livestock

If you want to experience the addiction of grassland

You can also experience horse riding service for 50 yuan for 20-30 minutes

Other than that, there's not much to see in this service area.

And it’s not the peak season yet

When night falls, it looks deserted

Day2 Aershan Forest Park-Aershan City

The first bus is at 8 o'clock

I have plenty of time today. I slept until I woke up naturally before going out.

Get on the bus and drive to the furthest Tuofengling Tianchi

Playing from far to near is a more reasonable arrangement

It actually took almost an hour to get from the service area to Tianchi.

After all, there is a distance of 30+ kilometers

There are two Tianchi in the scenic area

One is Aershan Tianchi and the other is Tuofengling Tianchi

The former is very close to Tianchi service area

I thought the two views should be the same.

So I chose the farther Tuofeng Ridge.

As soon as you hear the name, you know you have to climb a mountain.

The vertical height from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain is 400 meters

Climbing to the top gives you a panoramic view of Tianchi

It is a high-level lake formed by water in the crater after a volcanic eruption.

The water surface is 1,284 meters above sea level. The lake surface is shaped like a human left foot.

Tianchi is surrounded by distant mountains and forests

The blue sky and white clouds are reflected on the lake

Make people feel happy

There is a great viewing point along the exit direction.

Overlooking the forest and meadow at the foot of the mountain

It's like arriving in some secret place deep in the mountains

Leave Tianchi and go to Grand Canyon

The main body of the canyon is a volcanic lava fault zone

Different from the canyon seen in Enshi

The valley bottom here has jagged rocks and steamy clouds

It seems to be a combination of Santan Gorge and Shitan Forest

From the entrance, you need to go down to the bottom of the valley

At the bottom of the valley, surrounded by stone forests

In the distance, there is a gurgling waterfall flowing into the river.

It’s midsummer and the valley bottom is still as cool as spring.

Glowing with vitality

Eyes full of green heals the whole summer

From the Grand Canyon, you need to transfer back to Tuofengling Tianchi and then go to Dujuan Lake.

Roads are still being built in the scenic area

Perhaps it is a summer resort popular among travelers in recent years

Let Aershan start grooming himself to treat the world

The main body of Dujuan Lake is also about water

Different from the rapidity of the streams in the canyon and the tranquility of Tianchi

Dujuan Lake is wider and contains more vitality

It is named after the rhododendrons blooming around the lake.

It’s a pity that we missed the world-famous Xing’anling Rhododendron in July.

Only a few duckweeds are left floating on the water

The Dujuan Lake Scenic Area still retains the remains of the 1998 wildfire.

At the turn of spring and summer 23 years ago, a fire was caused by lightning

Thirteen thousand hectares of forest burned down and it took 9 days and nights to calm down.

Now only this piece of scorched earth is left to warn the world against wildfires and to protect the mountains and forests.

I wanted to visit Turtle Back Rock Scenic Area

The driver said it was just a service area

There are several mottled rocks next to them

Then he left the scenic spot and went to the city

It is also 60 kilometers away from the city

The price of taking a taxi is 130-150 yuan

When you leave the scenic spot on time, there are some drivers soliciting customers at the door.

It’s also a 1-hour drive

It’s easy to lose signal on the road

Traveling through the mountains and ridges, there are different scenery from the southwest mountainous areas

Coniferous and broad forests appear alternately. I don’t know whether it was created by nature or man-made.

Thanks to those who protect the environment, we can have such beautiful scenery today

The urban area cannot be smaller, there is only one main street

The permanent population is only a few thousand

The most developed thing in the city is accommodation

XX hotels everywhere are converted from residential buildings

But I heard it’s still hard to find a room during the peak season

The most famous attraction is Aershan Railway Station

Built in 1937, it is an Oriental-style two-story Japanese-style building with a pointed roof

The overall color is dull earthy brown

It is now a national key cultural relic protection unit

The train station is still in operation

In autumn, you can take a bus to Bailang Peak

The eyes are filled with golden armor and indescribable beauty

In addition to the train station, there is also a hot spring museum for people to visit.

Due to the weather, I am not interested in hot springs. It is for information only.

Although it is located in Inner Mongolia, the food culture of Aershan is relatively similar to that of Northeast China

Even the catering is similar to Northeastern cuisine

After dinner, take a walk in the small city

Compared to the fast pace of big cities

This place is quite suitable for retirement.

Day3 Aershan-Beijing

As mentioned earlier, there is more than one route to Aershan: Forest Park.

You can also charter a car to Orunbukan Scenic Area and climb Bailang Peak

Finally, feed the deer in Deer Village, the filming location of "Dear Inn"

Because the scenery felt similar to that of Forest Park, I didn’t consider it.

I am somewhat interested in the China-Mongolia Gate in the northwest.

A taxi from the city to the airport costs about 70 yuan and takes half an hour.

The souvenirs include some beef and mutton jerky and dairy products that are common in Inner Mongolia

A short trip to Aershan

Aershan’s four seasons have unique beauty

There is a strong golden autumn in late September

Winter is a chilling blanket of silver

Spring and summer are full of green

Let’s give everyone an advantage in this small town in Inner Mongolia

Definitely worth the trip