Domes and Bones: Traveling to the Ordos Desert

Night Train From Beijing

The Ordos Desert is the closest desert located to the capital of China in Beijing. After taking the overnight train to the city of Huhhot in Inner Mongolia, the sand dunes are a mere hour and a half drive away. For even the most experienced travelers, China can be a bit of a hassle to navigate around due to language barriers. Long term backpackers suddenly find themselves joining tour groups to explore some of China’s more remote locations. After arriving in Huhhot, the hostel: Anda Guest House informed me that they provide tours to the Kubuqi desert/库布齐沙漠 (another name for Ordos) starting at around 80 USD. Not wanting to spend money on a tour, I ventured off on my own to explore the Ordos Desert. I was fortunate enough to go during Chinese New Year. Meaning the desert was completely devoid of any signs of life, creating a more memorable experience.

Bus to Dalad Banner

From the main long distance bus station in Hohhot (right next to the train station) I bought a bus ticket to the small town of Dalad Banner (达拉特旗) costing about 49 yuan. I was told by the staff at the hostel that Dalad is the closest city to reach the Ordos Desert. After a short 1.5-hour drive, I was let off at the central bus station. During Chinese New Year, in the dead of winter, this small Mongolian city was completely emptied. During high season, I am not sure if there are tour buses running to the various amusement parks in the desert. In the low season, one is left with hiring a taxi to take you out to the dunes.

How To Get To the Ordos Desert

While it is possible to go explore the dunes on your own, it is important to note that the desert is divided into many separate parks. This means that Chinese businessmen have bought sections of the Ordos Desert and charge tourists for visiting. Like any other amusement park, they have built ticket counters from where you can then be led off on a cheesy tour of the complex by a guide. These “resorts” are complete with sand sculptures, pools, and gift shops. After hailing a taxi, I simply asked the driver to take me to the desert. After a 20-minute drive, he dropped me off in front of a tacky looking entrance to what seemed to be a theme park. All the gates and amenities were closed, leaving me to simply jump over the railing. The only witnesses being the camels lazily chewing from between rows of tourist yurts.

Abandoned Bones

The path, usually frequented by lines of tourists on the backs of camels, brought me to the edge of a highway. After crossing the road, I looked out over the vast sea of sand. Not knowing exactly where to go, I began walking aimlessly South, seeing what I could find among the dunes. There were several small tacky playgrounds and tourist yurts, but nothing worth exploring. It wasn’t until I climbed to the top of dune till I saw something truly fascinating. An abandoned raptor center, slowly being reclaimed by the desert. The interior of the small museum houses several eerie skeletons of sheep, lambs, and other farm animals. The only sound that can be heard from inside is the whistling of the wind through the empty cages in the courtyard.

Going to 响沙湾 (Xiangshawan)

Continuing south, I ended up running into a chain linked fence which enclosed a whole section of the desert. Inside being another one of the “exclusive resorts”. I headed back into the embrace of the desert, being lost once again in the walls of sand. Suddenly, the dunes exposed what seemed to be a white dome in the middle of the desert. Like a scene straight out of a science fiction movie, this “Martian Colony” housed a pool in the middle of the Ordos Desert. Umbrellas led the way towards the amusement park, revealing more circus tent towering like behemoth out of the sands.

The huge food court, empty pools, and lawn chairs lay idle, awaiting the coming of tourists after the holiday. The waves of sand were slowing creeping their way into the kitchens and dinning rooms of the desert oasis. A large display of sand sculptures bordered the outskirts of the resort. The heads of some of the sand Buddhas and gods lay caved in due to years of neglect. I later found out the name of this park was 响沙湾, one of the more famous of the resorts in the Ordos. During the high season, this stretch of desert would be full of selfie taking tourists. During this small window of time during Chinese New Year, the touristy desert becomes an empty amusement park for lovers of dark tourism.

The Return Journey

Not wanting to get too lost in the endless sands of the Ordos, I began heading back to the highway. I stopped by some of the lesser parks, but nothing was as surreal as 响沙湾. Getting to the desert was quite easy, but without a phone, travelers are left either hitchhiking or trying their luck at running into a taxi on the back roads on the way back to Dalad. If it wasn’t for the resorts being closed, I am not sure if I would have had as much freedom to wander the dunes. I would have been left buying an overpriced ticket and being lead by the nose to souvenir shops in the middle of the desert. If you know where to go and do it just right, you can discover more bones and domes lost in the sea of sand.

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