🚗 Travel Duration: Approximately 1 hour from Baotou, 2.2 hours from Hohhot, and 1.2 hours from Ordos. The scenic area boasts a spacious parking lot!
🎮 Scenic Area Highlights:
- Xiansha Island: The busiest hub with a plethora of amusement facilities, dining options, and photo spots (though angles may need to be carefully chosen). It’s recommended to visit this island first as queues for attractions can be lengthy. After your adventures, you can easily walk (5 minutes) to Yuesha Island. Note: There’s a ticket checkpoint from Xiansha to Yuesha, allowing only one-way travel.
- Yuesha Island: Predominantly features water-based amusements, swimming pools, camel rides, and shorter queues (60rmb/person). Enjoy the serene desert landscape, ideal for photography, though dining options are limited.
- Xiangsha Harbor: Marked by the blue Xiangsha Bay logo, offering activities like sand sliding and off-road driving. It’s the link between Cable Cars 1 and 2 to the Visitor Center, offering scenic photo ops (small huts, dunes, etc.). Visitors who only purchase tickets often spend their time here.
Scenic Area Routes:
- Take Cable Car 3 from the parking lot to Xiansha Island (great for a KFC photo op) or hop on a free shuttle bus (20 minutes) followed by a free desert buggy (10 minutes) directly to Xiansha Island. Choose the option based on queue lengths.
- Take the free shuttle bus or walk (15 minutes) from the parking lot to the Visitor Center. From there, take Cable Cars 1 or 2 to Xiangsha Harbor, then transfer to a desert buggy for Xiansha Island or a mini-train to Yuesha Island.
- Upon conclusion of your visit, if returning to the parking lot from Yuesha Island, take the mini-train to Xiangsha Harbor. The key is to then take Cable Car 2 back to the Visitor Center and either take the shuttle bus or walk back to the parking lot. Alternatively, slide down the sand at Xiangsha Harbor, take Cable Car 1 back to the Visitor Center, and either catch the shuttle bus or take the bus directly from Cable Car 1 to the parking lot! (PS: I learned the hard way, Cable Car 1 has shorter queues. It’s wiser to slide down first and then take Cable Car 1.)
Overall, Xiangsha Bay offers stunning photography opportunities and a comprehensive range of amusement facilities. While some attractions have separate fees, parents with young children may find the long queues challenging. For those solely interested in photography and not the rides, both islands can be comfortably explored within a day. I hope my detailed guide can assist fellow travelers in planning their visit! #DesertPhotography #Desert #UniqueTravelTips #TravelPhotography #TravelFragments #TravelDiary #ImpromptuJourney #XiangshaBay #InnerMongoliaXiangshaBay #Ordos #Baotou #Hohhot #HohhotSurrounding #XiangshaBayDesertTourismResort #DesertTrekking #DesertCamping #MayDayTravel #TravelRecommendations
