Gegentela

Gegentela is a grasslands destination in Inner Mongolia to the north of Hohhot.

Understand
This is the Inner Mongolian equivalent of a holiday park targeting domestic tourists.

Get in
For Gegentela take a bus from Hohhot to Wu4lan2hua1 (乌兰花, 2 hours approx). You can take the bus (¥30) from the long-distance bus station which is very close to the central train station in Hohhot. From here you can take a minibus (¥10 per person) or a taxi (¥60) to Gegentela (30 minutes).

Do
Horse riding and Mongolian martial art shows (25 minutes, ¥20 per person) and traditional Mongolian singing and dancing performances (1 hour, ¥30 per person) are available at the holiday park. Horse riding is offered at the holiday park and at many of the nearby families offering accommodation.

Eat
Reasonably priced food (though more expensive than in Wulanhua itself) is available at the park's restaurants and is also offered by the neighbouring families.

Sleep
At the park, there are 3 classes of yurt available to stay in. The highest two classes (around ¥700 and ¥600 per night) are concrete structures containing a double bed, table and chairs and a shower (shared toilets are available in a separate building). The lowest class of yurt cost ¥380 per night and are more traditional fabric structures with bedding for at least four people to sleep on the floor and a small table but no showers. Cheaper sleeping options are offered by families living near to the park. Most of these families live in brick built houses but have traditional fabric yurts available to rent. These yurts are almost identical to the cheapest option at the park but are available from around ¥80 per night. Most of these small clusters of yurts can be seen from the main road between Wulanhua and Gegentela, some are located a little further along this road.