Best fall getaways from Inner Mongolia

No 3 Whistling Dune Bay | 响沙湾

The Xiangshawan Desert Resort in Dalad Banner, Ordos, literally translated to Whistling Dune Bay, has been recognized as China’s first desert-style resort and is a 5A-level tourist destination approved by the China National Tourism Administration.

Backed by the Kubuqi Desert, the dunes are crescent-shaped with a height of 90 meters and a gradient of 45-degrees. 

It is 44 kilometers from the city of Baotou in the north and 55 kilometers from Dongsheng District of Ordos in the south.

When it's dry, the dunes make a sound, hence the name “Whistling Dune Bay." Sliding down from the slopes of the dunes, one can hear sounds of a bugle, drumbeat, and the sound of automobile and aircraft engines, a natural phenomenon yet to be explained. 

If several people are surfing together, the sound will be as loud as a large bell, giving the feeling that the whole dune is trembling.

It is better to visit the Whistling Dune Bay during sunny days. There are tram trails and scaling ladders.

Tourists can participate in sand exploration, horse and camel riding, glider flying, motor racing, target practice, arrow shooting, sand baths and swimming. 

Living in a Mongolian tent, eating mutton by hand, tasting fresh milk and Ordos wine, they can also appreciate Ordos songs and dances and a unique Ordos wedding performance performed by the Xiangshawan Artistic Troupe.

The Lotus Hotel is renowned for its unique architecture and improved facilities at the Xiangshawan Desert Resort in the Kubuqi Desert in Dalad Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on July 26, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tourists enjoy sand boarding at the Xiangshawan Desert Resort in the Kubuqi Desert, Dalad Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on July 26, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Xiangshawan Desert Resort in the Kubuqi Desert, Dalad Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on July 26, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]