Ordos Travel Guide

Population: 1,397,000

Area: 86,752 square kilometers (33,495 square miles)

Nationalities: Han, Mongol

Administrative Division: 1 district (Dongsheng District); 7 banners (Dalad Banner, Junggar Banner, Otog Front Banner, Otog Banner, Hangjin Banner, Uxen Banner, Ejin Horo Banner)
Banner: Qi, a special county-level administrative unit in Inner Mongolia

Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0477-8345413
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0477-8324641

Location: Lies in the southwest of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the city is encircled by the Yellow River in the north, the west and the east. It is separated from Shaanxi and Shanxi in the south by the Great Wall. Together with Hohhot and Baotou, the three cities constitute the economic triangle of this region.

History: Ordos, formerly Ih Ju League, is numerous palaces in Mongolian. People living there 35,000 years ago created the Ordos Culture. Before the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC) established shires and counties to administrate this area, Ih Ju League was entirely or partly governed by some nomadic tribes. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the Ordos Tribe was divided into 6 leagues.

Physical Features: Located in the upper reaches of the Yellow River, the city is in the hinterland of the Ordos Plateau. The terrain is higher in the western plateau area and lower in the eastern hilly area. The north part of the city is alluvial plain and the central land is the Muus Desert and the Khoqi Desert.

Climatic Features: Ordos belongs to typical temperate continental climate with clear four seasons and abundant sunshine. The rainfall is infrequent and mainly concentrates on the period between July and September. Spring is the season often blowing sand and dust storm.

When to Go: Summer and autumn are the best seasons to Ordos for the weather is cool and the dust storm is slight.

Local Highlights: Every year in the August, the Nadam Fair is held in the prairie resorts of Ordos.

Special Local Products: cashmere, oleaster, Malus micromalus

Scenic Spots:
Genghis Khan's Mausoleum: The majestic mausoleum is made up of six halls and corridors, and the five-meter-tall (16-foot-tall) statue of Genghis Khan stands at the entrance to the mausoleum. It is the first-class tourist resource of Inner Mongolia. In the seventeenth day of the third lunar month, celebrations will be held to commemorate this great leader, and this day is the most ceremonious and joyous day in the mausoleum.
Singing Sand Ravine: It is a popular tourist site located in Dalad Banner. The one hundred meters (328 feet) high sand dune can create powerful echoes in the wind.
Other Scenic Spots: Engbei Ecological Tourist area, Ordos Relict Gull Nature Reserve

Tourist Tips:
The Ordos Airport is 38 kilometers (24 miles) from the Dongsheng District, adjacent to the Mausoleum of Genghis Khan. The airport has recently opened flight to Beijing once a day with one hour's ride. Ordos is 240 kilometers (149 miles) from Hohhot and no more than three hours' ride to Baotou by train.