Galloping Across the Grasslands｜6-Day Secret Adventure Guide to Hulunbuir

🚩 Trip Highlights at a Glance 🌾 Morigele River: The "First Meandering River Under Heaven" described by Lao She, resembling a jade ribbon from a drone's view; 🦌 Xing'an Sacred Deer Park: An Ewenki ethnic secret realm where you can dance with reindeer; 🏇 Horseback Riding at Heishantou: Unlock the DNA of the "horseback nation" amidst golden sunset hues; 🎪 Manzhouli Fairy Tale: A giant matryoshka doll kingdom and awe-inspiring national gate blending Chinese, Russian, and Mongolian cultures.   🌄Day 1: Stepping into a Windows Desktop Wallpaper 📍Hailar → Morigele River → Ergun Wetland 🐑 9:00 First Taste of the Grasslands Just after landing, I was handed a cup of salty milk tea. Our driver, Old Bater, chuckled: "Not used to it? You’ll thank me later when chasing sheep!" True enough, while crossing a private pasture, we were "ambushed" by a flock—our windshield covered in wool. Old Bater whistled, and the lead sheep cleared the way! Pro tip: Capture the river’s curves and sheep from the cliff at Muyun Mountain’s peak using a 0.5x wide-angle lens. 📸 15:00 Chasing Light in the Wetlands While posing on Ergun Wetland’s boardwalk, a sudden downpour sent us scrambling into a birdwatching hut—only to witness a rainbow arching over birch forests. Grabbing my Huawei P60 Pro, I snapped a double rainbow reflected on the water using "Light Painting" mode. A forest ranger remarked, "You’re luckier than herb hunters searching for lingzhi mushrooms!"   🌲Day 2: Ewenki Culture and the Forest Train 📍Enhe Russian Village → Xing'an Sacred Deer Park → Moerdaoga 🎪 8:00 Russian Breakfast Surprise Staying in Aunt Natasha’s wooden cabin, she served us bread with wild blueberry jam: "Bears left these berries for us!" Her husband showed us his bayan accordion, pointing to carvings: "This was signed by Yeltsin during our 1983 tour!" 🦌 13:00 Deer Park Adventures Buying a ¥20 moss basket instantly attracted reindeer. A stag named "Big Antler" pinned me against a tree—his version of a "deer massage," joked the keeper. My GoPro footage of deer tongues snatching moss went viral on TikTok with 100k+ likes. 🚂 17:00 Steam Train Nostalgia Boarding Moerdaoga’s vintage green train, I captured the locomotive’s steam blending with Tyndall effect light at the fourth bend. A fellow passenger belted out "Meeting at the Aobao," turning the forest into a KTV session!   🏞️Day 3: Magic Along the Borderline 📍Shiwei Border → Wulan Mountain’s Taiji Bend → Heishantou 🇷🇺 9:00 Two Countries, One River On a Shiwei border river cruise, our guide suddenly passed binoculars: "Look! Russians salmon fishing!" Even seagulls kept switching nationalities mid-flight, making our phone GPS notifications go wild. 🌅 19:00 Sunset Horseback Gallop Instructor Qige taught me stirrup techniques, but my horse "Lightning" insisted on catwalking. As the sunset turned grasslands amber, Qige cracked his whip—launching a full-speed "sunset charge" that sent adrenaline soaring!   🎪Day 4: Nomad Life & Starlight Soirée 📍Nomad Visit → 186 Colorful Ribbon River → Manzhouli 🐄 10:00 Milk Tea Philosophy Getting cow-slapped by "Dahua’s" tail while milking, herdsman Qiqi Ge laughed: "That’s a grassland welcome!" Sipping freshly boiled milk tea with roasted rice, we listened to Genghis Khan legends in Mongolian—teary-eyed despite not understanding. 🎢 15:00 Scream-Worthy Grass Sliding The 1km 186 Colorful Ribbon River slide outdid rollercoasters! "Open your mouth to reduce ear pressure," whispered the coach—though I swallowed three bugs. The border river panorama during descent was absolutely worth it. 🌌 22:00 Matryoshka Midnight In our crystal-themed Matryoshka Hotel room, we sneaked into the closed No.3 building at midnight. Moonlight filtering through 3,000 doll eyeholes created a "The Shining"-esque spectacle!   🍖 Local Food Hall of Fame ✅ Must-Try List • Ergun "Fengqing Yuan’s" hand-grabbed mutton with wild chive sauce • Heishantou "Ama Milk Tea House’s" barrel-roasted milk meat • Manzhouli "Luburi’s" explosive-juice Russian charcoal sausages ❌ Avoid These • Scenic spot "dried beef" often contains duck meat • "Wild herb platters" may feature bitter chicory—harsher than first love   📸 Pro Photography Tips 1️⃣ Morigele River Drone Shots Time: 9-11 AM for ideal lighting Altitude: 150m to capture Ω-shaped bends Bonus: Borrow a shepherd’s motorcycle as foreground 2️⃣ Heishantou Milky Way Gear: Huawei phones can shoot galaxies directly Settings: Pro mode ISO 3200 + 30s exposure Foreground: Have friends "draw" hearts with red flashlights 3️⃣ Matryoshka Nightscapes Spot: Hotel 3rd-floor fire escape window Outfit: White clothes make you glow like a "light elf"   🚗 Survival Bible 1️⃣ Transportation Hacks • Choose veteran drivers with Mongolian E-plate cars • Download offline maps—grasslands often lack signal 2️⃣ Nomad Etiquette • Circle ovoo shrines clockwise three times before wishing • Never step on yurt thresholds; accept tea with right hand 3️⃣ Safety Alerts • Freeze if encountering stray Tibetan mastiffs—call herders • Tuck pants into socks against ticks; use DEET repellent   Standing at Border Marker No.41, watching my shadow stretch across China, Russia, and Mongolia simultaneously, I finally understood Old Bater’s words: "The grasslands expand hearts bigger than matryoshka dolls." Perhaps travel’s true meaning lies in letting freedom grow into our bones—one horseback jolt at a time.