Ningxia 3-Day 2-Night Luxury Leisure Travel Guide
Ningxia 3-Day 2-Night Luxury Leisure Travel Guide|Budget 5000 RMB》|Stay at a Desert Star Hotel, Ride Camels to Watch the Sunrise, Explore the Western Xia Imperial Tombs, Check in at Route 66, Unlock the Vastness and Poetry of the "Jiangnan Beyond the Great Wall"!
📍 City Tags:
🌄 Ningxia Travel Keywords
✅ Desert Wonders × Starry Camping × Western Xia Culture × Gourmet Feast × Wine Tipsiness × Road Trip Blockbuster
📅 Recommended Travel Time: May–October (pleasant climate, warm nights, perfect for stargazing)
💰 Total Budget: About 4800 RMB (high-quality solo trip, reserve 200 RMB for emergencies)
🚗 Suitable For: Couples & honeymooners, photography enthusiasts, families with children, self-driving travelers, artsy youth
📌 Fun Fact: Ningxia is one of China’s smallest provinces but boasts six types of landscapes: desert, grassland, Yellow River, Gobi, oasis, and Helan Mountain. It’s known as a "condensed Chinese geography textbook." It’s also located in the global prime latitude 38° golden belt, ideal for growing wine grapes!
✈️ Pre-Trip Preparation
Clothing Guide: Sunscreen jacket + quick-dry clothes during the day, add down vest at night (large temperature difference)
Essentials: Camera, power bank, sunglasses, lip balm, moisturizing mask, wind and sand scarf
Transport Tips: Recommend chartered car or carpool (flexible and free), or high-speed train + local car rental
🧭 Itinerary Overview
Days Theme Highlights
------ ------ ------
Day 1 Arrival · First Encounter with the Desert Smoke Fly directly to Yinchuan → Visit Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio → Stay at Desert Star Hotel
Day 2 Desert Sunrise × Under Helan Mountain Ride camels and sandboard → Photo at Route 66 → Explore Western Xia Imperial Tombs → Wine tasting at vineyard
Day 3 Yellow River Civilization Finale · Return Home with Silk Road Memories Sandboarding and rafting on sheepskin rafts at Shapotou → Return trip
✅ Day 1: Head to the Desert · First Sight of the Purple Haze Fairy’s Castle
✈️ Morning: Departure → Yinchuan Hedong International Airport (INC)
Recommended Flights:
Beijing → Yinchuan ¥650 (2-hour direct flight)
Shanghai → Yinchuan ¥800 (3-hour direct flight)
Xi’an → Yinchuan ¥500 (1.5-hour direct flight)
🚗 Airport → Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio (Taxi about ¥120, 40 minutes)
🎬 Afternoon: Visit [Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio] — The Wedding Place of the Purple Haze Fairy
🎫 Ticket ¥100 (includes all areas)
Highlights:
Filming locations for "A Chinese Odyssey," "New Dragon Gate Inn," "Red Sorghum"
Three main areas: "Ming City," "Qing City," "Old Yinchuan Street"
📸 Must-shoot spots:
Echo Valley on the city wall shouting "I love you"
Purple Haze Fairy’s Wedding House
Dragon Gate Inn sign wall
🏨 Accommodation Recommendations:
📍 [Zhongwei Desert Star Hotel] or [Shahu Holiday Hotel]
Room Type: Starry Sky Room (with stargazing skylight + floor heating)
💰 ¥980/night × 1 night = 980 RMB
✅ China’s first desert-themed hotel, open the window to endless sand sea, naked-eye view of the Milky Way at night!
🌌 Evening: Join the [Desert Starry Sky Lecture]
Hotel provides professional telescopes + astronomy guides
Star photography guidance available by appointment (¥200/person)
Or sit quietly on the dunes, listen to the wind and converse with the universe
🍽️ Dinner: Northwest-style cuisine at the hotel or self-service barbecue
Must-try: Hand-pulled lamb, eight-treasure tea, grilled lamb chops, stir-fried lamb at Huangquqiao
💰 About ¥120 per person, ingredients locally sourced
✅ Day 2: Desert Sunrise × A Poetic Day Under Helan Mountain
🌅 Early Morning: Desert Sunrise Experience (Free)
Time: 5:30–6:30 (summer)
Method: Walk or shuttle to the viewing sand dune
Photo tip: Wear dark clothes for silhouette shots, use telephoto lens to capture the sun rising over the horizon
🐫 Morning: Head to [Shapotou Scenic Area] — One of China’s Most Beautiful Deserts
🎫 Ticket ¥80 + Scenic transport ¥20
Core Experiences:
Camel riding across Tengger Desert (¥100/person, about 40 minutes)
Sand surfing (¥60/time)
Desert off-road vehicle (¥180/person, thrill level★★★★★)
🛣️ Noon: Check in at [Zhongwei Route 66] — China’s version of America’s Route 66
Free access! Located on Provincial Road S201
Features:
Straight road stretching to the horizon, flanked by desert and distant mountains
"Must Drive in Life" road signs, perfect for road trip photos
📸 Photo tip: Wear bright clothes standing in the middle of the road, drone shots are even more stunning!
⛰️ Afternoon: Return toward Yinchuan → Explore [Western Xia Imperial Tombs]
🎫 Ticket ¥80 (includes electric cart)
Highlights:
Tombs of nine emperors of the Western Xia Dynasty, known as the "Eastern Pyramids"
Millennium mystery: Western Xia script, mysteriously vanished ethnic group
📷 Photo tip: Low-angle shots of the tomb towers with blue sky and white clouds for an epic feel
🍷 Evening: Visit [Helan Qingxue Winery] or [Zhihui Yuanshi Winery] — Ningxia’s Wine Pinnacle
🎫 Free tasting (purchase wine)
Includes:
Tour underground wine cellar
Taste award-winning wines (e.g., "Jiabailan" dry red)
Dinner available at winery restaurant with fusion cuisine
💰 About ¥180 per person, enjoy the charm of the "Eastern Bordeaux" tipsily
🌃 Night: Stay at a boutique hotel in Yinchuan city
🏨 Recommended: [Kempinski Hotel Yinchuan] or [Yuehai Skyline Sky B&B]
Room Type: Deluxe River View Room
💰 ¥420/night = 420 RMB
🍽️ Dinner: Authentic Ningxia restaurant [Guoqiang Hand-Pulled Lamb]
Must-try: Clear stewed lamb, handmade cold noodles, eight-treasure sweet rice, fragrant oil
💰 About ¥70 per person, a local favorite old brand
✅ Day 3: Yellow River Rafting · Return Home with Silk Road Blessings
🌊 Morning: Return to Shapotou → Experience Yellow River Culture
Recommended activities:
Sheepskin raft rafting (¥80/person): A thousand-year-old water transport, leisurely downstream
Flying Yellow Tengda Zipline (¥120/person): Cross the Yellow River, overlook both banks
Climb [Yellow River Glass Viewing Platform] (¥50): Heart-pounding challenge
📷 Photo tip: Have a companion capture classic shots of you flying over the Yellow River on the zipline!
🛍️ Before Departure: Buy souvenirs
📍 Recommended:
[Zhongning Goji Berries] Premium red goji ¥60/jin (vacuum packed, easy to carry)
[Helan East Foothill Red Wine] Small bottle gift box ¥98/bottle
[Eight-Treasure Tea] Jasmine + rose + rock sugar ¥45/can
[Desert Sheep Leather Painting] Handmade embroidered decorative painting ¥120/piece
[Western Xia Stele Cultural Creative] Limited edition calligraphy replica ¥80/set
✈️ Noon: Shapotou/Yinchuan Airport → Return trip
💰 Budget Breakdown (per person)
Item Cost
Round-trip Airfare (from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou) 1300 RMB
Local Transport (charter/carpool + taxi) 600 RMB (3-day charter about ¥1800, two people carpool ¥900 each, counted as single here)
Accommodation (2 nights: desert + city) 1400 RMB (980 + 420)
Attractions & Activities 740 RMB (film studio + Shapotou + camel + sandboarding + zipline + rafting, etc.)
Meals (6 dinners, 2 breakfasts + winery dinner) 460 RMB
Souvenirs + Emergency Fund 300 RMB
Emergency Medicine + Supplies 100 RMB
Total About 4900 RMB
✅ 100 RMB Leftover! Can be used to upgrade winery tasting package or buy an extra bottle of wine to ship home!
🌟 Blogger’s Insider Tips (Worth the Price!)
Sand Protection: Wear sunglasses + headscarf, put phone in sealed bag to avoid sand damage.
Best Photo Times: Early morning 6:00–7:30, dusk 18:00–19:30, softest light.
Don’t want to be too tired? Skip some Day 3 activities, focus on Yellow River rafting + photos.
Diet Notes: Beef and lamb can be gamey, eat moderately if you have a sensitive stomach; drink more eight-treasure tea to aid digestion.
Eco Travel: Take no sand, leave no trash in the desert.
🏜️ Final Words: Ningxia You’ve Never Truly Known
Think the Northwest is only desolate?
But on this land,
Hidden are—
🌌 The dazzling Milky Way visible to the naked eye
🐪 The melodious camel bells echoing the Silk Road
🍇 The purple nectar flowing under Helan Mountain
🏜️ A straight road more like America’s Route 66
🕌 A millennium mystery written in Western Xia script
For less than 5000 RMB,
You can have a magical journey of desert, starry sky, fine wine, and history intertwined.
This summer,
If you’re not chasing stars in the Sahara,
Come to Ningxia and be a "Silk Road traveler through time."
📌 Follow me to explore niche destinations with a reasonable budget and create blockbuster travel memories!