Beyond the Northern Horizon: Inner Mongolia, the Arctic North & Volcanic Lakes

Tour Highlights

• The sweeping Hulunbuir grasslands, a Mongolian welcome ceremony with hada scarf presentation, and a night in a traditional-style yurt under the steppe stars
• Harbin's unmistakable Russian heritage: Volga Manor's St Nicholas Church and Pavlov Castle, St Sophia Cathedral and Central Street
• Red-crowned cranes and vast reed wetlands at Zhalong Nature Reserve, with the scheduled crane-release display where operating
• Manzhouli, the colourful border city where Chinese, Russian and Mongolian influences meet, lit up around Matryoshka Square
• The Greater Khingan forests and China's northernmost settlement, Arctic Village, on the Amur River across from Russia
• Wudalianchi's extraordinary volcanic landscape: black lava fields, crater lakes and mineral springs
• Distinctive regional dining — roast whole lamb on the steppe, Mongolian milk-tea lunch, and a Russian-style dinner at Harbin's historic Madieer restaurant

Itinerary at a Glance

1. Day 1: Australia – Harbin — Depart Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide for Harbin, gateway to north-eastern China (depending on flight arrangements, departure may fall on the evening before). On arrival our local representat
2. Day 2: Harbin's Russian heritage — The striking blend of Chinese and Russian influence gives Harbin its character. Volga Manor first, with its Russian-inspired buildings — St Nicholas Church, Pavlov Castle and Petrov Palace — and a tas
3. Day 3: Harbin – Qiqihar: the cranes of Zhalong — West towards Qiqihar through the oil-producing region around Daqing. Zhalong Nature Reserve is the destination: an expansive reed wetland renowned for its red-crowned cranes, with the chance to watch
4. Day 4: Qiqihar – Hailar: into the grasslands — Head west to Hailar, the urban heart of the Hulunbuir region. Genghis Khan Square reflects the city's Mongolian heritage before the road continues out to the Morigele River, where the water's graceful
5. Day 5: Hailar – Manzhouli: horses and the borderland — A lively equestrian performance opens the day, celebrating the horse culture of the steppe. Then Hulun Lake and a different view of the grasslands from an SUV excursion, with the complimentary aerial
6. Day 6: Manzhouli – Heishantou: the open steppe — The Ribbon River country first, where winding waterways pattern the grassland, seen best from the elevated lookout. Deeper in the Hulunbuir steppe comes the traditional welcome — a ceremonial drink, a
7. Day 7: Heishantou – Shiwei – Genhe — Worth an early wake for sunrise over the grasslands. The route follows the Erguna wetland region and scenic sections of the border road, past its numbered border checkpoints, the landscape shifting be
8. Day 8: Genhe – Mangui – Mohe and Arctic Village — A long, rewarding road day through the Greater Khingan Mountains, a broad expanse of forest and birch marking a striking change of scenery, towards Mohe and the Arctic Village region — one of China's
9. Day 9: Arctic Village: life at China's northern edge — A full day at China's northern frontier: the 'Northernmost Family' attraction, Arctic Sandbank, the Shenzhou North Pole marker and Arctic Square, and the northern border outpost from permitted viewing
10. Day 10: Arctic Village – Tahe – Alihe — South through the forests towards Tahe and Alihe, pausing at the romantic 52°13′14″ latitude landmark — its numbers play on a declaration of lasting affection in Chinese. Baiquan Valley and the Tianta
11. Day 11: Alihe – Gaxian Cave – Wudalianchi — Gaxian Cave is the morning's stop, an important site in the history of the Tuoba Xianbei people, followed by the Busuli military fortress complex — a reminder of this remote frontier's twentieth-centu
12. Day 12: Wudalianchi – Harbin: a volcanic landscape — The extraordinary geology of Wudalianchi fills the morning: rugged lava fields, Longmen Stone Village where lava formations build a dramatic natural setting, then Yaoquan Mountain and the mineral spri
13. Day 13: Harbin: architecture, music and the Songhua River — A fuller day in the city: St Sophia Cathedral's distinctive domes (photographed from outside), Central Street's European facades and historic stone paving, a traditional Madieer ice cream and local Ru
14. Day 14: Harbin – Australia — Free time in Harbin depending on your flight schedule, then the airport transfer for the journey home — taking with you open grasslands, borderland forests, northern hospitality and China's striking v
15. Day 15: Arriving home in Australia — Arrive home, bringing your northern China adventure to a close.

What's Included

• Return international economy-class airfares and airport taxes from the nominated Australian departure cities
• Sydney and Melbourne departures at the advertised fare; Brisbane and Adelaide add $450, Perth and Auckland $600 per person
• Thirteen nights in the listed international 5-star, 5-star and 4-star hotels or similar, plus one night in a deluxe Mongolian yurt
• Meals as listed in the daily itinerary, including the roast whole-lamb steppe lunch, the Mongolian milk-tea lunch and a Russian-style dinner at the Madieer restaurant
• Air-conditioned ground transport throughout
• Grassland SUV excursion with aerial video keepsake
• Scenic-area shuttle transport where applicable, and airport transfers