By Annie Wei (bjtoday.ynet)
Updated: 2008-04-09 09:31

The flowers are budding and now is the time to mount up for a tour of the spring sights.

Wulaza, founder of the Beijing horse club, introduces three top places where he and other horse-lovers ride on weekends.

Bashang Grassland

The Bashang Grassland is 280 kilometers north of Beijing. Its special climate and geographic position at the junction of the North China Plain and the Inner Mongolia Grassland give Bashang a unique natural landscape. The grassland is a popular destination for tourists and photographers.

The grasslands include four parts: Fengning Bashang, Zhangbei Bashang, Weichang Bashang and Guyuan Bashang. The four parts are located in four counties of Hebei Province. Fengning Bashang is the site that is most accessible for visitors from Beijing.

With a mean temperature much lower than that of Beijing, the Bashang Grassland is an ideal place to escape the summer heat. The period from May through November is the best time to visit, and visitors may have a chance to admire scenery in the snow as early as October.

In recent years, tourism to Bashang has flourished and many activities are available. It is inexpensive and interesting to stay at a farmers’ home and eat roast, whole sheep and other plain food, chat with the farmers and sleep on heatedbrick beds.

Besides the charm of Bashang, visitors coming from Beijing can enjoy the beautiful scenery during the six-hour drive along mountain highways and relax at restaurants run by farmers.

Getting there: Go to the Liuliqiao bus center to take a long distance bus. It is also known as the Beijing Haoda Communication Development Center.

Call 8383 1716 or 8383 1717 for a bus schedule.

It is easy to find hotels in Bashang. The price is a bit higher on weekends, at 200 yuan per person. Rent a van or jeep for 300 yuan for half a day.

   1 2   

   1 2