Skip to content
Voykit
Set your trip — dates, party, bagsPlanner

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Major city · China

Ordos City鄂尔多斯市

Give Ordos City 1–2 nights: one for the Kangbashi civic axis and museum, one for the desert at Xiangshawan or the Genghis Khan mausoleum.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
CNY
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct
avoid Dec–Feb (severe cold), Jul–Aug (rain peak)
Airport
DSN
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7
  • East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
  • East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
  • China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
  • China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
  • China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
  • China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
  • China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.

Ordos City is a prefecture in Inner Mongolia whose name covers three separate places: the old city Dongsheng, the new city Kangbashi, and Altan Xire across the river. Kangbashi was built fast in the 2000s and drew the "ghost city" label; it now has residents and daytime life but stays quiet at night. Sights are far apart, so pick a base and plan transport before you arrive.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Ordos City, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Street or quick mealNoodle or lamb dish in a restaurant¥30–80 (≈ US$5–12)
  • BeerBeer, restaurant / convenience store¥10–25 (≈ US$2–4) / ¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi flag drop¥7 (≈ under US$1)
  • Museum or sight ticketOrdos Museum entryFree
  • Budget bedHostel or budget bed, a night, per personCN¥80 (≈ US$12)
  • Mid-range bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per roomCN¥400 (≈ US$60)
  • High-end bedBusiness-hotel double room, a night, per roomCN¥800 (≈ US$120)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget CN¥300 (≈ US$45) · Mid CN¥650 (≈ US$95) · High CN¥1,400 (≈ US$200)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Kangbashi new city and its civic axisOrdos MuseumXiangshawan desert resortMausoleum of Genghis KhanCashmere wholesale
Airports
DSN Ordos Ejin Horo Airport (In Ejin Horo Banner; hourly shuttle to Altan Xire, Kangbashi and Dongsheng.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Ordos City: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

−4°C

−13°C

2 rd

Feb

1°C

−9°C

4 rd

Mar

7°C

−3°C

9 rd

Apr

15°C

4°C

16 rd

May

21°C

10°C

31 rd

Jun

26°C

15°C

52 rd

Jul

27°C

17°C

95 rd

Aug

25°C

16°C

90 rd

Sep

20°C

10°C

52 rd

Oct

13°C

3°C

21 rd

Nov

5°C

−4°C

9 rd

Dec

−2°C

−11°C

2 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Bus K22 links Kangbashi and Dongsheng, roughly 06:30–18:50, so it does not cover evenings. Taxis are plentiful in all three towns; flag drop is ¥7 and a Kangbashi–Dongsheng run costs over ¥80. Distances between the towns are 30 km or more, so group your day by area.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Xiangshawan

caution

Door to door: About 1–1.5 h each way

Taxi or a booked transfer from Kangbashi or Dongsheng

Desert dunes plus rides and shows; a day-long package mainly buys transport and pickup.

Yinkentala

go

Door to door: About 1–1.5 h each way

Taxi or a booked transfer

Cheaper desert option without the amusement-park layer.

Mausoleum of Genghis Khan

go

Door to door: About 1–1.5 h each way

Taxi or bus south from Dongsheng

A memorial temple, not the burial site; entry around ¥25 (check).

Baotou

overnight

Door to door: About 3 h

Train, about 2 h

Better as a stop on the way north than a return day.

Hohhot

overnight

Door to door: 3–6 h

Train, 2–5 h depending on service

Regional capital; go on, do not day-trip.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Dongsheng

The old, busy city; most hotels and the airport shuttle stop. Best for food and everyday life.

Kangbashi

New city on the civic axis; a handful of business hotels, walkable to the museum and monuments.

Altan Xire

Across the Wulan Mulun River; often about 30% cheaper and closest to the airport.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
¥250–450 (≈ US$35–65) excl. bed
Mid
¥450–900 (≈ US$65–130) excl. bed
High
¥900 (≈ US$130)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Business-hotel double room1 × 2 nights × CN¥400CN¥800
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × CN¥650CN¥2,600
Airport shuttle, one way2 × CN¥15 · checkCN¥30
Kangbashi–Dongsheng taxi1 × CN¥80 · checkCN¥80
eSIM, about a week of data2 × CN¥150CN¥300
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeCN¥381
Trip total≈ CN¥1,048 per person per day, bed includedCN¥4,191≈ US$600

2026 estimate in yuan; long-distance transport excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Food-court meal¥25–50 (≈ US$4–7)
Noodle or lamb dish in a restaurant¥30–80 (≈ US$5–12)
Beer, restaurant / convenience store¥10–25 (≈ US$2–4) / ¥5–10 (≈ US$1–2)
Taxi flag drop¥7 (≈ under US$1)
Ordos Museum entryFree
Genghis Khan mausoleum entryabout ¥25 (≈ US$4) (check)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Ordinary precautions apply: watch traffic, keep to lit streets at night, and agree taxi fares or use the meter. Winter cold and summer storms are the real hazards.
  • The name "Ordos" means both the prefecture and the new city: say Kangbashi to be clear.
  • K22 buses stop early in the evening; plan a taxi back if you stay out.
  • Xiangshawan is run as a family amusement park; without children a full day there can feel thin.
  • Winter is very cold and windy; summer is the wettest stretch.

Emergency numbers

Police
110
Fire
119
Ambulance
120

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Ordos City鄂尔多斯市

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

请到这个地址To this address, please

Emergency

  • Police110
  • Fire119
  • Ambulance120

Embassy

No embassies in Ordos City; most are in Beijing. The US, UK and others keep consulates in larger Chinese cities (check).

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Airport shuttle to Kangbashi: about ¥15 (≈ US$3), hourly or better (check)
  • Airport shuttle to Altan Xire: about ¥10 (≈ US$2) (check)
  • Kangbashi → Dongsheng taxi: over ¥80 (≈ US$12)

Say or show

  • 你好 — Hello (nǐ hǎo)
  • 谢谢 — Thank you (xiè xie)
  • 多少钱？ — How much is it? (duō shao qián)
  • 可以刷卡吗？ — Can I pay by card? (kě yǐ shuā kǎ ma)
  • 洗手间在哪里？ — Where is the toilet? (xǐ shǒu jiān zài nǎ lǐ)
  • 请打表 — Please use the meter (qǐng dǎ biǎo)

Say Kangbashi, not Ordos, when asking for the new city.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Ordos City. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Jun, Sep–Oct · avoid Dec–Feb (severe cold), Jul–Aug (rain peak) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 5 day-trips, door to door
  6. 4 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for DSN: shuttle times, last departure, taxi fallback.
  2. Three walking clusters: Kangbashi civic axis, Dongsheng centre, Altan Xire riverfront.
  3. Place pages with verified hours for the Ordos Museum and the Genghis Khan mausoleum.
  4. Desert-day fixtures for Xiangshawan and Yinkentala with transfer costs.

Meanwhile

Back to China

Sources