23 Summer Trip to Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and Inner Mongolia Day4

Day4: Wuhai → Aolunbulage Canyon → Rengen Peak → Ant Forest (passing by) → Naren Lake (passing by) → Ulan Buh Desert Highway → Ulan Buh Desert Crossing Gate → Wuhai Lake → Wuhai On the fourth day, we mainly traveled between Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. Although the itinerary was compact, it was relatively relaxed except for the high temperature. First stop: Aolunbulage Canyon (Picture 1). Aolunbulage Canyon belongs to the Tengger Park of China Alashan Desert World Geopark, which is part of the Yinshan Range. It is a path where water has 'walked' through, and the power of water has cut a huge deep trench from the originally flat land. The entire canyon includes the Western Fantasy Canyon, Alashan Canyon, and Shenshui Cave, each with its own characteristics. Western Fantasy Canyon (Pictures 2-4): It integrates Yadan landform and Danxia landform, recording the changes of landform and the evolution of geology over millions of years. The interaction of wind and geology has formed the desert and Gobi-dominated geological landscape here. Private cars can drive to the entrance, where you can take a shuttle bus into the canyon (15 yuan per person) or walk. The shuttle bus will take you directly to the deepest part of the canyon, and then you can slowly walk out and enjoy. Alashan Canyon (Pictures 5-6): After coming out of the Western Fantasy Canyon, you need to return to the three-way junction before you can go. Different from the Western Fantasy Canyon, you can drive in by yourself, with a total length of more than 1 kilometer. Note: 1. There is no place to sell food and water in the scenic area, so you need to prepare these before you go in. 2. The signal in the scenic area is very poor, only mobile has a little signal, so if there is a problem while playing inside, it is very troublesome. 3. The total length of the Fantasy Canyon is about 2.5 kilometers. If you have time and the weather is not so hot, it is best to walk and take pictures. If you take a shuttle bus, some points will be missed, such as 'Mother Gate Cave'. 4. Be careful when you are about to reach the end of the Alashan Canyon, there is a sandy area there, and ordinary cars can easily get stuck. We encountered a small RV stuck in the sand that day, and it was very troublesome to ask for help and find a tow truck. 5. The supporting facilities are not mature yet, and you can only drive there by yourself. Second stop: Rengen Peak (Pictures 7-8). Rengen Peak is completely a masterpiece of nature. Due to the well-developed vertical joints of the rock, the surrounding rocks have been weathered away under the action of rainwater erosion, gravity collapse, and wind, forming this lonely 'wind erosion column'. Because it looks like a male root, it is called 'Rengen Peak', and the locals also call it 'Shengen'. The 'Shengen' has a diameter of 4~8 meters, is thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top, is 34.14 meters high, slightly inclined, and is very majestic. You can only drive there by yourself. Third stop: Ant Forest (Picture 9). I specifically looked for the Haloxylon ammodendron in the Ant Forest to see Ma Yun's promise to 'plant trees' in the desert. I saw the Haloxylon ammodendron, but I didn't find the sign. Fourth stop: Naren Lake (Picture 10). Naren Lake is located at the junction of the Hetao Plain and the Ulan Buh Desert, adjacent to the Yellow River, and is a river trace lake formed by the change of the Yellow River. It was approved as a national wetland park in 2015, and it feels that it has not been fully built yet. Fifth stop: Ulan Buh Desert Highway (Picture 11). The road is paved, but due to climate reasons, the road surface is deformed and not very flat. The sand dunes on both sides of the highway are continuous, the scenery is very good, and there are few vehicles, so you can stop and play with the sand at any time, and show off a little. Sixth stop: Ulan Buh Desert Crossing Gate (Picture 12). The Ulan Buh Desert Crossing Gate is not a scenic spot. A self-driving desert post station has been established here, where you can appreciate the charm of desert crossing at close range. However, it is best to play desert crossing with professional off-road four-wheel drive vehicles (provided by the post station), and ordinary cars really can't play. If you drive into the desert by yourself, it is said to cost 30 yuan per car. Seventh stop: Wuhai Lake (Picture 13). Wuhai Lake was formed by storing water at the end of December 2013 after the completion of the Haibowan Water Conservancy Hub of the Yellow River. It is connected to the water conservancy hub dam in the north, the Ulan Buh Desert in the west, the upper section of the Yellow River Wuhai section in the south, and the Wuhai City Riverside Scenic Belt in the east, with a total area of 118 square kilometer