Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region's

BAOTOU EAST (DONGHE)

There is little reason to stay in Baotou except if you arrive late in the evening or crave about gray buildings. If so, you can check in at two hotels near the Baotou East Train Station on Nanmenwai Dajie :

Hotels  << Get precise info, book online and save money !

• The North Pacific Hotel (417 5656) / Dorm 15 (3 or 4) without bath / 80 Dbl with bath / OK Toilets / Common shower / HW 24 hours // Go there for the relatively nice rooms and the cheapest dorm in town. / What you may not like : the quite dirty sanitary

• The Donghe Hotel (417 2266) / Dorm 40 (3), 50 (2 or 3),  60 (2 or 3) with bathroom / Dbl 90 (shower) or 100 (bath) / HW 24 hours // Go there if the other hotel is full as the rooms here are not as nice.

North Pacific Hotel	Beihai fandian
Donghe Hotel	Donghe binguan

Bus Schedules : From Baotou East

Note : To Datong, ordi or sleeper bus depending on the day

Trains  << Check there

The trip to Dongsheng : Big Bus / SSS / L & R / Y12 / 3 hours

Going to Dongsheng is the reason to stop in Baotou and, fortunately, you have departures every 20 minutes or so.  They advertise a trip of 2h30 but, as usual, you can add at least half an hour waiting time plus a visit to the petrol station... In the morning, you can avoid the sun by sitting on the right side.

On the way to or from Dongsheng, you could stop at Daqi to visit the Resonant Sand Gorge (Y10), about 10km away from Daqi. Be however aware that buses to or from the dunes may not materialize which mean you may have to take a taxi for around 50Y return. Ask before getting off the bus. As you have sand dunes in other parts of China, in particular at Zhongwei and Dunhuang  (the most spectacular), it might not be worth the fuss... 

See also trip from Yinchuan to Baotou East...