[Photo by Matt Hodges/chinadaily.com.cn]

Mid- September to late October is considered the best period to travel because of the cooler climate and golden hues that wash over the grasslands and the "bizarre forest" of Guaishulin.

Part of the Euphrates Poplar Nature Reserve at Ejina Banner in Alxa League, this area is famous for its craggy tree trunks that spiral up from the desert like super-sized wizard’s staffs.

It lies seven hours north of Baotou, an industrial city that is reinventing itself as a new tourist Mecca.

"For me, the top selling point, apart from the grassland, would have to be the forest," says Zhang.

"There are only three destinations like this in the world, and ours is more beautiful than the one in Xinjiang. It has both river and desert. From September, it’s already fall in Inner Mongolia, so the leaves turn golden. A lot Chinese people drive here, arriving just before sunset to get the best photos, and stay for two nights." 

Many choose to spend a few nights luxuriating at a five-star hotel in this exotic land close to the Mongolian border.

Of these, the Shangri-La’s two properties in Baotou and Hohhot do a nice line in deluxe Mongolian yurt stays at the Xilamuren grassland. I stayed at Meng Gu Ren Shengdi, an encampment three hours' drive north of Hohhot. Although it was set up for tourists, don’t ditch those great expectations just yet.

During my stay I watched a World Cup game on satellite TV in the yurt, saw a UFO (the supernatural sighting was confirmed by local blogs the next day) and failed at horse riding. I also watched Mongolian farmers make dairy products and lasso ponies, and visited some kind of fledgling Genghis Khan-themed amusement park built around a wooden fortress The grasslands north of Baotou offer similar resorts and programs.