Ergun, or called Erguna or E'erguna (额尔古纳; pinyin: é ěr gǔ nà), is a county-level city in Hulunbuir City, Inner Mongolia, China. The city is named after the border river of the same name - Argun River or Ergun River. “Ergun” literally means “offering” in Mongolian, which implies the river is the mother river nurturing the people of this region. Ergun City neighbors Hulunbuir Grassland in the south and Argun River in the west and north. The city is the northernmost border city in China, facing Russia across the Argun River!
Wetlands, white birch forests, grasslands, lakes and rivers… Its natural advantages endow Ergun City with beautiful scenery. Besides, thanks to its close distance to Russia, Ergun also boasts a strong Russian flavor.
Highlights in Ergun include the famous Ergun Wetland Scenic Area, White Birch Forest Scenic Spot, Shiwei Russian Town, Enhe Russian Town, Heishantou Ruins, Mordga National Forest Park, etc.
Ergun Wetland Scenic Area (额尔古纳湿地) is located in the downtown area of Ergun City. Root River (Genhe River) runs through the flat meadow, just like a sliver jade belt. On the two banks of the river are lush forests with trees and bushes in green, yellow, red, brown colors. At the viewing platform on upper region, you can get a paranoia view of this breathtaking scenery.
Heishantou Ruins (黑山头遗址) is located at where Hulunbuir Grassland meets Ergun. This ruin site is said to be the fief of Hazar about 700 years ago. Hazar is the brother of Genghis Khan. At present, nothing of the ancient city is remained except for the mounds. However, the sunset view at the nearby hills are the best of this region, which really worth a visit.
Mordga National Forest Park (莫尔道嘎国家森林公园) is one of the largest forest parks in China. Egret Island of the forest park, which is said to be magically transformed from a grey wolf, is an ideal site for photography. Other tourist sites include Hongdou Slope, Longyan Mountain, etc. You can follow the wooden trails to enjoy hiking at the hug of lush trees and forests.
Shiwei Russian Town (室韦俄罗斯族民族乡) is located at the bank of Argun River, the Sino-Russia border river. Opposite the river is Oloch Town in Russia. This small town has well-preserved Russian buildings, traditions, food and culture, and thus you can get a glimpse of Russia here. Staying overnight at one of the unique Mukeden houses here is a must try.
White Birch Forest Scenic Spot (白桦林景区), as its name implies, is a scenic area full of white birch trees. The forest covers a large area of 70,000 hectares. Green leaves and white trunks of the trees create an atmosphere of serenity and purity, and thus attract numerous visitors, especially couples and families, to come.
Enhe Russian Town (恩和俄罗斯族民族乡) is another Russian town in China with strong Russian flavor. Compared with Shiwei, Enhe is relatively closer to Ergun and Hulunbuir Grassland. Besides, it is close to the most beautiful section of the border driving road along the Argun River.
River of the Mongolian Nation. It originates from western foot of the Daxingan Mountains and wind to Hulunbuir. At the northeast corner of Hulunbuir, it joins the Shilka River from Russia and then winds further east. For visitors, you will get the best views of the river on the border road west of the Hulunbuir Grassland and at Ergun Wetland Scenic Area.
Rich natural wonders and strong Russian flavor make it possible to have diverse of fun in Ergun. Here is a list best featured activities in Ergun for your reference!
From any direction of Ergun, you can step into the lush wetland and forests. Ergun Wetland Scenic Area is the most popular natural site, and then the Mordga National Forest Park (especially the Egret Island) and White Birch Forest Scenic Spot…
Driving north from Ergun, you will meet with two Russian Towns, firstly the Enhe Russian Town, and then the Shiwei Russian Town on the Sino-Russia border. Choose your favorite town to explore the well-kept colorful Russian-style buildings and delicious Russian foods.
Visitors usually travel Hulunbuir Grassland and Ergun together. In such a classic tour, you get the best grassland and best wetland in China together. Horse riding, wetland photography, sunrise and sunset over meadows and Mongolian welcome dinners are all included.
Mukeden Houses are typical Russian folk houses. Rows of tree trunks form the walls of the house. The pointed roofs are also in wooden structures. Here in Ergun, you can accommodate at Mukeden Houses at the Russian Towns and near the forest areas. Those at the Russian Towns are the best picks.
The downtown area of Ergun belongs to the mid-temperate continental grassland climate, while the Mordga Town and its further north region belongs to cold temperate monsoon coniferous forest climate. The average temperature of Ergun varies from -27.7℃ to 19℃. The best time to visit Ergun is usually from May to the mid-September every year. The flowers begin to blossom from May, and the grasses gradually turn green from this month. The forests in Ergun are in beautiful autumn colors of yellow and red in September, which is the best time for photography. Those months from December to February of next year is good for ice and snow lovers. However, please be aware that Ergun, especially the forest areas, is very cold during then, with average temperatures in all regions lower than -15℃.
Ergun City has no airport or train station. However, it is close to Hailar, the downtown area of Hulunbuir with frequent flights. Visitors can get to Hailar first, and then visit Ergun from Hailar.
The best way to get to Hailar is by flight. Hailar Dongshan International Airport, or called Hulunbuir Dongshan International Airport, has flights to/from Beijing (2.5 hrs), Hohhot (2.5 hrs), Harbin (1.5 hrs), etc. There are also normal trains from Beijing, Harbin, Hohhot, etc. However, the train travel takes you more than 30 hours.
If you coming from the nearby Hinggan League, you can also choose the car. Travelling Arxan National Forest Park in Hinggan League and Hulunbuir & Ergun together is also a hot tourist route. Driving from Arxan to Hailar needs 5 hours or so.
From Hailar to Ergun, you can ride a coach or hire a private car. Every day, Hailar Bus Station (海拉尔客运站) has about 20 coaches to Ergun City. The coach ride takes about 2 hours around. Compared with the coaches, private cars are more popular for the journey, because on the way from Hailar to Ergun you will pass through Hulunbuir Grassland and you cannot make middle stops if you go with the coaches. However, if you go with the private cars, you can feel free to stop at the grassland area and take an enjoyable sightseeing tour there before heading further north to Ergun. We China Discovery also offer such fantastic tour packages about Hailar and Ergun with private car service included. If you are in need, please contact our professional travel consultant for help!
Hotels in Ergun is never of that luxury in modern cities like Beijing, Shanghai, etc. And this city doesn’t has that many accommodation choices. However, you can still find several 4-star hotels and many 3-star and 2-star hotels there. Besides, Ergun offers unique Mongolian yurts and Russian-style Mukeden Houses for you to choose.
There are 4 best areas to stay in Ergun, including the Ergun downtown, Heishantou Town, Russian Towns like Shiwei and Enhe and Mordga Town (also known as Mordoga Town). Ergun city center has the largest amount of hotels and the most luxury hotels of this city. Heishantou Town offers Mongolian yurts for those who are heading for the best sunrise and sunset views. Shiwei and Enhe have Russian-style Mukeden Houses for visitors to savor the Russian flavor. Mordga Town also has several 3-star hotels and budget hostels. They are good choices for those visiting the Mordga National Forest Park.
For a better understanding of the location of Ergun and how to travel in Ergun, here we provide some useful English Ergun Maps for you, including Ergun China Map, Ergun Inner Mongolia Map, Ergun Hulunbuir Map, etc.
Ergun Hulunbuir Map
Ergun Inner Mongolia Map
Ergun China Map
Ergun is in northeastern Inner Mongolia and it is usually reached by car from Hulunbuir Grassland and Hailar. If you want to get more about Inner Mongolia, you can travel to Hohhot in the middle of the autonomous region and Ejina and more cities in the western part.
China is vast and diverse. You can choose your favorite destinations among more than 70 tourist destinations and regions, like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, etc. Following are 4 popular destinations you may be interested in. Check all destinations in China.
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