Inner mongolia tour tips
Jan 23rd, 2025 | 04:35 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2025
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Inner mongolia tour tips
Hi, so my group (4 people) plan to visit Hohhot for 3D2N, and we want to have 2 private tours to explore the scenic areas there. Preferably, we'd love to have 1 day private tour visiting Kubuqi / Xiangshawan Desert, and 1 day private tour visiting the Huitengxile Grasslands. We prefer to have hotel pickup and drop-off as well since it will be much easier and faster given our limited time there. The thing is, I looked up for private tours offered online, the price are so expensive ($120+ per person). My question is, is there any local tour / agents in Hohhot that we can visit directly and look around in order to find cheaper price and detailed itineraries for the private tours mentioned above? and what is the average price for them per person (in CNY or USD)? Thank you in advance!
Jan 25th, 2025 | 12:21 PM
#2
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 452
Likes: 0
There isn't any good news here, simply because the Chinese tour industry (whose corruption is big enough to be seen from space) doesn't work in the way you would like it to. And any attempt to book in advance via the Internet using English-language interfaces of any kind, simply marks you as someone ripe for the plucking. Many will have paid what you rightly regard as high prices, and so there's reason not to offer the same to you. (Equally there's no reason not to offer well under half in return.)
To get a fair price, and a fair experience, requires a little effort. Your best route is to read authoritative sources of information at home (which means great care as far as the Internet is concerned--but you certainly won't get accurate information out of Chinese guides either), and then to bargain one-day charters with taxis once you arrive. How easy or difficult you find this is mostly a matter of your frame of mind. It isn't really very hard at all.
Firstly calculate the number of kilometres you expect to cover—fairly easy to do with Google maps, or similar. Find out the base rate per km of local taxis (posted on the side windows, varying according to size of vehicle). Aim your total cost to be number of kilometres times that rate (and ignoring the fact that if the meter is used the rate per km jumps by typically 30 percent after so many km--that's irrelevant. You're bargaining a flat rate.) Expect to add road tolls if requested (although sometimes not). Offer to throw in lunch if you'll be out all day (not expected, but a useful goodwill gesture), but not until after you've departed.
Flag down taxis away from your hotel, railway stations, airports or major sites, and bargain a price. All you need is to get your hotel reception to write down date, starting time, pick-up location, drop-off location, destinations, time of return. You can also get them to write down 'How much?' but any standard gesture will do. Common sense aids communication. You should stop two or three to get the best price. Always avoid talking to taxi drivers in groups, but flag them down to conduct individual negotiations. Write down the phone numbers of those that seem promising, and get your hotel to call the winner if you don't accept a price on the spot.
Some people just don't want this level of engagement or prefer everything to be booked in advance. That's up to you, but those are the people who pay the high prices, and the approach suggested here is commonplace. At the very least, go into a local travel agency in person, bargain the price way down, and ditch the guide--a driver will do. But you'll still pay a lot more, and unavoidably end up in restaurants and shopping that pay kick-backs, whether that was mentioned on the itinerary or not. Do not shop at anywhere you're taken, even if you return later without the guide.
To get a fair price, and a fair experience, requires a little effort. Your best route is to read authoritative sources of information at home (which means great care as far as the Internet is concerned--but you certainly won't get accurate information out of Chinese guides either), and then to bargain one-day charters with taxis once you arrive. How easy or difficult you find this is mostly a matter of your frame of mind. It isn't really very hard at all.
Firstly calculate the number of kilometres you expect to cover—fairly easy to do with Google maps, or similar. Find out the base rate per km of local taxis (posted on the side windows, varying according to size of vehicle). Aim your total cost to be number of kilometres times that rate (and ignoring the fact that if the meter is used the rate per km jumps by typically 30 percent after so many km--that's irrelevant. You're bargaining a flat rate.) Expect to add road tolls if requested (although sometimes not). Offer to throw in lunch if you'll be out all day (not expected, but a useful goodwill gesture), but not until after you've departed.
Flag down taxis away from your hotel, railway stations, airports or major sites, and bargain a price. All you need is to get your hotel reception to write down date, starting time, pick-up location, drop-off location, destinations, time of return. You can also get them to write down 'How much?' but any standard gesture will do. Common sense aids communication. You should stop two or three to get the best price. Always avoid talking to taxi drivers in groups, but flag them down to conduct individual negotiations. Write down the phone numbers of those that seem promising, and get your hotel to call the winner if you don't accept a price on the spot.
Some people just don't want this level of engagement or prefer everything to be booked in advance. That's up to you, but those are the people who pay the high prices, and the approach suggested here is commonplace. At the very least, go into a local travel agency in person, bargain the price way down, and ditch the guide--a driver will do. But you'll still pay a lot more, and unavoidably end up in restaurants and shopping that pay kick-backs, whether that was mentioned on the itinerary or not. Do not shop at anywhere you're taken, even if you return later without the guide.
Jan 26th, 2025 | 03:45 AM
#3
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2025
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
There isn't any good news here, simply because the Chinese tour industry (whose corruption is big enough to be seen from space) doesn't work in the way you would like it to. And any attempt to book in advance via the Internet using English-language interfaces of any kind, simply marks you as someone ripe for the plucking. Many will have paid what you rightly regard as high prices, and so there's reason not to offer the same to you. (Equally there's no reason not to offer well under half in return.)
To get a fair price, and a fair experience, requires a little effort. Your best route is to read authoritative sources of information at home (which means great care as far as the Internet is concerned--but you certainly won't get accurate information out of Chinese guides either), and then to bargain one-day charters with taxis once you arrive. How easy or difficult you find this is mostly a matter of your frame of mind. It isn't really very hard at all.
Firstly calculate the number of kilometres you expect to cover—fairly easy to do with Google maps, or similar. Find out the base rate per km of local taxis (posted on the side windows, varying according to size of vehicle). Aim your total cost to be number of kilometres times that rate (and ignoring the fact that if the meter is used the rate per km jumps by typically 30 percent after so many km--that's irrelevant. You're bargaining a flat rate.) Expect to add road tolls if requested (although sometimes not). Offer to throw in lunch if you'll be out all day (not expected, but a useful goodwill gesture), but not until after you've departed.
Flag down taxis away from your hotel, railway stations, airports or major sites, and bargain a price. All you need is to get your hotel reception to write down date, starting time, pick-up location, drop-off location, destinations, time of return. You can also get them to write down 'How much?' but any standard gesture will do. Common sense aids communication. You should stop two or three to get the best price. Always avoid talking to taxi drivers in groups, but flag them down to conduct individual negotiations. Write down the phone numbers of those that seem promising, and get your hotel to call the winner if you don't accept a price on the spot.
Some people just don't want this level of engagement or prefer everything to be booked in advance. That's up to you, but those are the people who pay the high prices, and the approach suggested here is commonplace. At the very least, go into a local travel agency in person, bargain the price way down, and ditch the guide--a driver will do. But you'll still pay a lot more, and unavoidably end up in restaurants and shopping that pay kick-backs, whether that was mentioned on the itinerary or not. Do not shop at anywhere you're taken, even if you return later without the guide.
To get a fair price, and a fair experience, requires a little effort. Your best route is to read authoritative sources of information at home (which means great care as far as the Internet is concerned--but you certainly won't get accurate information out of Chinese guides either), and then to bargain one-day charters with taxis once you arrive. How easy or difficult you find this is mostly a matter of your frame of mind. It isn't really very hard at all.
Firstly calculate the number of kilometres you expect to cover—fairly easy to do with Google maps, or similar. Find out the base rate per km of local taxis (posted on the side windows, varying according to size of vehicle). Aim your total cost to be number of kilometres times that rate (and ignoring the fact that if the meter is used the rate per km jumps by typically 30 percent after so many km--that's irrelevant. You're bargaining a flat rate.) Expect to add road tolls if requested (although sometimes not). Offer to throw in lunch if you'll be out all day (not expected, but a useful goodwill gesture), but not until after you've departed.
Flag down taxis away from your hotel, railway stations, airports or major sites, and bargain a price. All you need is to get your hotel reception to write down date, starting time, pick-up location, drop-off location, destinations, time of return. You can also get them to write down 'How much?' but any standard gesture will do. Common sense aids communication. You should stop two or three to get the best price. Always avoid talking to taxi drivers in groups, but flag them down to conduct individual negotiations. Write down the phone numbers of those that seem promising, and get your hotel to call the winner if you don't accept a price on the spot.
Some people just don't want this level of engagement or prefer everything to be booked in advance. That's up to you, but those are the people who pay the high prices, and the approach suggested here is commonplace. At the very least, go into a local travel agency in person, bargain the price way down, and ditch the guide--a driver will do. But you'll still pay a lot more, and unavoidably end up in restaurants and shopping that pay kick-backs, whether that was mentioned on the itinerary or not. Do not shop at anywhere you're taken, even if you return later without the guide.
i don't really have issue with communicating in Chinese, since i can speak basic chinese (HSK-4ish equivalent) so communicate with local people is not going to be too big of a problem for me.
appreciate the tips though.
Feb 7th, 2025 | 04:29 PM
#4
Joined: Jan 2025
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
You can try visiting the local tourism information center in Hohhot. They usually have a list of reliable local tour agents. Also, you can ask at your hotel's front desk, as they often have connections with local tour services and can recommend some cost - effective options.
Another way is to visit the local markets or areas where tourists gather, like near popular attractions. You might find local guides or small - scale tour operators advertising their services.
As for the price, generally, for a one - day private tour to the desert or grasslands, it could be around 300 - 500 CNY (about $40 - $70) per person. But this can vary based on inclusions like transportation, meals, and entrance fees.
Another way is to visit the local markets or areas where tourists gather, like near popular attractions. You might find local guides or small - scale tour operators advertising their services.
As for the price, generally, for a one - day private tour to the desert or grasslands, it could be around 300 - 500 CNY (about $40 - $70) per person. But this can vary based on inclusions like transportation, meals, and entrance fees.
