Ningxia Day 2: Highway 99 (99号公路) & Shapotou (沙坡头)

08 September 2025

I begin my morning with breakfast at EVEN hotel. Here are some photos of the breakfast spread as well as what I ate.

JOURNEY TO ZHONGWEI (中卫)

Today I travelled from Yinchuan to Zhongwei. It is a few hours’ drive, but I was feeling excited as that brought me closer to the desert, and it was actually my first time being to one. To make travelling easier, I booked a tour on Ctrip (携程), thinking it would be a small group. It turned out to be a private tour — just me and the driver!

Thankfully, my driver was a friendly lady, which felt reassuring as a solo traveller. Having someone local to handle the transport made the day smooth and comfortable. Honestly, it was great value for money.

My thoughtful driver bought a basket full of fruits and yogurt drink! I was so pleasantly surprised and touched. She also gifted me with a shoe cover and neck cover, which turned out to be super useful later in the desert.

HIGHWAY 99 (99号公路)

Originally, the plan was to make a visit to Highway 66 (66号公路), a popular scenic route across Zhongwei’s desert. But due to flooding, it was temporarily closed. My driver instead brought me to Highway 99, another desert road that’s become quite popular online.

Both highways became popular on Chinese social media for its striking visual contrast — a black asphalt road slicing straight through the desert under a brilliant blue sky. To be honest, I still don’t fully get the hype. I think it’s more of a photo-spot trend than a true attraction, but it’s undeniably photogenic.

Highway 99 stretches straight into the horizon, surrounded by sandy plains and sparse desert vegetation. There was hardly any cars around!

STAR HOTEL (中卫沙漠星星酒店)

We then continued our journey to the Star Hotel, located right on the edge of the Tengger Desert. It was such a relief when we finally reached as I have been holding my bladder for the longest time. I checked in first to drop off my bags before heading out to explore for the day.

During the check-in, the staff handed me a wristband and an entrance ticket to Shapotou, which came with free shuttle transport to and from the scenic area by simply showing the wristband. You will still need to pay for activities inside, but the convenience is fantastic. Once you’re done exploring, you just call the hotel and they’ll send their van to pick you up.

After checking in, I was brought across the dunes in a buggy to my tent. The rows of tents stood quietly against the soft golden sand, each one facing the vast desert horizon. Inside, the room was warm and inviting, with earthy tones, soft lighting, and an endless view of the dunes right outside the window. There was even a small tea table by the window — the perfect spot to just sit, daydream, and take in the stillness of the desert.

I was brought to my tent by a buggy.

My tent at the Star Hotel — right in the middle of the desert, surrounded by golden dunes. I was staying at the Q Zone, which felt more tucked away compared to the rest of the resort. The other zones had more tents close together, with families and children laughing and playing in the sand, which was definitely lively and full of energy. But here, it was quiet and calm, with the dunes stretching endlessly outside my window. It almost felt like I had the desert all to myself — just me, the soft rustle of the wind, and the warm golden view.

The room is really cosy with a great view of the golden sand right outside.

The hotel’s minibar came stocked with snacks and drinks, including local yogurt and soda — perfect after a long, hot day out in the desert. Best of all, they are free!

Found these adorable animal biscuits in the minibar. It's probably for kids, but that does not stop me from enjoying it!

This corner with a small tea table overlooking the soft dunes just outside the glass door is my favourite spot in the room. Instead of drinking tea, I find myself reaching out for the soda more because it was just so hot in the afternoon.

The Star Hotel a really unique hotel surrounded by sand dunes, where you can literally step outside and feel the desert breeze. The property itself is very family-friendly and provides hotel guests with sand tools and sandboards. Kids (and also adults!) can play with sand and sandboard right outside their room. The hotel also organises small activities for both kids and adults. It’s lovely to see how they make the desert accessible and fun for everyone.

SHAPOTOU (沙坡头)

After checking out my room, I headed to Shapotou, one of Ningxia’s most famous attractions. The scenic area has two main sections — one along the Yellow River (黄河区), and another that opens directly into the Tengger Desert (沙漠区). I went to the desert side for today, which has the iconic desert landscape with sand dunes, camel rides and ATV.

It was just a short ride from the hotel to Shapotou. The view on the way was great.

Before entering, I wore shoe covers gifted to me by my driver to keep the sand out (a total lifesaver!) and a neck cover to shield against the afternoon sun. The UV rays here are intense, so I highly recommend bringing your own if you’re visiting and wear loads of sunscreen. The hotel also provides the neck covers, which I thought was such a thoughtful touch. I bought the tickets for camel ride and ATV. If you’re unsure which activities you want to try, you can simply buy the basic entrance ticket at the main counter first. Once inside the scenic area, you can still purchase tickets for individual activities directly at their respective booths. It’s very flexible, so you don’t have to decide everything upfront.

At Shapotou’s desert entrance.

Spotted this adorable mascot at the entrance of ‘Desert Flying’ — an amusement ride that lets you soar over the sand dunes. I didn’t go on it though!

Once inside, I joined a camel ride across the dunes. It was surprisingly fun and peaceful. The camels moved slowly, and from its back, the desert unfolded in all directions — a vast sea of sand with dramatic dunes rising and falling under the afternoon sun. It was my first time riding a camel, and it was rather rhythmic, which reminded me a little of riding a horse. However, camels are much taller, so they are a lot jerkier when they stand up or kneel down! I did have mixed feelings about whether such rides might be hard on the camels, but they seemed well cared for, and the handlers were gentle.

You will be greeted by this sleek metal camel at the entrance to the camel ride.

Rows of camels resting under the desert sun, waiting to take visitors across the golden dunes.

This sweetie pie was the one who gave me a ride.

Later, I switched to an ATV ride, which was the complete opposite — fast, thrilling, and full of adrenaline.  The ATV ride turned out to be one of the highlights of the day. At first, I was a little nervous as I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to control the vehicle properly or, worse, get into an accident. But it was actually much easier than I expected, and incredibly fun! The instructor rode beside me the whole time, which was super reassuring, and occasionally helped to steer when needed. Mostly, I just had to control the acceleration and adjust the speed to what I was comfortable with. To be honest though, I spent most of the time accelerating at full speed. It felt a bit like being on a roller coaster, rushing over the dunes with the wind in my face. The ride was over too quickly; I wished it could have lasted longer. I was so tempted to buy another ticket and go for a second round!

The entrance to the ATV ride.

I did not manage to snap a photo of the ATV unfortunately.

At the far end of the scenic area, there’s a sandboarding zone, and they provide the sandboards there too. I didn’t try it because I thought I could always do the same back at my hotel later. It was only afterward that I found out that you can apparently sandboard your way back down to the entrance! I have no idea why I didn’t think of that at the time — probably because I hadn’t done enough research, and there weren’t many tourists that were sandboarding down for me to “monkey see, monkey do.” What a pity! Still, the walk back wasn’t too bad.

This is the sandboarding zone, if I recall correctly.

On the way back, the wind started to pick up, and I saw the sand dancing softly across the dunes. The tiny ripples were moving like waves under the fading sunlight. It was mesmerising to watch, almost like the desert was alive and breathing. The weather had cooled by then since it was closer to evening, and the desert air felt calm and peaceful.

I tried to capture a short video of the sand drifting with the wind, but it didn’t quite do the moment justice. In person, the grains of sand seemed to dance lightly across the dunes

The view on the way back to the entrance.

BACK AT THE HOTEL

Evening back at the Star Hotel was calm and relaxing. The sunset was muted but soft as it was cloudy, casting a golden glow over the sand outside. I still had a great time taking photos! Then something amazing happened — it started to rain. Rain in the desert! It felt rare and special, and then, as if on cue, a huge rainbow stretched across the horizon. It was such a beautiful surprise. It really is the kind of moment you can never plan for but never forget.

Step around to the back of my tent and this is the view that I get.

I believe you will be able to see the sunset clearly on good days.

A rainbow stretches across the sky right after the rain.

The hotel offers breakfast, dinner, and supper, and I especially loved the dinner hotpot. You can choose your own soup base and pick your ingredients buffet-style — the perfect way to warm up after a windy day out. I think this was the best and most filling dinner I had this trip.

This is the restaurant where breakfast, dinner and supper are at.

I chose the tomato soup base. It was really yummy!

The selection of noodles was really interesting. There was a dragonfruit cold noodle. I gave it a try. I don't think the dragon fruit gave it any flavour, but it definitely looked so pretty in bright pink!

There was also Mongolian brand ice cream as well, but I was just too full to have any.

STARGAZING AT NIGHT

Later that night, I joined the stargazing activity at the hotel. Ningxia is known as the “hometown of the stars” (星星的故乡), and I’d been so excited to finally see the Milky Way. Unfortunately, the moon was too bright that night, so it wasn’t visible — but the sky was still full of twinkling stars.

Look at how bright the moon is!

It was a really nice experience. The instructor pointed out different constellations in the night sky, including those associated with the zodiac signs. She also pointed out and shared stories about the Cowherd Altair (牛郎) and the Weaver Girl Vega (织女), which made the session feel extra poetic under the desert sky. Although I couldn’t fully understand some of the Chinese astronomical terms, it was still fun and fascinating to listen and look up at the stars. Just note that the session is conducted entirely in Chinese, so it’s good to be prepared if you’re not fluent.

Trying to follow the guide’s laser pointer… I think she said that’s Vega? Or was it Altair? I can no longer remember. Oh dear...

The moon was too bright for the Milky Way to appear, but the desert sky was still full of stars. It is difficult to capture the stars on camera though.

There was a professional photographer who helped guests take photos under the night sky. Since the Milky Way didn’t appear, he photoshopped it in afterward, which still looked pretty great! You can check your photos on WeChat the next day and only pay if you’re happy with them. The only issue is that you can only pay using a China bank account, so foreign cards linked to WeChat Pay won’t work. I got my colleague to help me with the payment, but I suppose guests can also try asking the hotel staff — they’re incredibly kind and helpful.

SUPPER AT STAR HOTEL

For supper, the hotel served a comforting bowl of Haizi noodles (蒿子面). The noodles are served from 10 to 11:30 pm daily. It is simple yet satisfying dish after a full day out in the desert. I asked for less noodles, and the portion turned out just right. The soup was light and not overly salty, which made it easy on the stomach — the kind of warmth that settles you without feeling heavy or bloated.

This noodle is quite special in Ningxia. They’re made from the seeds of haocao (蒿草), a type of wild Artemisia plant that grows in the desert. The seeds are ground into flour and mixed with wheat flour to make noodles. Haizi noodles are fragrant with a subtle herbal aroma, and they have a pleasantly chewy, elastic texture. Locals believe it helps to “clear heat and improve digestion,” which makes sense in a desert climate where days are hot and dry.

I forgot to take a photo of the Haizi noodles, but here is a picture of it. The poster introduces the noodle as such: Haizi noodles are a natural green food made from the seeds of a wild desert plant called haocao (Artemisia). The noodles have a rich wheat aroma and a pleasantly chewy texture. They are believed to help lower blood pressure and cholesterol, protect the liver, aid digestion, and have cooling effects on the body. The noodles are crafted through a unique process with carefully selected ingredients. According to historical records, Zhu Zhan, a son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty, once served as an official in the Zhongwei region. The imperial chefs who accompanied him taught the locals how to make Haizi noodles. Since then, the craft has been passed down in Zhongwei and Zhongning for more than 300 years.

Took an ice cream. I could not help myself.

AS THE DAY CAME TO AN END...

I felt grateful for every little moment — the quiet stretches of the highway, the bursts of happiness during the camel and ATV rides, the warmth of a simple bowl of noodles after being out in the night. It was one of those days that left me tired in the best way possible — body weary, but heart full.

Lying under the stars, even without the Milky Way, was unforgettable. Maybe it’s good to have a few small regrets when travelling — it makes the journey feel more real, and more memorable.

Love,

Shu