Xilingol Horse & Naadam

The classic Inner Mongolian steppe: grass to the horizon, herders on horseback, gers on the open plain and a sky that goes on forever. Four hours north of Hohhot.

The capital of Inner Mongolia and one of the most comfortable cities in China for a Muslim traveller. A Hui quarter around the Great Mosque, Mongol culture on the same streets, and grassland an hour north.

Open rolling steppe with herds, gers and cavalry displays in July and August.

Wrestling, horse racing and archery, held at different sites through July and August. Dates shift each year, so tell us your window and we will find the nearest one.

Founded in 1693, with a distinctive white-and-green complex and a minaret that has become the symbol of the Hui quarter. Wudhu on site and halal food on every side.

A good, quick introduction to Mongol history, the steppe empires and the grassland ecology before you drive north.

No pork on the premises, no alcohol on the premises, and the full list with addresses in your inbox before you fly.

Salah is placed first and sightseeing is built around it, not the other way round. Your guide carries a mat, a compass and a prayer-time sheet.

Mongol halal cooking done properly: hand-grabbed mutton, mutton kebabs, milk tea, dried cheese and fried rice. We confirm halal slaughter and no alcohol with the camp before you arrive. Xilingol mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Inner Mongolian Hui cooking is excellent and underrated: hand-grabbed mutton, milk tea, Mongol-style halal hotpot, beef buns, and a very good halal roast lamb. The Hui quarter alone has well over a hundred kitchens. Hohhot Great Mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

In Xilinhot city. On the steppe we plan prayer in the ger camp with a mat and compass, with Fajr and Maghrib outdoors on open ground.

Prayer on the open steppe is genuinely easy: clean ground, a mat and a compass, and no buildings to hide the horizon. The herder families are overwhelmingly Muslim or entirely unfazed by it.

Central, historic and very active, with a large wudhu hall. Jumuah is easy and the surrounding streets are halal.

One of the best cities on this whole site for salah. A major historic mosque, a Hui quarter built around it, and hotels used to Muslim guests.

Overland, about four hours north of Hohhot, or fly to Xilinhot.

Hohhot Baita (HET) airport, high-speed rail from Beijing in about two and a half hours.

July and August for green grass and Naadam. Late September is gold and empty.

June to September for the grassland. The city itself works all year.