Kubuqi Desert

Kubuqi Desert

The Kubuqi Desert is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The vast desert stretching eastward resembles a drawn bowstring, forming a colossal golden bow. The boundless desert, the long river like a ribbon, the endless sea of sand, and the round morning sun create a grand and majestic spectacle. Also known as the Kubuqi Desert, it is located in the northern part of the Ordos Plateau in Inner Mongolia and is the seventh largest desert in China, situated in the northeastern part of the Kubuqi Desert. It features the magical Singing Sand Bay, a masterpiece of nature. Visitors can freely sandboard and surf down the dunes, experiencing the phenomenon where the sound moves with you and stops when you do. Discover the century-old charm of Singing Sand Bay. The eastern, central, and western parts of the desert each have their own unique characteristics. The central and eastern sections receive more rainfall, while the western part enjoys abundant heat. In the central and eastern areas, there are multiple seasonal gullies originating from the northern side of the plateau ridge, flowing vertically through the region. These gullies are characterized by their length, peak flow in summer and dryness in winter, and high sediment content. Along the banks of these gullies that run through the desert, there are often terraces of varying sizes. The groundwater lies deep, and the soil fertility is relatively high, resulting in scattered oasis landscapes and the formation of favorable microclimates. The western part has very little surface water, with scarce water sources—only the Sharimolin River flows northwest and disappears into the desert. The groundwater in the western end and northern part of the desert is influenced by the Yellow River, resulting in better water quality, and it also falls within the Yellow River irrigation area.

Located within Hanggin Banner in Ordos City, the Kubuqi Desert is one of China’s seven major deserts. Known as the "world’s largest obo," it is situated here.

Looking up, the magnificence and grandeur of the obo are truly breathtaking—it’s hard to take in its entirety in a single glance. The lotus-shaped treasure bottle at its top is cast from 5.6 tons of pure copper, symbolizing China’s 56 ethnic groups. The carved lotus patterns on it hold unique symbolic meaning in Buddhism.

Compared to the scattered obos found deep in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, the world’s largest obo located in the desert shows significant differences in architectural style. Most obos on the grasslands are built from piled stones, whereas this one in the desert is made up of 99,999 stones collected from the Daqing Mountain in Inner Mongolia. It stands 20 meters high and has a diameter of 45 meters.

Worshiping and praying for blessings in front of the obo

Obo, in Mongolian, translates to “pile” in Chinese. In ancient times, Mongolian herders would often pile up stones to form an obo at crossroads to indicate directions. Later, Genghis Khan would worship the obo before each military campaign to pray for victory. Nowadays, the obo has gradually evolved into an altar for worshipping the heavens, ancestors, and heroes.

Address: Within Hanggin Banner, Ordos City