From horseback tours to lakeside milk tasting, Inner Mongolia’s Milk Lake is the breakout travel hit of the summer.
In midsummer, the Xilingol grasslands of Inner Mongolia turn lush and green. Once a quiet and remote spot, the area around Milk Lake has seen a surge in visitors. Since the Dragon Boat Festival, the site has welcomed over 350,000 tourists, with peak daily attendance exceeding 50,000.
Originally named Bayin Chagan Nuur (Mongolian for “rich white lake”), Milk Lake is a natural alkaline lake nestled deep in the Xilingol steppe. Shaped by volcanic activity and shifting geology over millennia, the lakebed is rich in calcium carbonate and other minerals. As the water moves, these particles are stirred into suspension, giving the lake its smooth, milky appearance.
Surrounding the lake, the skyline, mountains, and waterlines stretch out like strokes in an ink painting. The milky water reflects the vast sky, and the boundless steppe fades into the horizon.
“Drinking Milk at Milk Lake”
To support this booming interest, local authorities are upgrading infrastructure and expanding visitor services. Young government staff have even added a playful twist: a large tap installed in the lake “pours” real milk into cups, creating the wildly popular activity of “drinking milk at Milk Lake.” Sales now top over 1,000 cups of milk a day.
Local herders have joined the tourism scene by offering horseback experiences, sometimes earning more than 1,000 yuan over a single weekend. Regional food and beverage companies have also set up shop around the lake to meet demand.
While tourism grows, the local government is also working to protect the grassland ecosystem. Every day, hundreds of volunteers help keep the area clean, guide visitors, maintain order, and occasionally offer free bottled water to guests.
Additional reporting from CNS.
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