Shapotou National Nature Reserve Travel Guide

Shapotou, situated in Zhongwei County, lies on the north bank of the Yellow River where it crosses the southeastern border of the Tengger Desert.Administratively it falls under Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region-some 150 km (93 miles) south of Yinchuan City.  

Shapotou National Nature Reserve integrates the view of desert, Yellow River, mountain and oasis.  Here you could ride a camel to discovery one of the five most beautiful deserts in China -- Tengger Desert, it is widely recognized as the Capital of Sand. Standing on the sand hill, one can see the desert extending to the north, and to the south, a boundless oasis. Both the grandeur of the north of China and the elegance of the south come together in this lovely place.

Shapotou also has "the first rope bridge of the Yellow River ", the ancient waterwheel represented by the Yellow River culture, and the oldest “boat” of transport on the Yellow River -- sheepskin raft.

Here you could also discover how Chinese make the desert an oasis.