Hulun Lake, known in Mongolian as Dalai Nuur ("sea lake"), is the fourth-largest freshwater lake in China, covering 2,339 square kilometres. It sits roughly 47 kilometres southeast of Manzhouli and is surrounded by the broad Hulunbuir Grassland — an enormous, thinly populated steppe that stretches from here into Russia and Mongolia.
The lake is a summer destination for yurt camps, horse riding, and birdwatching. It's on a major migratory flyway and during spring and autumn vast numbers of waterbirds use it as a staging post. In summer the grasslands around it turn green and the camps are full of Chinese tourists on horseback. Getting there requires hiring a taxi in Manzhouli; fares should be negotiated in advance. An overnight in one of the yurt camps on the lake's western shore is the better option if time allows — the lake at dawn, with mist on the water and horses moving across the steppe, is as good as Inner Mongolia gets.