What are the routes for border self-driving tours? What should we pay attention to when traveling by car across the border?

This trip is quite exciting. After all, this trip to Northern Xinjiang has been prepared for a long time. From a psychological perspective to equipment, we should try to be more thoughtful. After all, it's going to be a long journey. Once something unexpected happens on the road, some roads in the middle will be difficult to walk, so I am a little worried about this trip. Come and swim with me in Beijiang!

The First Bay of Longjiang in the Ice

The First Bowl of Longjiang

The route for the second leg of the self-driving team’s eastward journey is as follows: from Mohe Arctic Village To Heilongjiang, follow the border highways S209, S311, S312, and S313, pass through the border town of Heihe, and reach the easternmost point of the motherland - Dongji Square in Wusu Town, Fuyuan County. First, let’s learn about Heilongjiang, which will accompany us all the way.

After the eastward journey route is determined, the first stop will be Heilongjiang’s unique scenery, Mohe, the first bay of Longjiang.

The first bay of Longjiang on the map

On the morning of April 19, the quiet Arctic Village was bathed in warm sunshine and the sky was clear and cloudless. After Sheng He bought meat and vegetables at the small vegetable market in the village, we set off to Longjiang First Bay at 9 o'clock.

Take the Mobei Highway and turn to Heihe.

Before entering the provincial highway S209, we were stopped at a fire inspection station. It turns out that our forest fire prevention pass in Manzhouli has expired and needs to be reapplied. We looked reluctant, but the little administrator girl with bright eyes and a mask said enthusiastically and cheerfully, "It's okay!" I'll do it for you for three days. In less than 2 minutes, a Mohe County forest protection and fire prevention pass was handed to me for free, which made us smile knowingly and express our gratitude.

Mohe County Forest Protection and Fire Prevention Pass

Pass the inner page

Happily bid farewell to the little girl and said, such a passionate, dedicated, fast, and sunny girl, if I am her leader, and I will definitely promote and reuse her. I said it's a good thing you weren't, otherwise I would have come to Mohe to jump in line. However, you can write this in your travel diary, and maybe her leader will see it, even if the probability is very small.

A girl bathing in the warm sunshine at the checkpoint

The cement road in S209 is not wide but very smooth, and there is unmelted snow on the road. We cautiously continued to drive along the ruts in the Daxinganling forest area.

Unmelted snow on S209 Provincial Highway

At the intersection leading to Longjiang First Bay, a notice states that Longjiang First Bay is temporarily closed due to road reconstruction. Change 9 kilometers ahead.

The first bay intersection is 9 kilometers ahead.

It is not far from 9 kilometers away, but we found that there are other words on the scenic spot sign of Longjiang First Bay: the northernmost point of China. I asked Cheng Jian, do you know the northernmost point here? Of course, I don’t know if it has been completed or if it has been included in the plan.

Discover China’s northernmost point on the attraction board.

The temporary road into Longjiang First Bay was widened by a forest trail, and the 12-kilometer narrow sandy road took nearly half an hour.

The temporary sand road leading to the First Bay

Finally arrived at the First Bay ticket office.

Introduction to Longjiang First Bay at the Ticket Office

Only when we arrived at the scenic spot did we know that the 50 yuan ticket already covers the northernmost point of China, which is 18 kilometers away.

The first bay and the northernmost ticket office

Heating facilities at the ticket office

The roads in the scenic area are being widened. We walked slowly and patiently along the gravel road by the river for another half an hour before arriving at the Longjiang No. 1 Bay parking lot.

The gravel road leading to the first bay

When we arrived at the parking lot, we realized that the winding mountain road had long been closed. It took me an hour and a half to walk 628 meters along the wooden plank road with more than 900 steps to reach the observation deck on the top of the mountain, and then I could see the panoramic view of the First Bay.

The First Bowl of Longjiang

68-meter Climbing Wooden Plank Road

People often use "eyes in heaven, body in hell" to describe the hardship of traveling. That's right. To see the beautiful scenery, you have to climb 628 meters of steps. No one can replace the other.

After trying hard to climb more than 900 steps

I should expect that you will come back halfway.

Some have withstood the test of ‘hell’ and reached the top of the mountain.

Overlooking the first bay of Longjiang and Jinhuan Island.

The far away place is Siberia, Russia.

When I woke up

The island was covered with birch trees and Scots pine trees. Mongolian oak, and the Yellow River sand and pebbles on the shore are like a golden ring inlaid on the golden edge, hence the name. As far as the eye can see, the vast Siberia in the Russian Far East lies in the distance. In front of the beautiful, magical, eternal and majestic nature, I once again felt the shortness and insignificance of life. We braved the biting cold wind to watch and take photos, but found that even the shortest focal length of the camera could not take a complete picture of the river bend. My regret made me determined to equip myself with a good wide-angle lens no matter how expensive it is. Cheng Jian also said that he must bring his expensive telephoto lens with him next time he goes out. From now on, the beautiful scenery of our two long guns and short guns will be captured.

There is a hut not far from the top of the mountain, like a fire station.

The fire forest station at the top of the first bay

Only when I arrived at the fire station, I discovered that to go to the Great Neck Scenic Area, I had to walk 2 kilometers along the snowy and muddy path on the top of the mountain, and then climb up. Only from the 40-meter-high iron tower can you see the panoramic view of Great Neck. Of course this is a very exciting temptation, but it takes at least two hours to get here and there, and then you have to go to the northernmost point of China. I'm afraid it's too late to find a place to stay at night. After weighing it, I finally gave up and returned to the foot of the mountain along the plank road with some regrets.

The next morning, when I met her, I praised her delicious meal. Who knows, this enthusiastic and sincere boss lady can't stand the praise. When she left she had to send us some potatoes but had no money. I praised you and said that you have done a good job in public relations and should be encouraged.

A local at the foot of the mountain reminded us that if we go east, the place where we can stay is quite far. So we rushed to the northernmost tip of China, 18 kilometers away.

The northernmost point of China

At a fork in the road, we followed the road signs and walked along a new road that was being widened but not paved. We drove along regardless of the bumps until we were stuck in front of a large ice block that covered the entire road.

Ice fields covering the road.

The water flowing down the roadside formed a thick layer of ice on the road, covering the entire road. Cheng Jian and I got off the bus and saw two deep ruts on the sloping ice. The ice in the middle of the rut is high and may press against the car's chassis. On the right side of the road is soil softened by ice water. After visual inspection, I decided that my chassis was higher than before, and then I made my decision after completing my observation. I held the accelerator firmly and drove at a constant speed along the ruts, or I used the inertia to slide through the ruts, because it suddenly felt like the car was sliding. Then came the building. Of course, I watched his wheels get stuck in the ruts, while the chassis relied on inertia to slip on the ice. This was another dangerous test of our driving skills and courage. However, we were soon surprised again. The distance of 18 kilometers seemed to have passed long ago, but there were no road signs, no cars, and no people. Of course, I should add here that except for towns and forest farms in the Daxinganling forest area of ??Heilongjiang, there is basically no mobile phone signal. Even if there is, 2G can only provide calls and cannot provide data services, even in this scenic spot. This situation prevents us from using our mobile phones to search for routes and information, and there are no roads here on Baidu and Amap offline maps. Confused, we had no choice but to move on, and finally saw a hut not far ahead. As I got closer, I saw someone inside, as if I had met a savior 2. It turned out that we had gone too far and reached another toll station in the scenic area. The Ussuri Shoal, the northernmost point of China, is right next to the "Karun Town".

The northernmost point of China is in the town of Karen.

We remembered seeing a "Karen Town" sign at a fork in the road, so we immediately turned around and headed back the way we came.

Slide across the ice sheet again on your return.

After crossing the ice field skillfully again, Lanlan informed us that lunch was ready, so we ate lunch halfway.

Have lunch at 2:30 pm.

Lan made a delicious vegetable rice.

Finally arrived at Ussuli Kallen Shoal.

Finally arrived at Ussuli Kallen Shoal.

It was like a scene on the shoals during the Ice Age.

At this time, the entire river was still covered with thick ice, and its whiteness was even more crystal-clear under the slanting afternoon sunlight. It feels like

On the other side of Russia, there is a dense forest of Scotch pine. The boundaries of the yurt are on the main channel of the river. There are still warnings on the shore reminding tourists not to cross the border.

The Middle Passage is the dividing line between China and Russia.

I heard that the ticket office of the scenic spot said that the northernmost point is at Ussuri Shoal. We think this is the northernmost point. Everyone was excited to take photos on the ice, or rather on the river, admiring the stunning views of the Northland.

The northernmost yard of Suli Shoal.

After having fun, everyone felt that there was still some time left to look forward to Karen Town. A few hundred meters ahead, I found a square by the river. On one side of the square, a stone tablet is engraved with a red five-star and Chinese characters. Below it is: 123 1530 East Longitude, 53 3342 North Latitude, 287 meters above sea level. I suddenly realized that - is the northernmost symbol of China.

We parked the car at the northernmost point of China.

Of course, strictly speaking, the northernmost point should be on the main channel in the middle of the boundary river, which is the northernmost point on land. There is a large stone about 50 meters south of the stele. We turned to the front and it read in five big characters: ‘The northernmost point of China’.

A big stone with "Northernmost Point of China" written on it

It can be described as: I thought I could find North, but actually I couldn't find North, but I found North unexpectedly. After the surprise, we took pictures again.

The northernmost and easternmost points of the motherland

Qingtian Stone, next to the northernmost point of the Northland

It was already past 4 pm, so we had to give up going to Karen Town plan, return along the bumpy road to the S209.

Return to provincial highway S209 along the original road.

Continue to drive along the S209 Highway in the Daxinganling Forest Area, heading towards Heihe.

Continue driving along S209 Provincial Highway.

Along the way, I saw many engineers laying pipes on the roadside.

When it was getting dark, we arrived at a small town called Station 22. Seeing that there was a self-driving camp here, we immediately drove in. Accommodation was average but there was no choice as the next town was a hundred kilometers away.

Although it was snowing along the way, everyone felt warm in their hearts and the people they met were very welcoming. However, no matter where we were, the weather was cold and the snow on the ground was thick. It is recommended that self-driving friends try not to travel here during the season change, because there are still some safety risks.

In addition, you must take good measures to keep warm, and the rest is just fun!