Photo by Peng Nian / China Daily

11. Saihanba National Forest Park

Saihanba National Forest Park is in Hebei's Weichang Manzu and Mongolian autonomous county, about 460 km northeast of Beijing. The park used to be part of the royal hunting ground in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The 273-sq-km park, rising between 1,100 to 1,940 meters above sea level, features vast meadows, a plateau lake, a diversity of animals and plants and some historical relics from the Qing Dynasty.

If you go: If driving from Beijing, you can take the Beijing-Chengde Expressway, then the Daqing-Guangzhou Expressway, and then follow Zhanglong Road, Chengwei Road, and Qisai Road until you reach the Jixie Forest Farm, where the scenic area is located. The route, which is the quickest, is about 420 km and takes about five hours. You can take a train or a bus to Weichang county from Beijing - each taking about seven hours. Local buses departing every hour can take you from there to the forest farm in 2.5 hours. Hiring a car with a local driver as your guide, which costs about 400 yuan a day, is an advisable solution considering the long distance between different scenic spots in the park.

12. Wild duck Lake

Yeya Lake, or Wild Duck Lake, in Beijing's Yanqing county, is one of the most famous destinations for bird watching near the city. The lake, with 2,000 hectares of water area and 3,300 hectares of wetland and grassland, has been designated as a reserve mainly for migratory birds.

In fact, it's also an ideal place to enjoy the beautiful scenery and clean air.

If you go: Tourists can take Bus 919 from Deshengmen, North Second Ring Road, to Kangzhuang. If driving, take Badaling Expressway until the Badaling Exit, and continue to Kangzhuang, where makeshift signs mark the Yeya Lake Scenic Spot. The lake is about 5 km ahead.