Many people have a soft spot for the Northwest, where it is lonely, vast, savage, desolate, silent but full of vitality. There are beautiful Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Zhangye Colorful Danxia, Mingsha Mountain...
There are many ways to play in the Northwest, and follow this guide to experience the lonely, vast, desolate, and beautiful Western Regions.
⊙ route
In order to avoid traffic jams on the road during the peak tourist season, let’s change the game and walk counterclockwise. First, look at this route on the map. Depart from Xining, pass Menyuan to Zhangye, then take the Hexi Corridor, enter Dunhuang, take Dachaidan, and pass tea Kayan Lake, Qinghai Lake and then back to Xining is a complete loop without going back.
The whole journey is more than 2,500 kilometers. Famous scenic spots along the way include Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Qaidam Basin, Mogao Grottoes, Yadan Devil City, Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring, Jiayuguan, Zhangye Colorful Danxia, Qilian Mountains, Lian Prairie, Menyuan ten thousand mu of rapeseed. Covering the essence of Qinghai and Gansu, it is a large collection of the natural scenery of the Northwest and the cultural history of the Silk Road, and is currently one of the best Northwest routes. And the road conditions are good throughout the journey, whether it is self-driving or shared/chartered cars, it is very suitable.
Without further ado, here are some pictures!
Qinghai Lake
Chaka Salt Lake
Menyuan Rapeseed Flowers
itinerary planning
Day 1: Xining -- Menyuan Wanli Rapeseed Flower Sea -- Gangshika Snow Peak (distance view) -- Qilian Prairie (one of the six most beautiful grasslands in China) -- Zhangye (Suzhou)
Day 2: Zhangye Colorful Danxia Geological Park -- The World's No. 1 Xiongguan (Jiayuguan) (Suite)
Day 3: Jiayuguan--Yadan Devil City--Shazhou Night Market--Dunhuang (Suzhou)
Day 4: Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang (the sunset on the long river, the solitary smoke in the desert) -- Mogao Grottoes (treasure house of world culture, Oriental Louvre) Dunhuang (residence)
Day 5: Qaidam Basin - Chaka Salt Lake (Mirror of the Sky) - Qinghai Lake (Plateau Sapphire) (Suite)
Day 6: Qinghai Lake - Erlang Sword Scenic Area - Xining (end)
luggage list
Clothes (scarves or shawls, brightly colored clothing for photoshoots), sneakers and sandals, sun umbrella or sunscreen, sunhat, sunglasses, face shield, snacks and water, motion sickness medicine, high-alert medicine (rhodiola rosea), mosquito repellent , power bank (charging cable), ID card, toothbrush (paste), skin care products (especially for moisturizing), facial mask (moisturizing)... and of course cash.
Kind tips
1. Climate: Due to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the weather is erratic, especially the temperature difference between morning and evening. You can wear short sleeves when the sun is out during the day, and you need to wear a thin coat in the morning and evening. The ultraviolet rays are particularly strong during the day, so you must do a good job of sun protection. It’s not that you won’t get tanned if you do sun protection, but to prevent skin from sunburn and peeling. Especially for girls, sunscreen, face mask, sunglasses, and sun hat are essential. Furthermore, the main climate in the Northwest is dry, and the evaporation rate is 60 times that of the rainfall! It will obviously feel dry throat and dry skin, so pay attention to moisturizing, a moisturizing mask every night is very necessary. Furthermore, the clothes were washed at the hotel that night and dried up in the morning.
2. High-resistance: People with poor physical fitness can prepare high-resistance medicine. Many people recommend rhodiola (need to be taken one week in advance) because it can enhance resistance. The highest altitude along the way is 4120 meters. Buy some vitamin C tablets before departure and take two tablets a day.
3. Attraction tickets: The most expensive ticket along the way should be the scenic spot tickets, but if you have a student ID, tour guide ID, photographer ID, teacher ID, military officer ID, etc., many attractions can be entered for free.
4. Taking pictures: Girls who like to take pictures must bring two brightly colored dresses, bright red is the best. Because Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, grasslands, deserts, and the blue sky go well with the big red skirt! Wearing a skirt during the day is just right, and if you are afraid of the cold, a thin coat is perfect! Scarves are essential decorations for taking pictures!
The reminder is almost the same, now let’s take a look at the specific arrangement:
Xining--Menyuan--Zhangye (1400 meters above sea level, 380KM mileage)
Xining is the place where the loop tour begins and ends. The round trip to Xining will save a lot of physical strength and time. You may come to the Northwest once in your life. The beautiful journey starts from Xining.
Menyuan 10,000 Mu Rapeseed Flowers: The most beautiful place for rapeseed flowers starts from Datong, and Biandukou has the most turbulent flower tide. Unlike Wuyuan, Jiangxi, rapeseed flowers and highland barley fields stretching for dozens of kilometers are intermingled together, which is extremely spectacular.
Colorful Danxia: Located at the northern foot of Qilian Mountain, with an altitude of 2000-3800 meters, within a radius of more than 100 square kilometers, there are various mountains and hills with interlaced bedding, steep rock walls, majestic momentum, peculiar shapes and colorful colors. Colorful Pagoda, Colorful Screen, Fire Sea, Colorful Lian, Liuli Peak, Colorful Hu, Colorful City, Colorful Peak, Colorful Mushroom, Big Scallop and other wonders.
Zhangye--Jiayuguan (1600 meters above sea level, 330KM mileage)
Jiayuguan: The starting point at the west end of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty, it was built in the fifth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1372 A.D.). After 168 years of construction, it has become Jiayuguan, the most spectacular pass along the Great Wall. Jiayuguan has a natural terrain and has both offensive and defensive capabilities. It forms a strict military defense system with the nearby Great Wall, towers, moats, beacons and other facilities. It is also known as "the most magnificent pass in the world".
Kind tips
The weather is scorching hot, climbing the Great Wall is to avoid the heat. The Datang Food Street in Jiayuguan is definitely a rare gourmet street in the Northwest. It gathers all the special snacks in the Northwest and has everything you expect. We highly recommend the local specialty roasted leg of lamb (small), which will leave you with endless aftertaste!
Jiayuguan--Dunhuang (1200 meters above sea level, 680KM mileage)
Dunhuang Yardang Devil City: In geology, Yardang landform refers to the landscape composed of a series of parallel ridges and grooves after long-term wind erosion. This Yardang landform covers an area of about 400 square kilometers. Its formation took about 700,000 to 300,000 years. When the strong wind blows, there are ghostly sounds, and the night walks can't turn around. People commonly call it the Devil City. This special "castle" has city walls, streets, buildings, squares, churches, and sculptures. Its images are vivid and lifelike, which amazes the world.
Kind tips
Depart in the morning and basically arrive at Dunhuang at high speed. Remember to bring hats, scarves, sunglasses, etc. on the way to accept the scorching sun. At the same time, please protect your camera lens so that it will not be damaged by wind and sand. Today is a long journey, and dinner may not be available until very late. It is recommended that you bring some snacks.
Mogao Grottoes: Commonly known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, it is known as the most valuable cultural discovery in the 20th century. Dunhuang, located at the west end of the Hexi Corridor, is famous for its exquisite murals and statues. The Buddhist scripture cave discovered in modern times contains more than 50,000 ancient cultural relics. From this, a discipline specializing in the study of Buddhist scripture cave classics and Dunhuang art is derived—— Dunhuang studies. in 1987, Mogao Caves are listed as world cultural heritage by UNESCO.
Kind tips
It is more difficult to buy tickets for Mogao Grottoes. You have to reserve tickets one month in advance. It is really not easy to grasp the time. Here I recommend everyone to participate in the Slow Enjoy Mogao Grottoes Research and Study Tour Project, which is newly launched by the Dunhuang Academy in 2018. It is a new model that is different from the visiting mode of reservation tickets and emergency tickets. It provides differentiated services for tourists. In addition to the ordinary caves visited by regular reservation tickets, special cave visits are also added. Spend 2 hours or more, accompanied by senior research consultants, enter the caves to watch carefully, feel the charm of Buddhist art, and slowly absorb the power of faith brought by Mogao Grottoes.
In addition, there will be special lectures for tourists every day, interpreting Dunhuang from various perspectives such as history, culture, art, economy, religion, archaeology, and cultural relics protection, and communicating face-to-face with tourists, so that tourists can deeply understand Dunhuang culture.
The mode of "Enjoying Mogao Grottoes Slowly" is especially suitable for tourists who want to have a deeper understanding of Dunhuang culture and pursue immersive comfort during the visit. Slow enjoyment of Mogao Grottoes activities will also have a daily limit on the number of people. Although it is not as tense as regular tickets and emergency tickets, it needs to be purchased in advance.
Dunhuang--Qaidam Basin--Delingha (3000 meters above sea level, 560KM mileage)
Qaidam Basin: The Yardang landform in the Qaidam Basin is world-famous. The basin is rich in salt and minerals, and people call the Qaidam Basin the "Basin of Fortune". For the whole Qaidam Basin, it is a desert scene. Its belly is filled with debris from eroded mountains, as well as debris and sand carried by the wind.
Kind tips
This road is sparsely populated, and the journey is long, so please prepare some snacks. Dine at Dachaidan at noon, mainly pasta. National Highway 315 can be compared with Kilometer 66 in the United States, and you can create your own road blockbuster here.
Delingha - Chaka Salt Lake - Qinghai Lake (3250 meters above sea level, 300KM mileage)
Chaka Salt Lake: It is a salt field of more than 3,000 years. The lake has a high salt content and will naturally crystallize into a white lake. The sky, clouds and mountains on the other side are reflected in the lake very beautifully. Visitors can also walk barefoot on the lake to watch and take pictures of their own reflections, as if in the sky. There are also many salt sculptures to watch in the scenic area, and you can also take a small train to visit the depths of the salt lake.
Qinghai Lake: Located in the northeast of Qinghai Plateau and northwest of Xining City, it is the largest inland lake and the largest saltwater lake in my country. Qinghai Lake covers an area of 4,456 square kilometers, with an altitude of 3,260 meters above sea level and a circumference of more than 360 kilometers around the lake, which is more than double the size of the famous Taihu Lake. The lake surface is long from east to west, narrow from north to south, and slightly oval. It is higher than the two Dongyue Taishan.
Kind tips
Chaka Salt Lake has a relatively large passenger flow, so pay attention to the time of visit, the salt water is very corrosive, protect your mobile phone camera, Qinghai Lake has a large temperature difference between morning and evening, it is recommended to prepare thick clothes. Possible self-funded items in the scenic area: small train 50 yuan/person.
Qinghai Lake -Erlangjian Scenic Area-151km-Xining (2200 meters above sea level, 200KM mileage)
Erlang Sword: It is located in a scenic spot beside National Highway 109 in Gonghe County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Erlang Sword winds its way deep into Qinghai Lake, with grasslands, beaches, and animals as its main ecological and natural resources, and folk cultural activities as its content, it has become a dazzling pearl in Qinghai Lake tourist area.
Get up early to shoot the sunrise of Qinghai Lake, and arrive at Erlangjian Scenic Area of Qinghai Lake at noon. In the scenic area, you can take a boat at your own expense to enjoy the beauty of Qinghai Lake. Finish.
Kind tips
Erlangjian Scenic Area has a large number of tourists during the peak season. Pay attention to the wandering time, take good care of your finances, and take measures to keep warm and sunscreen.
Information phone: 0937-6967688
WeChat Official Account: Mogao Study Tour on the Silk Road
Official Weibo: Dunhuang Silk Road Mogao Study
