Qinghai-Gansu Loop Travel Guide

🔥If it is your first time to Qinghai and Gansu and you don’t want to make your own travel guide, book a hotel, reserve tickets or find a car, it is recommended that you join a local tour group, which includes food, accommodation and tickets. It is comfortable and worry-free, and the cost-effectiveness is also quite high. 🧰Travel preparation ✅ Student ID, military ID, press ID and other preferential documents: Remember to bring your ID and related documents to enjoy discounts at attractions. 👕Clothing: There is a big temperature difference between morning and evening in the Northwest. It is recommended to bring a windbreaker or down jacket when traveling now. If the weather is warmer, you can just bring a coat. 📱Electrical appliances: drones, power banks, headphones, chargers and other essential items. 💊Medicine: cold medicine, gastrointestinal medicine, band-aid, etc. Others: sunscreen, sunglasses, umbrellas, disposable bed sheets, disposable toilet covers, etc. 🚙Qinghai Lake Dunhuang Zhangye Shuiyacharhan eight-day loop itinerary: Day 1: Xining ---- Sun Moon Mountain ---- Qinghai Lake (Heima River) ---- Chaka Salt Lake (stay overnight) Day 2: Chaka - Chaerhan Salt Lake - Golmud (overnight) Day 3: Golmud ---- U-shaped road ---- Dongtaijinaier Lake ---- Water Yadan ---- Dachaidan Emerald Lake (stay overnight) Day 4: Dachaidan ---- Heidu Mountain ---- Oil Town ---- Dunhuang City (stay overnight) Day 5: Dunhuang ---- Mogao Grottoes (tickets are recommended to be purchased around 9 am) ---- Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Lake ---- Dunhuang City (overnight) Day 6: Dunhuang ---- Yangguan ---- Yumenguan ---- Yadan World Geopark ---- Dunhuang (overnight) Day 7: Dunhuang City ---- Passing Jiayuguan (viewing from a distance) ---- Zhangye Colorful Danxia ---- Zhangye (stay overnight) Day 8: Zhangye ---- Qilian Grassland ---- Gangshika Snow Peak (view from a distance) ---- Xining (end) 🏖Highlights Qinghai Lake: China's largest inland saltwater lake, with clear blue water, is an excellent place to enjoy natural scenery and watch migratory birds. Chaka Salt Lake: Walking in it feels like being in a fantasy world. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes: A world cultural heritage, it preserves a large number of exquisite murals and sculptures and is an important window for understanding ancient Buddhist art. Zhangye Danxia: colorful and intertwined, it looks like nature's palette has been overturned on the earth. The scene is spectacular and it is one of the classic attractions in Gansu. 🤳Play suggestions During the peak season, the number of visitors to Mogao Grottoes is limited every day. It is recommended to book tickets one month in advance, as it is difficult to enter the scenic area on the day. Tickets to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake are valid for three days. Friends who have plenty of time can enjoy the trip slowly and enjoy the sunrise and sunset. Be sure to bring a drone, the photos you take are outstanding and completely different from those taken with a cell phone. The salt content in Qinghai Lake and Chaka Salt Lake is high and corrosive, so be sure to wear waterproof shoe covers before entering the water. Many people travel to the Northwest during the peak season, so self-driving is not recommended for first-time visitors. 🔜Notes🔚 1️⃣Almost all hotels and restaurants along the Northwest Grand Loop accept Alipay payment, so there is no need to carry a lot of cash. 2️⃣The economic development of the Qinghai-Gansu Loop Line is relatively lagging, and hotel conditions along the way are limited. Friends who have high requirements for hotels need to be mentally prepared. 3️⃣ There is a big temperature difference between morning and evening in Qinghai, especially since Qinghai is at a high altitude and belongs to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, so be sure to bring warm clothes to prevent colds. 4️⃣Don’t go directly to the scenic spot to buy tickets. It is recommended to make an appointment online in advance.