8 Days Qinghai to Dunhuang Group Tour

Meals: No meals
Accommodation: In Xining

Arrive in Xining and transfer to hotel for check-in. Xining, with an altitude of 2261m, enjoys friendly climate but also has great temperature difference between day and night so please pack warm clothes. You may hang around in Xining city and try some local cuisines.

Note: Please do not do strong exercises especially soon after landing on the highland. The temperature of Xining drops below zero degree centigrade when in winter and spring. Please drink enough water and take good rest.

Ta’er Monastery

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Chaka

After breakfast, we will proceed to Taer Monastery (about 3.5hrs), founded in 1379 (the 12th year of the Hongwu Era, Ming Dynasty). Ta’er Monastery is famous lama temple in China, it is the birthplace of Yellow Hat Sect (Gelugpa) founder Tsongkhapa, is also the center of northwest Buddhism activity. It’s grand and imposing, one of the famous six big lama temples in China.

After lunch we will continue to visit the Qinghai Lake (about 2hrs, scenic site bus and boat are not included). It is the largest inland lake and saltwater lake in China. People considered Qinghai Lake as "green lake" or "fairyland" because of the marvelous and natural beautiful reflected on it. Later we will check in the hotel in Chaka.

Qinghai Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Xining

We will drive to Chaka Salt Lake (about 2.5hrs, scenic train, bus and boat are not included) in the morning. It is a natural crystallized saline lake surrounded by mountainous scenery in the Qaidam Basin. The snow-white lakebed and the crystal blue water reflecting the azure sky wins it the reputation of the "Mirror of the Sky." Afterwards we will head back to Xining.

Chaka Salt Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Kaoshan Mongolian Camp

In the morning we will visit the Qilian Mountain Grassland (about 40mins). It is rated as Top 6 Most Beautiful Grasslands by Chinese National Geography.

Then we will drive to Zhangye Shandan Horse Farm (about 1.5hr), horseback riding experience at Shandan Horse Farm. It has a history of more than 2100 years and is the oldest racecourse in the world as well as the biggest horse farm in the world. Afterwards we will drive to Danxia Town to taste local food and watch the show - Huidao Zhangye (Return to Zhangye). Then head to Zhangye Kaoshan Camp.

Zhangye Kaoshan Camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Zhangye

After breakfast we will go to the Mati Temple (about 2hrs including sightseeing and driving). First built in the northern Liang period (397-460), Mati Temple is a famous Buddhist site along the historical Hexi Corridor. With a history of more than 1,600 years, the Mati Temple Grottoes, together with Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang and Yulin Grottoes in Anxi, are called the "three art treasures of Hexi Buddhism."

Then we will head to Pingshanhu Grand Canyon (about 4hrs). Pingshanhu Grand Canyon is only 56km from the city, is one of the most beautiful geomorphologic landscapes in Zhangye’s grand view garden. In the canyon, the mountains wind leaning the walls, peaks tower along the terrain, stone forest interlock with each other, as if a mirage and fairy mountain. Later we will head back to Zhangye.

Mati Temple

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Jiayuguan

After breakfast in the hotel, we will go to the Rainbow Mountain (about 2hrs). Extending along the northern slope of Qilian Mountain in west China, Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park in Gansu is the best representative of China's colorful Danxia landform and the largest Danxia landscape in an arid area, with a wide variety of landforms.

Later we will proceed to the Jiayuguan Pass (about 2hrs). It is the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall of China and was built during the Ming Dynasty. It is located at the foot of Jiayuguan Hill, between two hills of which the Pass lies, so earned the name “The First and Greatest Pass under the Heaven”.

Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Dunhuang

Today we go to the Singing Sand Dune & Crescent Spring (shuttle bus not included, no less than 3hrs). Echoing Sand Mountain is a series of dunes surrounding Crescent Lake. Named for its distinctive shape and aural characteristics, its echoes can be heard as the wind blows over the dunes. With gardens blooming on its banks, Crescent Lake offers a lovely visual counterpoint to all that sand. Later check in the hotel in Dunhuang.

Echoing Sand Dune & Crescent Spring

Meals: Breakfast

Today we go to the Mogao Grottoes (about 3.5hrs) after breakfast. Together with Yungang Grottoes and Longmen Grottoes, they are called the three largest grottoes in China. The millennial construction has created an unprecedented scale: now it has 735 caves, more than 45,000 square meters of murals, more than 2400 painted sculptures, and 5 wooden eaves of Tang and Song Dynasties. As a microcosm of Chinese grotto art, Mogao Grottoes, which enjoys a high historical position, is not only a pearl at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, but also a witness of ancient Chinese civilization. Later we will send you to the airport.

Service Ends.