Day 1: All over the country → Xining ★ All day gathering day
All day
Today is the gathering day for tourists from all over the country to Xining, known as the "Eastern Gateway to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau." If you arrive early, you can explore the city center. During your free time, please ensure you keep your belongings safe.
Recommended attractions: Dongguan Grand Mosque and Qinghai Museum. In the evening, head to Mojia Street, Xining Old Street, with its 600-year history and culture, for a delicious meal.
Special delicacies: Qinghai's stuffed skin, fried jelly, yogurt, fried cakes, noodles, grabbed noodles, lamb skewers, etc.
Day 2 Xining → Dongger Viewing Platform → Tianjun Stone Forest → Chaka Town
·morning
After breakfast, we will head to the Dongger Observation Deck, a lesser-known viewing spot on the west bank of Qinghai Lake. This spot is closer to the lake, and at first glance, the azure blue of Qinghai Lake is boundless, creating a fantastic and beautiful scenery.
·afternoon
In the afternoon, we continue to visit the niche secret Tianjun Stone Forest. The hillside is full of strange rocks and the scenery is unique. Hundreds of mountains, stone forests and grasslands form a sharp contrast. Sometimes there are wild blue sheep running and jumping freely on the cliffs.
After the tour, proceed to Chaka for check-in.
Day 3 Chaka Salt Lake → Da Qaidam Emerald Lake → Da Qaidam
·morning
After breakfast, we'll depart for Chaka Salt Lake, known as China's "Mirror of the Sky." Amidst the azure skies and white clouds, heaven and earth merge into one, creating a sense of being in mid-air. Here, you'll admire the stunning salt crystal patterns formed on the lake's surface, creating a fairytale-like experience. At Chaka Salt Lake, we'll take the Chaka Salt Lake Train to the depths, where we'll descend into the lake for some truly captivating photos and poses, allowing everyone to experience the magical sensation of stepping into the air.
·afternoon
We then continued west to the emerald green salt lake, Emerald Lake. This former mining area of the Da Qaidam Chemical Plant's salt lake mining team creates a vibrant palette of colors due to varying mineral concentrations. On clear days, the mirror-like surface of the lake reflects the blue sky, white clouds, and snow-capped peaks, creating a fairyland-like experience.
In the evening, after enjoying the wonders of the salt lake, we returned to Daxiadan Town to check in.
Day 4 Da Qaidam → Chaerhan Salt Lake → Xitaijinaier Lake → Water Yadan
·morning
After breakfast, we will depart south to the Qarhan Salt Lake. On a sunny day, the vast lake looks like a giant mirror, radiating silver light, steaming, and shimmering, resembling a vast ocean.
·afternoon
In the afternoon, we'll return to National Highway G315 and venture deeper into the Qaidam Basin, passing through the Red River Valley. Drone photography is recommended for this scenic spot, offering an aerial perspective of the "blood of the earth." We'll then continue west along National Highway G315 to Xitaijinai'er Lake. That night, we'll stay at a hotel within the Water Yadan Scenic Area, enjoying scenery rarely seen by ordinary tourists.
Day 5 Water Yadan → Nanbaxian Devil City → Lenghu Town
·morning
After breakfast, we'll depart for the Water Yadan Scenic Area. The remaining ruins, eroded by wind and rain year after year, resemble a group of whales swimming in the ocean, their backs exposed, like a thousand ships launching at once! The tall "whale's back" on the lakeshore serves as a natural viewing platform, offering a panoramic view to the west, where the scattered Water Yadans stretch out in all directions.
·afternoon
After lunch, we'll head to Lenghu, where we'll enter the Nanbaxian Yadan Landform Conservation Area. The boundless desert is truly captivating. This pristine group of yardangs has stood silently for millennia. Entering this rare large-scale yardang landform, the Nanbaxian Devil City covers over a thousand square kilometers. Its intermittent rows of long, strip-shaped mounds, interspersed with depressions and trenches, are known as both a "devil's city" and a "maze of souls." This spectacular wind-eroded landscape resembles the desolate lunar landscape.
Overnight in Lenghu Town.
Day 6: Lenghu → Heidu Mountain, Yanzhi Mountain → Disband in Dunhuang
All day
After breakfast, we'll depart Lenghu Town and head north to Heidushan Yanzhishan for some photography. This secret photo spot, a haven only recently gained popularity, features a series of yardangs surrounding the Heishan Gobi Desert, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene reminiscent of an ink-and-wash painting amidst the vast sea of sand.
After the tour, you will be free to leave in Dunhuang. (You can leave at your own leisure near the Dunhuang Night Market.)
