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 → Jinyintan Atomic City → Zhuoer Mountain → Qilian County
·morning
After breakfast, depart Xining and travel west, first to the Jinyintan-Atomic City Scenic Area on the shores of Qinghai Lake. More than a museum, this is an open-air historical site! Touch the rusted machinery of the factory, gaze at the faded slogans on the walls, and in the silence of the "explosion test site," hear the roar that shook the world half a century ago. On the Jinyintan grasslands, golden waves roll, herders' tents face the mysterious base from afar, Wang Luobin's pastoral songs drift here, and the clouds of history settle here.
·afternoon
Arriving in Qilian County in the afternoon, the tourists ascended to the summit of Zhuoer Mountain. The scenery was breathtaking, with expansive views, a fairyland-like experience that was both refreshing and inspiring. Zhuoer Mountain lies adjacent to the Babao River, facing Niuxin Mountain, a sacred mountain in Tibet, across the river. Flanked by the Ladong Gorge and Baiyanggou Scenic Areas, the mountain lies to the left and right, while the rolling Qilian Mountains stretch beyond. The autumn colors were in full bloom, with vibrant forests, grasslands, and villages, creating a scene where time seemed to have stopped.
In the evening, we will check in to Qilian County, the Little Switzerland of the East.
Day 3 Qilian → Secret Grassland Hiking → Erga Highway → Alien Valley → Zhangye
·morning
After breakfast, we'll lead you to a hidden grassland for a brief hike (approximately 3 kilometers, with almost no climbing, and taking about an hour). Deep within the grasslands, the golden autumn pastures and the distant villages create a beautiful autumn painting. Walking here feels like strolling through a painting.
·afternoon
After lunch, we'll depart westward along the Erga Highway. This lesser-known scenic route unfolds like a magnificent painting as we drive forward. Winding rivers, pristine snow-capped mountains, vibrant yellow grasslands, emerald green pine and cypress forests, and the vermilion-hued Danxia landforms—all appear before us, a vibrant tapestry reminiscent of an oil painting. We'll pass through the Heihe Grand Canyon (viewed by car) and Yeniugou (viewed by car), then head north over the Qilian Mountains into Gansu. (Note: If the Erga Highway is impassable due to road construction or weather conditions, we'll enter Zhangye via Biandukou.)
First, we'll head to Alien Valley. Compared to the nearby Colorful Danxia, this place is much less popular. It lacks the vibrant energy of the Colorful Danxia, but instead possesses a Martian-like loneliness and awe, like a forgotten wonder of the landscape. Alien Valley is composed of reddish-brown rock formations, their lines etched by millennia of wind erosion. In the evening, we'll return to Zhangye city and check into our hotel.
Day 4 Zhangye → Mati Temple → Shandan Military Horse Farm → Menyuan
·morning
After breakfast, we'll visit Mati Temple, a monastery of Han and Tibetan architecture. We'll explore the history engraved on the cliffs of the Thirty-three Heavens and discover the secrets of the Thousand Buddha Caves. Little known is the breathtaking autumn scenery here, a hidden paradise of snow-capped mountains, forests, streams, cattle, sheep, and temples—the autumn scenery is a breathtaking painting.
Note: Mati Temple is currently undergoing renovations, but the caves are currently open for visit. If the area closes in the future, we will relocate our visit to the Xixia State Temple, the Great Buddha Temple.
·afternoon
In the afternoon, we'll visit the Shandan Military Horse Farm, located in the central Hexi Corridor, on the Damaying Grassland at the northern foot of the Lenglongling Range in the Qilian Mountains. The grasslands and blue skies along the way offer a breathtaking view of expansive beauty. Military horses were bred here as early as the Western Han Dynasty, boasting a history spanning over 2,000 years. Following the dissolution of the Don River Stud Farm in Russia, this farm became the world's largest. We'll select our favorite horse and learn riding techniques from local herders. After donning our gear, we'll experience the joy of horseback riding along Luanniao Lake (approximately one hour).
After the horse riding, we will go to Menyuan County for accommodation.
Day 5: Tianmenyuan → Xianmi National Forest Park → Huzhu → Disband in Xining
·morning
After breakfast, we'll depart for the Lenglongling Autumn Corridor, awash in autumn colors. We'll journey through an 80-mile corridor of golden poplars and birch trees, then continue along the Datong River Valley, onto the Autumn Scenic Avenue (Ganqing Highway), and enter Xianmi National Forest Park. The autumn scenery along the way will leave you breathtaking, and you'll enter the most dazzling autumn wonderland of your trip. This paradise, with its captivating autumn colors, herds of cattle and sheep, and the clear, blue Haomen River, will leave you wanting to linger.
·afternoon
We continued our journey in the afternoon, passing the Twelve Bends of Huzhu and heading south to Huzhu, the hometown of the rainbow. We entered an autumn road and walked through the canyons full of autumn colors.
Arriving in Xining in the evening, we will first be transferred to the airport. We are expected to arrive at Xining Airport at 5:00 PM. We recommend booking a flight after 7:00 PM. We are expected to arrive at Xining Station at 5:30 PM. We recommend booking a train after 6:30 PM.
