7-Day Guide to the Great Northwest Loop

👉🏻Day 1
1️⃣Xining
Whether you arrive by train, high-speed rail, plane, or car, your journey starts in Xining. If time permits, explore the city or rest overnight to prepare for the next day's adventure.
2️⃣Riyue Mountain
Legend says Princess Wencheng shattered her mirror here, forming the mountain—a symbol of Han-Tibetan unity.
3️⃣Qinghai Lake
China's largest inland saltwater lake, renowned for its deep blue waters.
4️⃣Chaka Town
Local specialties include salt-baked chicken, salted duck, and other salt-lake delicacies.

👉🏻Day 2
1️⃣Chaka Salt Lake
The crystallized salt surface perfectly mirrors the sky.
2️⃣Qarhan Salt Lake
China's largest and the world's second-largest salt lake, spanning vast areas.
3️⃣Emerald Lake
A cluster of salt lakes resembling scattered emeralds.
4️⃣Dachaidan
Nearby attractions include Emerald Lake and the Nanbaxian Yardang landforms.

👉🏻Day 3
1️⃣U-shaped Highway
A section of the G3011 Liuge Expressway, where the road dips into a dramatic U-shape.
2️⃣Water Yardang
The world's only Yardang landform on water, surreal and majestic.
3️⃣Dongtaijinaier Lake
Once dubbed "Qinghai's Maldives" for its Tiffany-blue waters.
4️⃣Lonely Galaxy
A Mars-like environment and a prime spot for astrophotography.

👉🏻Day 4
1️⃣Devil City
A classic Yardang landscape with wind-carved mounds.
2️⃣Lenghu Oil Ruins
Once a bustling oil town, now abandoned—a testament to the industry's rise and fall.
3️⃣Black Lonely Mountain
Known for its dark peaks and Gobi scenery, with striking gray-black slopes.
4️⃣Dunhuang
A Silk Road gem steeped in history and culture.

👉🏻Day 5
1️⃣Mogao Caves
Home to exquisite murals and sculptures, the world's largest Buddhist art site.
2️⃣Singing Sand Mountain
Named for the sound of shifting sands, this dune offers unique acoustics.
3️⃣Crescent Moon Spring
Nestled within Singing Sand Mountain, named for its crescent shape.
4️⃣Desert Camping
Experience sunset, stargazing, and sandboarding in the dunes.

👉🏻Day 6
1️⃣Earth's Baby
A giant infant sculpture lying on the Gobi, symbolizing harmony with nature.
2️⃣Boundless
An ethereal white structure built from stainless steel.
3️⃣Rainbow Danxia
Famed for its colorful rock formations in red, yellow, and orange hues.
4️⃣Zhangye
A key city on the Hexi Corridor, celebrated for its Danxia landscapes.

👉🏻Day 7
1️⃣Qilian Mountain Grassland
Straddling Qinghai and Gansu, one of China's six most beautiful grasslands.
2️⃣Gangshika Snow Peak
The highest peak in the eastern Qilian range at 5,254.5 meters.
3️⃣Menyuan Rapeseed Flowers
In July, millions of acres bloom into a golden sea.
4️⃣Xining
Wrap up your 7-day journey and prepare for departure.