Zhangye is really perfect for traveling with kids!

At the end of August last year during our annual leave, we took the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop, passing through Dunhuang Mogao Caves, Jiayuguan, and also visited Zhangye Matisi Temple. I didn’t expect Zhangye to be so suitable for family trips, so this National Day holiday we specifically brought the kids here again.

It’s hard to imagine that within 1-3 hours’ drive from the city, you can take your kids to see such diverse landscapes as snow-capped mountains, grasslands, deserts, canyons, and wetlands, and also visit cultural sites like Matisi Temple and the Giant Buddha Temple. Previously, I was most impressed by the Duku Highway, but Zhangye is really much more family-friendly!

Zhangye’s scenery is beautiful, varied, and rich in layers—truly a wonderful surprise. Most people on the Qinghai-Gansu loop just treat this place as a stopover and only visit the Danxia landform, which is such a pity.

The Northwest is truly a “spiritual recharge station” for us city parents. Looking at the vast wilderness and distant mountains, the golden meadows and streams beneath the snow mountains, it feels like traveling with kids has more hope and joy. If it weren’t for a few provinces I haven’t checked off yet, I’d really want to come back next National Day!

Trip sharing (family version):

9.30 Beijing - Xi’an: Stay at Atour Hotel near Xi’an North High-Speed Rail Station (convenient transportation, suitable for kids)

10.1 High-speed train to Tianshui South → Maijishan Grottoes → High-speed train to Wuwei East: Stay at Yitel Zhishang Wanda Hotel Wuwei Station (relaxed pace, kids can handle it)

10.2 Rent a car in Wuwei, self-drive to Binggou River P5 (beautiful natural scenery, kids love it) Stay in Wuwei

10.3 Wuwei - Zhangye self-drive, visit the Colorful Danxia P4 (vivid colors, kids like it) Stay at Zhangye Holiday Inn Express

10.4 Self-drive to Daduma Village P1-2 (scenery along the way looks like a fairy tale), originally planned to go to the wetland park (changed to hot pot due to bad weather)

10.5 Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon P3 (spectacular, suitable for family hiking), return car by high-speed train then go to Lanzhou: Stay at Holiday Inn Express Zhengning Road

10.6 Gansu Provincial Museum (a great place for kids to learn) → Return to Beijing

Tips:

National Day is crowded but manageable; the Danxia plank road is long, but fewer people go deeper inside; the Pingshan Lake section is narrow, with staff guiding visitors.

The route from Matisi Temple to Jinta Temple is not yet a regular route; self-driving or chartering a car is more convenient. Staff said that visiting Jinta Temple/Daduma Village is free of charge (may change in the future).

The Northwest looks more beautiful the sunnier it is, but cloudy days have their own desolate charm~ When traveling with kids, just go with the flow!