9-Day Northwest China Tour in the Off Season: Dunhuang, Zhangye, Lanzhou

❤️Day 0
Fly from Guangzhou to Lanzhou in the evening
🧡Day 1
Lanzhou Airport—Lanzhou West (2-hour transfer)—Dunhuang
❤️Day 2 Mogao Caves—Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring—Visit the night market for cultural and creative products
❤️Day 3 Carpool for a one-day tour of the western line, Qianfo Cave—Yangguan Pass—Yadan National Geological Park—Yumen Pass
❤️Day 4
Dunhuang—Zhangye, visit the Wetland Park
❤️Day 5
Join a half-day tour of Mati Temple
🧡Day 6
Join a one-day tour of Pingshanhu Grand Canyon and Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park
🧡Day 7
Zhangye—Lanzhou
💛Day 8
Provincial Museum (the crowd is growing!)
❤️Day 9
Lanzhou—Guangzhou
❤️Off-season travel offers discounts on tickets and activities, cheap accommodation, and fewer people, making for an amazing experience at attractions
There are also some places I wanted to visit when I was planning the trip, but they were closed when I got there, even though they were supposed to be open.
💖Dunhuang: Taxis are convenient, you can just hail a taxi on the street, and the fare in the city is basically the starting price of CNY 6. For a one-day tour, you can charter a taxi.
❤️Accommodation: Le Méridien International Hotel
❤️Food: Zhenpinxiang—Populus euphratica stewed cake, beacon lamb chops, and sand onion scrambled eggs; Fangha—Sweet fermented milk tea and sweet fermented green tea (I tried four other kinds, but they were all disappointing)
🧡Zhangye: Low prices and lots of delicious food! I also happened to visit Pingshanhu and Zhangye Danxia on the first day of the lunar month, so I didn't have to pay for tickets. It was great!
❤️Food: Baifu—Milk and egg rice wine, grilled lamb skewers, yogurt with blueberry jam, and fried latiaozi; Ma Xiaoying Fresh Beef Casserole—Molten rice crust and potatoes, and boiled beef with chili oil; Dongfanggong Beef Noodles, the chili is very fragrant; Fat Sheep Time Hot Pot—The group-buy set meal, beef and mutton rolls are good, and Qinghai white beer is delicious
❤️Lanzhou: The beef noodles I had on the first day of the transfer were amazing, and I highly recommend Lanzhou sour milk and bitter rose yogurt.