Gannan 6-Day Self-Driving Itinerary (Super Relaxed Schedule)

🚗 For this Gannan road trip, we opted for a "maximally relaxed" pace. Each day, we woke up naturally 👀, stopped frequently along the way, and encountered snow-capped mountains, grasslands, temples, and prayer flags. Here's the guide!
Gannan refers to the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, abbreviated as "Gannan Prefecture." It consists of one county-level city and seven counties: Hezuo City, Lintan County, Zhuoni County, Diebu County, Zhouqu County, Xiahe County, Maqu County, and Luqu County.

[Itinerary Route]
Day 1: Lanzhou — Ganga Secret Land — Labrang Monastery
Day 2: Xiahe — Sangke Grassland — Gahai Lake — Guomang Wetland — Langmu Monastery
Day 3: Langmu Monastery (Gansu Temple) — Maqu Yellow River First Bridge — Awancang Wetland — Nyingma Monastery — Jiuzhi/Ngawa
Day 4: Jiuzhi/Ngawa — Lianbaoyeze — Gemo Monastery — Yellow River First Bend — Tangke
Day 5: Tangke — Ruoergai Flower Lake — Xiao Duku (Zasag Scenic Area) — Zhagana
Day 6: Zhagana — Retrace Jiangdie Road — Milarepa Buddha Pavilion — Disband in Lanzhou City

[Accommodation]
D1: Xiahe
D2: Langmu Monastery
D3: Jiuzhi
D4: Tangke
D5: Zhagana

[Transportation]
Driving is simply "awesome"! Rent a car in advance, preferably an SUV, and pick it up at the airport for convenience.

[Food]
Lanzhou: Chuntai Shou (Main Branch)
Meiren Grassland: Yak Meat Hot Pot near the Prayer Flag Tunnel (possibly called Starry Sky Restaurant)
For other dinners, we mostly ate at the hotels. The food was decent, clean, and hygienic. After dinner, we could relax in our rooms—key to a relaxed trip.

✨
· Daily driving time is around 3-4 hours.
· Stop anytime on the road to take photos with herds of sheep 🐑.

💡Tips:
· Sunscreen! Sunscreen! The high-altitude UV rays are intense.
· Bring a jacket for the large temperature difference between day and night.
· At altitudes over 3,000 meters, carry some glucose and avoid strenuous activities.

The beauty of Gannan lies not in the destination but along the journey. Turn a corner, and you might find a rainbow pasture 🌈.