write in front
In fact, I had already been to Dunhuang and Qinghai Lake when I was in college. At first, my friend Tong and I planned to go to Xinjiang, but we learned on the Internet that Xinjiang’s epidemic control is stricter, and the regulations are different in different regions. The two of us People from Hubei may not be able to enter Xinjiang smoothly. Then we considered Tibet, but finally decided to go to Qinghai.
Then we started recruiting people, and to our surprise, the last people were actually recruited by me, a deeply social person who feared that my contact would die if I lost contact after graduation. Just so you know, on June 29th, our Qinggan self-driving group of four was officially formed. Then when we checked the air tickets, we found that all air tickets to Xining from various places have increased in price since mid-July, so we made a quick decision and decided to leave on July 5th - just leave~
What’s interesting is that there are four of us on this trip. The other three friends are one of my elementary school and middle school classmates, one of my high school classmates, and one of my graduate students. It feels like my classmates in parallel time and space haha~ Because I was the only one who couldn't drive, so I consciously took over the task of arranging the itinerary. This article is not a guide or a travelogue, it is just my personal itinerary. Because several friends asked me, I simply compiled it for everyone, for reference only.
Qinghai ✖ Gansu
The Qinghai-Gansu Grand Ring Line, also known as the Qinghai Lake Grand Ring Line and the Dunhuang Grand Ring Line, is the most classic self-driving tour route in the northwest. It generally connects Qinghai Lake-Chaka-Qaidam-Dunhuang-Jiayuguan-Zhangye-Qilian-Menyuan in series A way up. The entire 2,800-kilometer loop usually takes about seven days. On this loop, you can see temples, grasslands, snow-capped mountains, lakes, Gobi, Yadan, deserts, grottoes, Danxia, and rapeseed flowers. It can be said that this self-driving route is completely full of natural and cultural landscapes in the northwest. combine. The entire journey is on national highways or expressways, and the routes are mature and very suitable for self-driving.
Needless to say, mobile phones, chargers, ID cards, etc. It is best to prepare some cash. Because you are driving by yourself, a driver’s license is essential. Everyone knows that there is a big temperature difference and strong ultraviolet rays, so sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, scarf or shawl You can bring whatever you can with you. I personally highly recommend a large scarf, which provides both sun protection and warmth. Because I didn’t bring a hat, I didn’t hold an umbrella on the first day in Qinghai Lake. When I washed my hair at night, I found that my scalp hurt a little. After thinking about it, I realized that it was from the sun. I basically kept wearing a scarf after that, so as not to As for being bald (not). In addition, to go to Chaka Salt Lake you need waterproof PVC shoe covers , preferably longer. To go to Crescent Moon Spring you also need sandproof cloth shoe covers , also longer is better. Some people may ask, is it okay to only bring one pair? When I went there, I only brought a pair of waterproof shoe covers, but I found that it was really not suitable in Crescent Moon Spring because the PVC shoe covers were not breathable, and my calves were soaked with sweat after walking for a while. and! ! My shoe covers were transparent, and my calves were exposed to the sun all the time while riding the camel, and they became red in less than two minutes. Therefore, it is still recommended that you bring two different pairs of shoe covers. But if it’s too troublesome, you can also buy shoe covers at the scenic spot. If you want to shoot stars in the desert, you must bring a tripod and a camera sandproof cover . If the camera cannot be connected to a mobile phone for remote control, you will also need a shutter cable . Of course, if you have the conditions, you can bring both telephoto and wide-angle. It is best to bring a drone. The scenery of the Northwest is really suitable for aerial photography. Finally, there is the mask that is now essential when going out.
Okay, let’s go~
DAY 1
Trip planning & time planning
Departing from Shanghai Pudong Airport at 14:30 pm and arriving in Xining at 18:10 pm. Next to the exit of Xining Airport is the bus ticket office, which is very convenient.
Take the bus from the airport to the central square, which takes almost an hour, and then take a taxi to the hotel, which takes less than five minutes.
Hotel: Locals Boutique B&B
Address: Xinhua Fairview City, No. 9 Kunlun Road, Chengxi District
Evaluation: When renting a car on Shenzhou, we found that the prices at different pick-up locations were different, so we chose to pick up the car at an outlet near the stadium, which was also the cheapest outlet. So I chose to stay near the stadium. We stayed in this place on the first and last day of our trip. It has two bedrooms and one living room, one kitchen and one bathroom. It is suitable for four people. It has complete facilities, including a washing machine and a balcony where you can wash and dry clothes. The house is clean and hygienic. It is in a community and not noisy. There are several shopping malls not far away, making eating and shopping more convenient. The disadvantage is that the shower water is not hot enough and the washing machine drains directly to the bathroom floor.
Tips: Because there is no signal in many places on this large ring road, it is best to download the offline map in advance.
DAY 2
Trip planning & time planning
Pick up the car and set off
↓ 144km, 2h30min
Qinghai Lake (1-2h tour)
↓ 150km, 2h30min
Chaka Salt Lake (3-4h tour)
↓ 3.4km, 5min
Chaka Town (accommodation)
Hotel: Sunny Life Hotel
Address: No. 177, Chaka New Village, Chaka Town
Evaluation: Very close to Chaka Salt Lake, less than five minutes by car. Because it is near a scenic spot, the conditions can only be said to be okay, and the price/performance ratio is the lowest among all hotels this time. But the location is indeed a big advantage.
Tips: Qinghai Lake personally does not recommend entering the scenic spot unless you want to take a boat. I think Qinghai Lake is best seen from a distance outside the rapeseed fields. Up close, it’s all water. There are also scenic spots such as Daotang River, Heima River, and Riyue Mountain near Qinghai Lake. Personally, I think you can go there or not. Whether the Chaka Salt Lake is good or not depends entirely on the sky. If the weather is good, it is the mirror of the sky. If the weather is bad, it is really all salt. The weather was bad on the day we went. Not only was there nothing to see, but it was also freezing cold, so we took a small train and went out to eat hot pot not long after. As a result, the weather was surprisingly good the next morning, which made me mad. Fortunately, the hot pot is delicious.
Qinghai Lake and rapeseed fields
Chaka Salt Lake, I can only choose this one to see
Delicious lamb
DAY 3
Trip planning & time planning
Chaka Town
↓ 406km, 4h35min
Emerald Lake (30min tour)
↓ 234km, 3h
Usut Water Yadan Geopark (2 hours of play)
↓ 27km, 20min
Dongtai Jinair Lake (30 minutes tour)
↓ 320km, 4h10min
Delingha (accommodation)
Hotel: Kunyi Hotel
Address: Next to New World Food City, Xinyuan Road, Delingha City
Evaluation: Before we went there, we originally wanted to stay in Dachaidan, but when I searched for hotels, I didn’t notice that this one was in Delingha. The drive to Delingha is an hour longer than Dachaidan, so if we don’t have enough time, we might as well stay here Dachaidan is more convenient. But there is one thing to say, this hotel is really the hotel with the best value for money and the best facilities this time. And because it's in the city, eating and shopping are very convenient.
Tips: The drive on the third day was very long, so we only chose these three scenic spots that we particularly wanted to visit. In fact, there are several beautiful lakes on this road, but just pass by and take a look, otherwise the itinerary Can't make it. After going there, I think these three places are really worth visiting. Emerald Lake and Dongtai Jinair Lake are both undeveloped natural salt lakes, but they are of different beauty. You can take a speedboat on Yadan on the water, and it feels wonderful to shuttle between the strange mountains and rocks. By the way, remember to bring shoe covers when going to Emerald Lake and Dongtai Jinel Lake.
Emerald Lake
Emerald Lake
Dongtai Jinair Lake
DAY 4
Trip planning & time planning
Delingha
↓ 420km, 5h
Dang Jinshan (passing)
↓ 128km, 2h10min
Dunhuang (accommodation)
Hotel: TOWO Shangpin Hotel
Address: No. 4, Wenchang South Road, Dunhuang City
Evaluation: It is in the urban area, very convenient and in good condition. It only takes a five-minute walk to reach Shazhou Night Market. It is highly recommended to go to Shazhou Night Market to eat. There are so many delicious foods. Because we first went to the time-honored Shunzhang restaurant to eat donkey meat yellow noodles, we couldn’t eat anything while visiting the night market.
Tips: The fourth day is basically all about driving, and this section of the road passes through the Gobi and deserts. The Jinshan section is full of winding mountain roads with all kinds of sharp turns, so you must be careful when driving and download the offline map in advance. In fact, there are oil towns, Yangguan, Dunhuang ancient city, etc. after passing Dangjin Mountain, but we were not very interested in them, so we went directly to Dunhuang.
Snacks at Shazhou Night Market
DAY 5
Trip planning & time planning
Dunhuang
↓ 25km, 30min
Mogao Grottoes (4h tour)
↓ 28km, 30min
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring (3h tour)
↓ 7km, 10min
Desert camping (accommodation)
Hotel: DNL Desert Camping
Address: Group 4, Heshui, Yueyaquan Town, Dunhuang City
Evaluation: This camping is the most expensive one-night stay this time. As for the accommodation itself, the conditions can be said to be very poor. Because it is in the desert, washing up is particularly inconvenient. I can only brush my teeth and wash my face, but it is impossible to take a shower. The tent and sleeping bags didn’t look like they had been cleaned. When we slept in the tent at night, the wind was so strong that we couldn’t sleep due to the noise. The sleeping bags were very hot under the cushions, but without the cushions we were afraid of catching cold in the middle of the night. Anyway, the four of us probably only slept. After three or four hours, one of them couldn't bear it anymore and ran to the car to sleep. but! but! I think desert camping is still worth experiencing. As soon as we arrived at the camp, we took a desert motorcycle ride, which was very exciting. Then everyone helped themselves to hot pot and watched the show together. Although the food was not good, the atmosphere was still good. After eating, there was a bonfire party and a desert disco, and everyone was very high (I'm afraid I'm trembling). Finally, we set up tents and rested. We also saw the long-awaited Milky Way and desert sunrise, including shooting stars. The Milky Way alone made my trip worthwhile.
Tips: The fifth day is spent in Dunhuang all day long. Our arrangement is Mogao Grottoes in the morning and Crescent Moon Spring in the afternoon. However, it is recommended that everyone go to Crescent Moon Spring in the morning because it is really too hot and sunny in the afternoon. We will go at five or six o'clock It’s very sunny, so you must wear a big scarf. Mogao Grottoes requires booking tickets in advance on the official website. We bought Category A tickets, which include two movies. I think the second dome movie is better. By the way, you can’t drive by yourself when going to Mogao Grottoes. You have to go to the Digital Center (where you watch movies) first, and then take the scenic bus there. Mogao Grottoes has done a good job in cultural creation, and the ice cream is also delicious.
Milky Way captured while camping in the desert
DAY 6
Trip planning & time planning
Dunhuang
↓ 573km, 5h50min
Zhangye Colorful Danxia Geopark (2-3 hours of play)
↓ 1km, 5min
Danxia Qicai Town (accommodation)
Hotel: Danxia Orange Holiday Hotel
Address: No. 7, Nantai Village, Nijiaying Town, Linze County
Evaluation: This hotel is the second best hotel this time. It is also close to the scenic spot and has good facilities. The best thing is that they have a balcony where you can dry clothes. Another particularly good place is their home. You can watch a lot of programs on the TV, and the boss is also very enthusiastic. When we checked out, we gave us jujube slices, a local specialty.
Tips: The drive on the sixth day was also very long, but the roads were relatively easy to drive. When passing through Guazhou, we also bought a lot of melons and yak jerky. This section of the road also passed through Jiayuguan, but we weren’t too interested so we didn’t go. There is an ancient town near where we live, called Danxiakou. It is quite well built and you can go shopping in the evening.
Colorful Danxia
DAY 7
Trip planning & time planning
Danxia Colorful Town
↓ 146km, 2h10min
Biandukou
↓ 105km, 2h
Zhuoer Mountain
↓ 15km, 25min
Binggou Forest Sea
↓ 12km, 20min
Qilian County (accommodation)
Hotel: Kesiyuan Hotel
Address: No. 1032, Binggou Village, Babao Town, Qilian County
Evaluation: This hotel is in a village with average conditions, but it is at the foot of Niuxin Mountain. You can see the snow-capped mountains when you open the door. The location is very good, and it is not far from the county seat. We drove to the county seat for dinner.
Tips: The seventh day's itinerary was relatively easy, but we did not go to Zhuoer Mountain because we thought the mountains next to Binggou Village were also beautiful. We drove up there twice and felt like we were in a paradise.
DAY 8
Trip planning & time planning
Qilian County
↓ 94km, 1h30min
Qilian Prairie
↓ 51km, 50min
Gangshika Snow Peak
↓ 34km, 40min
Menyuan Baili Rapeseed Flower Sea
↓ 15km, 20min
Daban Mountain
↓ 120km, 2h10min
Xining (accommodation)
Hotel: Locals Boutique B&B
Tips: The eighth day is actually the last day of the trip, and we go home directly on the ninth day. The drive on this day is also relatively long, and there are some winding mountain roads, so experienced drivers are recommended. There are many scenic spots along the route, but it is very convenient to stop as you go without taking a side road.
Cows on the grassland
DAY 9
Trip planning & time planning
Disbanded where they were, everyone went back to their homes
Finally, let me show you how dry the northwest is. On the left is me at Xining Airport, and on the right is at Pudong Airport on the same day.