Self-driving in the northwest #You only know Dunhuang and Qinghai Lake, but the more beautiful ones are Tuosu Lake and Jade Lake#

Lin Xiaochen said

months between job changes

How can I do it if I don’t have enough fun?

Let’s start with a 9-day West Sichuan Small Ring Route

Another 8-day Qinghai Lake Grand Ring Route

…………..

▲Tosu Lake

♡ Qinghai Lake Great Loop – 8-day itinerary ♡

D	City	Touring Spots	stay
D1	Shanghai to Lanzhou Lanzhou-Xining 230KM	Pick up the car at Lanzhou Airport and drive to Xining	Xining
D2	Xining-Delingha 485KM	Qinghai Lake/Chaka/Tibetan Attractions/Mohe Salt Fields	Delingha
D3	Delingha-Daqaidan-Dunhuang 550KM	Crook Lake/Tosu Lake/Emerald Lake	Dunhuang
D4	Dunhuang 50KM	Mogao Grottoes/Mingsha Mountain/Crescent Moon Spring	Dunhuang
D5	Dunhuang 200KM	Yumen Pass/Great Wall of Han Dynasty/Yangguan Pass	Dunhuang
D6	Dunhuang-Zhangye 580KM	Jiayuguan	Zhangye
D7	Zhangye-Tianzhu 370KM	Colorful Danxia/Binggou Danxia	God's blessing
D8	Tianzhu-Lanzhou 100KM Lanzhou to Shanghai	return car

♡ Notes ♡

1.The Qinghai Lake Grand Ring Road took a total of 8 days, with a total self-driving mileage of 2,774 kilometers.

2.The peak tourist season there is June to August, but I personally recommend mid-April as the best time, because the weather is good and the temperature is suitable during this period (imagine being in the Gobi under the strong sun in midsummer...), the scenic spot is in Before April 20, it is half price during the off-season, and there are very few people.

3.Be sure to pay attention to your speed when driving over there. If you follow the driving habits of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, you will be dead! ! ! For example, the speed limit in the tunnel over there is 60. If you drive 67, it will cost you 200 yuan and 3 points (there are so many cameras on the road, it can be considered an important revenue generator for the local area), and you have to pay the ticket locally. Those who come here to play will definitely not go back to the local area to pay the ticket. There is another option: 700 to get it, and no points will be deducted. You know why it works like this. . . . . . . . (Robbery is not an exaggeration to describe it).

4. There are more than 300 kilometers of uninhabited land between Delingha and Dunhuang. Check the condition of the vehicle before entering.

5. Qinghai Lake is very cold all year round, so bring a down jacket.

Shanghai-Lanzhou-Xining

I took an early flight to Lanzhou and there were many car rental companies to choose from. Last time I went to Chengdu, I used Shenzhou Car Rental and it was pretty good. This time I also chose Shenzhou Car Rental. As a result, the bumper of the broken Lavida I was given was half off when I arrived in Xining. ! After careful inspection, I found that it must be the car involved in the accident. This is so irresponsible. . . . . I had no choice but to buy tape and stick it on the bumper. Now that I think about it, I was really scared to drive this old car through 300 kilometers of no-man's land. . . . . . China Car Rental will give a big negative review this time. In the future, friends who rent a car must check the condition of the car carefully before setting off. This time is a lesson learned.

When you go to Xining, mutton is indispensable for dinner. The mutton there is basically 80/jin, and the taste is quite good.

Xining-Delingha

Before setting off from Xining, I checked out Qinghai Lake. There were many negative reviews about the main scenic spot of Qinghai Lake on the Internet, mainly because it was expensive (100/person) and not very fun. Basically, tour groups go there by bus, and you can also take a ride there. Cruise ship or something. In fact, if you think about it, visiting Qinghai Lake only involves looking at the water. . . . . So I gave up the main scenic spot and went to a scenic spot owned by Tibetans. The scenery was really good and the price was 20 yuan/person. The specific location is as follows:

We stayed here for about 2 hours, then headed all the way along Qinghai Lake to Chaka. On the way, we stopped at Heishui River for a bowl of noodles. It is said that this place is good for watching the sunrise over Qinghai Lake. Many people choose to stay here for one night. , but the hotels are few and dilapidated, and many people choose to stay in tents, but end up freezing to death... So we come here to have a meal and use the toilet, then retreat and go straight to Chaka.

Since the Chaka Scenic Area was closed until April 26, I went to the Mohe Salt Field next to it. There was no charge and you could go to the lake. As a result, there was no water in the entire salt lake. What about the Sky Realm? Nothing, hahahahaha, it looks a bit like Death Valley in the United States, but that’s not important, Chaka is just passing by, the more beautiful Salt Lake will arrive tomorrow~~~

After that, we went straight to Delingha. The scenery on the road was also good, but I felt tired after seeing too much.

Delingha-Daqaidan-Dunhuang

In fact, there is a very beautiful lake to the north of Delingha: Hala Lake, which is very worth visiting, but it takes a day to go back and forth. We don’t have the time, and the road conditions are very bad. To get in, at least you need an SUV. The shabby Lavida I rented is still good. Forget about sticking a half-off bumper.

Here is a photo of Hala Lake online:

When you leave Delingha, you will pass by two scenic spots, one is called Koruk Lake, One is called the Alien Ruins. Koruk Lake is just a few clumps of reeds by the lake. The scenery is average, but the Alien Ruins are worth going in. But don't be fooled by the name of the bird. This road actually runs along the Koruk Lake. 20 The bird-watching corridor is beautiful and you will finally reach DA Tosu Lake You can see the beautiful scenery of Qilian Mountain reflected in the lake. As for the name of the alien base, …….. There is indeed a fork in the road leading to this place, but when I went there, they said it was closed due to a landslide. anyway The scenery is really great:

Continue forward and go straight to Dachaidan, have lunch here, and then go to the long-awaited Emerald Lake. It is also a salt lake and has not been developed. There are not even road signs. The road is terrible, but The more a place like this, the more I like it. It had much higher expectations than Chaka. It really did not disappoint me. The scenery was very good. Unfortunately, the weather was not great at that time:

Starting from Emerald Lake, we went straight to Dunhuang. We will pass through 300 kilometers of no-man’s land. Before entering the no-man’s land, there is a scenic spot called Duck Lake + Water Yadan. The photos on the Internet are pretty good. I didn’t have much time this time. I didn’t go in, but I personally think it’s worth playing:

Some photos from the road in no man’s land:

The straight road in Qaidam Basin can be seen for several kilometers at a glance. It feels like the scenery is in an infinite loop. I was tired of driving all the way. It was not until I drove to the winding mountain road of Dangjin Mountain that there was some change. Dangjin Mountain is the dividing line between Qinghai and Gansu. The mountain is high. The slope is steep. After passing this mountain, you will reach the territory of Gansu. When you are about to enter Dunhuang, there is a large desert next to it.

Dunhuang

Today I mainly visited Dunhuang, first of all the famous Mogao Grottoes. It’s okay in the off-season and you can buy tickets on site, but you must make an appointment online in the peak season. I made an appointment at 9:30 this time just to be on the safe side.

After coming out of Mogao Grottoes, we went straight to Mingsha Mountain + Crescent Moon Spring and had lunch outside the scenic area.

The first thing to do when entering the scenic spot is to ride a camel, hahaha:

In fact, this sand mountain is quite difficult to climb. You need to insert your feet completely into the sand before exerting force, otherwise you will slip step by step.

Dunhuang

I was originally going to Yadan today, but I searched for guides last night and found a lot of bad reviews. The main reason is that the charges in the scenic spots are unreasonable. The entrance fee to the scenic spots is 50 yuan in the off-season. This is no problem, but the scenic spot car costs 70 per person and can only drive less than 10 kilometers. We stopped at 4 scenic spots to take photos (this is why the pictures online are similar). If you want to see more scenery, you have to take one of their off-road vehicles, which costs 400 each. This style of painting is a bit wrong. . . . . . The main reason is that this scenic spot was contracted by individuals with strong backgrounds, and many travel notes mentioned that there is no place to eat in the scenic spot and the facilities are very poor. In fact, I have seen a lot of landforms like Yadan. There is a general name for it called "Devil City", which is actually just a pile of strange rocks. In the past, it was 180 kilometers one way. I felt there was no need to go there, so I just walked along the road and took a look. Yumen Pass, Han Great Wall, and Yangguan! But for someone like me, who has no education, it just feels like a lump in the earth and is completely indifferent. . . .

Dunhuang – Zhangye

I left Dunhuang today and passed by Jiayuguan to visit Guancheng. It turned out to be a completely off-the-beaten-path attraction. If it was a small mound, I would have recognized it. After all, it has been so many years. But charging an entrance fee for rebuilding a city tower is too meaningless. The entrance fee is 100 per person.

We went straight to Zhangye that night and stayed at the gate of Qicai Danxia. It’s called Qicai Town. It’s a very nice town. I highly recommend staying here when you come to Zhangye. The accommodation and food are very good. The most important thing is that it’s right at the entrance of the scenic spot. There is no pressure after visiting Colorful Danxia and Binggou Danxia together.

Zhangye-Tianzhu

Colorful Danxia is famous for its color, while Binggou Danxia is famous for its shape. Each has its own merits, but the prerequisite is that the weather is good: