Details
Nationwide → Lanzhou
Guests from all cities will travel to Lanzhou by flight, high-speed rail, or other transportation.
Upon arrival at Lanzhou Airport or Train Station, please collect your luggage and make your own way to the hotel for check-in. Your amazing journey across Northwest China begins today!
If time allows, you may explore Lanzhou on your own:
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Visit the Yellow River—the mother river of the Chinese nation.
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See the ancient irrigation device Lanzhou Waterwheel, and the symbolic Yellow River Mother Sculpture.
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Walk across the iconic Zhongshan Bridge, the first iron bridge on the Yellow River.
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Visit the Qinqiang Opera Museum or try the traditional river-crossing raft Sheepskin Raft.
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Sit by the riverside and enjoy a cup of the local tea Sanpaotai.
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Climb White Pagoda Mountain for a panoramic view of Lanzhou.
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Visit the Gansu Provincial Museum—one of the world’s top 10 museums—and admire the famous Galloping Bronze Horse (Closed on Mondays. ID required).
In the evening, head to Zhengning Road Night Market or Nanguan Night Market for northwest delicacies.
Warm Reminders
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Our staff will contact you one day before departure. Please keep your phone available.
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Lanzhou has a dry climate—drink warm water, eat more fruit/vegetables, and rest well to adapt to the highland environment.
Meals: Not included
Accommodation: Overnight in Lanzhou
Lanzhou → Menyuan
After breakfast, drive toward Qilian County, passing the Datong Heiquan Reservoir and the Dabanshan Tunnel, arriving at the Menyuan Rapeseed Flower Field.
The golden sea of flowers stretches for dozens of kilometers. July is the best time to enjoy the annual Rapeseed Flower Festival, when the highland plains are filled with music, culture, and endless fields of blossoms. We will stop at scenic points for photos.
Continue to admire the spectacular landscape of the Qilian Mountain Grasslands, one of China’s six most beautiful grasslands—clear rivers, blue skies, towering snow-capped mountains, and vast green pastures.
Arrive in Qilian County and visit Zhuo’er Mountain, known as “Little Switzerland of the East.”
Its Danxia landforms, wide-open views, and contrasting red cliffs against the green grasslands and snow peaks will take your breath away.
Meals: Breakfast included; lunch & dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Qilian
Menyuan
Qilian Mountains
Qilian → Zhangye Danxia → Jiayuguan
After breakfast, depart for Zhangye to visit one of China’s “Seven Most Beautiful Danxia Landforms” — Zhangye Rainbow Mountains.
The colorful layered mountains combined with the vast desert scenery create a striking visual shock.
Then drive to Jiayuguan and visit the Jiayuguan Fortress, the western end of the Ming Great Wall—an ancient military stronghold known as “the most majestic pass under heaven.”
Built from 1372 to 1539, it took 168 years to complete and remains one of the best-preserved fortresses today.
Warm Tips
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The journey today is long. Prepare snacks, motion-sickness medicine, and drink plenty of water.
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Danxia formations are fragile—please stay on the designated walkways.
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Food recommendation: Datang Food Street, Yanjing BBQ, local snacks & night markets.
Meals: Breakfast included; lunch & dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Jiayuguang
Zhangye Danxia
Jiayuguan Pass
Jiayuguan → Dunhuang (Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Lake)
After breakfast, drive to Dunhuang and visit the wonderful desert oasis scenery — Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Lake.
Known as the “Miracle of Sounding Sand and Shining Spring,” the golden dunes and crystal-clear lake form one of the most iconic sights along the Silk Road.
Free leisure in the evening.
Warm Tips
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You may visit the lively Shazhou Night Market for snacks, barbecues, souvenirs, and local specialties.
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Northwest weather has strong UV and large temperature differences—prepare sunscreen and warm layers.
Meals: Breakfast included; lunch & dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang
Crescent lake
Mingsha Mountain
Dunhuang → Mogao Caves → Yumen (Stone Oil Town) → Lenghu
After breakfast, visit the “Oriental Art Treasure” — Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Inside the caves you will see:
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Colorful murals
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Buddhist sculptures
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Flying apsaras
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A nine-story Buddha statue
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Numerous tiny, lifelike bodhisattva carvings
Afterward drive to Mangya City, passing the filming location of Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe — the Petroleum Ghost Town, a deserted yet fascinating industrial relic.
Continue to Lenghu Town, known as “the most alien-like place on Earth.”
Check in and rest.
Meals: Breakfast included; lunch & dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Lenghu
Mogao Caves
Mogao Caves
Lenghu → Aiken Spring (Devil’s Eye) → Mangya
After breakfast, head to Eboliang, the world’s largest Yadan landform group—wind-carved formations resembling fleets of ships in a vast desert sea.
Then drive deep into the Aral Grasslands, where you may spot wild gazelles.
Deep in the grassland lies the thousand-year geothermal spring — Aiken Springs, known as the “Devil’s Eye.”
Viewed from above, it resembles an anatomical illustration of an eye, with clear textures and colorful mineral deposits.
Return to Mangya City for the night.
Meals: Breakfast included; lunch & dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Mangya
Ebo Liang
Evil Eye
Mangya → Emerald Lake → Water Yadan
After breakfast, visit Mangya Emerald Lake, where mineral-rich brine pools create surreal shades of aqua, green, and turquoise—like scattered jade pieces across the Gobi desert.
Continue to the highlight — Water Yadan, the world’s only Yadan landform surrounded by water.
Its otherworldly shapes create a breathtaking sunset and starry-sky view.
Stay overnight inside the scenic area.
Meals: Breakfast included; lunch & dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Water Yadan
Water Yadan
Emerald Lake
Water Yadan → Delingha
Wake early to enjoy the sunrise at Water Yadan. Wander through the alien landscapes and then travel across the famous U-shaped Highway, stopping for cinematic road-trip photos.
Enter the Nangqian Yadan Landform Group, China’s largest and highest-elevation Yadan formation.
Arrive in Delingha in the evening for dinner and rest.
Meals: Breakfast included; lunch & dinner on your own
Accommodation: Hotel in Delingha
Water Yadan
U-shaped highway
Delingha → Chaka Salt Lake → Qinghai Lake → Xining
After breakfast, head to Chaka Salt Lake, one of the four major salt lakes of the Qaidam Basin.
Known as the “Mirror of the Sky,” the lake reflects snow mountains, white clouds, and blue skies like a dream world.
You may ride the sightseeing train, observe salt-mining boats, and see natural salt flowers beneath the crystal-clear water.
Next visit Qinghai Lake, China’s largest inland saltwater lake and one of China’s Most Beautiful Lakes.
Its turquoise waters and vast grasslands form a stunning alpine landscape.
Continue over Riyue Mountain and arrive in Xining for dinner and check-in.
Meals: Breakfast included; Lunch & Dinner on your own
Accommodation: Overnight in Xining
Chaka Salt Lake
Qinghai Lake
Xining → Ta’er Monastery → Lanzhou (End of Tour)
After breakfast, visit Ta’er Monastery, birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of Tibetan Buddhism’s Gelug Sect.
It is one of the six major Gelug monasteries and a nationally protected cultural site.
Transfer back to Lanzhou in the afternoon, marking the end of your 8-day Gansu–Qinghai Grand Circle Tour.
Meals: Breakfast included
Accommodation: None (end of services)
Fee Description
Fees included
1. Vehicle: 7-15 seater tourist coach for the entire journey
2. Accommodation: Four-star hotels throughout the trip. Hotel rooms in the northwest are small in size, with no triple rooms available and no extra beds that can be added. Children do not occupy a bed; if a bed is required for the child, an additional single room supplement must be paid.
3. Dining: Breakfast included in the hotel
4. Admission tickets: Tickets for scenic spots included in the itinerary (excluding battery-powered vehicle fees in the scenic areas)
5. Tour leader: An excellent driver who also serves as a guide, responsible for assisting with hotel check-in and other matters.
6. Insurance: Travel agency liability insurance, vehicle seat insurance.
7. Children: Under 12 years old (children under 1.2 meters in height include transportation fee, tour guide service fee, no extra bed, and admission tickets; hotel breakfast excluded)
The price does not include:
Single room supplement: (Single men and women will be given priority for room sharing; if no roommate can be found, a supplement will be charged.)
Transportation: (Transportation costs to and from Lanzhou are the responsibility of the traveler; e.g., Beijing-Lanzhou airfare.)
Meals: Due to the small group size, it is recommended that travelers arrange their own meals to meet individual needs.
Additional costs incurred due to force majeure events such as traffic delays, strikes, weather, aircraft malfunctions, flight cancellations or schedule changes;
Personal expenses such as laundry, hairdressing, telephone, fax, pay TV, drinks, and tobacco in the hotel;
Note: All transportation can be booked independently, or you can consult our online customer service for assistance.
Airfare Booking: The travel agency can book airfares nationwide; please contact our customer service for details.
Train Ticket Booking: We recommend checking train schedules, times, and bookings on the official website of China Railway (12306.cn).
All travel products on our website are tax-exclusive. If travelers require an official invoice, please pay the tax separately to the travel agency.
Accidental Travel Insurance: Tourists may voluntarily purchase travel accident insurance upon participating in the trip, or entrust our staff to handle it.
Important Notes:
1. This is a quality individual travel itinerary with one guide and one vehicle throughout the trip. To ensure the itinerary is not affected, we may arrange for tourists with similar or partially identical itineraries to travel together. Your understanding is appreciated.
2. There are no shopping stops throughout the trip. While the travel agency does not arrange shopping stops in the itinerary, many locations along the route (such as scenic spots, hotels, restaurants, airports, train stations, service areas, etc.) may have shops. These are not arranged by the travel agency, and we cannot guarantee the quality of the goods sold. Please choose carefully!
3. Due to the real-name ticketing system for trains, please provide a clear photocopy, scanned copy, or fax of the traveler’s ID card showing their face and ID number when registering. Real-name berths are randomly assigned, and we cannot guarantee specific upper or lower berths or carriages. We apologize for any inconvenience.
4. Please carry your original valid and clear ID card (and original household registration booklet for children) at all times. The airfare is a group discount ticket and cannot be transferred, changed, or refunded after issuance.
If a tourist fails to participate in the tour or board the transportation on time as agreed in the contract, it will be considered a voluntary waiver, and no refund will be given.
5. In the event of national policy-driven price adjustments or force majeure (such as flight delays, cancellations, train delays, natural disasters, war, etc.) causing a postponement or cancellation of the itinerary, our company will only be responsible for refunding the discounted tickets and other unspent expenses, and will not be liable for any losses incurred.
6. Accommodation standard is: standard double room in a local standard hotel; Qinghai/Gansu are economically underdeveloped areas, please do not use inland hotel standards to judge hotels in Northwest China; if the hotel does not provide triple rooms or extra beds; single travelers will need to pay a single room supplement. 7. Guests checking in early should proceed to their check-in independently; guests extending their stay should return home independently.
8. This is a comprehensive tour package. Discounted tickets are available for holders of military officer IDs, student IDs, senior citizen IDs (for those over 60), and other valid identification. These documents must be presented to the tour guide before ticket purchase; otherwise, the discount will not be applied, and the discounted amount will be refunded in cash by the tour guide locally.
9. If guests have any concerns about the quality of service, please call the quality supervision hotline at 13389413392. Our company does not accept any complaints after the tour has ended and the guest has returned home. If a complaint requires return to the point of registration for processing, the feedback form signed by the guest locally will be used as the basis for handling the complaint. Thank you for your support and cooperation. Have a pleasant trip!
