Northwest tours are always popular, and this summer is no exception. The Qinghai-Gansu Loop is definitely worth exploring, with its breathtaking lakes, historic landmarks, vast grasslands, and stunning Danxia landforms, Yadan landforms, deserts, sky roads, and otherworldly landscapes. You simply have to see it to believe it.
Itinerary Recommendations
Qinghai: Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, U-shaped Highway, Dongtai Jin’er Lake, Emerald Lake, Yadan landforms, Qilian Grassland, Menyuan Flower Sea
Gansu: Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring, Jiayuguan Pass, Aksai Oil Town, Rainbow Mountain, Biandukou, Dangjin Mountain, Guazhou
Best Time to Visit the Qinghai-Gansu Loop
The best time to visit the Qinghai-Gansu Loop is between June and August. The scenery is at its most beautiful, and the weather is pleasant.
Attractions Recommendations
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China.
It is built on a mountainside and is majestic and imposing. The ancient trees, towering pagodas, butter sculptures, murals, and thangka paintings are magnificent and solemn. With the guidance of a knowledgeable Tibetan Buddhist teacher, the legendary stories of Tibetan Buddhism come to life before your eyes.
Qinghai Lake
A massive mirror bestowed upon the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by nature.
The moment you catch your first glimpse of Qinghai Lake, you will be utterly captivated. The sky and water merge into one, stretching out endlessly. The sky embraces the earth, while snow-capped mountains shyly hide within the lake’s reflection. Here, you’ll witness the most beautiful sunrises and the purest lake water; a place away from the hustle and bustle of the world, where you can find a moment of tranquility.
Chaka Salt Lake
China’s “Sky Mirror,” the earth’s “luxurious art.”
From afar, the accumulated salt appears like snow. Up close, you see the reflection of clouds, the pristine sky, and the orderly patterns of color, forming a vibrant landscape on the lake’s surface. Standing amidst it all, it feels like you’ve entered a world of azure and pure white clouds. Capture your most beautiful silhouette against this backdrop and experience the purification of your soul.
Water Yadan
A haven of blue waters amidst the Gobi Desert.
If the dry Yadan is the “Devil City” in people’s mouths, desolate and terrifying with its “whooshing wind,” then Water Yadan is the gentle remnant of this barren landscape. Hidden deep within the Gobi Desert, it took a lot of searching to discover its true face: blue water meets the blue sky, with the small mounds of dry Yadan in the distance faintly visible. Climb to the top of the earthen ramparts, shout into the wind, and feel a surge of pride and tenderness within your chest.
Qilian Mountain Grassland
The verdant Qilian Mountains are located in northeastern Qinghai, blessed by nature with the spectacle of “snow in June.”
The scenery is picturesque, with clear water and lush mountains. The vast grasslands spread out like a thousand miles of green carpet. Beyond the grasslands lie the rolling mountains, with white mist rising, and the peaks, in a myriad of shapes, exude a seductive allure amidst their stoic strength.
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring
An oasis in the yellow sands.
Sip some wine and admire the last rays of sunset at Mingsha Mountain; read poetry and gaze into the distance at Crescent Moon Spring. Spend the day sand-sledding and riding camels, and at night, witness the twinkling stars. “The mountain sings because it is spirited, the water is even more beautiful because it is divine.” The wondrous sight of Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring coexisting, inspires endless wonder.
Mogao Grottoes
A treasure trove of art for all humanity.
Every brushstroke of the murals depicting flying apsaras and the art of sculpture tells the story of Buddhist scriptures. They are a testament to the unity and integration of the nation and the arrival of religious culture. The rich collection unfolds like a scroll, worthy of a full day’s immersion.
Rainbow Mountain
A silk road stronghold in the middle section of the Hexi Corridor.
A confluence of Southern Chinese culture and Northern frontier charm. The majestic colored Danxia landforms, the rugged canyons and cliffs, the most beautiful canola flower fields in the northwest. Winding streams, grazing sheep and cattle, and occasional melancholic songs from herders.
Devil City Yadan
Wind erosion has left this city uninhabited, with strange stones that make eerie sounds when the wind blows. Travelers dare not venture out at night, which is why it’s known as the “Devil City.”
It looks like a medieval city, vivid and lifelike, leaving people in awe. These masterpieces of nature are truly awe-inspiring and endlessly fascinating.
Jiayuguan Pass
A necessary stop on the “Silk Road”
Due to its strategically important location, it is also known as the “Most Powerful Pass Under Heaven” and the “Key to the Frontier.” It connects the desert and the Gobi, is the dominant force of the western section of the Great Wall, and is the end of the Ming Dynasty. Gaze into the distance from the city wall and see nothing but dunes and the horizon.
Menyuan Ten Thousand Acres of Canola Flowers
If you were to ask what’s the most prominent feature of Qinghai in July, it would be the vast fields of vibrant canola flowers. Located in Menyuan County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, July every year is when the golden canola flower fields bloom, with blue skies and white clouds, creating a vibrant palette of colors.
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