Recommended Niche Self-driving Tour Routes in Gansu

Recently, many friends from Gansu have been looking for self-driving tour destinations to escape the heat. Are there any niche self-driving tour routes near Gansu? Many people have asked this question, and here is a list of niche self-driving tour routes in Gansu. If you’re interested, let’s take a look.

First Stop: Dingxi

Recommended route: Lanzhou – Lintao Nanping Mountain Eco-Tourism Zone – Huangxiang Mountain – Shuangshimengou – Zhiyangshan Tourism Scenic Area – Minxian Mazicun Village

Suggested duration: 2 days

1. Shuangshimengou

Shuangshimengou is named after the two narrow stone gates in the valley. It combines steep peaks and strange rocks, meadows and wildflowers, rare animals, and historical legends, making it a great place for camping and adventure.

There are 110,000 mu of large grasslands here, where flowers bloom in abundance, the grass is green, and cattle and sheep graze in herds. Visiting here allows you to not only appreciate the endless fun brought by the steep peaks and strange rocks, but also experience the grassland atmosphere with cattle and sheep in herds and lively folk songs.

2. Zhiyangshan

Zhiyangshan in Dingxi, as its name suggests, is “sheltered from the sun at sunrise”. It has the rare “tiankeng difeng” (sky pit and ground crack) canyon landform in the north. Within the scenic area, the mountains are covered with green trees, providing shade and shelter from the sun. Even during the hot summer, there is a cool breeze, making it refreshing and pleasant.

When the summer heat is unbearable and coolness is hard to find in the city, start your escape plan and visit Zhiyangshan. Hide away in the mountains and rivers, and embark on a refreshing journey amidst the wonders of nature.

3. Minxian Mazicun Village

84 years ago, this area, including Mazicun Village, in Minxian and Dangchang, became the “gas station” for the Red Army of the Chinese Workers and Peasants. Currently, Mao Zedong’s Long March residence in Mazicun has been protected, renovated, and upgraded, and is now open to the public.

Walking into Mazicun Village in Mazicun Town, Minxian County, stories of Mao Zedong leading the Red Army through this area are still passed down today. Wandering through the beautiful countryside, Long March culture is visible everywhere.

Second Stop: Gannan

Recommended route: Zhuoni Dayugou Tourism Scenic Area – Yeliguan Scenic Area – Meiren Grand Prairie – Milarepa Temple – Xiahe County Amuquhu Town Anguo Tourism Scenic Spot – Xiahe County Amigong Hong Scenic Area – Sangke Prairie

Suggested duration: 4-5 days

1. Zhuoni Dayugou Tourism Scenic Area

Zhuoni Dayugou National 4A Scenic Area, with a forest coverage rate of over 90%, is one of the most concentrated and high-quality scenic areas in Gannan Prefecture, with significant representative value.

When you visit in person, you’ll find that it combines the beauty of the scenery in the south with the magnificence of the Northwest, making it an ideal place for summer escapes, recuperation, and sightseeing.

2. Yeliguan Scenic Area

Yeliguan boasts the renowned Lihuashan National Nature Reserve, the vast National Forest Park, and scenic spots like the beautiful Yeimu Gorge, the sparkling Tianshan Lake, the lifelike Shilitoufo (Ten-mile Sleeping Buddha), the towering stone forest, the mysterious Yinyang Stone, and the eerie and secluded Chibi Valley.

All of this creates a beautiful landscape that combines the danger of Huashan Mountain, the beauty of Mount Emei, and the gentleness of West Lake.

3. Meiren Grand Prairie

Meiren Grand Prairie is a typical alpine meadow grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Here, the terrain is flat, and the scenery is unique and diverse. Standing amidst it, you’ll feel the vastness and grandeur of the plateau grassland.

Being here allows you to forget the noise and busyness of the city and truly experience the vastness and wonder of nature. Meiren Grand Prairie is also a must-pass point on the Hezhi Highway leading to the Kanda Grand Canyon and Lihuashan National Nature Reserve.

There is a suspended pedestrian walkway built on the prairie, extending deep into the prairie. Visitors can stroll along the walkway to observe the prairie scenery up close. The 600-meter-long prayer flag tunnel is another unique feature of the Meiren Prairie. Visitors can experience the unique Tibetan style here.

5. Anguo Tourism Scenic Spot

Anguo Folk Village is an ideal place for tourists to rest and experience the original way of life of the herders. The people of Anguo, a nomadic people, have lived in the Amigong Hong pasture for generations. The annual Amigong Hong Shen Mountain Incense Offering Festival in June is the most important festival here, considered a lucky day.

The grassland pasture at the foot of Amigong Hong Shen Mountain is a sea of flowers in summer and a secluded and mysterious land in winter. Amigong Hong Shen Mountain, the grassland, the Nine-Colored Flower Creek Scenic Belt, and the 10,000 mu of rapeseed flower scenic area opposite the highway make up the diverse landforms and landscapes of the plateau pasture. This is paradise for camping and self-driving tours.

6. Amigong Hong Scenic Area

Amigong Hong Shen Mountain is the place where the Tibetan people of this land draw their spiritual strength and wisdom. The Amigong Hong pasture sprawls in the embrace of the divine mountain. Under the blessing of the gods, the Nine-Colored Flower Creek, moistened by snowmelt water, blooms for six months.

Here, you have the beautiful prairie skyline, the endless coral-colored prairie flower sea, and tent hotels that combine traditional lifestyles with modern vacation destinations. As travelers delve into Amigong Hong, the spiritual home and the world outside the camp temporarily bid farewell, becoming free spirits sheltered by Amigong Hong Shen Mountain.

Third Stop: Linxia

Recommended route: Erzihabliang – Hezheng County Xingyu Yunduan Tourism Scenic Area – Linxia City Eight Alleys and Thirteen Lanes – Dongxiang County Shilaquan Grand Canyon – Liujiagou Bridge (Benzhigou Viewpoint) – Yellow River Qinghuang Confluence Scenic Spot – Weijiapo

Suggested duration: 2-3 days

1. Linxia County Erzihabliang

This is the most beautiful “post station” on the Taizishan Tourism Grand Corridor.

If you look down from above, you can clearly see that this mountain pass looks like a giant “ear”. Within the wide “ear”, there are dense virgin forests, shrub forests, and endless meadows, all beautiful and diverse. Many clear springs converge at the foot of the mountain, cool in summer and pleasant in autumn. The flowing water flows all year round, making it perfect for tourism and leisure.

2. Xingyu Yunduan Tourism Scenic Area

The Xingyu Yunduan Tourism Scenic Area has a unique geographical location. It stands in the distance facing Taizishan Mountain, and is close to the Songmingyan and Fatai Mountain Scenic Areas and the Songmingyan Characteristic Town. Standing on the mountain ridge, you can admire the beautiful scenery of Songming Town and the majestic Taizishan Mountain. You can also experience the different charm of different seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

3. Linxia City Eight Alleys and Thirteen Lanes

The Eight Alleys and Thirteen Lanes of Linxia combine Hui brick carvings, Han wood carvings, and Tibetan paintings, integrating ethnic characteristics, leisure tourism, green ecology, and humanities education. It is a famous ethnic folk culture name card in Hezhou, a “grand garden” of ethnic architectural art. It is home to the famous Linxia cuisine, where tourists can savor it to their heart’s content.

The Eight Alleys and Thirteen Lanes are divided into eight functional zones: waterfront leisure zone, courtyard leisure zone, original landscape sightseeing zone, creative workshop zone, cultural exhibition zone, and folk custom zone. They have preserved the basic geographical pattern and cultural landscape of the Eight Alleys and Thirteen Lanes, optimized the protection of traditional residential architecture, and fully displayed traditional ethnic culture.

4. Dongxiang County Shilaquan Grand Canyon

The Shilaquan Grand Canyon is located in Tangwang Town, Dongxiang Autonomous County, Gansu, known as the “Silk Road Hehuangkou, the First Apricot Flower Village in Longshang”. It is an ideal place for off-road driving.

The Danxia peaks on both sides stand tall, and the seasonal rivers eroded by rainwater and mountain floods make the canyon road surface diverse in shape, with ravines crisscrossing. Amidst the mountains and waters, there are babbling streams, and the scenery on both sides is magnificent and extraordinary. It is known as the “Tiger Hook Road” of Linxia by domestic off-road enthusiasts.

5. Weijiapo

The beauty of “Cangshan Erhai” is not only found in Dali, but also in Weijiapo – sparkling blue waters, fluffy white clouds, winding riverbanks, and surrounding green trees… Weijiapo has therefore been given the beautiful names of “Weierdafu”, “Gansu’s Little Erhai”, and “Emerald of Longshang” by netizens.

In this vast land of Gansu, deserts, snow-capped mountains, grasslands, and lakes converge; history, culture, ethnicity, and beliefs collide and blend. If you haven’t been to Gansu yet, then the rich cultural heritage accumulated over thousands of years and the unique, diverse beauty of Gansu will subvert your understanding. This is an unexpected Gansu, beautiful beyond your imagination. What are you waiting for? Pack your bags and embark on an exciting self-driving tour of Gansu!