Self-Driving Tour of Gansu: Dunhuang, Gannan, Maijishan, and Jiuzhaigou

This trip lasted 14 days. The first 8 days were spent in Dunhuang and Maijishan with 7 people (grandparents, their daughter, two best friends, and two granddaughters aged 5 and 3), making it a group of five adults and two children. The itinerary mainly included: Jiayuguan Pass, Yulin Grottoes, Mogao Caves, Mingsha Mountain, Yadan Devil City, and Maijishan Grottoes. Then the daughter and her two best friends went home to Lanzhou with the younger granddaughter for work, while the older granddaughter and we two continued heading to the plateau region for the remaining 6 days: Jiuzhaigou, Huahu (Flower Lake), Diebu, Zoige Grassland, Labrang Monastery, and back to Lanzhou. The two little sisters basically kept up with our pace the whole way and didn't hold the adults back. Because the scenic spots were far apart, the daily drive was usually about 5 hours, with the longest being 11 hours. We would start early and return late, and even we adults were exhausted, but the sisters persevered. They even climbed the cliffside plank road at Maijishan Grottoes on their own. The older sister had more endurance than us adults at high altitude, while we constantly felt unwell—heart palpitations, like having a cold—but she had almost no altitude sickness and was in good shape every day. On this trip, we didn't bring a stroller; they walked the whole way on their own. Luckily, we could rent a stroller at Huahu to save some energy. Her performance was really amazing.

In Gansu, the hotels had no bathtubs, so Xiaoqing was disappointed she couldn't take a bath. On our Shanxi trip in July, all the hotels had bathtubs, which was an extra activity for Xiaoqing.

Tasks for the group of seven:

- Grandpa: in charge of the steering wheel.

- Grandma: team leader, responsible for logistics.

- Awen: special assistant, handling finances, shopping, etc.

- Huizai: food expert.

- Jojo, Qing and An sisters: responsible for having fun.

Day 1 (Sunday, Sep 20): Itinerary: Guangzhou → Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport T1.

Right across from Exit T1 at Zhongchuan Airport, it's a 1-minute walk to Zhongchuan Airport Station on the intercity railway. If you arrive at Lanzhou T2, go to Exit 5, and the intercity station is opposite.

Zhongchuan Airport has no subway, but you can take the intercity railway into the city to Lanzhou West or Lanzhou Station. Trains run every half hour, and you can buy tickets up to 15 minutes before departure.

We took the intercity train to Lanzhou Station, departing at 14:25, ticket price 20 yuan, total journey 45 minutes.

Check-in: Ji Hotel (Lanzhou Railway Station branch, booked on the official website). Twin beds ¥274, no breakfast.

After checking in, we planned to visit Zhongshan Bridge, but couldn't get a taxi or ride-hailing car. We had no choice but to cross the road and take bus No.6 at the bus stop, got off at Zhongshan Bridge stop, and visited the Yellow River—the only river that runs through the city—and the century-old Zhongshan Bridge. Now to cross the road, you have to use a pedestrian overpass. We had a stroller and the two children were asleep, didn't know what to do. The traffic police in Lanzhou were really helpful—they personally escorted us across the road directly to Zhongshan Bridge. We were deeply moved; this spirit of serving the people is truly well-executed.

We found a shop called "Xiehe Lanzhou Lamian" nearby. A big bowl of beef noodles was only 8 yuan, and the beef was large and delicious. Ordering a set meal had everything.

On the way back, we saw "Mixue Bingcheng" (Mixue Ice Cream & Tea). Various drinks were tasty and cheap. A large cup was only 7-9 yuan, excellent value for money.

Day 2 (Monday, Sep 21): Itinerary: Lanzhou → Jiayuguan South (high-speed rail) → Jinta Poplar Forest (self-drive 93km, 1.07h) → Jiayuguan Nuojin Hotel (self-drive 92km, 1.03h). Total self-drive mileage: 196km, duration 2h.

We set off at 7:20, walked 15 minutes to Lanzhou Railway Station, took D55, depart 8:30 ~ arrived at Jiayuguan South at 14:30, 218 yuan per ticket. Had breakfast and lunch on the train.

After getting off at the south station, go right for 100m at the exit to the parking lot to pick up the car (a 7-seater, already booked in Guangzhou). Put the five pieces of luggage in and we started the self-driving tour.

Outside temperature was 16°C and it was raining. We drove on the expressway for over an hour and arrived at Jinta Poplar Forest at 4pm. The scenic area is huge, with several zones. You can drive your own car inside, car ticket 30 yuan. We headed straight to the core area—Jinbo Lake Poplar Forest. The poplars were gradually turning yellow; some were fully golden. The reflection of the poplars in the water was beautiful. We lingered there, reluctant to leave. The two sleeping kids woke up and started playing happily under the poplar trees in the drizzle.

People who have visited Jiayuguan say you must have barbecue here. We found a famous place, "Xiaodang Barbecue Shop". Lamb skewers were 20 yuan a bunch, and we ordered whatever we liked. It was still delicious and cheap, the flavor truly excellent. The bill came to 320 yuan.

Check-in: Jiayuguan Nuojin Hotel, 5-star, rented two rooms, business twin beds, with breakfast, ¥469/night.

Day 3 (Tuesday, Sep 22): Itinerary: Jiayuguan Pass → Yulin Grottoes (self-drive 200km, 1.55h) → Dunhuang (self-drive 163km, 1.58h). Total self-drive: 363km, duration 4h.

Morning: visited Jiayuguan Pass. It has an urn city, Guandi Temple, stage, and city wall. It is one of the relatively well-preserved ancient passes. A thorough visit takes about 2.5 hours.

Then we drove 2 hours to Yulin Grottoes, with a reservation for 3:00-4:00pm visit (closes at 5:00pm), ticket 40 yuan each.

Yulin Grottoes are the sister grottoes of Mogao Caves. The murals and caves are very well preserved. The guide takes you to visit 4 caves and explains the history in detail. Because there are fewer visitors, the environment is quiet, and sometimes you feel like you've traveled back in time, as if returning to old times.

We arrived in Dunhuang at about 8pm, found a highly-rated restaurant to eat, then went to the hotel.

Check-in: Dunhuang Fuhua International Hotel, 3 nights.

Double room, with double breakfast, twin beds (918/3 nights) Room 515.

Triple room, twin beds (one is a large bed), with triple breakfast (1350/3 nights), Room 617.

Day 4 (Wednesday, Sep 23): Itinerary: Mogao Caves → Mingsha Mountain.

Departed at 8:50, reserved Mogao Caves A-type ticket at 9:30 (248 yuan each, watch two educational films, then take bus into caves, visit time about 3.5 hours).

The educational films mainly help us re-understand the past and present of Mogao Caves. Now it's different from before; there are A-type and B-type tickets. A-type tickets need to be reserved 30 days in advance. Because of pandemic restrictions on visitor numbers, reservations need to be made even earlier. A-type tickets allow you to visit 8 caves, arranged by the guide. There are quite a lot of people, sometimes you have to wait. The final stop is the Nine-Story Pagoda. The whole process takes about 4 hours.

B-type ticket entrance is on the other side, only visiting 4 caves, with guide giving a brief introduction at the entrance. 100 yuan per ticket, and it ends quickly.

Outside we bought a trendy popsicle with patterns like the Nine-Story Pagoda and Crescent Moon Spring, satisfying the girls' girlish hearts.

Had lunch at the Mogao Caves restaurant inside the scenic area.

At 3pm we went to Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Moon Spring (ticket 110 yuan/person, can enter multiple times within 3 days but need to register at the gate). Everyone agreed to ride camels first, 100 yuan/person, plus 20 yuan/child for extra charge. Now there are more camels, and the road often gets congested. The camel leader can take photos for you (20 yuan, unlimited shots). We still had the photographers take candid shots, and collected them at the gate when leaving, 20 yuan per photo.

The daughter and her friends climbed the sand mountain, while we played in the sand with the two sisters at Crescent Moon Spring. The older sister said she wanted to climb the sand mountain to find her mother. Grandpa said okay, and the little girl dashed up the mountain like an arrow. She didn't follow the group but climbed quickly on the side. Grandpa chased after her, and in a blink she was already 2/3 of the way up. Awesome! The younger sister also wanted to go up, but we thought better of it. The older sister even invented a way to slide down on her bottom, and completed the up-and-down in about 40 minutes, while her mother and friends were still halfway down.

It got dark, lights came on, and Crescent Moon Spring took on a dreamlike appearance under the lights.

In the evening we ate at "Jingyuan Ga Liu Lamb". The lamb was fragrant, and various dishes had a strong northwestern character, especially delicious.

Day 5 (Thursday, Sep 24): Itinerary: Dunhuang Museum → Dunhuang Yadan Devil City (self-drive 164km, 2.11h) → Dunhuang (self-drive 164km, 2.11h). Total: 328km, 4.22h.

Departed 8:30, first visited Dunhuang Museum, especially the lifelike replica of Mogao Cave 45.

The road to Yadan Devil City has a long uninhabited section with no scenery on either side, quite boring, but the road condition is excellent.

Arrived at Yadan Devil City scenic area at 12:30. First ate a bowl of Lanzhou lamian (pulled noodles), then bought scenic area tickets, 120 yuan each, and took the sightseeing bus. The bus departs at half past and on the hour.

Yadan Devil City is a Danxia landform. When the wind blows, the sound is like a demon's cry, hence the name. There are four main points: Welcoming Lion, Peacock Displaying Its Tail, Sphinx, and Sea Fleet—all spectacular and breathtaking.

Dinner at "Huiweizhai" for Dunhuang cuisine.

Day 6 (Friday, Sep 25): Itinerary: Dunhuang → Jiayuguan South (self-drive) → Lanzhou (high-speed rail). Self-drive 380km, 4h.

To catch the train, we set off at 7:30 and drove about 5 hours to Jiayuguan South. Nearby we found a restaurant "Xiaodang Hekou Roasted Whole Lamb" and had a delicious barbecue meal in an apple orchard.

Around 13:30 we returned the car by ourselves.

Took high-speed train D56, departing 14:27, had dinner on the train, arrived at Lanzhou at 20:20. Pre-booked a car on Ctrip to the hotel; it was quite far but only 37 yuan, truly cheap.

Check-in: Hampton by Hilton Lanzhou.

Superior double room, with double breakfast, twin beds 1.3m wide, 840 yuan/2 nights. One of our rooms had 3 people, and they even gave us free breakfast for two days. Breakfast was rich, and Lanzhou lamian was delicious.

Day 7 (Saturday, Sep 26): Itinerary: Lanzhou → Maijishan → Lanzhou.

We had visited Maijishan Grottoes in 2016, but since one of our travel companions is a big fan of grottoes, we made a special arrangement. This was the toughest day of our trip because the round-trip drive took 11 hours, with only grandpa driving. Apart from the two children, all the adults had driver's licenses but none dared to drive. No choice, grandpa had to bear the burden alone.

We picked up the car at 8:30 and immediately set off. The journey was beyond expectations. We sped all the way. Because the Lanhai Expressway was under construction, we got off at Gangu station and took national roads up and down mountains. Along the way, we saw many fruit farmers selling apples, 1.5 yuan per jin, fresh and juicy, very refreshing. We got back on the expressway at Guanzhi station, drove for 6 hours, and arrived at 2:30pm. Bought tickets and took the shuttle bus to visit Maijishan Grottoes. After getting off the shuttle, there was still 1 km to walk to the ticket checkpoint. With the two sisters, we climbed the suspended plank road step by step, visiting each cave carefully. It was afternoon, so there were not many tourists; no crowding, which felt wonderful. It truly deserves the name "Oriental Sculpture Gallery". This time we gained even more. At 5:30 we finally left reluctantly, and started the return journey. At 23:00 we safely arrived back at the hotel.

Check-in: Hampton by Hilton Lanzhou.

Day 8 (Sunday, Sep 27): Itinerary: Lanzhou → Guangzhou. Lanzhou → Longnan, self-drive 540km, 7h.

The four people including Jojo went to visit Gansu Provincial Museum in the morning, then took the intercity rail from Lanzhou West Station to the airport, and caught flight CZ3206, 17:50-20:45, back to Guangzhou.

We, with Qingqing, said goodbye to her mother, the younger sister, and the beautiful aunt, and continued self-driving towards Jiuzhaigou. A little episode: Qingqing held her mother's hand, crying and saying she didn't want to leave her mother. The scene was tear-jerking! Each separation is a necessary part of growing up. We left the hotel at 11:15, drove for 7 hours, and arrived at Longnan City (Wudu), staying overnight.

For dinner, we ordered delivery directly to the hotel. The same for the next few days.

Check-in: Longnan Jindu Grand Hotel. 310 yuan/night, including double breakfast.

Day 9 (Sep 27? Should be Sep 28): Itinerary: Longnan → Jiuzhaigou, self-drive 230km, 6h.

Departed by car at 10am. From Longnan Wudu, we took national roads, driving over mountains and rivers. 230 kilometers took 6 hours. Parts of the national road had collapsed due to floods, allowing only one-way traffic; average speed 38km/h. The Wujiu Expressway is under construction, so the whole road was a big construction site, very dirty. Passing through, the car got completely filthy. We decided not to return the same way, but to go from Gannan via Huahu to Diebu, then back to Lanzhou.

Arrived at hotel at 4:30pm.

Check-in: Jinjiang Inn.

Day 10 (Sep 29): Itinerary: Jiuzhaigou.

Departed at 10:00, took a taxi to the entrance of the valley scenic area. This is the new entrance built after the earthquake on August 8, 2017. Since driving ourselves would require finding parking far from the entrance, we stayed nearby and took taxis to and fro, which was more economical.

Today there were about 7,000 visitors entering the valley. Basically no waiting, we got on the bus directly. The scenic area is Y-shaped with two branches. Usually you take the bus to the end and then visit station by station. From Nuorilang Waterfall Transfer Center, we took another bus to the other line. We went from Five Flower Lake to Pearl Shoal Waterfall to Nuorilang Waterfall, then took the other line to Long Lake to Five-Color Pond to Shuzheng Waterfall to Bonsai Beach. With Xiaoqing, we took the bus station by station, walked along the shallow paths, about 3 kilometers total—quite tiring. Xiaoqing played along, climbed trees, played in the water, drank butter tea, watched waterfalls. By 4:30pm we had seen all the favorite spots in Jiuzhaigou.

After the earthquake reconstruction, Jiuzhaigou doesn't have many visitors; most are independent travelers. Ticket price 259 yuan/person. The water flow was strong. Everyone wore masks on the bus; epidemic prevention was still taken seriously.

Day 11 (Sep 30? Should be Sep 30): Itinerary: Jiuzhaigou → Huahu (Flower Lake) → Diebu, self-drive: Jiuzhaigou → Huahu 272km, 4.46h; Huahu → Diebu 90km, 1.40h.

Departed at 9:00, passing the beautiful Yellow River Grassland and Zoige Grassland at an altitude of 3800m, to visit Huahu Wetland Park. The park entrance is now across the road. The parking lot is large, charging 10 yuan. But at an altitude of 3400m, we first walked 1km through a popular science corridor, then climbed 40 steps to cross a pedestrian bridge and descended to the park entrance—exhausting. After taking a bus into the park, we visited several spots and walked about 2 hours on the shallow path. Xiaoqing hadn't woken up yet. We looked around and it was already 2pm. We woke her up and asked at the entrance if there was a stroller to rent. It required a 200 yuan deposit, refundable when returning the stroller. The service was quite good.

Huahu was breathtaking: blue sky and white clouds reflected in the water, water and sky merging into one. The autumn grass and flowers had gradually turned yellow and red. Water hens frolicked freely in the lake, fish swam underwater, butterflies and birds flew over the lake—it was like a paradise.

At 5pm we drove 90km to Diebu, known as "God's paradise left on earth." It is as beautiful as a Swiss town. The scenery along the road was picturesque, with lush Gesang flowers on both sides. The road was newly built, giving a very comfortable feeling. Diebu is at an altitude of 2300m. We had been here four years ago; in the Gannan region, only Diebu allows us to stay comfortably.

Check-in: Saiyin Hotel.

Twin beds, with breakfast, 396 yuan/night.

Dinner: ate dumplings at a restaurant opposite the hotel. After dinner, went to the supermarket to buy some food. Xiaoqing happily got a dinosaur toy box and returned to the hotel full of joy.

Day 12 (Oct 1? Should be Oct 1): Itinerary: Diebu → Labrang Monastery (self-drive 257km, 4.51h) → Linxia City (self-drive 108km, 1.43h).

Today is National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival. We drove over 4 hours from Diebu, passing Yellow River Grassland, Zoige Grassland, and Sangke Grassland. Endless meadows, white sheep, black yaks, colorful Gesang flowers—we felt like we were in a fairyland. Although we were driving at altitudes between 3200 and 3500m, the non-stop beautiful scenery temporarily distracted us from physical discomfort. At 2:00pm we arrived at "Labrang Monastery, the World's Tibetan Academy." The long corridor of prayer wheels, devout people, and passing red-robed lamas made us forget all worries. We cherished today's day and the people and things around us. After the pandemic, all scenic spots in Gannan are free of charge. Originally, the ticket for Labrang Monastery was 40 yuan per person, so we saved money.

At 4:30 we left Labrang Monastery and drove 1.5 hours to Linxia City. Because it was Mid-Autumn Festival plus National Day, everyone was preparing to gather for dinner. The roads had few cars, and we arrived in Linxia smoothly.

Check-in: Linxia Xuehe Manbo Hotel.

243 yuan/night, with double breakfast, twin beds. It is one of the best hotels, but the room amenities were a bit old.

Since we were tired and didn't want to go out among many people, we ordered takeout from "Tengshunxiang" to eat in the hotel. Hand-grabbed lamb: 70 yuan per jin, tasty; other dishes were also good. Of course, we didn't forget to order two cups from "Mixue Bingcheng" to enjoy the affordable happiness.

Day 13 (Oct 2): Itinerary: Check out at 10:00am, drove 2 hours back to Lanzhou. The expressway was busy. There was an accident on the opposite side, causing a traffic jam for several kilometers. The road into Lanzhou was slightly better, no accidents, and we passed through toll-free smoothly. Arrived in Lanzhou at 12:00.

Check-in: Qilihe Hampton by Hilton.

This time all rooms were full; we wanted to upgrade but no rooms available. We requested a larger standard room, and they recommended Room 1321, facing the elevator lobby but with good soundproofing. The room was 27 square meters. We agreed and moved in at no extra charge. After dropping off luggage, we drove directly to Gansu Provincial Museum. This was the second day of the holiday, so there were many cars, traffic jams everywhere. The museum was crowded; we had to queue up to enter. First, we visited the "Dinosaur Hall" that the younger sister had seen. Xiaoqing could recognize and seriously tell us what dinosaur it was, like a dinosaur expert. The important exhibits are on the second and third floors, featuring pottery from Gansu and the Bronze Flying Horse. The second floor's "Solemn and Wonderful" exhibit of Gansu Buddhist art is also worth seeing.

Day 14 (Oct 3): Itinerary: Left the hotel by taxi at 8:50, went to Lanzhou West Station to take the intercity train to Lanzhou Airport (45 minutes), walked 12 minutes to T2 terminal, boarded HU7402, 12:55-16:00 back to Guangzhou.

The perfect trip ended, tired but happy. Life returns to normal, and the next journey is being planned...