[Qing-Gan Northwest Grand Loop] The Most Solitary Route in China, Through the Desert, Nice to Meet You

📍 Orlando · 👁 2 reads · ❤️ 110 likes

This was a graduation trip for myself, still traveling alone, with my bags full of clothes and camera.

Ten days, chose a route with off-road nature, Gobi, lakes, deserts...

Sceneries I had long desired: Heidu Mountain, Eboliang, Emerald Lake, finally settled into my lens.

Always traveling alone, carefree and drifting, felt pretty cool.

This time I had to carpool, opening the social door of my travel life.

It turns out that having company on the journey, whether or not you see beautiful scenery, can be very joyful.

"When I crossed the desert and met you, unbelievable one in 1.3 billion"

—C-Block's "Great to Meet You"

Today is the first day meeting my travel companions, all boys of similar age, quickly hit it off.

Today's itinerary is Tar Temple. Because my pants didn't meet the requirement, I couldn't enter the temple. The surrounding streets have a strong religious atmosphere, many photographers were street shooting for humanity.

Warm reminder: To enter the temple, you need to wear long pants. No skirts, no pants above the knees!

② Qinghai Lake Cliff

Ordinary 4WD can drive in, need to buy tickets.

The scenic area is larger than I imagined. The lake water is very blue, with various religious flags hanging. Strong wind by the lake, remember to bring a jacket.

For the cliff, it is recommended to use a drone for shooting. There are two positions, you can find your favorite angle.

Ticket required, very windy, strong radiation, take windproof and sun protection.

The lake water is a mesmerizing green, with high salinity. Not recommended to touch (shoes after contact with water and evaporation are all salt).

The piano on the sea and transparent glass boat are separately charged, very cheap. Only drones can capture their effect, very beautiful.

Deadwood and swing are free attractions, shoot freely.

In the future, there will be homestay development in the scenic area, small round houses built on the salt lake, cool~

Ticket required, the scenic area is large. If in a hurry, take the small train; if time is ample, walk to easily discover corner beauty.

The famous filming spot of "A Little Red Flower" has been occupied by businesses. No problem, there are many free alternatives in the scenic area!

The salt lakes in Dachaidan have different colors: sky blue, deep blue, yellow, green. The blue salt lake at the entrance is the most popular spot, pure and heartbreakingly blue. Going inward to the end, almost untrodden places have clearer water and broader views. Snowy mountains in the distance, salt lake at your feet, complementing each other.

The most famous heart-shaped salt lake is also here, but unfortunately too many visitors, frequent trampling, the outer outline of the salt lake has been damaged, the original heart shape no longer exists.

① 315 Highway

The most popular check-in spot on the northwest loop. Suggest dressing cool: denim jacket and workwear, be the hippest guy on the road.

Be careful when taking photos, there are many vehicles, especially large trucks. Trucks need big engines to climb slopes, they accelerate here. When you see a vehicle, be sure to yield!

Besides the middle of the road, the tall sand dunes next to it can also produce good photos. Climb up, try different poses!

Paid scenic spot. Naked eye and level photography can't capture the wonder of yardang landform. Must bring a drone, otherwise this spot is basically a waste (though water yardang is ordinary compared to others).

Officially called "Aiken Spring", the farthest attraction, ticket required, very windy!

Online photos are all aerial shots. With the naked eye, you only see a pool of spring water. It is said that if you shout at the spring, the louder the sound, the higher the water spurts.

Aerial photography requires good drone and skills. Wind is strong, if the drone is too light or control is poor, it's easy to crash. Falling into the spring water would be troublesome.

② Mars Camp & Mars Highway

Same attraction. Drive through Mars Highway to enter Mars Camp, which connects to Eboliang.

At the entrance of Mars Highway, there is a popular milestone for photos. Use a drone to record the process of crossing the no-man's land, very spectacular.

Mars Camp has accommodation, very expensive; there are spacesuits for rent, very expensive.

A scenic spot I really liked, but unfortunately encountered a sandstorm and heavy rain that day, couldn't enter.

Crossing Eboliang requires familiarity with the terrain. Some places have no signal for positioning.

Starting from 2021, toll collection implemented, charged per vehicle.

Lenghu Town is very small, only hotels of varying quality. Prices are especially high in peak season, be sure to book in advance! (Don't be picky about hotel quality; if there's a vacancy, just make do.)

Arrived at Lenghu early, walked around the surroundings, found a wide road and open space. I love this desolate scene, took some quick photos~

① Lenghu Petroleum Base

Filming location of the movie "The Ghouls", ticket required. If you have a drone, just fly it in without buying a ticket.

The most anticipated attraction of this trip! I'll write a separate travelogue for it!

It was raining that day, perfectly matching the solitude of Heidu Mountain! If you say online promotional pictures always lie, Heidu Mountain won't lie! What you see online is what it really looks like, absolutely stunning!

The sudden popularity of Heidu Mountain attracted many people. Unfortunately, off-road vehicles drove one after another on the sandy ground, damaging the original ecological geology. Heidu Mountain has not been developed, and now entry is prohibited.

③ Dunhuang Desert Camping

Tent camping, bonfire party, self-service hot pot, sand sliding, starry sky – these are all activities to experience in the desert.

Different tents have different prices. No place to shower. Remember to zip the tent properly. Moths are super numerous at night, and wind and sand are strong. If you don't zip up, you might come back from dinner to find your room full of sand and moths.

On a clear night, climb to the top of the desert and shoot the starry sky – isn't that a pleasure?

Be sure to book tickets in advance! Recommend buying Category A, more expensive but worth it!

There are Mogao Caves-themed ice cream at the entrance, but I couldn't afford it, so I secretly borrowed a friend's photo.

Flash is prohibited inside the Mogao Caves, so no photos.

There are tons of desert entertainment activities! Also, flying fairy art photos can be taken, girls go try it!

Enormous crowds. Everyone wants to see the Crescent Spring when the lights come on. So to grab a good spot, climb up the sand dune early! Yes, climb! (Though you can ride a camel, it won't take you to the very top.)

Paid scenic spot, Danxia landform, heavy post-processing marks.

② Son of the Earth & Boundless

Free attractions. Son of the Earth is a crawling big baby, not my favorite.

I prefer the adjacent Boundless, like a mirage that might disappear at any time.

Because a fellow traveler had to catch a plane, the originally planned Zho'er Mountain was canceled. Instead, we went horseback riding on a grassland we passed by, and saw many pikas!

Again, very windy.

A few days before the end, I already started feeling reluctant. Never thought I'd be so attached to a journey.

From initial restraint to being completely at ease and dependent on each other.

Maybe there will be such journeys in the future, but that future is a long time from now.

The memories you gave me will occupy my mind for a long time.

Really don't want to say goodbye, really want to do it again.

This is my most precious travel time.

So glad that the many sceneries

We saw together.

Travelogue directory:

1. Preamble

2. DAY1 – Meeting – Tar Temple – Qinghai Lake Cliff