The Distance Calls! Self-Drive Tour of the Northwest Grand Loop: Full Preparation 1

I have always longed for the great Northwest. Deserts, Gobi, grasslands, salt lakes, Danxia landforms, and starry skies – all scenes I had never seen before. The enchanting blue of Qinghai Lake, the soft smoothness of Mingsha Mountain, the clean and mesmerizing beauty of Chaka Salt Lake, the vast yellow of Dunhuang Yardang... I felt a voice calling me, and I wanted to go to the great Northwest.

For this self-drive tour of the Northwest Grand Loop, I did a lot of preparation in advance. A year before, I read many travelogues about the Northwest Grand Loop online. Combining my own interests and my child's hobbies, I selected some places we wanted to visit, then gathered information about those places, online reviews, and important notes, compiling them into a travel guide. My child loved this guide and was amazed even before we left, holding it and exclaiming, "Wow, so beautiful!" It was also nice to flip through while traveling.

For me, before actually traveling, I had already gone through the entire loop in my mind – I think I explored it even more extensively than the real trip, including road route choices, parking locations (including highway service area conditions), suitable restaurants (places that serve Jiangsu–Zhejiang cuisine or food that isn't too spicy for children), scenic spot ticket information and opening hours, local travel precautions, and so on. Although we hadn't set off yet, I had already learned about road conditions, routes, climate, and precautions, so I felt well-informed and very reassured.

A self-drive trip in the great Northwest is quite strenuous for the driver, especially when time is tight and the driver also has to act as a tour guide and take care of children. It requires great perseverance and patience, and it really tests you. It can also be said that a long, large-scale self-drive tour can exercise many of your abilities (activity planning, time coordination, emergency handling, safety awareness, communication skills, etc.) and also let you learn many lessons (you realize how beautiful life is, you gain courage to overcome difficulties, and you become more confident about life).

**About the Route and Time**

To complete this Northwest Grand Loop self-drive tour, I drove a total of about 6,000 kilometers. The initial part from Taizhou, Zhejiang to Lanzhou, Gansu: 2,300 km; the main loop: 3,300 km; city and rural roads: about 400 km. The concept of the "Northwest Grand Loop" mentioned in this article differs from the common one found online; it covers a broader area, mainly starting from Lanzhou, Gansu, passing through Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, and arriving at Xi'an, Shaanxi.

Day 1: Taizhou → Wenzhou → Lanzhou. Day 2: Lanzhou. Day 3: Xining, Hainan Prefecture. Day 4: Haixi Prefecture. Day 5: Jiuquan (Dunhuang). Day 6: Jiuquan (Dunhuang). Day 7: Jiayuguan. Day 8: Zhangye. Day 9: Guyuan. Day 10: Xi'an. Day 11: Xi'an. Day 12: Xi'an → Wenzhou → Taizhou.

Planned Route: First, drive the RV from Taizhou, Zhejiang to Lanzhou, Gansu. The loop starts from Lanzhou, first entering Qinghai Province to visit Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, and Delingha Alien Ruins; then entering Gansu Province to visit Yangguan Pass, Yumen Pass, Dunhuang Ghost City (Yardang), Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring, Jiayuguan Pass, and Zhangye Danxia; then taking the expressway into Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region (bypassing the Qilian Mountains to Xining, which differs from the conventional loop) to visit Liupanshan Red Army Long March Memorial Hall (patriotic education).

Specific stops planned:

- Night of Day 1: Park at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport parking lot.

- Day 2: Visit Lanzhou Citizen Square and Lanzhou Yellow River Bridge.

- Day 3: Visit Riyue Mountain, Qinghai Lake (passing through Daotang River, Heima River, Xiangpi Mountain, Qaidam Basin).

- Day 4: Visit Chaka Salt Lake, Keluke Lake (passing through Qaidam Basin, Tuosu Lake, Alien Ruins).

- Day 5: Visit Dunhuang Ghost City (Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark; passing through Yangguan Pass, Yumen Pass, Qaidam Basin).

- Day 6: Visit Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring, Mogao Caves.

- Day 7: Visit Jiayuguan Pass and Donghu Eco-tourism Scenic Area.

- Day 8: Visit Zhangye Danxia National Geopark.

- Day 9: Visit Liupanshan Red Army Long March Scenic Area.

- Day 10: Visit Giant Wild Goose Pagoda.

- Day 11: Rest.

- Day 12: Return trip.

**About Timing:** The timing first needs to consider the best travel season for the Northwest, and then the kid's school schedule and my annual leave. After comprehensive consideration, I set the travel time in late August of the summer vacation in 2019 (not including the time needed to transport the RV to the Northwest beforehand).

**About Pre-trip Preparations**

Considering my limited annual leave, if I drove the RV from Taizhou to Lanzhou myself, it would take several days on the road, eating into my vacation time – that is, the actual touring time. To maximize the touring time, I planned to split the process: first, find a way to transport the vehicle to Lanzhou beforehand.

How to get the vehicle to Lanzhou was a problem. Looking for a driver online: first, an RV is less common, so drivers are hard to find; second, the distance is too far, over 2,300 km from Taizhou to Lanzhou, so few are willing; third, even if someone is willing, the price is high, and I am still in the less affluent group, so I had to find the most economical way. After thinking it over and comparing, I decided to rely on myself and drive it over.

I split the initial transport into two steps: Step 1: On a weekend, I drove the RV to Wuhan, Hubei, and parked it in the parking lot under the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. Step 2: Drive the RV from Wuhan to Lanzhou Airport, waiting for my family and child to fly in. This article will update only until reaching Lanzhou (vehicle arriving in Lanzhou). If you also like the great Northwest, please follow me to see the next installment. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or message me privately. Thank you.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the precautions beforehand. The more you know and prepare ahead, the more relaxed and safe your trip will be.

**Common Documents:** ID card, driver's license, vehicle registration, household register, etc. If you have a student ID or similar, bring it as well, since student IDs may give discounts at scenic spots.

**Common Medicines:** Band-aids, iodine cotton balls, cold medicine, mosquito repellent, cooling oil, altitude sickness medicine, etc. Be sure to bring as many common medicines as possible before departure, as it may be inconvenient to buy them on the road. In many parts of the Northwest, there are not many pharmacy outlets, and their opening hours may not be flexible. In some cities, buying cold medicine was more troublesome (before the pandemic), and of course, during the pandemic, relevant regulations must be followed.

**Common Items:** Camera, spare phone, power bank, razor, thermos – don't forget the chargers for the camera and phone.

**Daily Necessities:** Sun protection is crucial. If you don't want to get sunburned, be sure to bring sunscreen, sunglasses, windproof hat, sun-protective clothing, and a shawl. The Northwest climate is dry, and the desert wind and sand are strong, so face masks, lip balm, and moisturizing skincare products are a must. Before going to Chaka Salt Lake, it's best to buy a pair of waterproof shoe covers in some city – the ones sold at the scenic spot entrance are too heavy.

(Every year in July and August, children are on summer break, and it's also a great time to visit the Northwest. Consider planning a Northwest Grand Loop trip for your child. This article introduces the details of the Northwest Grand Loop tour for your reference. I traveled by RV. You can also choose car rental services such as sedans or vans. If you don't sleep in the car, you'll need to plan where to stay each night, booking hotels in advance with some buffer time, because the distances between scenic spots in the Northwest are long and time-consuming.)