October 2024 Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop Self-Drive Travel Guide (Part 1)

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Gansu - Jiuquan - Dunhuang - Mogao Caves

Gansu - Zhangye - Shandan - Qilian Mountains National Park

Gansu - Zhangye - Linze - Colorful Danxia Scenic Area

Gansu - Jiuquan - Dunhuang - Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area

Qinghai - Haixi - Golmud - Dongtai Jinaier Lake

Qinghai - Ulan - Chaka Salt Lake - Salt Sculptures

Qinghai - Haixi - Wusute Water Yadan Geopark (Drone Photography)

Qinghai - Gonghe - Qinghai Lake Nanshan Viewpoint - Overlooking Qinghai Lake

In the golden autumn of October, we embarked on the highly popular self-drive tour of the Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop in Northwest China. This road trip revolved around the two provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, following the famous Hexi Corridor, running parallel to the Qilian Mountains, crossing the Qaidam Basin, and reaching the boundary between the Loess Plateau and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We departed on October 10 and returned successfully on October 25, covering a total of 16 days and 5,100 kilometers of self-driving.

Starting from Gansu and heading to Qinghai in a loop without backtracking, the route offers fantastic natural landscapes and fascinating cultural sights, complemented by the purity of the blue sky and the softness of white clouds; the colorful Danxia and stunning salt lakes; the heavy historical feel of the grottoes and the desolate Yadan ghost town, making this loop another classic travel route favored by travel enthusiasts after the 318 Sichuan-Tibet Highway. We were fortunate to join the trend, traveling thousands of miles to embark on a grand Gansu-Qinghai loop tour.

To save time and improve efficiency, we rented a car immediately after flying into Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport and traveled counterclockwise along the Gansu section of the Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop. We visited Jingtai (Yellow River Stone Forest), Shandan (Military Horse Farm, Qilian Mountains National Park), Sunan (Matisi Temple), Zhangye (Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon, Colorful Danxia), Jinta (Populus Euphratica Forest), Jiayuguan (Fortress), Guazhou (Suoyang City Ruins, Yulin Grottoes), Dunhuang (Mogao Caves, Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring, Yumen Pass, Yang Pass), Aksay (National Desert Park, Dasugan Lake), and other places, covering most of the scenic spots along the Hexi Corridor. For the first time, we had the opportunity to fully appreciate the meaning of "One Hexi Corridor, Half of Chinese History." Then, starting from Lenghu Town in Haixi Prefecture (Oil Town Ruins, Heidu Mountain), we entered the Haixi Prefecture of Qinghai (Dongtai Jinaier Lake, U-shaped Highway, Wusute Water Yadan Geopark), passing through Dachaidan (Emerald Lake), Golmud (Qarhan Salt Lake), Ulan (Chaka Salt Lake), Gonghe (Qinghai Lake), Huangyuan (Sun Moon Mountain), and Xining (Qinghai Provincial Museum), and finally returning to Lanzhou (Baitashan Park, Zhongshan Iron Bridge, Wuquanshan Park, Lanshan Park). Finally, we returned the car at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport and flew back to our starting point, Shantou City, Guangdong Province, successfully concluding our 16-day Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop self-drive tour.

Gansu - Baiyin - Jingtai - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark

Gansu - Jiuquan - Jinta - Jinta Desert Populus Euphratica Forest Scenic Area

Gansu - Jiuquan - Guazhou - Suoyang City Ruins

Gansu - Jiuquan - Aksay - Aksay National Desert Park

Qinghai - Haixi - G315 National Highway U-shaped Road

Qinghai - Haixi - Golmud - Qarhan Salt Lake Scenic Area

Qinghai - Gangcha - Qinghai Lake Shengquan Bay (Cliff) Scenic Area

Qinghai - Gonghe - Qinghai Lake Nanshan Viewpoint (Drone Photography)

1. The Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop is also called the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop. Generally, departing from Xining, Qinghai, you travel clockwise to visit scenic spots such as Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Water Danxia, Dachaidan Emerald Lake, etc., then enter Gansu to visit Dunhuang Mogao Caves, Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring, Zhangye Colorful Danxia, Jiayuguan, Qilian Mountain Grassland, Menyuan Rapeseed Flower Sea, etc., and finally return to Xining to end the tour.

2. Depending on your schedule and needs, you can flexibly add or subtract scenic spots along the Grand Loop, or choose to go counterclockwise. We chose to fly directly to Lanzhou because there were no direct flights to Xining from our location, so we started our Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop from Lanzhou.

3. The main reason we chose to go counterclockwise was to catch the golden populus euphratica forest at Jinta during its most beautiful season and best time.

Gansu - Zhangye - Sunan - Matisi Temple Tourist Area

Gansu - Jiayuguan - Jiayuguan Fortress Scenic Area

Gansu - Jiuquan - Dunhuang - Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area

Gansu - Jiuquan - Dunhuang - Yang Pass Ruins Scenic Area

Qinghai - Haixi - Wusute Water Yadan Geopark (Drone Photography)

Qinghai - Ulan - Chaka Salt Lake

Qinghai - Xining - Qinghai Provincial Museum

Gansu - Lanzhou - Wuquanshan Park - Overlooking Lanzhou City

Day 1, October 10 (Thursday): Shantou - Lanzhou; Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark (Jingtai) (120 km).

At noon, we took Spring Airlines flight 9C7669, departing from Shantou Chaoshan Airport at 12:45 and arriving at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport at 17:40. At the airport, we quickly picked up a Toyota Highlander SUV rented in advance on Ctrip Car Rental. After handing over the vehicle, it was around 6 p.m., and we immediately drove to the first scenic spot of the trip, the Jingtai Stone Forest Homestay located within the Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark in Jingtai County, Baiyin City.

1. Renting a car during off-peak season is really great. We got a 2022 model, 2.5 hybrid Highlander SUV at a price just over half the usual rate. The car was new, powerful, and very fuel-efficient. Renting a good car not only adds safety and driving pleasure to the long journey but also saves on transportation costs like rental and fuel.

2. If you choose to travel the Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop in October, the climate in some places is already very cold, even snowy, so be fully prepared. The temperature difference during the day can be large, sometimes up to 20 degrees Celsius, so you basically need to bring clothes for all four seasons.

Gansu - Lanzhou - Aerial view of Lanzhou from the flight

Qinghai - Haixi - Toyota Highlander SUV

Day 2, October 11 (Friday): Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark (Jingtai) - Shandan Royal Military Horse Farm Scenic Area (Shandan) (390 km).

Today we visited the Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark (Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area), the first scenic spot of the Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop. The weather was good in the morning, with pleasant temperatures. After half a day of sightseeing, we returned to the homestay for lunch. We also went to a local orchard to pick apples and bought some to take in the car for later. This kind of life experience was joyful, and everyone was happy. In the afternoon, we drove nearly 400 km to the Shandan Royal Military Horse Farm Scenic Area. Although the distance was long, the roads were flat and easy to drive.

We stayed at Shannan Shanju Luxury Homestay near the entrance of Shandan Military Horse Farm, ready to enter the farm and Qilian Mountains National Park early the next morning.

Gansu - Baiyin - Jingtai - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark

Gansu - Baiyin - Jingtai - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark (Drone Photography)

Gansu - Baiyin - Jingtai - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark

Gansu - Baiyin - Jingtai - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark (Drone Photography)

1. The Yellow River Stone Forest Scenic Area is located on the banks of the Yellow River in southeastern Jingtai County, Baiyin City. It features a 9-kilometer-long canyon along the Yellow River, lined with towering stone forests, creating a very unique landform. The number of tourists during this season is gradually decreasing, offering good value for accommodation and fewer crowds. The hills are not high and the slopes not steep, making hiking easy and enjoyable.

2. It happens to be the harvest season for local sugar-heart apples. They taste great and are reasonably priced. You can buy some to eat on the road, and if you like, you can order a whole box to be shipped home.

Gansu - Baiyin - Jingtai - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark

Gansu - Baiyin - Jingtai - Yellow River Stone Forest National Geopark (Drone Photography)

Day 3, October 12 (Saturday): Shandan Royal Military Horse Farm Scenic Area (Shandan) - Matisi Temple Tourist Area (Sunan) - Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon (Zhangye) (150+120 = 270 km).

In the morning, we visited the Shandan Royal Military Horse Farm Scenic Area and Qilian Mountains National Park. In the afternoon, we headed to the Matisi Temple Tourist Area, which integrates grotto art, Qilian Mountain scenery, and Tibetan culture. Then we went to the Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon Scenic Area in Ganzhou District, Zhangye, and stayed overnight at the Pingshan Lake Saishang Guyun Hotel at the entrance of the scenic area.

Gansu - Zhangye Shandan - Qilian Mountains National Park

Gansu - Zhangye - Shandan - Shandan Royal Military Horse Farm Scenic Area

Gansu - Zhangye Shandan - Qilian Mountains National Park

Gansu - Zhangye - Sunan - Matisi Temple Tourist Area

1. Since the weather has started to cool here in October, the number of visitors has greatly decreased. After the National Day holiday, the military horse farm no longer holds the horse release ceremony with the spectacular scene of "ten thousand horses galloping." We were lucky to see a scene of horses drinking water.

2. Qilian Mountains National Park is one of the ten new national parks established in China in recent years. It is located on the border of Gansu and Qinghai provinces, with a total area of over 50,000 square kilometers, mostly uninhabited and protected areas. The places we were able to visit, including those we passed through, are only a tiny part of it.

3. Matisi Temple is located in the Qilian Mountains within Sunan Yugur Autonomous County. It is a large complex of cave temples. Although not very famous and considered a niche attraction, it is indeed worth a visit. First, Matisi Temple has a long history and is very interesting. Second, many of its buildings are on steep cliffs, making it quite unique. Third, it is situated within Qilian Mountains National Park, and with the golden autumn season, the scenery is beautiful and pleasing.

Gansu - Zhangye - Shandan - Shandan Royal Military Horse Farm Scenic Area

Gansu - Zhangye - Shandan - Qilian Mountains National Park

Gansu - Zhangye Shandan - Qilian Mountains National Park

Gansu - Zhangye - Sunan - Matisi Temple Tourist Area

Day 4, October 13 (Sunday): Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon (Zhangye) - Colorful Danxia Scenic Area - Jinta Desert Populus Euphratica Forest Scenic Area (Jinta) (100+240 = 340 km).

Today's schedule was relatively tight. We visited the Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon and Colorful Danxia Scenic Area, then rushed to Jinta Desert Populus Euphratica Forest Scenic Area in Jinta County to stay at the Jinta Huyang Farm No.1 Homestay inside the scenic area.

Gansu - Zhangye - Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon

Gansu - Zhangye - Linze - Colorful Danxia Scenic Area

1. Due to time constraints, we only visited a few viewpoints along the general route at Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon, and the scenery was just so-so. It is said that if you have time and are not afraid of exhaustion, hiking down to the bottom of the canyon offers a completely different view and experience.

2. When you step into the Zhangye Colorful Danxia Scenic Area, it feels like entering a colorful fairy tale world. The rolling hills with smooth and beautiful lines make it one of the main scenic spots on the Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop. Since the scenic area is large and very crowded, you need to plan your time accordingly. Because the entire area is barren, visiting during July or August summer vacation would be extremely hot, so be sure to take sun protection and hydration measures.

3. After 5 p.m., self-driving vehicles staying inside the Jinta Desert Populus Euphratica Forest Scenic Area can drive directly into the area. Being able to drive the car directly to the homestay inside the scenic area is very convenient, so be sure to note this when planning your schedule.

Gansu - Zhangye - Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon

Gansu - Zhangye - Linze - Colorful Danxia Scenic Area

Continued in "October 2024 Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop Self-Drive Travel Guide (Part 2)"