Handcrafted 6-Day Northwest Grand Loop Essence Tour (Dunhuang - Heidu Mountain - Chaerhan Chaka - Qinghai Lake - Colorful Danxia)

I've always wanted to travel the Northwest Loop, and finally made it during this National Day holiday. Starting from late August to early September, I referred to online guides, and ultimately integrated recommendations from Ctrip, Douyin, and colleagues' friends' itineraries to create my own plan. Departing from Dunhuang, I traveled counterclockwise toward Qinghai and ended in Zhangye. This route mainly considered the child's interests and time constraints, covering all places with great natural scenery while avoiding historical and cultural sites like Jiayuguan, Yumen Pass, and Yang Pass. The detailed plan is as follows.

Day 1: Beijing - Dunhuang, landed at 10 AM: ① Dunhuang Museum, ② Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring (sunset, ten-thousand-person concert); stayed at Jiuju Inn.

Day 2: Dunhuang: ① Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring (sunrise), ② See You Again Dunhuang, ③ Mogao Caves.

Day 3: Dunhuang - Heidu Mountain / Yanzhi Mountain - Water Yadan: ① Heidu Mountain, Yanzhi Mountain; ② Mars No.1 Highway; ③ Water Yadan; stayed at Wusute Yadan Hotel.

Day 4: Water Yadan - Chaerhan Salt Lake - Delingha: ① Water Yadan sunrise; ② Chaerhan Salt Lake; stayed at Delingha Vienna.

Day 5: Delingha - Chaka Salt Lake - Qinghai Lake: ① Chaka Salt Lake; ② Dongge'er Observation Deck at Qinghai Lake; stayed at Qinghai Lake Highland Sapphire Grand Hotel.

Day 6: Qinghai Lake - Zhangye Colorful Danxia: ① Qinghai Lake Cliff; ② Grasslands and snow mountains along the way; ③ Colorful Danxia.

Day 7: Zhangye - Beijing.

Day 1: Beijing - Dunhuang, landed at 10 AM: ① Dunhuang Museum, ② Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring (sunset, ten-thousand-person concert); stayed at Jiuju Inn.

1. Transportation: The flight arrived early, and we reached the hotel a little after 10 AM.

2. Accommodation: Stayed at Jiuju Hotel at the entrance of the scenic area.

① Dunhuang Museum: First, learn about Dunhuang's history to build background knowledge for subsequent visits. It takes only 10 minutes from Jiuju to the museum, and a taxi costs no more than 10 yuan. The museum explains Dunhuang across different historical periods. After exiting the museum, we had hand-grabbed lamb across the street, which was delicious.

② Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring: There was a major event on National Day, with many Douyin influencers invited for a ten-thousand-person concert, and only same-day tickets were allowed entry. A reminder: under normal circumstances, tickets for Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring are valid for three days, but for special dates, only same-day tickets may be allowed, such as October 1 and October 6 (Mid-Autumn Festival) this time. However, tickets purchased for those days could still be used on the following two days. Pay attention when buying tickets for special dates. My plan was to enter on the afternoon of October 1 for photos, camel riding, sunset, and the concert, then re-enter early the next morning for sunrise. This was also the reason for choosing accommodation near the entrance. In hindsight, this decision was perfect.

Day 2: Dunhuang: ① Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring (sunrise), ② See You Again Dunhuang, ③ Mogao Caves.

1. Transportation: A taxi from the hotel costs no more than 30 yuan. See You Again Dunhuang and Mogao Caves are across the street from each other, and next to See You Again Dunhuang is Dynamic Dunhuang.

① See You Again Dunhuang: This tells the story of Dunhuang's historical and cultural changes, starting from Zhang Qian, Xuanzang, Princess Xiangfu, Zhang Yichao, and Wang Yuanlu, with a rich historical atmosphere. If children are too young, they might not understand; I recommend Dynamic Dunhuang instead.

② Mogao Caves: I have visited three of the four major grottoes. Yungang and Longmen grottoes were mostly royal excavations, so the Buddha statues are grand and awe-inspiring. Mogao Caves, however, were excavated by everyone from royalty to commoners over a thousand years, showing various sizes of Buddha statues, with an emphasis on murals. Mogao Caves tickets need to be booked a month in advance; regular tickets allow visiting 8 caves (random), while emergency tickets allow only 4 caves. Photography is prohibited inside Mogao Caves; I only took a photo of the iconic nine-story building exterior.

Day 3: Dunhuang - Heidu Mountain / Yanzhi Mountain - Water Yadan: ① Heidu Mountain, Yanzhi Mountain; ② Mars No.1 Highway; ③ Water Yadan; stayed at Wusute Yadan Hotel.

1. Transportation: This was the first day of long-distance driving, with two segments. Considering we would be driving on Mars No.1 Highway (100 km, not on navigation), an off-road vehicle or at least an SUV was necessary; otherwise, it's not recommended. A sedan would not exceed 30 km/h, while an off-road vehicle could reach about 60 km/h.

① Dunhuang - Heidu Mountain/Yanzhi Mountain: 266 km, 4 hours.

② Heidu Mountain - via Mars No.1 Highway (100 km, 2 hours) - Water Yadan (77 km, 1.5 hours).

2. Accommodation: Wusute Yadan Hotel. This hotel is inside the Water Yadan scenic area and requires ticket purchase and verification to enter. There are three hotels in the area sharing the same front desk, so the front desk, accommodation, and breakfast are in three different buildings. Staying here is convenient for sightseeing, but otherwise not recommended as it's a bit expensive.

① Heidu Mountain/Yanzhi Mountain: Recommended for visits, especially with a drone; the ink-wash landscape painting effect is very photogenic. Quick tour: 2 hours (a bit tight), with ample time: 3-4 hours.

② Lenghu Oil Town Ruins: It's a 15-minute drive from Heidu Mountain to Mars No.1 Highway, which starts at the Lenghu Oil Town Ruins, so you can visit along the way. In the Qaidam Basin, at the foot of the Altun Mountains, there is an abandoned oil town in the endless desert. It once prospered due to oil and then declined because of it. From a no-man's land to a bustling town of tens of thousands, it has now returned to a no-man's land, coming full circle. Lenghu is an unavoidable place when tracing Qinghai's oil history. It's hard to imagine how difficult it was for the first settlers there, but they were a generation with firm faith and a revolutionary spirit of hard work. "A roll of bedding and a pot, camels crossing the desert; when thirsty, grab some Kunlun snow; when hungry, chew a tsampa cake." That was the era of China's great oil shortage, when the country urgently needed oil. It is said that now one in every ten oil workers is from Lenghu.

③ Mars No.1 Highway: Be very careful not to take the wrong road. Turn right to enter Mars No.1 Highway (every kilometer has a milestone); going straight leads to an abandoned road into a no-man's land. Two reasons for choosing this route: first, to experience the desolation of the Mars-like no-man's land; second, it's the shortest route from Heidu Mountain to Water Yadan (1.5-2 hours for an off-road vehicle), whereas taking the national highway would take 3-4 hours. You must drive an off-road vehicle, at least an SUV; a sedan will not exceed 30 km/h.

Note: There are many scenic spots along the way; if you spend too much time, it will affect visiting the main attractions. We originally planned to visit Water Yadan on the afternoon of Day 3, but we didn't arrive until 8 PM, so we could only visit in the morning.

Day 4: Water Yadan - U-shaped Highway - Chaerhan Salt Lake - Delingha: ① Water Yadan sunrise; ② Chaerhan Salt Lake; stayed at Delingha Vienna.

1. Transportation:

① Water Yadan - U-shaped Highway - Chaerhan Salt Lake: 251 km, 3.5 hours. Originally planned to take the U-shaped Highway, but due to road construction, we took National Highway 215, saving 30 minutes.

② Chaerhan - Delingha: 270 km, 3.5 hours.

2. Accommodation: Delingha Vienna.

① Water Yadan: Wusute Yadan Geological Park is located in the hinterland of the Qaidam Basin, within the Nanbaxian Yadan group. The Yadan mounds range from 10 to 25 meters in height, up to 50 meters at the highest, forming the unique Wusute (Water) Yadan landform. We originally planned to watch the sunset the previous day and the sunrise the next day, but we arrived too late on the first day, and the second day was overcast with strong winds and cold in the morning—such is travel. The shuttle bus at Water Yadan runs 12 km to the farthest point (over 7 km) and stops at observation points on the way back. If time is tight, you can walk to the first scenic spot (1 km) and observe.

② Chaerhan Salt Lake: The largest in Asia and second largest in the world. Very beautiful, apple green, vast and vibrant. Regardless of weather, it's very photogenic; see the pictures. Chaerhan Salt Lake ranks first and is a must-see. The only drawback is that it's only green.

Day 5: Delingha - Chaka Salt Lake - Qinghai Lake: ① Chaka Salt Lake; ② Dongge'er Observation Deck at Qinghai Lake; stayed at Qinghai Lake Highland Sapphire Grand Hotel.

1. Transportation:

① Delingha - Chaka Salt Lake: 200 km, 2 hours.

② Chaka Salt Lake - Dongge'er Observation Deck at Qinghai Lake: 100 km, 2 hours.

③ Dongge'er Observation Deck - Qinghai Lake Highland Sapphire Grand Hotel: 70 km, 1 hour.

2. Accommodation: Qinghai Lake Highland Sapphire Grand Hotel, a 3-4 minute walk from the lakeside and 1 km from the Cliff.

① Chaka Salt Lake: Chaka Salt Lake is highly dependent on weather. On a clear day, the scenery is beautiful. We went on an overcast day, so the view was average, but the sun came out for 20 minutes, giving us a bit of face, and we took a few photos. The water in Chaka is shallow, so you can go in for photos; the scenic area rents shoe covers. The area is quite large, and walking the entire way is time-consuming. I suggest taking the small train (50 yuan per person one way) to the farthest point and then sightseeing back.

② Qinghai Lake: Dongge'er Observation Deck is a free attraction. We arrived a bit pressed for time, spent 20 minutes there, and took a few photos. But this is indeed the closest point to Qinghai Lake. From our accommodation, we could see the sunrise from the window, but unfortunately it was overcast. Due to the overcast and windy weather, we also canceled the planned visit to the Cliff the next day. So we ended up just brushing past Qinghai Lake, a perfect tangent.

Day 6: Qinghai Lake - Zhangye Colorful Danxia: ① Qinghai Lake Cliff; ② Grasslands and snow mountains along the way; ③ Colorful Danxia.

1. Transportation: Qinghai Lake Cliff - Zhangye Colorful Danxia: 550 km, 6 hours driving, plus 2 hours for sightseeing along the way.

2. Accommodation: Zhangye Holiday Inn Express.

① Scenery of snow mountains and grasslands along the journey: We crossed three passes at around 3,800 meters and drove along the snow line.

Recommend a lesser-known spot: Zhuo'er Mountain. If you have time, you can visit it, adding about 1 hour to the trip. Since it was raining, we didn't go; search online for photos—the scenery is nice.

② Zhangye Colorful Danxia: As a 5A scenic area, it is worth visiting. Don't listen to online rumors saying "from afar, a big pile of dirt; from close, just a big dirt pile." If there's no scenery in your heart, everything is boring. We went on an overcast day, but the scenery was still very nice. If you're lucky enough to see the sunset or clear skies after rain, it should be even more beautiful.

That concludes this trip. The entire route from Dunhuang to Zhangye was counterclockwise, with very little traffic. Only at Colorful Danxia did it feel like National Day with crowds.

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