An epidemic in 2020 changed many people's travel plans. The trip to Europe prepared at the beginning of the year was cancelled, the time of vacation was adjusted from May to July, and the epidemic situation in the country stabilized, so where to go this year? I am a very lazy person, already so tired from work, when I am on vacation, I always want to find a relaxing island to eat, drink and lie down. The desert, the Gobi and the no-man's land, places that seemed never considered in previous plans. The travel plans changed again and again, and when the Northwest Qinggan-Gan Grand Circle was finally decided, I probably didn't think of it myself. Along the way, we climbed the Gobi and climbed the mountains, rode camels over the sand, passed the sea of flowers and fell into the lake, and saw prayer flags and made wishes. The journey of 3,000 kilometers, all the way to the dust, all the way to the scenery, is a completely different experience from the vacation, really fragrant. Therefore, we do not have to lock ourselves to inherent destination preferences, bravely try a different journey, and we can have a different experience.
The Qinggan-Gansu Ring Road covers more than 3,000 kilometers and spans Qinghai and Gansu provinces, making it the most classic loop route in Northwest China. The itinerary starts from Xining and returns to Xining after a seven-day drive, passing through various landforms such as salt lakes, Gobi, deserts, Danxia, Yadan, and grasslands, and the scenery is very rich. This route is about 4-6 hours a day, the altitude is about 3000 meters, considering that the daily driving time is not short, and we are not familiar with the route, we gave up self-driving and chose to charter, so overall it is not particularly hard.
Specific itinerary
DAY1: Xiamen – Xining
DAY2: Xining: Xiguan Halal Temple, Nanguan Halal Temple, Mojia Street
DAY3 (Loop Day 1): Xining - Riyue Mountain - Chuanxi River - Qinghai Lake - Heima River - Chaka Salt Lake, Chaka accommodation (360 km, 4.5 hours by car)
DAY4 (Loop Day 2): Chaka - Crossing the Qaidam Basin - Dachaidan Emerald Salt Lake, Dachaidan Accommodation (500 km, 6 hours by car)
DAY5 (Loop Day 3): Dachaidan - Qaidam Basin - Crossing the basin to the northwest "Highway 66" - South Baxian Yadan Devil City - White Gobi - Axai Town (Nine-story Demon Pagoda Shooting Base) - Dunhuang - Watch the indoor drama "See Dunhuang Again" at night, Dunhuang accommodation (500 km, 6 hours by car)
DAY6 (Loop Day 4): Dunhuang - Mogao Grottoes - Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring, Dunhuang Accommodation (50 km on the day)
DAY7 (Loop Day 5): Dunhuang - Jiayuguan - Zhangye Colorful Danxia Geopark, Zhangye Accommodation in Colorful Town (580 km, 6.5 hours by car)
DAY8 (Circle Day 6): Zhangye - Biandukou Scenic Area - National Highway 227 - Qilian Mountains - Qilian Grassland - Qilian Zall Mountain, Qilian County accommodation (240 km, 3 hours by car)
DAY9 (Loop Day 7): Qilian Departure - Aror Temple - Menyuan Rape Flower Sea - Dabanshan - Heiquan Reservoir - Xining , Xining Accommodation. (280 km, 4 hours by car)
DAY10: Xining : Xining Tibetan Plateau Safari Park, Tangdao 637, Geometry Bookstore
DAY11: Xining — Xiamen
In the seven-day Grand Circle Route, the more arduous ones are the second, third and fifth days, the journey is relatively far, but because the sunset time in the northwest is very late, it will basically get dark at nine o'clock in summer, so the journey is not very rushed, and the time is relatively abundant. The highest altitude is the first and second day of the trip, the highest is about 3800 meters, after getting used to it will be much better.
Some considerations for the Great Loop
1. Northwest The best time to travel is from June to September in summer, especially July to August is the peak season, and accommodation tickets must be booked in advance.
2, the highest position is the tea card and the big chaidan two days before the ring line, about 3500 meters, prone to slight high reaction, such as headache, etc., pay attention to the bath water before going to bed can not be too hot, plateau areas do not exercise vigorously, walk slower. Generally, the first night of sleep will be fine.
3. There are days on the big ring line that are relatively far away, and lunch is not easy to find, and it is often solved at the highway rest stop. It is recommended to buy some materials for the Great Ring Road in Xining, buy some easy-to-eat foods, such as milk, fruits, instant noodles, eight treasure porridge, juice, self-heating rice, bread, etc., but don't buy too much, just buy some on demand.
4. You need to bring your ID card throughout the process, whether it is scenic spots, highway checkpoint registration stations, or even self-driving refueling.
5. Try to go to the toilet in the scenic area, do not drink too much water on the road, the toilets along the road are dry toilets, and the environment is relatively poor. Some mountain roads are tens of kilometers without toilets.
6. Northwest cuisine has a heavy taste, and ordering should account for less oil, less salt and less spicy.
7. Qinghai Lake, Chaka, Emerald Lake, and Qilian all belong to high altitude and low temperature, while Dunhuang is particularly hot, so clothes need to be prepared all year round. In the Qinghai region, it is enough to wear ordinary spring and autumn clothes during the day in July and August, and you need to add a jacket in the mountainous areas at high altitudes, and if it rains and it will be particularly cold, you should also carry a storm jacket or down jacket. Gansu, on the other hand, is noticeably hotter and requires summer clothing and sunscreen clothing.
This trip is a great northwest that has never been seen before, and it is also a great northwest that breaks the stereotype. There are cool desolate Gobi, desert yellow sand, beautiful plateau salt lakes, thousands of miles of flowers, and grasslands and mountains that can be galloped at will, that kind of vastness and vastness, if not personal experience, is from the coastal town we can hardly imagine and experience. How vast the world is, and how small we are, see you on the next journey.
