8-Day Private Qinghai Natural and Culture Exploration

Attractions: No
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Xining

Today, your flight will land in Xining. Upon arrival, you will be met by your guide and brought to your hotel for check-in.

Attractions: Ta’er Monastery, Dongguan Grand Mosque
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Xining

In the morning, your guide and driver will pick you up and drive about 26 km to Ta’er Monastery, the six major monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism in China, where the mural, cloth Buddhas, and butter scriptures are three must-sees.

If time permits, we’ll visit Dongguan Grand Mosque, the largest mosque in Qinghai Province, famous for its religious education center and the highest institution of Islam.

Attractions: Kanbula National Forest Park
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Tongren

Drive 1.5 hours from Xining to Kanbula National Forest Park, with the awe-inspiring Yellow River flowing slowly through. It’s the first national geopark in Qinghai with Danxia landform as its main landscape, featuring a great number of natural wonders such as deep caves, lofty cliffs, grotesque peaks, dozens of wild animals, and rich plant resources.

In addition to enjoying the natural beauty, give yourself a chance to take a leisurely cruise on the Yellow River by sightseeing boat, and capture the marvelous landscape of the surrounding with your camera.The whole sightseeing takes 4-5 hours.

Then drive about 90 km to Tongren.

Attractions: Wutun Monastery, Longwu Monastery
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Tongren

Today, a Tibetan culture experience is arranged for you by visiting Longwu Monastery first, which is a richly decorated Tibetan temple, housing various fine arts and precious cultural relics, like exquisite Buddha statues, murals, embroidery, Thangka paintings, as well as vast Buddhist scriptures.

Then head for Wutun Monastery, the birthplace of “Regong Art”, where most monks are good at painting, clay sculpture, and carving. Finishing the visit, move forward to a local Regong Painting School to witness the scene of local people creating Thangka paintings on site.

Attractions: Shizang Danxia Scenic Area
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Dawu

Drive 6-7 hours to Dawu town. The Danxia landform, majestic Yellow River, and Tibetan villages along the way will not make your car trip boring. The driver will make a few stops for you to take photos or rest.

Enjoy yourself in Shizang Danxia Scenic Area before arriving at Dawu town. Taking the plateau Danxia landform as the main landscape, this scenic spot provides a rather spectacular beauty consisting of Danxia cliffs, canyons, plateau pastures, humanities and religions, Quaternary glacial relics, and so on.

Attractions: Mt. Amne Machin
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Gonghe

Take a 1-hour ride to Mt. Amne Machin after breakfast. Regarded as a sacred mountain by the Tibetan people, it’s a paradise for wild animals and plants, where you can see dozens of rare wild animals such as deer, Tibetan gazelle, and snow cock. Go deep into the valley and see numerous glistening glaciers.

After the exploration, drive 420 km to Gonghe County for check-in.

Attractions: Chaka Salt Lake
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Xiahe

In the morning, drive 2 hours to the natural crystallized Chaka Salt Lake. Unlike other salt lakes, it has both solid and liquid salts. The snow-white lake bed and the crystal waters reflecting the blue sky make it known as the “Mirror of the Sky”.

Hop on a sightseeing train directly to the vicinity of the lake and then walk to the lakeside. Take a relaxing stroll on the salt lake and appreciate interesting sculptures carved with salt. In the end, drive 1.5 hours to Qinghai Lake.

Note: you’re advised to wear a pair of shoe covers to protect your feet from saltwater. Cover your skin as much as possible to protect against harsh UV rays. Remember to pack sunglasses.

Attractions: Qinghai Lake
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Not Included

Today, you’ll have a full exploration of Erlangjian Scenic Area – Qinghai Lake, the largest inland and saltwater lake in China, offering year-round pleasure.

Catch the peaceful scenery – the crystal clear lake water reflecting the green mountains in the deep like a mirror; the lakeside connected with stretching farmlands that prospering with blooming rape flowers and rolling with wheat waves, sending blasts of fragrance to the lake; the green grasslands and hills scattered with herds of cattle and sheep…

* If you want to enhance your experience by admiring Qinghai Lake from a different perspective, you could have an optional cruise on Qinghai Lake (Boat tickets at your own expense).

After enjoying, escort you to Xining airport or train station for departure.