6 Days Qinghai Photography Tour

Trip Length

6 Days

Route

Xining-Qinghai Lake-Menyuan-Qilian Mountain-Zhangye-Xining

Attractions

Jinyintan Prairie, Qinghai Lake, Birds Island, Ta'er Monastery, Dongguan Mosque, Menyu Rape Flowers Sea, Qilian Mountain Grassland

Tour Map

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Itinerary Day by Day

Day 1: Arrive in Xining

Today's highlights:

Airport/train station transfer to hotel

Details:

Arrive in Xining Caojiabao Airport by air or Xining Railway Station by train. Our guide in Xining will meet you, and you will be transferred to your hotel to check in.

Day 2: Xining-Jinyintan Prairie-Qinghai Lake

Today's highlights:

Jinyintan Prairie, Qinghai Lake

Details:

Drive to Jinyintan Prairie to appreciate the beauty of highland grassland. Jinyintan Prairie comprised of 2 prairies, Jin Tan and Yin Tan. These two prairies cover nearly 1,100 square kilometers. Jinyintan Prairie is the place in which the love story laid between the famous writer Wang Luobin and the Tibetan girl.

In the evening, we head to Qinghai Lake, also called Koko Nor in Mongolian.

Day 3: Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor)

Today's highlights:

Qinghai Lake, Birds Island, Rape Flowers at lakeside

Details:

Free day to take photos at Qinghai Lake, Birds Island and the sea of rape flowers.

Day 4: Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor)-Riyue Mountain-Ta'er Monastery-Xining

Today's highlights:

Sunrise on Qinghai Lake, Ta'er Monastery, Dongguan Mosque

Details:

Get up early to ramble around the lake to take the photos of sunrise. Then, we drive to vsit Ta'er Monastery which is the birth place of the founder of the Yellow Sect (also called Gelu Sect) Tsong Khapa. In the Tibetan language, Ta'er Monastery is called "gongben" which means 100, 000 figures of Buddha. On the way, we will pass the Riyue Mountain (the Sun and Moon mountain). Arrive in Xining to visit Dongguan Mosque.

Day 5: Xining-Menyuan Rape Flowers-Qilian Mountain Grassland-Zhangye

Today's highlights:

Menyuan Rape Flowers, Qilian Mountain Grassland

Details:

In the morning, we drive to Menyuan to appreciate the sea of rape flowers there. Menyuan in the season of July is the paradise. You can not breath to see the spectacular view of the 100,000 acre of rape flowers. The rape flowers land is next to Qilian Mountain.

Qilian Mountain Grassland is at the foot of Qilian Mountain. In the Tibetan epic KING GESAR, the grassland gained the name of "Golden Lotus Prairie" due to its distinct climate and good weather. The Uygur and Mongols call the grassland "Golden Pasture". When the yellow caragana flourishes in the summer, the entire land puts on the colour of sunshine, and the Uygur herdsmen rove about in this "golden sea" with their white and black yurts and flocks of cattle.

Arrive in Zhangye for accommodation.

Day 6: Zhangye-Xining

Today's highlights:

Appreciate the beatiful view on the way back to Xining

Details:

From Zhangye to Qinghai, the elevation is ascending higher and higher. It's 380km to arrive in Xining along the route Zhangye-Minle-Mati Monastery-Biandukou-Ebo-Qingshizui-Datong-Xining.

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