Inner Mongolia Ningxia Qinghai and Gansu Tour

Today you will arrive in Ordos, A city with profound history and unique folk customs. Upon arrival, our local guide will meet you at airport or train station. and then transfer to hotel for checking in.

If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, to feel the green of the grassland and experience the meadow's leisure, then Ordos grassland will be a perfect choice. Arrive at the scenic spot, you will start the trip from the locals giving you a Hada that represents good wishes. The rolling grass is dotted with cattle and horses; You can experience horse riding and archery on the grassland, enjoy a live performance with a unique Mongolian style, and see a romantic Ordos wedding show. What a beautiful memory!

Depart from the hotel in the Ordos and gleefully explore the marvelous Genghis Khan Mausoleum. Enter the scenic spot, the first and foremost visit is the sacrificial cultural area. Passing the central square and walking up to the ninety-nine steps symbolizing auspiciousness, We will come to the shrine and see the majestic tomb of the grassland emperor. The central part of Genghis Khan Mausoleum is composed of three yurt-style palaces, which is like an eagle with wings spread, symbolizing Genghis Khan's spirit of not afraid of hardship and courage to move forward, and showing the magnificence of the mausoleum of God on the vast grassland. It is also highly recommended to enjoy an amazing Mongolian equestrian show and traditional Ordos wedding show after the visit.

It's from here that you will enter the uniquely shaped Ordos Museum. The museum looks like a massive meteorite from outside, you will see a different view of the museum when the lights are on. The interior of the museum is also extensive, which divided into five floors. It has a very comprehensive introduction to the Ordos and even Mongolia from nature, humanities, paleontology, Mongolian history, and many other topics and aspects. There are a lot of dinosaur fossils, you can explore the secrets of ancient times.

Farewell to Ordos and then travel to Yinchuan with 5hrs driving. Start an adventure of Yinchuan from Sand Lake, The side of the scenic area is the lake, and the desert is on the other side. You can enjoy the exquisite sand sculpture at International Sand Sculpture Garden, the venue of the previous Sand Lake International Sand Sculpture Competition, where sand sculpture masters from the United States, France, Russia, and other countries compete together. Then pay a visit to the Farmland Museum and explore the development of Ningxia agricultural reclamation over half a century. You can have an opportunity to see the Wetland Museum that combines wetland knowledge, creatures, wetland culture, the relationship between wetland and humans, etc. The bird island in Sand Lake is also the best place for bird watching.

After the delighted breakfast, we will head to explore the Shapotou on the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert. The Shapotou tourist area is divided into two by the Baolan Railway, and the southern part is adjacent to the Yellow River. It is an aquatic activity tourist area, providing tourism projects such as sheepskin rafts and iron ropes flying over the Yellow River. The northern part borders the Tengger Desert and is a desert activity tourist area; you can experience the desert speeding and camel riding. After that, we will drive you to Lanzhou for an overnight stay.

With an early start today, you will be driven to Liujiaxia Dam and then you will take a fast boat to cross the gorge where you will enter the Bingling Temple. Enjoy the variety of artworks in different styles and observe the social situations and customs in ancient times when seeing the stone sculptures and appreciate the miracle of Buddha caves.

In the afternoon, travel back to Lanzhou and take a city tour to Yellow River's Mother Statue consisting of “a mother” and “a baby boy” which symbolizes the mother of the Yellow River nurturing the Chinese nation. Enjoy a view of the First Bridge of Yellow River, it is the first highway bridge in the ancient Yellow River, also the second city steel bridge in China. Visit the Waterwheel Garden, which is a theme garden exhibiting the waterwheel culture. Here, we could appreciate the waterwheel driven by the flowing water all year round to collect water from the river or cofferdam.

This morning we will travel to Xining, the capital city of Qinghai, also an indispensable place for the ancient Silk Road. After greeted by the guide and take the 2hrs visiting to the Buddhist architectural masterpiece Ta'er Monastery(kumbum Monastery), an ancient Tibetan gompa founded in 1583. You will be taken to catch a whole sight of this delicate complex and get close to the inner design knowing about its decoration, mural etc. Witness Buddhist believers undertaking religious activities is also a good experience.

Today you will journey outside of Xining with 3 hours driving and enjoy the magnificent Qinghai Lake; This is the largest inland saltwater lake in China. It is no exaggeration to say that Qinghai Lake is a miracle that is endowed by a deity. Outside, He encircled the lake with four continuous mountains and extended broad grassland at the foot of them. Inside, like a master baker, He decorated the water with many little islands. All these natural attractions come together perfectly to form a Xanadu on earth to win many tourists' favor. 

After breakfast, You will meet your guide at the hotel lobby and then transfer you to Zhangye. Upon arrival, Pay a visit to Giant Buddha Temple, which is the important place of the Silk Road. The Temple is the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province of the Western Xia (1038-1227) period. China's largest reclining Buddha is well preserved in this temple. After lunch at a local restaurant, we will head to enjoy the scenery of splendid Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, you will be marveled by the colorful layers of mountain ridges in the 4hr's adventure to the different platforms.

Today we begin our journey to Jiayuguan, and climb the Jiayuguan Fortress. Standing among vast desert and surrounded by rolling mountains,it looks like a dignified general guarding the grand land. Besides functioning as a frontier military fortress, it was also an important traffic hub along the Silk Road, the oldest worldwide trading route.

After that, you will explore the Great Wall Museum, which was opened to the public in October 1989 and it is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way.

Travel to Dunhuang with about 4-5hrs driving and head up to Echoing Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake. When there is wild wind, the sands will be blown up and make a loud sound, while the sound sounds like being produced by some ancient musical instrument when blown by the breeze, There is also a Crescent Lake that has been in existence for hundreds of years without ever being buried by the sand. Riding the camel as the Silk Road Caravan in the vast desert is highly recommended (approximately 40mins). Please bring your sunglasses and mask to keep out the dust

In the evening, you can walk around and taste Gansu delicacies at the Shazhou Night Market, the most bustling place of Dunhuang at night. It's easy to lose our sense of time wonder the market while enjoying your leisure time and taste some local cuisine.

Spend another day in Dunhuang. explolre the well-known Mogao Grottoes, which was designated as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO for its 1600 years accumulated cultural, architectural, and art treasures. There remains 492 cave temple and 45000 square meters of frescos. According to Tang Dynasty records, a monk had witnessed onsite a vision of thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays. Thus inspired, he started the caves construction work that spanned ten dynasties. Mogao Caves are commonly known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. Thereafter, you will go head to the Dunhuang Painting and Calligraphy Institute, visit the Painting and Calligraphy exhibition, The Murals of the Mogao Grottoes. Experience and copy the murals of Mogao Grottoes or make the lithographs are also highly recommended.

Farewell to Dunhuang and we will arrange the airport transfer according to your flight schedule. Wish you have a pleasant journey home!