Photo and text: Ranger Sees the World In the vast, desolate and colorful Northwest, there is the desolate Gobi with only the wind remaining.

There are cattle and sheep in the pastures full of wild flowers.

There are salt lakes as colorful as jade.

The rise and fall of the Hexi Corridor Silk Road is full of mysterious temptations for travelers.

I am grateful to spend nine days of my life traveling through Qinghai and Gansu in the late summer of 2020.

Sitting on the hillside overlooking Qinghai Lake, waiting for the sunset at Dachaidan Emerald Lake, and hiking alone at Dongtai Jinair Lake.

Take pictures of your own shadow on the U-shaped highway, feed water birds at Xitai Jinair Lake, and eat ice cream at Mangya Emerald Lake.

Watch the stars on the outskirts of Lenghu Town, go to Oboliang to witness the Martian landscape, watch performances in Dunhuang and visit the night market, and enjoy special car service in Binggou Danxia... Qinghai has a continental plateau climate, with dry and cold winters and a large temperature difference between day and night. It is recognized that

The most suitable time for traveling is from late June to early September.

In mid-August this year, the first snow fell in the Qilian Mountains. When I traveled in late August, the night temperature was only 3-5 degrees.

Due to tourism seasonality and summer vacation factors, hotel, catering, and transportation costs surged in July and August.

If you have free time, it is recommended to consider visiting at the end of June and early September to avoid the peak summer vacation period.

The northwest Qinggan-Gansu Ring Road has inconvenient transportation. The daily distance is often four to five hundred kilometers. The distance between scenic spots is far and there are no shuttle buses. Self-driving or chartering is a more suitable option.

This is a customized itinerary, including transportation, accommodation and most tickets of 5,280 yuan, a round-trip flight to Shenzhen and Xining of 2,100 yuan, meals and miscellaneous expenses during the trip less than 2,000 yuan, and the overall travel cost does not exceed 10,000 yuan.

The overall combination can be a small backpack + suitcase. The suitcase holds most of the items in the trunk, and the small backpack is carried with you, mainly for cameras, sun protection, food, drinking water and power bank.

The most important thing is a sunhat, sunglasses and sunscreen. I strongly recommend an outdoor sunhat with a large brim and curtains on both sides that fully cover 270 degrees. Sunglasses and a mask can basically protect your face. Bring four or five bottles of sunscreen SPF5+ and use it like crazy.

Due to the large temperature difference between day and night, summer clothes are basically the main clothes, but it is strongly recommended to wear long-sleeved sun protection and bring a jacket or jacket to keep out the cold, mainly when going out to eat or watch the stars at night.

One or two sets of coats and trousers are enough, and you can bring a few more sets of underwear. For girls, bring more bright clothes and skirts for photos.

The Northwest is relatively dry, so in order to prevent chapped lips, lip balm is basically a must-have item.

The Northwest is particularly suitable for aerial photography, so those who have a drone must bring it with them.

Compared with many provinces, northwest food materials are relatively scarce, and food processing may not be so refined, but it has its own unique flavor.

Recommended delicacies: mutton skewers, pit-pot meat, Ga noodles, hand-caught mutton, mutton braised pancakes, Dunhuang donkey meat yellow noodles, Zhangye chicken rolls, yak yogurt, etc.

For breakfast during the trip, there are steamed stuffed buns, deep-fried fried dough sticks, fried buns and spicy soup. If you go to a noodle restaurant, there are various kinds of beef noodles, firecrackers, stewed noodles, rice noodles, etc. In addition to the large plate of chicken and local hot pot, the most common dishes to order are Sichuan and Hunan dishes.

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The portions in northwest restaurants are larger than those in coastal areas of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong. Ask about the portions first before ordering to avoid waste.

In the peak tourist season of July and August, accommodation in Qinghai is a difficult problem. It is expensive and difficult to determine. It is recommended to book in advance.

The most common standard room or even a private house costs seven to eight hundred, and it is very common for it to cost thousands.

It is easy to get sunburned due to strong sunlight during the day. Apply sunscreen and lip balm every two hours. Be sure to wear a sun hat and remember to lower the exposure value when taking photos. Always have a box of mineral water with you when chartering a car or driving by yourself. Although the northwest is dry, you will not feel dry mouth.

Remember to drink more water and eat more fruits and vegetables.

The mobile phone signal is very poor these days on the road from Dachaidan to Mangya to Lenghu, so remember to make arrangements in advance if you have anything to do.

Although there are many people in the scenic area, it is still very quiet when walking further away.

The Great Northwest Loop is mainly divided into seven days and nine days. Most of the itinerary is Qinghai Lake Chaka Salt Lake and Dachaidan Emerald Lake, and then go directly north to Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, and Zhangye.

This nine-day itinerary focuses on visiting the East and West Taiwan Jinair Lakes in Haixi, Usut Water Yadan, Mangya Emerald Lake, Oboliang and Mars Camp.

It has been proven that the scenery in these few days is the essence of the Grand Ring Road. It is strongly recommended that everyone’s itinerary design include the above places.

The conditions and scenery of each day's itinerary are detailed below.