Lanzhou, capital of
Gansu Province, is frequently chosen as the starting point for an in-depth provincial tour
by most travelers due to its convenient transport. Day One: In the morning, go to the Gansu Provincial
Museum. Lunch: try one of the local restaurants,
perhaps sampling the Lanzhou Beef Noodle.
In the afternoon, first go to the Five Springs Mountain
Park and then the White
Pagoda Hill Park to appreciate the Buddhist architecture. Stay at one of
the local Hotels. Day Two: Get up early to get the bus to Xiahe at 7:30 or
8:30am. It will probably take the whole day to reach the destination. Check
in at one of the local hotels
after arrival. Day Three: Take a tour of the Labrang Monastery and then visit
the monastery"s Gongtang Pagoda
in the morning (before 12am). Eat lunch in any restaurant along
the main street. Afternoon can be spent talking to locals, circling the monastery
around the Prayer Wheels, or heading to the hills for some
amazing scenery. Return to the main street to eat dinner. Day Four: Head to the Sanke Grasslands by bike to
enjoy the calm view and perhaps take a ride on a Tibetan horse. Return in the
afternoon for dinner and then bed. (Optional night: You may wish to extend your
trip by staying a night at the grasslands in a traditional Tibetan tent). (Optional trip: for those with a bit more time, or who wish to
travel on to Sichuan, you may
wish to leave on day five for Hezuo, and then Langmusi, early in the morning). Day Five: Get up early to get the
bus to Lanzhou. It will
probably take the whole day to reach the city. In Lanzhou,
either stay the night in a local hotel
or take a night train (about 10pm) that will arrive in Zhangye about 12 hours later. Day Six: In the morning, pay a visit to
the Muta Temple.
After having a brief lunch, walk to the Giant Buddha Temple.
Stay in one of the hotels. Day Seven: Take a train in the morning
to Jiayuguan, which can be reached in four hours. In the afternoon, take a look
at the Jiayuguan Fort.
Check in at a local hotel. Day Eight: In the morning, pay a visit to the Great Wall Museum
and in the afternoon, head to the Overhanging Great
Wall. Stay in a hotel. Day Nine: In the morning, take a train
to Dunhuang,
which should take you about nine hours. Check in at a local hotel. Day Ten: You may get up late today, for
the scenery at the Crescent Moon Spring
and the Singing Sand Mountains is better later on in the day. Take a bus
there either late morning or early afternoon and get back late evening. Stay
in a hotel. Day Eleven: In the morning, take a bus to Mogao Grottoes
to study the Buddhist grotto art. Head back in the afternoon. (Don"t forget
to take food with you). Day Twelve: We set Dunhuang as the end point of our Gansu
tour because it is fairly convenient to take a flight or train to quite a number
of the major cities in China. However, if you still have got some time, you
may head back to Lanzhou and extend your time in Gansu by visiting Tianshui
to take a look at the the Maijishan
Grottoes. Alternatively you can continue up towards Xinjiang, maybe stopping
off at the sweltering oasis, Turpan,
along the way. |