No group tours, no self-driving, explore the Great Northwest

Hi everyone, I’m Xiaoyi, sharing a family trip around the Qinghai-Gansu loop, using only public transportation throughout, a 10-day 9-night itinerary~ Day 1 Shantou to Hefei (stay at the free transit hotel provided by the airport) Day 2 Hefei to Xining, arrive at Xining High-Speed Rail Station, have lunch (hand-pulled lamb, lamb noodle slices, eight-treasure tea), then go to Zhangye West Station, visit the Great Buddha Temple, have dinner on the Ming and Qing Ancient Street (fried pao, braised beef) Day 3 Charter a car for a day tour, visit Matisi Temple, have lunch in the city (lamb head fried noodles, Lanzhou cold noodles), visit Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon, Zhangye Wetland Park, have dinner at Zhangye West (lamb hot pot) Day 4 Charter a car for a half-day tour, visit the Rainbow Mountains, have lunch at Xinhui Times Square, visit Zhangye Museum, have dinner at Dunhuang Shazhou Night Market (poplar stewed cake, alfalfa, lamb offal soup) Day 5 Arrive at Mingsha Mountain at 8 AM, visit Mogao Caves with a regular ticket at 11 AM, have dinner at Dunhuang Night Market, buy local specialties, watch the starry sky concert at Mingsha Mountain Day 6 Charter a car for a day tour, travel from Dunhuang to Golmud, visit Heidu Mountain and Emerald Lake along the way, stay near Golmud High-Speed Rail Station Day 7 Half-day tour to Chaka Salt Lake in the morning, have lunch in Golmud city, visit Golmud Museum and Liuyi Lake in the afternoon Day 8 Depart Golmud at 7 AM to Xining, have lunch at Xiangnanguan, visit Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum in the afternoon, see the 618-meter Thangka, have dinner at Xiangnanguan Day 9 Book a day tour to Qinghai Lake and Chaka Salt Lake, depart at 6 AM, visit Riyue Mountain, Qinghai Lake, Heimahe Scenic Area, and Chaka Salt Lake, return to Xining city at 9:30 PM Day 10 Sleep in naturally in the morning, check in at Amala Tibetan Restaurant, visit Qinghai Plateau Zoo (see Xining F4), return to Shantou at 5 PM to end the family trip around the Qinghai-Gansu loop, using only public transportation. The journey might have some minor inconveniences, but it offers freedom. Replacing bus rides with flights saved energy and reduced travel time~ If you’re like me, prefer fewer people, don’t want group tours or self-driving, then boldly choose public transportation~