Two days are enough for the Yinchuan Five Lakes Special Forces Crossing

On a whim, I went to Yinchuan for the Special Forces experience. Since I didn’t have much time, I mainly wanted to do the Five Lakes Crossing, so I set off alone. Early flight on Saturday, landed at 10:45, and the return flight was Sunday at 7:20 PM. Day 1, after getting off the plane, I grabbed a meal and then headed to the Five Lakes Crossing. The crossing basically takes about 4 hours to complete, so find a reliable guide. Since I sent out requests on Friday and couldn’t join a carpool, I hired a private car. The guide had a drone, and there was also a tour guide who accompanied me alone for the day and took photos. Overall, I finished the Five Lakes Crossing in one day. This is a desert crossing project; it was my first time playing in the sand, and it was indeed a bit bumpy. Fortunately, the guide took good care of me, so it went relatively smoothly. If you join a carpool, departures from the city are usually between 8-9 AM. I left the desert at 6 PM and only got back to the city after 8 PM. My takeaway from this part is: spend the money and find a reliable guide. Driving in the desert is very dangerous, and you only have one chance to travel—life doesn’t come again. Be kind to yourself and entrust yourself to a trustworthy driver above all else. Day 2, I visited the Western Xia Imperial Tombs and Helan Mountain Rock Paintings. Helan Mountain is beautiful in autumn. Yinchuan’s tourism is well done, with good service, well-planned content, and well-funded installations. There are also outdoor field observation projects, so it’s not just a museum. Kudos to Ningxia’s culture and tourism. I didn’t go to Zhenbeibu because I didn’t think it was worth it. p1, p4-5 Longyan Jade Lake p2 Wulan Lake p3 Desert of the Five Lakes Crossing p7-8 Swan Lake p9 Camel Lake p10-13 Western Xia Imperial Tombs p14-16 Helan Mountain Rock Paintings