Northwest Loop | Distribution map of tourist attractions! The lazy man’s guide to avoiding pitfalls! ——💚 7 days to explore the essence of Northwest China 💚——

From Qinghai Lake to Dunhuang, from Emerald Lake to Qarhan, this route covers 90% of the stunning scenery in Northwest China! Few people and beautiful scenery, just copy the homework! . 🚗 7-day pure play route D1: Xining → Qinghai Lake (Pastoral Trail) → Chaka Salt Lake → Delingha 📸 Qinghai Lake: Free entry during the off-season, there is still unmelted ice and snow by the lake, it's super dreamy! 🌊 Chaka Salt Lake: The light is the softest after 4pm, perfect for taking reflection photos! . D2: Delingha→Qarhan Salt Lake→Dachaidan 💎 Chaerhan Salt Lake (highly recommended!): More shocking than Chaka! Apple Green Salt Lake + Thousand Island Salt Flowers, taken by drone, look like an alien secret realm! . D3: Dachaidan→U-shaped road→Water Yadan→Nanbaxian Ghost City→Dunhuang 🛣 U-shaped highway: a cool highway movie, but be careful not to stand in the middle of the road! 🏜 Yadan on water: the only Yadan landform on water in the world, super spectacular at sunset. . D4: Dunhuang → Mogao Grottoes → Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake → Shazhou Night Market 🎨 Mogao Grottoes: Book Class A tickets in advance! 8 caves + 2 digital movies, cultural shock! 🌙 Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake: Go in the evening, ride a camel to watch the sunset, and take pictures of the starry sky at night! . D5: Dunhuang→Jiayuguan→Colorful Danxia→Zhangye 🏯 Jiayu Pass: The most majestic pass in the world, feel the desolation of the frontier. . 🌈 Colorful Danxia: The colors are more vivid after the rain, and the No. 4 viewing platform is the most photogenic! D6: Zhangye → Qilian Grassland → Gangshika Snow Peak → Menyuan → Xining � Qilian Grassland: The grass turns green after May, and you can ride horses and take photos with lambs~ . 📌 Must-see Tips ✅ Transportation: It is recommended to charter a car/carpool. The signal is poor on some sections of the road, so you need to download offline maps in advance if you drive by yourself. ✅ Outfit: Salt Lake → Bright Skirt (Red/White/Yellow) Desert → Hanfu or cowboy style Yadan → Cool workwear style ✅ Altitude sickness: Qinghai Lake & Daxiadan are over 3000 meters above sea level. Don’t do strenuous exercise and prepare some glucose. ✅ Food: Xining: Hand-pulled Lamb, Sour Yogurt Dunhuang: Donkey meat noodles, apricot peel water Zhangye: Fish noodles and fried cannonballs . 💬 You may want to ask ❓ Q: Is the Qarhan Salt Lake worth visiting? 👉 A: Definitely worth it! It is bigger and greener than Chaka, and there are fewer people. You don’t even need to photoshop when taking photos! ❓ Q: Will it be very cold if I go there during the off-season? 👉 A: From April to June, the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, 10-15°C during the day and around 0°C at night, so bring a down jacket with you! ❓ Q: How to buy tickets for Mogao Grottoes? 👉 A: Book Class A tickets (including 8 caves + movie) in advance on the official website. Tickets are hard to come by during peak season! . ✅Personal tips 1⃣ At first, I didn’t know when to use erythromycin ointment and what it was for, but later the tour guide told us that we could apply some on the nose before going to bed at night to prevent nosebleeds. . 2⃣ Sun protection: very important! ! After all, this is a high altitude area with strong ultraviolet rays, so bring sunglasses + sun hat + sun mask + parasol + sunscreen. . 3⃣ Wear comfortable walking shoes👟! Because there are many places for hiking. . 4⃣ When you first arrive in Xining, go to the hotel to rest. Don’t walk around and don’t take a shower or wash your hair. You generally won’t experience altitude sickness. If you are really worried, you can buy a small tank of oxygen as a backup!