Live Your Best Lives
Summer is coming, and it's a good time to travel. Here we recommend a Lanzhou-Chengdu 12-day self-driving tour route. Starting from Lanzhou, it passes through Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture (Gansu) - Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Gansu) - Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture (Sichuan) to Chengdu. Lanzhou is about 950 kilometers directly to the capital, plus the branches of surrounding attractions, the whole journey is about 1,200 kilometers.
This road not only has magnificent plateau and grassland scenery, but also has strong Hui, Tibetan and Qiang customs, and will pass through world-class attractions such as Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Qingcheng Mountain, and Dujiangyan, and the route is not a classic!
D1 Arrive in Lanzhou, city tour, stay in Lanzhou
Visit Xiguan Halal Temple - Baiyun Temple - Memorial Hall of the Eighth Route Army Office;
Rent a car in the evening and visit the Zhengning Road Night Market (try the famous snack milk and egg mash).
Zhengning Road Snack Night Market D2 Lanzhou-Yongjing-Linxia, stay in Linxia
Departure early in the morning to Yongjing County for breakfast , to Liujiaxia Dam Wharf;
Take a boat tour of the Bingling Temple Grottoes and visit Liujiaxia Hydropower Station on the way back; Evening to summer.
Bingling Temple Grottoes D3 Linxia City, stay in Linxia
In the morning, visit the Red Garden - Wanshou Temple - Mosque Gongbei - East Mansion; Visit the North Street Night Market in the evening.
East Mansion D4 Linxia-Xiahe - Cooperation, accommodation cooperation
Depart for Xiahe in the morning, visit Delon Monastery on the way;
arrived at Xiahe City at noon, visited Labrang Monastery in the afternoon, and circled the longest prayer wheel;
Labrang Monastery Arrive at the cooperative city in the evening, see the Milareba Buddhist Pavilion (note: it is closed), and visit Century Square.
D5 Cooperation - Luqu, Suluqu
Visit the Milarepa Buddha Pavilion in the morning, then go to Luqu, passing through the Kabugaliang Observation Deck to watch;
After lunch in Luqu City, go to Youzecha Stone Forest; Return to Luqu in the evening.
Anduco's Monastery Milazhiba Buddha Pavilion D6 Luqu-Jorge, staying in Jorge
set off early in the morning to Langmu Temple, watch the scenery through the watershed observation deck, and visit the Gahai on the way;
Gansu Gahai Zecha Nature Reserve - Gahai Lake Arrive at Langmu Temple before noon, visit Gandan Saichi Temple (Gan), and have lunch in the town;
in the afternoon, go to Ruoerge, and visit Huahu Lake on the way; Arrive in the evening and visit the county seat before dark.
D7 Ruoerge - Chuanzhu Temple - Jiuzhaigou, stay in Jiuzhaigou
Go to visit the first bay of Jiuqu of the Yellow River early in the morning; at noon, go to Chuanzhu Temple to visit the Red Army Monument Garden;
In the afternoon (after 16 o'clock), go to Jiuzhaigou, see the ancient city of Jiafan when approaching, and arrive in the evening.
D8 Tour Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, stay in Jiuzhaigou
Full-day tour of Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area, including Chawagou-Rizegou-Shuzhenggou.
Jiuzhaigou Scenic Area D9 Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong-Songpan, Susongpan
set off early in the morning to Huanglong and visit the Huanglong Scenic Area (Yaochi, Huanglong Cave, etc.);
Return to Songpan in the evening and visit the ancient city of Songpan.
Huanglong Scenic Area D10 Songpan-Maoxian-Wenchuan-Dujiangyan, Sudujiangyan
in the morning, depart to Mao County and visit the ancient Qiang city of China;
Passing through Wenchuan, you visit the radish Qiang village; I used to live in Dujiangyan and strolled through the night beer gallery in the evening.
Radish Village D11 Visit Qingcheng Mountain or Qingcheng Back Mountain, and stay in Dujiangyan
Qingcheng Mountain D12 Visit Dujiangyan Scenic Area, to Chengdu, the trip ends
In the morning, visit Dujiangyan Scenic Area (Songmao Ancient Road - Erwang Temple - Anlan Bridge - Yuzui - Feisha Weir - Lidui - Baopingkou);
In the afternoon, go to Chengdu, return the car, visit Jinli or Kuanzhai Cangzi in the evening, and the trip ends.
Dujiangyan Scenic Area The following is a schematic diagram of the location of scenic spots along the way:
◎ Why was this route designed? I remember that many years ago, there was a TV commercial "Great Beauty Gannan", and I have always yearned for it! It is most suitable to go to Gannan from Lanzhou, and further south is the famous town of Langmu Temple, which is also the boundary of Ganchuan, and then the world-famous Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong, so simply continue south to Chengdu.
◎ What is the situation of renting and returning a car? We flew from Beijing to Lanzhou, rented a car and drove to Chengdu to return the car, and then flew back to Beijing from Chengdu. In fact, the cost of renting a car in Gansu is higher during the peak season (summer), and a one-way return fee of 2,300 yuan will be charged to return the car to Chengdu. When returning the car, I found that if I rented Lanzhou from Chengdu to repay, the fare was much cheaper (no more than 1,000 yuan).
◎ Why not drive the whole way? The first is a matter of time. I have to go to work and travel, and it is not easy to make up time. I really envy those who travel by car for a month.
In addition, when I was young, I especially liked to travel by car, but after countless trips, its shortcomings became more and more obvious, time-consuming, physically exhausting, and exhausting. So these young people have ultra-long-distance road trips.
Of course, self-driving travel also has many advantages such as saving money and being casual. In the final analysis, it is a matter of exchanging money for time or time for money. In fact, I also dream of one day, such as after retirement, to drive all the provinces and cities across the country again.
◎ Why is there no return trip?Or is it because time is limited. If you want to increase the return trip, you can take the Chengdu-Mianyang-Guangyuan-Longnan-Dingxi-Lanzhou line, which is also a good route, and there is no turning back.
◎ How full is the trip? It is relatively loose, especially in the next few days, which is intentionally adjusted for the relaxation after the "trekking" in the previous few days. In fact, the more you travel, the more you will understand this truth: travel is not about where you check in to indicate that you have been here, but to appreciate, feel, absorb knowledge, and fully integrate yourself into it.
Therefore, the itinerary does not have to be too full, leave blank space for yourself! In this way, 20 years of travel experience have accumulated wealth in life!
◎ What are the road conditions and is it safe? The road conditions are good throughout the whole process, and you can rest assured that it is safe. Only a section of the road in Wenchuan Radish Qiang Village is up the mountain and the road is narrow. In addition, when I was doing my homework before leaving, I saw that there were criminals in the Sangke grassland in Xiahe who blackmailed cars from other places, so I excluded the Sangke grassland from the itinerary, anyway, the grassland scenery continued all the way.
The following is an introduction to the relevant details of the itinerary, first of all, pay attention to the following points:
1) About mileage and time: The mileage and time between each destination are given in the introduction, and the time is for reference only, depending on the road conditions at that time;
2) About accommodation: personal preferences are different, there is no accommodation recommendation in the itinerary, just search for your favorite from China-TravelNote and other platforms and make a reservation; Non-hot destinations, such as Linxia, Cooperation, Luqu, etc., there is no problem in finding them in the place;
3) About three meals: The introduction only includes recommended local food, as for the ordinary three meals a day, just find and eat as you go. The last thing to worry about in the country now is not being able to find food, haha......
4) About the recommendation index: ★ indicates the recommendation index, one star is the smallest, and five stars are the largest. This is just a personal tendency ranking and is for reference only.
D1 Lanzhou City
Attractions: 1) Xiguan Halal Temple ★★★: Free attraction with distinct Islamic style;
2) Baiyun Temple ★★★: A free attraction, also known as Lüzu Temple, was built during the Qing Dao period (1837), one of the three temples in Lanzhou, and is a quiet place;
3) Memorial Hall ★★★ of the Eighth Route Army Office: Free attraction, the exhibition is very detailed, and there is a little-known history of the Soviet Air Force aiding China;
The must-visit attractions in Lanzhou are the "Yellow River Iron Bridge ★★★★" and the "Gansu Provincial Museum★★★★★ (Ma Ta Feiyan is there), which are not listed because they have been there before.
Lanzhou Xiguan Halal Temple Food: 1) Zhengning Road Night Market ★★★★★: There are so many snacks that you can see it, Be sure to taste the milk and egg mash, and have been on the tip of the CCTV tongue;
2) Dazhong Alley ★★★: It is a snack street, recommending Du Ji sweets;
Du Ji Sweets 3) Yuebin Lou Lou Beijing Restaurant ★★★: A century-old brand, it is actually Beijing cuisine, as well as pastries and snacks;
4) Lanzhou beef noodles ★★★: Locals don't call it Lanzhou ramen. So the restaurants named after "Lanzhou ramen" in various places should not be authentic, right?
Many years ago, Ma Zilu beef noodles in Dazhong Lane were the most authentic, but now they are gone. Lanzhou people love beef noodles, and there will be a queue for good noodle restaurants to meals, but I personally feel that the taste is similar. You can search for the top ten Lanzhou beef noodle restaurants on the Internet, just choose the nearest one.
D2 Lanzhou-Yongjing-Linxia
Mileage: Lanzhou-Yongjing 77 kilometers (about 1 hour and 40 minutes), Yongjing-Linxia 52 kilometers (about 1 hour and 27 minutes).
Attractions: 1) Liujiaxia Dam Wharf ★★: You need to buy a ticket here to take a boat to the Bingling Temple Grottoes, because the grottoes are on the opposite bank upstream of the reservoir. There are speedboats and cruises, and it is recommended to take a speedboat (40 minutes each way).When it was full, we only waited for more than ten minutes;
2) Bingling Temple Grottoes ★★★★: Founded during the reign of the Western Qin Dynasty in the Sixteen Kingdoms, it belongs to the "Silk Road: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor Road Network" and is a world cultural heritage;
3) Liujiaxia Hydropower Station ★★★: China's first million-kilowatt hydropower station, which is a large-scale hydropower project designed, constructed and built by our country.
Others: You can go around Yongjing County, the Yellow River passes through the city, and the banks of the Yellow River Bridge are very lively.
Liujiaxia Hydropower Station Liujiaxia Dam Wharf D3 Linxia City
Attractions: 1) Red Garden ★★: It can be said that it is a Jiangnan garden built in an Islamic atmosphere;
2) Wanshou Temple ★★: It is the second largest temple of Taoism in the northwest, as famous as Kongtong Mountain, located on the hillside of Beiyuan in the northern suburbs, overlooking the whole city;
3) Mosque Gongbei ★★: Chinese Muslims call the mausoleum buildings of Sufi mentors, ancestors of eunuchs, Taoist ancestors, sages and others Gongbei. The architectural style absorbs the characteristics of Arabic architecture and is built according to the Chinese palace style;
4) East Mansion ★★★: It is the residence of Ma Buqing, former deputy commander of the Kuomintang 40th Group Army, where Wang Zhen's headquarters was stationed before the army marched into Qinghai. brick carving and wood carving can be called artistic masterpieces;
5) Linxia Museum ★★: If you have time, you can also visit the Linxia Museum, which is rare to find Islamic-style museums.
Food: 1) North Street Night Market ★★★: Similar to Lanzhou Zhengning Road Night Market, the scale is much smaller, mainly halal snacks;
Linxia City Linxia North Street Night Market 2) Beef offal shop ★★★★★: Not far from Suoma Mosque, A small and inconspicuous shop. Beef offal soup is equipped with "hemp flowers", which is better than mountain delicacies!
D4 Linxia-Xiahe-Cooperation
Mileage: Linxia-Dellong Temple 77 kilometers (about 1 hour and 12 minutes), Deji-Xiahe 30 kilometers (about 40 minutes), Xiahe-Cooperation 76 kilometers (about 1 hour and 24 minutes).
Attractions: 1) Delon Temple ★★★: A Huangjiao temple located on the road to Xiahe, which can be visited along the way without tickets. When we arrived in the morning, all the halls were closed, but if you believe in Buddhism, the kind lama will open the temple door for you to enter the temple to pay respects to the Buddha;
2) Labrang Monastery ★★★★★: In the urban area of Xiahe County, it is one of the six major temples of the Gelug sect (Huangjiao) of Tibetan Buddhism. There is the world's longest prayer wheel, which can be rotated around to accumulate merit and pray for relatives and friends.
Labrang Monastery Others: 1) The Xia River is about 3500 meters above sea level, and there may be a little altitude sickness;
2) The cooperative city is the capital of Gannan Autonomous Prefecture, and you can visit the Century Square in the city center in the evening, and there is a night market ★★ next to the square.
D5 Cooperation-Luqu
Mileage: Cooperation-Luqu 84 kilometers (about 1 hour and 37 minutes) Pass through the Capugarian Observation Deck.
Attractions: 1) Milareba Buddha Pavilion ★★★★★: On the outskirts of the cooperative city, it is a very rare red Tibetan-style high-rise building. The Buddhist pavilion is called nine floors, but it is actually eight floors, and the ninth floor is a mandala portrait on the roof of the eighth floor. The lamas here provide explanation services, and the level of explanation is very good;
2) Zecha Stone Forest ★★★: It is a rare scenic spot in our country that integrates forests, grasslands and stone forests. The scenic spot is on a branch road, and you can't see anyone for twenty or thirty kilometers until the ticket office. In fact, there are not a few tourists.
Others: There is also a small Tibetan village of Internet celebrities in the vicinity, which can also be used for a day. Because of the long distance, we didn't have any arrangements in our itinerary.
Zecha Stone Forest D6 Luqu-Ruoerge, Langmu Temple, Flower Lake, and stay in Ruoerge
Mileage: 86 kilometers (about 1 hour and 23 minutes) from Luqu to Langmu Temple, via the watershed observation deck; Langmu Temple - Ruoerge 85 km (about 1 hour 33 minutes).
Attractions: 1) Gahai ★★★★: A grassland freshwater lake that will definitely surprise you, stunning and beautiful!
2) Langmu Temple Town ★★★: Langmu Temple is not a temple, but a Tibetan town. There are two things that make it particularly famous: first, it is located at the junction of Ganchuan, with Gansu on one side of the town and Sichuan on the other side; second, the Gandan Saichi Temple in the town has a heavenly burial ceremony;
3) Gandan Saichi Temple ★★★: On this side of Gansu, it is a Huangjiao temple. It may also be in time for the heavenly burial, do you have the courage to see it?
4) Huahu ★★★★: At this time, he was already in Ruoerge County, Sichuan. the grassland lake comparable to the Gahai Sea is much larger than the former;
5) Ruoerge Prairie ★★★: From Langmu Temple to Ruoerge County, it is to walk through the prairie
Others: 1) From Xia River to Huahu, the altitude is about 3400-3500, usually there is no altitude sickness, but the temperature is much lower, and you have to wear a coat in midsummer;
2) I have been greeting beef and mutton for a few days, and I started to enjoy it and eat it, but after three or four days, I couldn't stand it anymore. I finally saw a Sichuan restaurant in Langmusi Town, and I couldn't wait to order a large bowl of bitter gourd scrambled eggs, fried cauliflower, and clear soup, vegan! It's so comfortable to eat!
3) When I entered the Sichuan border, there were many Sichuan restaurants, and when I arrived in Ruoerge County, I also had a mother's rabbit head for dinner.
Langmusi Town D7 Ruoerge-Chuanzhusi-Jiuzhaigou
Mileage: Ruoerge-Yellow River Jiuqu First Bay 73 kilometers (about 1 hour and 40 minutes), Ruoerge-Chuanzhusi 143 kilometers (about 2 hours and 45 minutes), Chuanzhusi-Jiuzhaigou 87 kilometers (about 1 hour and 57 minutes).
Attractions: 1) The first bay ★★★★ of the Yellow River: I planned to visit the first bay of the nine bends of the Yellow River, but I was left with regrets because the road was not built. This attraction should not be missed;
2) Red Army Monument Park ★★★: Located in Chuanzhu Temple. Like Langmu Temple, Chuanzhu Temple is a town and not a temple. The Red Army's Long March passed through this place. The grassland passed during the Long March is the grassland of Ruoerge;
3) Jiafan Ancient City ★★: It is not an ancient city, but the ruins of the garrison left by the Songtsen Gampo army when it attacked the Tang Dynasty, and is now a resort hotel, which is only 27 kilometers away from Jiuzhaigou.
D8 Jiuzhaigou
Attractions: Jiuzhaigou ★★★★★: World Natural Heritage, "Jiuzhai returns without looking at the water", needless to say.
Food: 1) There is a Tex outside the gate of the scenic spot, "long time absent" delicious, it seems that it makes sense to open a store here!
2) Roasted yak meat ★★★★: There will be yak meat hanging on the shelves around the hotel, cut and roasted, accompanied by beer, and compete with the gods!
Others: Go to the scenic spot from the hotel early in the morning, just follow the walking army, it is inconvenient to drive because there are too many people. There is a taxi that can be sent there, and the road of 2 or 3 kilometers costs more than 50 yuan. In 04 years, in the same situation, remember that it only costs 4 yuan to take a taxi.
D9 Jiuzhaigou-Huanglong-Songpan
Mileage: 41 kilometers from Chuanzhusi to Huanglong (about 1 hour and 15 minutes), 17 kilometers from Chuanzhusi to Songpan (21 minutes).
Attractions: 1) Huanglong ★★★★★: World Natural Heritage, Yaochi is the main scenic spot, one word: beautiful!
2) Songpan Ancient City ★★★★: Songpan Ancient City, known as Songzhou in ancient times, was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. The difference is that the Minjiang River actually passes through the small city. We stayed at an inn for dinner, and the restaurant was next to the turbulent river, which was quite interesting.
Songpan Ancient City Accommodation: Live in the ancient city, not in Chuanju Temple. Walking around the night view of the ancient city at night is very lively.
Others: 1) The altitude of Huanglong Scenic Area is also about 3400 (note that it refers to the walking line, not the peak), pay attention to the high reversal;
2) There is an observation deck on the last mountain beam before reaching Huanglong, where you can see the main peak of Minshan Mountain, Xuebaoding (5588 meters above sea level). We were lucky and saw a sea of clouds.
D10 Songpan-Maoxian-Wenchuan-Dujiangyan
Mileage: Songpan-Maoxian 138 kilometers (2 hours 47 minutes), Maoxian-Wenchuan 41 kilometers (49 minutes), Wenchuan-Dujiangyan 76 kilometers (1 hour 15 minutes).
Attractions: 1) Ancient Qiang City ★★★ in China: The county seat located in Mao County, one of the Qiang settlements. It is a brand new attraction built after the earthquake, where you can learn more about Qiang culture;
2) Radish Qiang Village ★★★★: Located in the east of Wenchuan County, it is the world's largest and oldest Huangni Qiang Village, known as "China's first Qiang village", "market on the clouds, the relic capital of the ancient Qiang king". During the Wenchuan earthquake, Radish Village was only 5 kilometers away from the epicenter, but only a small part of the house collapsed, which was also a miracle! The village is divided into a new village and an old village, and the new village was rebuilt after the earthquake.
Others: 1) Entering Mao County, I gradually descended to the western Sichuan Plateau, and the temperature and humidity suddenly rose, and it was stuffy and hot;
2) Mao County has a specialty of green crisp plum ★★★★. The green plum is crisp and sweet. Old ladies are often sold on the side of the national road, most of which are picked from their own trees.
3) The section of the road to Radish Qiang Village is a mountain road, and the road is relatively narrow, so you must pay attention to driving safety.
D11-D12 Dujiangyan-Chengdu
in ancient Qiang City, China Mileage: Dujiangyan-Chengdu 57 kilometers (58 minutes).
Attractions: 1) Qingcheng Mountain ★★★★: Qingcheng Tianxia You, "Qingcheng Sect Yu Canghai's Base Camp", World Cultural Heritage;
2) Dujiangyan ★★★★: A world-famous ancient Chinese water conservancy project and a world cultural heritage, including Songmao Ancient Road - Erwang Temple - Anlan Bridge - Yuzui - Feisha Weir - Lidui - Baopingkou and other scenic spots. The water conservancy project is still in use, and it is recommended to study well and understand its water control principles when visiting, and you will be deeply impressed by the wisdom of the ancients!
Food: Night beer corridor ★★★★, old You Rabbit Head ★★★★
Others: Qingcheng Mountain and Dujiangyan two scenic spots are a bit embarrassing in time, each is not enough for half a day, and one day is rich. If you visit the back mountains of Qingcheng, it will take almost a day.
Night Beer Promenade There are many more details in the itinerary, and I will not go into detail one by one due to space limitations. If you are interested in this or have questions, please leave a message or private message to me in the comment area, they are all like-minded people and are willing to answer questions ......
I am @清泉coffee, a travel enthusiast who has traveled all over China! Welcome to pay attention!
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