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A Spiritual Journey to Qinghai & Gansu

Travel days:  8 days
 /  7 nights

  • All flights mentioned in the program in economy class including airport tax and fuel surcharges.
  • All transfers mentioned in the program with air-conditioned vehicles.
  • First entrance fee for all sights mentioned in the program.
  • Accommodation in mentioned hotel with breakfast.
  • English speaking local guide for all mentioned sightseeing. Other languages are available on request.
  • All meals mentioned in the program (B: breakfast, L: lunch, D: dinner).
  • 24 hour TUI China telephone hotline (German or English): +86 13910187388
  • Tips.
  • Personal expenses.
  • All expenses not mentioned above.
  • Lanzhou
    Dongfang Hotel 3*
  • Xiahe
    Gengzang Hotel 3*
  • Tongren
    Longwu Hotel 3*
  • Xunhua
    Yijia Hotel 3*
  • Xining
    Holiday Dynasty Hotel 4*
  • The above mentioned rates are subject to availability. Kindly note that no reservation has been made at this moment.
  • If you have any further ideas, please feel free to contact us. We will do our best to adjust the offer according to your wishes.

Travel content

Discover the fascinating history of China's remote western provinces of Qinghai and Gansu. Learn more about the influence of Tibetan culture and Buddhist arts and crafts at this crossroad of ancient trading routes. Witness the nomadic lifestyle of religious pilgrims and marvel at the splendor of traditional Buddhist monasteries and inspiring natural landscapes. A spiritual journey into western China's Buddhist heartland.

Travel Itinerary

  • Day 1:
    Beijing / Shanghai – Lanzhou

    Take the flight to Lanzhou, the cultural and administrative center of Gansu Province.
    Upon arrival, you will be met by the tour guide at the airport and then transfer directly to the hotel.
    After checking into the hotel you can enjoy free time at leisure to explore Lanzhou.
    Dinner will be served at a local restaurant in Lanzhou.
    Overnight in Lanzhou 

  • Day 2:
    Lanzhou – Xiahe (B L D)

    After breakfast at the hotel, drive 280km via Linxia to Xiahe.
    Linxia is located in the valley of the Daxia River; it has a Muslim (Hui and Dongxiang) majority and has long been the center of the Muslim community of Gansu. Even today it is sometimes referred to as "the Mecca of China".
    Lunch will be served at a local restaurant in Linxia.
    Arrive in Xiahe, a bustling town situated at 3,000 meters above sea level and surrounded by beautiful mountains.
    Dinner will be served at a local restaurant in Xiahe.
    Overnight in Xiahe    

  • Day 3:
    Xiahe – Tongren (B L D)

    After breakfast at the hotel, visit the vast Labrang monastery complex in the north of Xiahe. Founded in 1709, the monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Geluk (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism; it is home to the largest number of monks outside of Tibet Autonomous Region and still remains an important place for Buddhist ceremonies and activities.
    Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
    Drive to Tongren via the beautiful sprawling Ganjia grasslands.
    Dinner will be served at a local restaurant in Tongren.
    Overnight in Tongren

  • Day 4:
    Tongren (B L D)

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    Tongren County was historically a place for nomadic ethnic minorities, it was also the birthplace of Regong Art which mainly reflects Tibetan Buddhist culture. The area around Tongren is also known for its Thangkas, a unique form of painting in Tibet. Thangkas are usually a painted or embroidered Buddhist banner hung in a monastery or family altar and carried in ceremonial processions. In Tibetan, the word 'thang' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands for painting. A Thangka can be rolled up when not required for display. Originally, Thangka painting became popular among traveling monks because the scrolls could be easily rolled and transported from monasteries.
    Visit Wutan temple, a renowned school of Thangka art built in 841A.D., meet a Tibetan Thangka painter and enjoy the rich colors, religious themes and delicate painting skills of this ancient Buddhist art.
    Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
    Visit the local market with colorful fruit stands and lively restaurants.
    Dinner will be served at a local restaurant.
    Overnight in Tongren

  • Day 5:
    Tongren (B L D)

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    Visit Kumbum stupa, one of the most extraordinary temples in the world. A living, architectural 'mandala', its nine levels in classic stupa or pagoda style rise in the manner of a step pyramid. Built into each level are dozens of chapels which pilgrims visit while climbing up each level of the temple in a clockwise fashion.
    Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
    Trek to Guomaer old village, and learn about the local way of life with a visit to a Tibetan family.
    Dinner will be served at a local restaurant.
    Overnight in Tongren

        

  • Day 6:
    Tongren – Xunhua (B L D)

    After breakfast at the hotel drive from Tongren to Mengda Heavenly Lake Nature Reserve in Xunhua.
    Enjoy a 30 minute trekking trip to the mountain top 'Heavenly Lake' and enjoy the natural surroundings of virgin trees, exotic flowers and many wild animals.
    Take a picnic lunch beside the lake, and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
    Dinner will be served at a local restaurant in Xunhua.
    Overnight in Xunhua

  • Day 7:
    Xunhua – Xining (B L D)

    After breakfast at the hotel travel from Xunhua to Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province.
    Visit Ta Er Monastery, known as Kumbum Monastery in Tibetan, it is acknowledged to be one of the six most important monasteries in the region and offers a good introduction to Tibetan culture for outsiders. Ta Er Monastery is famous for being the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Tibetan Buddhist Yellow Hat Sect.
    Follow in the footsteps of the prostrating Tibetan pilgrims as you take a 20 minute walk around the monastery, also visit a local fortune teller.
    Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.
    Dinner will be served at a local restaurant.
    Overnight in Xining

  • Day 8:
    Xining – Beijing / Shanghai (B)

    Breakfast at the hotel.
    Transfer to the airport and fly back to Beijing / Shanghai.
    End of service