Private itineraries

Itineraries built around your dates

Four starting points for the Qinghai–Gansu Loop. None of them is a fixed departure — each one is reshaped around your flight, your party and the pace you want.

4 sample itinerariesAll privateQuoted in USDLast verified November 2026

A Qinghai–Gansu Loop itinerary is a private, vehicle-based circuit from Xining that covers roughly 2,800 km in 7–8 days. All four itineraries below run with your own car and driver, include no shopping stops, and can be shortened, lengthened or reordered before you confirm. They are starting points, not packaged departures with fixed dates.

Transparent pricing

How pricing works, and why there is no "from" price

We quote each trip individually in USD, because four things change the total: your travel dates, the size of your party, your hotel standard and the vehicle you need. A published "from" figure would hide exactly the items that matter. Your written quote lists every inclusion and exclusion line by line before you pay anything.

Normally included

Private vehicle and driver for every day of the itinerary, including fuel and tolls
Hotels at the standard you choose, with breakfast
All entrance tickets named in the itinerary, reserved in advance
Airport or rail-station pick-up and drop-off in Xining (or Dunhuang, on request)
One English-speaking trip contact available throughout
Written day-by-day itinerary and a supervised travel contract

Normally not included

International and domestic flights or trains to and from Xining
China visa fees, travel insurance and personal medication
Lunches, dinners and drinks (we recommend restaurants, you choose and pay)
Optional shows, camel rides, hot-air ballooning and photo packages
Tips and personal shopping
Single-room supplements, if you request a room to yourself

Before you payPrices are quoted in USD for the whole trip, not per person per day, so a party of four is usually better value per head than a party of two. We tell you the payment schedule and the cancellation terms in the same document as the quote.

The four itineraries

Pick a length, then make it yours

01 · Most requested

The Classic 8-Day Loop

The complete clockwise circuit from Xining, covering about 2,800 km over eight days and seven nights. It is the only version that gives Dunhuang two nights and still leaves time for the Qilian grasslands, which is why most first-time visitors choose it.

Day-by-day: Xining → Qinghai Lake → Chaka Salt Lake → Dachaidan Emerald Lake → Wusute Water Yadan → Dunhuang (Mogao Caves, Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Moon Spring) → Jiayuguan Pass → Zhangye Danxia → Qilian → Menyuan → Xining

8 days / 7 nights2,800 kmStarts & ends Xining2 nights in Dunhuang

Best for: a first trip to Northwest China when you have 8–10 days and want the plateau and the Silk Road in one journey.

02 · One week of leave

The 7-Day Highlights

The same geographic loop compressed into seven days by shortening the stops at Ta'er Monastery and Menyuan. You keep the Emerald Lake, the Mogao Caves and Zhangye Danxia, but accept two longer driving days. It suits travellers with a fixed one-week holiday.

Day-by-day: Xining → Qinghai Lake → Chaka Salt Lake → Dachaidan → Dunhuang → Jiayuguan → Zhangye Danxia → Qilian → Xining

7 days / 6 nights2 longer driving daysStarts & ends Xining

Best for: travellers who cannot extend to eight days but do not want to drop Dunhuang.

03 · Gentler pace

The 5-Day Short Loop

A shorter circuit through Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Qilian and Zhangye that skips the long Qaidam Basin and Dunhuang leg. Driving days are shorter and the altitude profile is kinder, which makes this our recommendation for families, older travellers and anyone new to high altitude.

Day-by-day: Xining → Qinghai Lake → Chaka Salt Lake → Qilian & Zhuo'er Mountain → Zhangye Danxia → Menyuan → Xining

5 days / 4 nightsNo desert sectionFamily friendly

Best for: five-day holidays, children, older travellers, or a first acclimatisation trip on the plateau.

04 · Silk Road only

Dunhuang in Depth, 3 Days

A Dunhuang-only itinerary for travellers whose interest is Silk Road history rather than high-altitude landscapes. It concentrates on the Mogao Caves, the desert dunes, the Yadan formations and the town's museums, with short transfers and no long road days.

Day-by-day: Arrive Dunhuang → Mogao Caves & Digital Exhibition Center → Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Moon Spring → Yadan landforms / evening performance → Depart Dunhuang

3 days / 2 nightsDunhuang in / outMogao reservation handled

Best for: adding a Silk Road stop to a wider China trip, or a second visit focused on Dunhuang.

Custom itinerariesWant the 9-day version that adds Mangya, Heidushan and Eboliang? Travelling in winter? Need a vegetarian or halal route, a photographer's timing, or a slower day for young children? Tell us the constraints and we will redraw the plan before quoting. There is no charge for planning.

Ask for a written itinerary

Send four things — dates, party size, hotel standard and your must-see list — and we will reply with a day-by-day plan and an itemised quote.

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