6 Days Lamusi Tour from Lanzhou - Gannan Highlights $998

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Lanzhou Arrival

Welcome to Lanzhou - a city of Yellow River. Your tour guide will pick you up at the airport/train station in Lanzhou, and then escort you to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of today is for you to explore this northwestern historical city on your own.

Free Time Idea: Zhengning Road Night Market is a famous food street in downtown Lanzhou, where you can taste Beef Noodle, mutton and bread soup, lamb kebab and other different kinds of local cuisine and snacks.

How to Get to Lanzhou? Lanzhou is located in the center of northwestern China. You can get to Lanzhou by flight from Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur abroad, or from China’s domestic cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xian, Datong, Kunming, etc. Besides, you can take high speed bullet train to Lanzhou from Xining (2-2.5 hrs), Xian (3-3.5 hrs), Beijing (7.5 hrs), Taiyuan (7 hrs), Zhengzhou (5.5-5 hrs), Urumqi, Shangha, etc.

Day 2 Lanzhou - Langmusi (B, L)

After breakfast, you will drive about 400km(5.5 hrs) to Langmusi Town. En route, you will pass by Linxia which is renowned as "small Mecca" because of its Muslim culture. Then you will reach Gahai Lake - a plateau lake with an altitude of 3479.7 meters. It is the habitat and breeding place for a great number of rare migrant birds.

Leave Gahai Lake and keep driving to Langmusi Town. Nicknamed as "Little Oriental Switzerland", Langmusi is surrounded by grassland, forests and hills. Han, Tibetan, and Hui people live here in harmony and most residents here believe in Tibetan Buddhism and Islam. Stepping into Langmusi, you can feel a strong atmosphere of religion seeing the colorful temples and prayer flags, which also adds a sense of Zen to the primitive nature scene. Staying here, people can easily calm down and find a little peace of mind.

Stay overnight in Langmusi Town.

Day 3 Langmusi (B, L)

If you like, you can get up early to watch the beautiful sunrise. The town and temples look stunning and peaceful in the morning fogs.

After breakfast, start the exploration of Langmusi area. Langmusi is a very small town on the junction of Gansu and Sichuan Province - a half in Gansu and a half in Sichuan. Each part has a Tibetan monastery. There is also an Islamic mosque located between these two Tibetan monasteries. Our knowledgeable guide will take you to visit them one by one. If lucky enough, you may witness the numerous local festivals in monasteries(especially during the Spring Festival and the summer months). The landscape here is fascinating - red mountain, beautiful valley, blue sky, forests, flowers, temples... It is also a great place to experience local nomadic life.

Day 4 Langmusi - Xiahe (B, L)

After breakfast, keep traveling northward to Xiahe of Gansu Province from Langmusi and make a midway visit to Sangke Grassland which is a natural pasture of Tibetan nomads. The grass is lush like a blanket in summer and the cattle and sheep are herding in groups under the blue sky and white clouds. What a pastoral scenery. Every year on July 13th of the lunar calendar, the seven tribes of Sangke region will gather at Sangke Grassland and hold a horse racing festival here.

After about 3 hours' driving, you will get to Labrang Monastery. Spend the rest of today visiting this most famous Esoteric Tibetan Buddhism in the world which is also one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism, the most influential outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region. It is also famous for having the most complete Tibetan Buddhism teaching system in China. The monastery is large in scale and magnificent in architecture style, enshrining a lot of huge Buddha statues and various exquisite sculptures, murals, and magical instruments. Its pilgrimage corridor has over 2000 prayer wheels, as the longest of its kind in the world. In the southwest corner of Labrang Monastery, there is an ancient wooden bridge. Walking crosses the bridge and walking up to the hill, you can enjoy a panoramic view of Labrang Monastery and surrounding.

Accommodate at Xiahe County.

Day 5 Xiahe – Lanzhou (B, L)

Today you will drive back to Lanzhou. On route, take a side trip to visit the Bingling Temple, a Buddhist cave with a long history of over 1,600 years. First, you will drive about 1.5 hours to Liujiaxia Dam, a big national hydroelectric reservoir on the upper Yellow River. From the dock, you need to take a speed boat to get to Bingling Temple. During the 40-50 minutes’ boat ride, you can see a different section of Yellow River, very limpid and clear unlike the muddy sights seen in Lanzhou, and layered, red-colored huge Danxia landforms along the riverside, without coverage of any plantations.

After getting off from the boat, walk several minutes to the entrance of Bingling Temple. The temple is actually a site of Buddhist grottoes filled with ancient Buddhist frescoes and sculptures caved into the rocks, along a long narrow valley of Yellow River. Dating back to West Qin Kingdom, the cave preserves about 183 caves, 694 stone statues, 82 clay sculptures and more than 900 square meters murals. You will tour the most spectacular Lower Temple Area, seeing the 27-meter giant sitting Buddha, many colored Bodhisattvas in different gestures and remaining murals from Wei, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Though some figures have been damaged by earthquakes, erosion, these relics are unquestionably outstanding Buddhist artworks revealing previous Buddhism prosperity and remarkable architecture and carving art of ancient China.

Lastly, leave Bingling Temple and drive about 2.5 hours back to Lanzhou.

Day 6 Lanzhou Depature (B)

Today you will explore the best highlights of Lanzhou city. First stop is the White Pagoda Mountain. You can hike up the staircases to the top of the mountain, which is a awesome experience. If you don't want to bear the walk, you can take the cable car (Y35 to go up, Y20 to come down). On the top of the hill is the White Pagoda built in Yuan Dynasty with Lamasery style.

Then you will explore the most popular itinerary along the Yellow River. Firstly, you will visit the First Bridge on Yellow River which has more than one hundred year history. The following attraction is the grand Yellow River Mother Statues which stand the beauty of oriental women. Lastly, enjoy an interesting time in the Yellow River Ancient Waterwheels Park.

Check out from your hotel and leave airport or train station for next destination.

The quotation for this trip is from $998 Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

How Our Teams Serve you at China Discovery

"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.

Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant

Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!

After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.

Local Tour Guides

Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.

Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.

Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!

Local Drivers & Vehicle

Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!

Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.

Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!

Comfortable & Homelike Hotels

In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!

The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.

If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.

Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.

Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!

Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services

Hi Jack,

My wife and I returned from our China trip yesterday. The crowds at most sites were overwhelming and something that we are not used to. However, I want to let you know that we had a wonderful time mostly due to China Discovery's wonderful tour guides!

Each guide enriched our experience with both their knowledge of the cities, sites, cultures, people, and foods. They were all prompt, patient, and engaging. They were very helpful in navigating the complexities of visiting China. My wife and I enjoyed their company and conversation greatly. I don't believe we would have had the same experience in China if we had traveled there by ourselves.

All the drivers were also very courteous, on-time, and helpful!

Unfortunately, my wife caught a respiratory illness on the Yangtze River Cruise and was quite sick at ZJJ. Our guide Tim, however, was there to assist at night and brought her to the hospital to see a doctor. Tim helped us navigate the Chinese health system, stayed with us throughout the hospital visit, and brought us back to the hotel late at night! We are very grateful to Tim's extraordinary assistance!

Although we provided a paper review at the end of each location, if China Discovery has an overall review of our trip that needs to be completed, please let me know!

Again, thank you for your assistance in all the planning prior to the trip and your quick responses to my questions during the trip. Knowing you were there to assist us throughout our journey was a great source of comfort!

Regards,

Alex

Alex‚ USA, October 31, 2024

Hi Wonder,

Yes, you responded swiftly and clear. Both drivers pick up and drop off were good. Our guide, Gavin was a very good guide, and driver, he's attentive, knows history well, kind and well organized. We're very happy with him. Hotels Holiday Inn Express were OK, they served good breakfast. Location might be a bit stranded but perhaps chosen because most our trips are outskirts and not inner city.

Vivi

Vivi‚ Indonesia, October 31, 2024

Hi Wonder,

Yes! The suzhou & hangzhou tour are fantastic. I will prepare the review soon when I return to Singapore tomorrow.

Shirley

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Shirley‚ Singapore, October 31, 2024

Hi Wonder,

Very lucky whole journey no rain at all...The weather was good...So we can enjoy amazing view.

Stevany

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Stevany‚ Indonesia, October 30, 2024

Hi Reya,

Loved the entire trip planning and journey. Ms Lily our tour guide was remarkable and very informative. We had a great journey throughout the trip.

You were very responsive and what can I say, our guide Lily made the trip enriched with her hospitality. Beijing is indeed memorable.

Tqvm. This is really so kind of a 7-seat private car and thoughtful of your agency. Transportation in Beijing is so convenient and your upgrade did help. Tq again.

It was indeed a great trip! Loved every moment of it.

Thank you and your agency have made this trip memorable. Tq China Discovery!

Dan

Dan‚ Malaysia, October 30, 2024

Check What our customers are saying about us on Tripadvisor.com

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"My email to China Discovery started in April, 2024 for a trip to Cheng du in September. Our travel consultant Phoebe Gao from Chengdu office was patience and extremely helpful. She had put together..." read more »

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