Amazing Adventure to the Badain Jaran Desert

Today, you will take a morning flight to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. Upon arrival at noon, you will first try the Lanzhou beef noodles, which is one of the top ten noodles in China. Afterwards, tour the Huanghe River Custom Tourist Line through a combination way of walking and taking the vehicle. Along the line, you will visit the Statue of the Mother Yellow River, the Waterwheel Garden, the White Pagoda Mountain as well as the Zhongshan Bridge. After the tour, check in at the hotel for a good rest.

In the morning, take the bullet train for 4.5 hours to Zhangye, which is famous for its amazing Danxia landform. Upon arrival, we will drive for about 35 kilometers (21.7 miles), around 40 minutes to Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, which is the only complex area with both Danxia Landform and colorful hills and is known as one of the seven most beautiful Danxia landforms in China. After finishing the visit, we will return to Zhangye and check in at a local hotel.

In the morning, we will head to visit the Grand Buddha Temple, which has a history of more than 900 years. There is China's largest indoor clay reclining Buddha, whose finger is big enough to lay one person. In addition to the grand Buddha, you can also see the statues of the Ten Disciples, the Eighteen Arhats, and murals which record the Journey to the West and Mountains and Seas.

In the afternoon, we will drive southward for around 60 kilometers (37.3 miles) to the Mati Temple, which is an amazing grotto temple complex with a large number of grotto statues carved into the stone walls. Here, you will not only appreciate the Han Buddhist temples, but also the Tibetan Buddhist temples as well as many historical sites, such as the footprint left by the heavenly horse and the murals in the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368). Afterwards, we will drive northeast for around 2.5 hours to Alxa Right Banner and enter the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Upon arrival, check in at a local hostel for a good rest.

After breakfast, we will drive southeast for about 127 kilometers (78.9 miles) to Badain Jaran Desert, the main part of the Alxa Desert and one of the eight deserts in China. There are less than 40 millimeters of rainfall a year, but over 100 lakes. The towering sand mountains, mysterious sounding sand, quiet lakes and wetlands make up the unique and charming landscapes. After around 2 hours' driving, we will enter Badain Jaran Desert and begin our desert adventure tour. We will have 2 days here and during the journey, we will pass the Badain Lake, Barunyikeri Haizi, Yinderitu Spring, Bilutu Peak (the highest desert in the world at an altitude of 1,617 meters/ 5,305 feet), Suminjilin Temple, Nuoertu Lake and Baoritaolegai Haizi. Tonight, you will be camping in the desert.

Today, we will continue to travel through the desert to explore this amazing place. After getting out, we will drive back to Zhangye and check in at a local hotel for tonight.

Our Friendly Tips:
• The best time to visit the Badain Jaran Desert is from August to October.
• The temperature varies greatly from morning to evening in the desert area. It's very cold in the morning and evening but very hot in the noon. Therefore, you're suggested to wear T-shirt inside and a thick coat outside.
• Sun protection is a very important thing in the desert, so please remember to take the sunscreen, sun-protective clothes, sun hat, sunglasses and etc.
• Since driving in the desert is very bumpy, you're suggested to prepare some medicine for car sickness.
• In addition, you're also suggested to bring some anti-heat stroke and anti-mosquito medicines.

Today, you will take the morning bullet train to Lanzhou first, which takes 4 hours and 10 minutes on the way. Upon arrival, transfer to the airport to take an afternoon flight back to Beijing. Your 6 days Beijing, Lanzhou, Zhangye and Alxa Right Banner tour will end here. Hope you've been satisfied with our service and will choose us again in the future.