Located in northwest China, Qinghai is a mysterious pearl on the lofty Qinghai Tibet Plateau, which features both in stunning plateau natural landscape and longlasting ethnic and Buddhism culture and history. Natural adventures on this plateau region can glut eyes and souls by a large variety of natural vistas, including crystal turquoise salt lakes, majestic snow-capped mountains, rolling carpet-like grasslands, rich wildlife, everlasting sunshine, colorful Danxia landform and many undiscovered magic sights. The vast ethereal Qinghai Lake, voted as the most beautiful lake in China and the incredible “Mirror of the Sky” - Chaka Salt Lake are the best-known and most charming must-see attractions. Diverse ethnic cultures and traditions, Tibetan Buddhism and arts in particular are Qinghai’s crowning enticements you can’t miss. Qinghai also provides extraordinary train trip to Tibet by the great engineering feat - Qinghai Tibet Railway and close connection with the neighboring Gansu on Silk Road.
How to plan your Qinghai tour? - A Qinghai tour usually begins from Xining, the transportation hub of Qinghai, which is well-connected with Beijing, Shanghai and major tourist destinations by air and can also be reached by fast high speed bullet train from Xian, Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Urumqi and some northern cities. The most classic trip itinerary is to spend 3 days visiting the top three destinations - Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake and Xining. Nature lovers are highly advised to take another day to Kanbula National Forest Park to marvel at spectacular Yellow River & Danxia landform. If you’re interested in Tibetan Buddhism, Tongren in southeast Qinghai is a hidden treasured place to explore strong Buddhist culture and the terrific Regong Arts. More commonly, Qinghai is traveled with adjacent Tibet, Gansu, Xinjiang and Sichuan, taking at least 6 days depending on your travel route. Taking a Qinghai Tibet Train, you can get to Tibet, use 4 days for the essence of Lhasa and 8 days for a most popular Lhasa to Mount Everest travel. From Xining, you can visit Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang in Gansu and extend trip to Badain Jaran Desert in Inner Mongolia and Urumqi, Turpan in Xinjiang. Land travel from Qinghai to Jiuzhaigou and Chengdu in Sichuan via southern Gansu is a course off the beaten track and definitely worthwhile.
As an experienced and professional China local travel agency, China Discovery has helped hundreds of thousands of travelers make their trips to Qinghai, Tibet, Gansu, Beijing and other regions of China, and has obtained 1,800+ good reviews on Tripadvisor and 3,580+ favorable customer reviews. To help you create wonderful travel memories like them, we carefully select our most popular Qinghai tours and hot China tours including Qinghai below for you to choose from. You can also check Qinghai tours by destinations to find your favorite places to go. More useful travel articles and guide are provided to help you further plan a perfect Qinghai tour efficiently. Have your own ideas? China Discovery serving as a reliable travel companion with customized service can help you plan a China Qinghai tour based on your schedule, interests, budget and requirements. Please feel free to contact us directly to start your wonderful Qinghai tour 2024/2025!
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (2D), Qinghai Lake (1D), Chaka Lake (1D)
Sites: Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, Kumbum Monastery
Transfer: Private Car
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (1D), Qinghai Lake (1D), Chaka Lake (1D), Zhangye (2D), Badain Jaran Desert (2D)
Sites: Qinghai Lake, Chaka Lake, Zhangye Danxia Geopark, Badain Jaran Desert
Transfer: Private Car & Bullet Train & Jeep Safari
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (2D), Kanbula National Forest Park (1D), Qinghai Lake (1D)
Transfer: Private Car
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (2D), Kanbula (1D), Tongren (1D), Dawu (1D), Amne Machin (1D), Qinghai Lake (1D)
Sites: Kanbula National Forest Park, Rongwo Monastery, Shizang Danxia, Amne Machin Mountain, Qinghai Lake, Dongguan Mosque
Transfer: Private Car
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (2D), Qinghai Lake (1D), Tongren (1D)
Sites: Qinghai Lake, Rongwo Monastery, Dongguan Mosque
Transfer: Private Car
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (1D), Qinghai Lake (1D), Tongren (1D), Zhangye (1D), Dunhuang (2D), ...
Sites: Mogao Caves, Zhangye Danxia Geopark, Qinghai Lake, Labrang Monastery...
Transfer: Private Car & High Speed Train
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (1D), Qinghai Lake (1D), Lhasa (4D)
Sites: Qinghai Lake, Tibet Sky Train, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Sera Monastery
Transfer: Private Car & Qinghai Tibet Train
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Trip at a Glance: Xining (1D), Qinghai Lake (1D), Tongren (0.5D), Xiahe (1.5D), Ruoergai (1D), Huanglong (1D), Jiuzhaigou (2D)
Sites: Qinghai Lake, Rongwo Monastery, Labrang Monastery, Lumusi Temple, Ruoergai Grand Prairie, Huanglong Park, Jiuzhaigou Valley
Transfer: Private Car
View DetailsQinghai is vast and diverse with lots of amazing places to explore. The most popular and frequently visited destinations are Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake and Xining. Within 1.5 hours’ driving distance from Xining, you can go to Kanbula National Forest Park and about 2.5 hours’ drive to Tongren. These destinations are all suitable for a day trip each. During your Xining day tour, Kumbum Monastery and Dongguan Mosque are the most important landmarks. While in Qinghai Lake and Chaka Salt Lake, you can get enough time to capture the best parts and try different ways of tour, such as by sightseeing cruise, train, walking, etc. In Tongren, you can visit Rongwo Monastery and large collections of delicate Buddhist murals, paintings, sculptures and barbola in Wutun Monastery. For travelers to Kanbula, you can have a full day to enjoy an off-the-beaten-track geographic adventure of Yellow River and Danxia mountains in Kanbula National Forest Park.
Highlights: Qinghai Lake, Kumbum Monastery, Tibetan Medicine & Tibet Culture Museum
This 3-day trip is the most classic vacation to have short but amazing layover discovery of Xining with fantastic exploration to the most beautiful landscape and symbolic local culture experience!
Highlights: Qinghai Lake, Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Sera Monastery
Admire incredible natural scenery on the Qinghai Tibet Plateau, experience the great Tibet train journey and explore holy land of Tibet with top landmarks.
Highlights: Qinghai Lake, Longwu Monastery, Wutong Monastery, Tibetan Medicine & Tibet Culture Museum, Dongguan Mosque
Have a full relaxing day to soak in the alluring scenery of Qinghai Lake, visit Tongren which keeps the most authentic Tibetan Buddhist tradition and magnificent Tibetan architecture and superb Regong Art masterpieces.
Highlights: Qinghai Lake, Kanbula National Forest Park, Amne Machin Mountain, Tongren Longwu Monastery, Regong Art, Shizang Danxia Geopark
A big Kora starting from Xining, encircling via Tongren, southern Qinghai, Qinghai Lake, and ending in Xining, full of hidden gems - authentic Tibetan towns, majestic Yellow River, Danxia landform, holy snow mountains, plateau salt lakes, etc.
China Discovery always masters the most comprehensive travel information and latest news. For first-timers to Qinghai or who are planning a further discovery of more good places, it’s very helpful to know the essential travel guide and some useful tips from an insider. You can read the Qinghai destination map below to see the locations of major destination, and learn more about the most recommended things to do together with weather, transportation, accommodation and other advice. If you have any other travel idea or questions, please feel free to contact us for further help.
Qinghai is surrounded by Gansu, Tibet, Xinjiang and Sichuan in inland China. The geological connection makes traveling between and among them is quite convenient and sensible. Still, each region owns featured attractions. With more time, we highly recommend that you travel Qinghai with Zhangye, Dunhuang on the Silk Road, or the holy land of Tibet, or Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu in Sichuan, or with the farther Xinjiang to appreciate the vast territory and natural & cultural diversity of China. Trust us, these prolonged travel routes will offer you really amazing visual feast and cultural experience but less tourists than that of the central and eastern areas of China.
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