3 Days Private Xining with Qinghai Lake

Welcome to the 3 days best Xining tour to seek out the most essential highlights of Qinghai’s capital city! Upon arrival at the Xining airport, your private guide and the driver are waiting for you outside the baggage claiming area. They’ll surely provide assistance with luggage and then escort you to the hotel downtown in a comfortable private car; along the way, enjoy the incredible city vistas, and get familiar with the arid and cool air of the largest city on the Tibetan Plateau. 

After hotel check-in, the private guide will accompany you to dive headlong into Tibetan culture, history, and medicine at the Qinghai Tibetan Culture Museum. It impresses the world with its giant thangka scroll measuring about 618 meters long (2,028 ft.), created by more than 400 artisans over 4 years, which depicts the cycle of life and death of more than 180,000 figures on the snow-capped plateau. Apart from that, the exquisite Tibetan architecture and costumes on the 2nd floor will catch your eye, boasting the most gorgeous Burang Peacock costume, decorated with strings of dzi beads, pieces of dried beeswax, and various gemstones. Other exhibition halls respectively display typical Tibetan cushions and calligraphy works, while the northern museum collects thousands of ancient Tibetan medical books, thangkas, medical instruments, and specimens. Leaving the museum, the guide and the driver will escort you back to the hotel.

Accommodation: Hampton by Hilton (Xining Jiaboyuan) (4 stars)

After breakfast, your guide and the driver will meet you at the hotel lobby, and today we’ll head out for an excursion to China’s largest yet most beautiful lake, Qinghai Lake, aka Kokonor Lake, about a 2-hour drive away. Along the way, vast grasslands dotted with grazing yaks and sheep will unroll outside the car window, and snow-capped mountains will loom distantly. Also, enjoy Sun Moon Mountain in the car, a significant stop on the way of Princess Wencheng (641–680) from the Chinese Tang Dynasty, who entered Tibet to marry the then Tibetan king. It is said that she threw the sun-moon mirror gifted by the Chinese emperor and set off westward resolutely, and the mirror pieces finally turned into this mountain. When she looked back at her hometown that she could never return to, her tears burst out into a long river, Daotang River, just neighboring Mt. Sun Moon. After passing by the two spots, we will soon arrive at the beautiful Qinghai Lake, and you can see a turquoise expanse that shines with a sapphire hue against the snow-topped peaks in the distance.

★ Special Treat: Explore Qinghai Lake on the Cruise

Upon arrival at the lake’s southern shore, Erlangjian Scenic Area, you’ll be escorted directly to the wharf for a 30-minute cruise (operating from May to October) on the transparent Qinghai Lake, enjoying the stunning views from a different perspective. The cruise finally sails to the Erlangjian Peninsula, where you can get off to embrace the beautiful waters closely. As vast as the sea, it stretches endlessly towards the horizon, with many waterfowl flying over the lakeshore, and the lake is full of endangered naked carp. Unwind on the powdery-soft sandy beaches, and remember to bring a coat to protect from strong winds. You may also encounter locals bringing cute small white lambs, offering a photo opportunity for a small fee. Finish the visit, and we’ll drive back to downtown Xining.

Continue to the next stop, the Dongguan Mosque, the largest Islamic institution in Qinghai, dating back to 1380 AD, which can accommodate at most 40,000 to 60,000 Muslims to perform prayers. The magnificent complex once featured a traditional Chinese architectural style during the first construction but was later rebuilt as a typical mosque with a round green dome and white-colored minarets. However, it has undergone an outer appearance change back into Chinese-style architecture with double-eaved roofs in recent years.

Stepping out of the great mosque from the back door, a local food market tucked away in the bustling old town, Xia Nanguan Street, just feasts your eyes. Want a local taste? Grab authentic street snacks like rose cake, handmade yogurt, rice and jujube cake, deep-fried barley pancake, and mutton eaten by hand on your own. Enjoying the sizzling smells, you can also join the locals to browse the stalls offering fresh fruits, a range of local handicrafts, and accessories. After that, the guide and the driver will escort you back to the hotel. If you'd like to linger here longer to experience the local atmosphere or for a night exploration, please make your own way back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Hampton by Hilton (Xining Jiaboyuan) (4 stars)

This morning, your guide and the driver will accompany you to Ta’er Monastery, aka Kumbum Monastery, one of the six most important Gelug-school monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism. In front of the temple, you’ll first be smitten by the 8 white towering stupas with square bases and golden tips, neatly arranged in a row on the square, representing the Buddha’s 8 merits. Don’t miss out on capturing a magic photo as the first rays of sunshine fall on the sacred golden-white towers. Then, follow the guide entering the temple to view the grand main hall, which is said to have used about 365 kg of gold to cover its roof, and 860 kg of gold was contributed to build the golden pagoda inside the hall; and take in the extraordinary “Three Arts” of the temple: butter sculptures, Buddhist murals, and Tibetan barbola. No matter the spectacular statues and buildings, red-robed monks humming mantras faintly, or local Tibetans faithfully practicing the long kowtow worship, all are impressive for those seeking enlightenment and inspiration on this Xining tour!Afterward, your private guide and the driver will escort you to the Xining airport or train station according to your schedule for your onward journey. Wish you enjoy the trip! If you have any idea to explore more of Qinghai's hidden gems, like Chaka Salt Lake, or extend your trip to neighboring Gansu or Tibet, just contact your travel consultant!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast