Xining Kokonor Lake Kumbum Monastery Tour – 4 Days

Qinghai, also known as Tsinghai,formerly known in English as Kokonor, is a province of the China located in the northwest of the country.Located mostly on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau, the province has long been a melting pot for a number of ethnic groups including the Han, Tibetans, Hui, Tu, Mongols, and Salars.

Qinghai is located on the northeastern part of the Tibetan Plateau. The Yellow River originates in southern part of the province, while the Yangtze and Mekong have their sources in the southwestern part. Qinghai is separated by the Riyue Mountain into pastoral and agricultural zones in the west and east.The average elevation of Qinghai is over 3,000 metres above sea level.[citation needed] Mountain ranges include the Tanggula Mountains and Kunlun Mountains. Qinghai Lake is the largest salt water lake in China, and the second largest in the world. The Qaidam basin lies in the northwest part of the province. About a third of this resource rich basin is desert. The basin has an altitude between 3000 to 3500 meters.

Qinghai Lake is a tourist attraction, albeit further from Xining than Kumbum Monastery (Ta’er Si). The lake is the largest saltwater lake in China, and is also located on the “Roof of the World,” the Tibetan Plateau. The lake itself lies at 3,600m elevation. The surrounding area is made up of rolling grasslands and populated by ethnic Tibetans. Most pre-arranged tours stop at Bird Island. An international bicycle race takes place annually from Xining to Qinghai Lake.

Day 1 Xining Arrival
Activity:Arrive in Xining, capital city of Qinghai Province, your local guide will meet you at the airport and transferred to your hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Hotel: Xining                   Meals: Dinner

Day 2 Xining -Qinghai Lake -Xining
Activity:After breakfast, you will start your tour to Qinghai Lake (160km from Xining City). After 2.5 hours driving, you will reach this largest inland and salty lake of China. During the way, you can have a short stop at the Sun & Moon Mountain site . In the late afternoon, drive back to Xining.
Sightseeing: Qinghai Lake, Sun& Moon Mountain.
Hotel: Xining                    Meals: Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 3 Xining – Kanbula National Forest Park – Xinning
Activity:Depart from your hotel, you will enjoy your today’s visit covering Kanbula National Forest Park (180km from Xining City, about 3 hours driving), featured with its stone peaks of Danxia landform, forests and man-made sight. And the Lijia Gorge, an important energy base in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in China, is also arranged for you.
Sightseeing: Kanbula National Forest Park,Lijia Gorge.
Hotel: Xining                    Meals: Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner

Day 4 Xining Departure
Activity:Morning transfer to the Ta’er Temple (40km from Xining City), a wonderful architectural complex contains 9,300 structures and then transfer to the airport (about 40km from Xining City) for the flight to depart Xining.
Sightseeing:Ta’er Temple .
Hotel: No                          Meals: Breakfast + Lunch