For people who travel to Lhasa by train, they would always choose Xining as the first stop to get aboard trains. Why? The first reason is that Xining is the first stop of the famous Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The second reason is that Xining embraces profound cultural background and charming natural scenery. Besides, the monasteries, national parks, and nomadic grasslands just outside the city are worth visiting.
It only takes two and a half hours to get to Tibet from Xining by flights. Three direct flights from Xining to Lhasa are available every day. They are operated by Sichuan Airlines,Tibet Airlines and Air China respectively. The flights take off at Caojiabao Airport of Xining, and land at Gonggar Airport of Lhasa at noon. For visitors who fail to get tickets of the direct flights, they can transfer flights to Tibet at Shuangliu International Airport of Chengdu, where two non-direct flights would make stops for a short time.
Traveling from Xining to Lhasa by train is the most popular way among visitors. The railway that people take from Xining to Lhasa is a part of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, which is a wonder of the world. So it is worth taking a train to travel from Xining to Lhasa. There are several trains from Xining to Lhasa every day. Most of the trains start from other cities of China and would make stops at Xining Train Station for around 20 minutes. Besides, a direct train from Xining to Lhasa would set off at 14:05 every day.
Just enjoy the plateau scenery while taking the trains. The overland route of Xining to Lhasa is one of the highest highways in the world. Qinghai-Tibet highway starts from Xining and runs across four mountains( the Kunlun Mountain (4, 700 meters), Fenghuo Mountain (4, 800 meters), Tangula Mountain ( 5, 150 meters at the mountain pass), and Nyainqentanglha Mountain). It also runs over three rivers, namely the Tongtian River, Tuotuo River and Chuma'er River, all of which are at an average altitude of 4, 500 meters. It takes about 8 days to complete the overland tour from Xining to Lhasa. Shuttle buses between Golmud and Lhasa are available every day, so you can take buses from Xining to Golmud at first, so that you can adjust to the plateau climate before you get to Tibet.
Xining has a history of over 2100 years. It is the gateway from Tibet to the Gansu Corridor Silk Road trade route. It also worked as a chief commercial hub on the caravan route from Hexi Corridor to Tibet. Timber, wool and salt were major goods for trading in ancient times on this route. There was a trade corridor along the Northern Silk Road, whose function was intensified since the first century BC, when the Han Dynasty began to take over the region. And the trade along the Hexi Corridor was part of the trade corridor.
Major tourist attractions in Xining are Qinghai Lake, Kanbula National Forest Park, Riyue Mountain, Ta’er Temple, Dongguan Giant Mosque and Qinghai Provincial Museum.
Qinghai Lake is the largest lake in China and it is 100km in the west of Xining. Qinghai Lake is regarded as a holy lake by Tibetans and Mongolians. You can take a boat on the lake to enjoy the sightseeing around. The color of the waves are like that of turquoises. Going horseback riding along the shores with Tibetan nomads on the south side of the lake is another good choice. If you get an extra day, you should go to the northwest side of the lake to visit Bird Island, which is the habitat of black-necked cranes, sandpipers, wild geese, and other bird species.
About 131 kilometers in the east of Xining, Kanbula National Forest Park covers an area of 152 square kilometers. The beautiful park is famous for its incredible peaks, high mountains, caves, steep cliffs, red stone columns, forests, and turquoise rivers. While taking a hike through the park, you can make a short visit to the Achu Nanzong Nunnery, which is located in the Nazong valley. Then you can climb up to the top of a mountain to visit an ancient Buddhist temple. There are several small caves in the temple and Buddha statues are contained in the caves.
Riyue Mountain, 100 kilometers away from the city center, was once the only way to get into Tibet. Due to its important geographical location, Riyue mountain is called "the Curtain of Qinghai" and "the Window of the Plain" by later generations. The mountain marks the boundary of the stock-raising area and farming area of Qinghai Province. On the top of the opposite peaks of Riyue Mountain, there stands two pavilions, which are called Sun Pavilion and Moon Pavilion respectively. The two pavilions are delicately decorated by murals, which describe the marriage of Princess Wencheng and the King of Tibet Songtsan Ganbu.
Kumbum Monastery, or Ta'er Temple, is 25 kilometers (about 16 miles) away from Xining. Kumbum Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelugpa sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is well-known for being the birthplace of the great religious reformer Tsongkhapa. There is a sandalwood tree in the chapel of the monastery . It is said that the tree grew from the umbilical cord of Tsongkhapa. Kumbum Monastery is a great place for you to have a general understanding of the religious culture, architecture and art of Tibet before you get there.
The giant mosque is fairly central in the city, so visiting the mosque is rather easy. Dongguan Giant Mosque is the highest Islamic educational center in Xining province. It was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). To exactly speaking, that was the 12th year ever since Hongwu, the first emperor of Ming Dynasty, had taken over the country. It is not only the oldest religious complex in town, but also one of the most important mosques in northwestern China. It is not particularly a Muslim architectural style mosque in appearance, but more of a typical Chinese folk style. People can still differentiate it from its Buddhist counterparts. Besides the square, the grand Domed Hall itself in the mosque can holds up to 10,000 Muslim worshipers at a time.
Qinghai Provincial Museum is a building in an architectural style of the Tang Dynasty. Qinghai Provincial Museum covers an area of 17, 000 square meters. More than 47,000 well-preserved culture relics are kept in the museum. In chronological order, these relics include: chipped stone tools from the Paleolithic Age, pottery wares and bronze wares from the Neolithic Age and the Bronze Age, bronze mirror, bronze warriors and inscriptions from the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) and the Tang Dynasty (618 AD-907 AD), paper money and stone statues from the Yuan Dynasty (1,206 AD-1,368 AD), and porcelains and paintings from the Ming Dynasty (1,368AD-1,644 AD) and the Qing Dynasty (1,616 AD-1,911 AD).
This is a trip that allows you to enjoy the scenery of Qinghai Lake for a whole day. Qinghai Lake is the largest saltwater lake in China. You can take a boat on the lake to enjoy the sightseeing around before you go to visit the Bird Island. On the way to the island, you can make a short visit to the Riyue Mountain, a place where Princess Wencheng have stayed shortly during her journey from the Tang Dynasty to Tubo Kingdom. It is said that the mirror given by her royal father was thrown down by Princess Wencheng. The fragment of the mirror fell on two hills of the mountain, facing the Sun and the Moon respectively. So the mountain was called “Riyue Mountain” (or the Sun-Moon Mountain) ever since.
The first stop to visit is the Ta'er Temple (Kumbum Monastery) in Huangzhong Town, which is 26km on the south of Xining City. The second stop to visit is the North Hill Temple, where you can get a bird's-eye view of the city. And the last stop to visit is the Qinghai Provincial Museum, where you can see some silk road exhibitions and amazing Stone Age artifacts.
The first stop to visit is the Ta'er Temple (Kumbum Monastery), where you can see a large butter sculpture and incredible murals. And then you can go to visit the Qinghai Provincial Museum for some silk road exhibitions and amazing Stone Age artifacts.
You can go to visit Qinghai Lake by car in the morning. There are a lot of different bird species and native animals around the lake. Then you can visit the Ta'er Temple (Kumbum Monastery), a wonderful religious complex. There are 9,300 structures in the temple, including scripture halls, Buddha halls, lamas' residences, and Buddhist pagodas. And finally, you can go back to the hotel in Xining for a rest.
Day 1: Take a visit to the Ta'er Temple in the morning and then head to Riyue Mountain pass to visit the Sun Pavilion and the Moon Pavilion. Finally visit the Qinghai Lake.
Day 2: Take a boat to enjoy the scenery of Qinghai lake and then go to the Bird Island, which is on the western shore of the Lake. So far, 164 species of birds in the region have been identified, such as swan, wild geese, gulls, herons and petrels etc. Finally go back to Xining and end the tour.
Day 1: Take a visit to Dongguan Mosque and then head to Qinghai Provincial Museum. Finally stay overnight in Xining City.
Day 2: This is a full day trip to the Ta’er Temple. Drive to the Ta'er Temple (Kumbum Monastery) for a visit to this famous Tibetan Buddhism Gelupa monastery. Learn about ' the three wonders of Ta'er Monastery'- butter sculptures, the bar bolas, and the murals. Then visit Huangzhong Town-the birthplace of Zongkapa, the founder of the Tibetan Buddhism Gelupa sect. Finally drive back to Xining for overnight.
Day 3: This is a full day trip to Qinghai Lake. Drive to the Qinghai Lake and while on the way, make a short visit to the Riyue Mountain. Finally drive back to Xining in the afternoon and end the trip.
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