Gansu Itinerary help

[abcdefg]

I'm leaving Kunming (where I live) this weekend, heading for Gansu and points nearby. Have bought a plane ticket to Lanzhou as a start. Will be able to spend about three weeks. Here's my tentative itinerary. If you have thoughts on things to see or do in this part of China, please let me know.

1. Lanzhou 兰州. Fly there from Kunming, and then proceed by bus.

2. South to Lingxia 临夏 and Xiahe 夏河. From what I've been able to find out, these are open to foreign tourists at the moment, even though Tibet is not.

3. East to Tianshui 天水. Question: is either Pingliang 平凉 or Qingliang 庆阳 worth a stop? Didn't seem to be from what I read.

4. Northeast to Yinchuan 银川 in Ningxia Province 宁夏回族自治区

5. Across to Xining 西宁 in Qinghai Province 青海. Will probably take the overnight train west from Yinchuan to Xining.

6. Up to Dunhuang 敦煌. May fly from Xining up to Dunhuang, since it takes twenty plus hours by bus or train.

7. Down to Jiayuguan 嘉峪关 and Jiuquan 酒泉 if I'm not all tuckered out by then. These are both easy bus distance south from Dunhuang.

8. Fly back to Kunming from the nearest large city. To be arranged as I get further along towards the end.

I'm hoping to get a feel for the mix of cultures represented in these areas: Tibetan, Buddhist, and Muslim. Also would like to get a taste of the Chinese desert and visit some ancient Silk Road locations. Am concerned that I might have put too much on my plate. Have attached a simple map.

Many thanks.

EDIT: I posted this in the wrong place last night. It's a duplicate; in case you happen upon the other one, please ignore it and answer here.

[abcdefg]

I'll reply to my own post by saying that I'm in Lanzhou now, and will let you all know later how it works out.

[ChTTay]

How did your trip workout? I am thinking about spending a week in Gansu. What do you think is worth / not worth doing?

Thanks!

[icebear]

abcdefg (or anyone else in the know)

I'm heading to Gansu for about 10 days via Lanzhou and was curious if you had any feedback from your three weeks there earlier? What do you think should be prioritized within 10 days? I'll be flying both in and out of Lanzhou, so a loop would be great if possible (to avoid a monster bus ride at either end). My interest is in enjoying the trip, no rush, I live in Beijing so if I don't see it all I can always come back another time.

[ChTTay]

I am also still interested in advice about Gansu trips...

[abcdefg]

Sorry guys, I didn't see these questions before. And it looks like I dropped the ball on posting a trip report here. Think I put one on Thorntree, but those archives are hard to search since their restructuring.

Took that trip two years ago and have logged lots and lots of China miles since. Don't have my notes available, so I can't be of much help in detailed planning or logistics. Would say, however, that the high points were Qinghai around Xining and the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.

Was there in July (2011) and Xining was refreshingly cool. Went out to the lake 青海湖 on a daytrip and it was definitely worth seeing. Made a grueling overnight bus ride between Xining 西宁 and Dunhuang 敦煌 through a rainstorm. Not recommended.

The town of Dunhuang itself was a pleasant surprise. It was clean and pretty and welcoming. The Mogao Caves were outstanding.