Special Route of Alxa Left Banner: Photography & Sketching Tour
Yinchuan (Wuhai) — Bayanhot (Alxa Left Banner) — Ekenhuduge (Alxa Right Banner) — Dalaihubu Town (Ejina Banner) — Jiuquan
Day 1: Yinchuan → Alxa Left Banner → Alxa Right Banner
Depart from Yinchuan, cross the Helan Mountains en route, explore Bayanhot, and finally arrive at Ekenhuduge Town.
Overnight: Hotel in Ekenhuduge Town
Day 2: Badain Jaran Desert — Badain Lake — Badain Jaran Temple
After breakfast, visit the Badain Jaran Desert Museum, then transfer to off-road vehicles to enter Badain Lake, the gateway to Badain Jaran Desert, for photography. Experience thrilling sand surfing across the dunes. After lunch, climb Fairy Peak and overlook Fairy Lake, then get a bird’s-eye view of Badain Jaran Temple, known as the "Forbidden City of the Desert".
Overnight: Local herdsman’s homestay inside Badain Jaran Desert
Day 3: Badain Jaran Temple — Yindeer Divine Spring — Bilutu Peak (Desert Everest) — Nuoertu Lake
Shoot the desert dawn. After breakfast, head to Yindeer to admire the Divine Spring, then climb Bilutu Peak, the world’s highest sand mountain dubbed "Desert Everest". Enjoy a self-service picnic lunch. In the afternoon, arrive at Nuoertu Lake, the largest among the desert’s numerous lakes, for sightseeing and photography. Savour authentic Mongolian cuisine for dinner.
Overnight: Accommodation by Nuoertu Lake
Day 4: Nuoertu Lake → Dalaihubu Town
Watch the desert sunrise in the early morning. After breakfast, travel to Bor Tolgoi to experience the magical singing sand and capture desert scenery along the way. Afterwards, drive toward Ejina Banner, where you will behold the vast Alxa desert and boundless Gobi land with swirling sand vortices, immersing yourself in the poetic mood of "A lone wisp of smoke rises straight from the desert; the sun sinks round over the long river". Capture stunning shots of populus euphratica forests and tamarisk groves at First and Second Bridges bathed in sunset glow.
Overnight: Hotel in Dalaihubu Town
Day 5: Dalaihubu Town (Photography from Second Bridge to Eighth Bridge)
Shoot the magnificent sunrise over Ejina Banner at dawn, including mirror reflections of populus euphratica woods, reeds and tamarisks at Fourth Bridge. In the afternoon, head to Seventh and Eighth Bridges to photograph the desert sunset, featuring camel caravans, Mongolian yurts and desolate yet beautiful dunes under the evening glow.
Overnight: Hotel in Dalaihubu Town
Day 6: Dalaihubu Town (Creative Shooting at Strange Poplar Grove and Khara Khoto Ruins)
Capture the desert daybreak in the early morning. Spend the afternoon creating photographic works amid the fantastically shaped dead poplar trees in the Strange Grove, and seek artistic inspiration at the Khara Khoto Ruins at dusk.
Overnight: Hotel in Dalaihubu Town
Day 7: Dalaihubu Town (Photography at Juyan Lake, Sacred Poplar Tree, Second Bridge to Eighth Bridge)
Travel to Juyan Lake at sunrise to photograph the morning glow. Afterwards, visit the populus euphratica scenic area to shoot the Sacred Poplar Tree — the largest, thickest and oldest poplar tree in China. Free time for independent photography after lunch.
Overnight: Hotel in Dalaihubu Town
Day 8: Dalaihubu Town → Jiuquan
After breakfast, the delightful tour comes to an end. Transfer the group to Jiuquan, Gansu Province for departure.
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