Day 1  Arrive  /  Xining
Upon arrival at Xining- the capital of Qinghai Province, you will be met and transferred to the hotel for a rest.

Xining: the capital of Qinghai Province with 1 million people and 23% of whom are minority peoples. Xining is an ideal resort for summer vacation due to its pleasant weather in summer.

Day 2 Xining / Qinghai Lake
After breakfast, drive about 150km to Qinghai Lake, along the way, pat a visit to Ta'er Lamasery, Sun and Moon Mountain, Daotang River, and Qinghai Lake. Enjoy campfire party at night.

Ta'er Lamasery: located in Huangzhong County, named after the Golden-roofed Lamasery's silver tower built in memory of Zongkaba, the founder of the Yellow Sect. The silver tower is called "Gunbenxianbalin" in Tibetan, meaning "a Maitreya Lamasery where 100,000 lions roar at a Buddha Portrait."  With a rich collection of relics, Ta'er Lamasery is famous for “Four Clever Arts": Ghee Flowers, Barbola, Painting and Sculptures. Four grand religious activities are held here every year.

Sun and Moon Mountain & Daotang River: with an altitude of 4,389 meters, the mountain divides Qinghai Province into east agriculture area and west pastoral area. There is a legend goes that in the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong granted Princess Wencheng a mirror named the Sun and the Moon before she married King Songtsen Gampo of Tibet, and in the mirror she could see Chang'an, the capital, and her relatives. When she passed through Qiling range, the princess threw the mirror onto the mountain. Hence the name.

At the west foot of the mountain, a river called Daotang River originated from the Chahan Grassland, flows from east to west for 42 miles and goes directly to the Qinghai Lake. It is said that the river water was tears of Princess Wencheng who suffered from homesick.

Qinghai Lake: with an area of 4,500 square kilometers, 3,200 meters above the sea level, surrounded by four lofty mountains, Qinghai Lake is the largest inland salt lake in China. Its voluminous and misty scenery likes a tear on the surface of the earth.

Day 3  Qinghai Lake /  Xining
Visit Bird Island, Gold and Silver Grassland and a Tibetan family, get back to Xining afterwards.

Bird Island: located in the northwestern corner of Qinghai Lake, less than 1 square kilometer, the island is the paradise for more than 100,000 migrant birds, including bareheaded geese, cormorants, terns, swans, and brown-headed gulls from southern China and the Indian Ocean. May and June are the best time for admiring the birds. The flying birds blot out the sky and cover the sun, forming a splendid view on the island.

Day 4 Xining / Tu Autonomous County / Xining
Drive to the Tu Village of the Tu Autonomous County, get back to Xining afterwards.

Tu Village:Qinghai's Tu people have a total population of 190,900, who speak their own Tu language. The Tu people used to believe in the multi-gods religion, with some believing in Taoism. After the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the majority of people began to believe in Tibetan Buddhism while ancestors worship and multi-gods worship were still kept.

July's Nadun in lunar calendar is not only a traditional temple fair for the Tu people, but also a grand entertainment meeting of mass foundation and rich national characteristic. It last two months, starting from mid July and ending in mid September in the lunar calendar. Because of its long duration, large scale and grand scene, it is called “the longest carnival in the world"

Day 5 Xining / Tongren County
Visit the Mengda Heavenly Pond, the Salar Village of Xunhua County, and then drive to Tongren County, where you will stay overnight.

Mengda Heavenly Pond: 150 kilometers from Xining, the pond covers an area of 20 hectares with 30 meters in depth. The pond is surrounded by a wide variety of trees, shrubs and flowers full of rich colors. Among the dense forest, there are rare animals and birds, such as blue sheep and snow cocks. With waterfalls and visible wildlife, the place has become a state nature reserve.

Salar Village: initiated in Qinghai, Salar people who speak the Salar language has inhabited in Qinghai for generations. Located at the Yellow River valley, Xunhua is the only Salar Autonomous County in China. Salar people believe in Islamism, which has a profound influence to every field of their lives.

Day 6  Tongren County / Xining
Visit the Longwu Monastery to enjoy Regong Buddhist Art, and drive back to Xining.

Longwu Monastery: first built in 1301 as a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Yellow Sect. The architecture of the Scripture Hall and other halls in the Monastery is very magnificent and splendid with gorgeous decorations. With rich historical relics, the monastery can be regarded as the museum of Regong Buddhist Art.

Regong Buddhist Art: Regong Art is one of the most important sects in the fields of Tibetan Buddhist arts. Tongren is named ‘Regong' in Tibetan. Ever since the Tibetan Buddhism of Gelukpa Sect (Yellow Sect) came into Tongren area in the 15th-16th century, different artistic forms such as painting, sculptures and stone inscription for Buddhism have been sprung up by Tibetan and Tu peoples near the Longwu River, nearly everyone in the villages near the Longwu River could paint, and every family was engaged in art.

The techniques of the Regong art have been fully used in beautifying people's life, and can be found almost everywhere - on the walls, bricks, stones, clothes, and buildings. The principle forms include Tangka, fresco, sculpture, carvings, Barbola, colored painting and ghee flowers.

Day 7 Xining / Depart
Free in the day until our local guide escorts you to the airport for your onward flight to your next destination.