Travel Information

Below is some important information you should know before you tour to Qinghai and Amdo.

Get into Qinghai and Away

Flight to Qinghai

Xining Caojiabao Airport is the only national secondary class airport in Qinghai Province which is 28 km away from Xining town with the altitude at 2,178 meters above the sea level. There are flight routes from Qinghai to over 20 China’s most cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Lhasa, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Kunming, Dunhuang and Golmud. The 7 airlines have flights to Xining, they are Air China, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Sichuan Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines. The province also has two domestic airports in Golmud and Yushu. Currently, there is no international flight to and from Xining, Qinghai.

Train to Qinghai

There are totally 59 train lines go thoroughly from east to west of Qinghai, including the world-famous Qing-Tibet railway. The other trains run directly to Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Chengdu, Qingdao, Lanzhou, Golmud ect.

Travel Qinghai by Road

Generally, the highways in Qinghai are fairly good in most of portions that make the overland route into Tibet being the easiest one comparing other Tibet highways. Qinghai-Tibet Highway is the world’s highest and longest asphalt road, parallels with the remarkable Qinghai-Tibet railway and stretches 1947 km from Xining to Lhasa winding its way among several huge mountains soaring more than 4000 meters high above the sea level. Other overland routes include Sichuan-Qinghai highway via Kham or Amdo, Xining-Lanzhou highway, Qinghai – Tibet Highway via Yushu and Nachu.

High Altitude Sickness

The altitude in Qinghai ranges from 3,000 meters to 6,860 meters above sea level. Most of the summits of major mountain ranges are more than 4,300 meters high. People travelling to Qinghai and Amdo Tibetan regions may suffer from the high altitude sickness. Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS), is the reaction of the body adjusting to decreasing amounts of oxygen. Normally, the higher the altitude, the less oxygen available for the body to carry on normal functions. It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet) but this is different for everyone. One may experience the symptoms of headache, Loss of appetite, disturbed sleep or drowsiness, irritability, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, dizziness, swelling of hands, feet & face and such before adjusts to altitude. In most cases, the symptoms are mild and will subside in several hours to several days as the body acclimatizes. So the proper acclimatization is very important before you continue to go higher, and below methods may be helpful to better avoid the symptoms of the altitude sickness.

  • Have a body check or take your doctor's advice before travelling high altitude areas in Yunnan
  • Avoid catching cold or respiratory problems before or during the travelling
  • Prepare AMS medication with your doctor's advice
  • Don’t increase psychological burden to yourself. Be relax!
  • Drinking plenty of water - at least 4 litres per day on top of other forms of fluids such as tea or soups
  • Avoiding eat too much at the beginning of your arrival to highland
  • Taking it easy or have a regular break and walk at a slower pace to avoid over-exertion
  • Avoiding alcohol, tobacco and substances that can interfere with good delivery of oxygen to the body or cause dehydration
  • Eating high-carbohydrate food

If the symptoms increase, please let our guide to know immediately!

Best Time to Travel Qinghai & Amdo

The best time to travel to Qinghai Province is during the period from May to October. In the middle of May, the grass starts to turn to green, plenty of migratory birds appear in Qinghai Lake, the province come to a period full of vigor. Summer is the best season to travel in Qinghai, it is blossom for the grassland and many festivals will be hold during the season, such as Tibetan Horse Racing Festival.

Things to Bring for Qinghai & Amdo Tour

The temperatures in Qinghai are quite different during day time and night time, it is necessary to add or strip clothes to avoid becoming ill. The personal items listed below are general main stuffs recommended to keep with you when you are travelling to Tibet:

  • ‘Layered’ clothing for flexibility
  • A ‘fleece’ jacket and a good/warm waterproof windbreaker
  • T-shirts or long and short sleeved shirts/sweaters
  • Comfortable/warm walking shoes
  • A combination of loose fitting and warm pants
  • Sun hat, sunglasses, suntan lotion, lipsticks, umbrella, day pack etc.
  • The hotel facility is lower rate in the remote areas, it is suggested you to bring an inner sheet or a light sleeping bag incase any use.

The above list is the regular things to pack, we will provide a list of appropriate travel stuffs depending on your travel types, itineraries and travel areas.

Transportation for Qinghai & Amdo Tour

The wide variety of vehicles can be best available for tourists according to the group size, itinerary and road conditions. 4WD Toyota Land Cruiser or Mitsubishi jeep are used in Amdo area for the areas involve tough road driving and off road excursions. But the road condition is not all tough in places in Amdo or Qinghai, most of roads or highways in Qinghai are pretty good. For those places, smaller and medium sized van or bus are used. Large buses are available for larger groups. Trekking, motor ride, motor biking, cycling and mountain biking are the ways to get around in Qinghai and Amdo.

Hotels, Guest Houses and Lodges in Qinghai & Amdo

The hotels in the capital city of Xining is the best available that has hotels ranging from budget to luxury. In other lesser cities in Qinghai Lake and Tongren have hotels 3 or 4 star mountain rating (less than city standard) categories. In smaller towns, the hotels are more basic. Further in remote or mountainous towns, the accommodation is rudimentary or the guest house with dorm bed and outhouse toilet that may be the squatting pot.

Food & Cuisine

The food in Qinghai is not tasty as other parts of China, but there has some choices for Sichuan food, Muslim food, Tibetan food and local northwestern cuisine. In the remote places, the food has limited options and the restaurant is less standard as the one in bigger cities.

Featured Commodities

Kha-btags, Thangka, Tibetan carpet, Tibetan pulu, Tibetan horse boots, plaited yak tails, silver ornaments, rugs and textile can be considered to purchase in Qinghai.

Money & Exchange

Foreign currencies cannot be used directly in Qinghai, but you can exchange your money at the Bank of China outlets in Xining. Some 4-5 star hotels in Xining also provide money exchange facility but only available for their guests. If you are traveling out of Xining, remember to bring sufficient cash incase there is no bank to withdraw money. Credit cards currently are still not popular way of payment that is accepted only at major banks, hotels, big restaurants and big business houses in Xining. ATM is not widely available in Qinghai and Amdo.

Tipping

Guides and Drivers are generally expected and pleased to receive a tip if you are satisfied with their services and hard works, though it is not compulsory.