Departing from Lanzhou, a vital hub on the Silk Road, you can reach Lintao County within an hour. Don’t just get caught up in the rugged splendor along the journey. When the relics of the Majiayao Village cultural site appear before your eyes, the busy scenes of our ancestors living and thriving here over 5,000 years ago seem to spring back to life... Around 5,100 years ago in the Gansu and Qinghai regions, there flourished a remarkable civilization. The painted pottery from this era featured a rich variety of styles, intricate patterns, and ingenious designs — unmatched by any other prehistoric culture. This is the Majiayao Culture.
A route steeped in ancient mystery is captivating, where deep history continuously interweaves with the present, allowing travelers to drift between then and now. Some backpackers set off with only a general direction in mind, while others head straight for their destination. Yet a uniquely styled route gives many people a reason to travel — though the outdoors hardly needs a reason.

Enter the Turgendaban Mountain and Hala Lake area during summer and autumn, traversing the Hala Lake region — Qinghai Province’s second-largest lake, located on the northern foothills of the Tibetan Plateau and southwest of the Sulan South Mountain in the Qilian Range. As you leave behind civilization and venture into the sparsely populated, vast mountains and alpine meadows, as well as the uninhabited northern edge of the Qaidam Basin dotted with numerous small and medium-sized rivers, the desolate ruggedness and the centuries of solitude buried in the soil will stir many a flight of fancy. At night, chat with herders by your tent, engaging in what feels like a dialogue across time in valleys where villages are few and far between.
Some describe Hala Lake’s purity and beauty as “a teardrop on Earth.” On rainy or overcast days, when you’ve made the arduous journey here but your view remains obscured by misty vapors, Hala Lake appears like a mysterious and stunning bride, veiling her beauty as she waits for you to draw closer...

In the Tibetan region of Shangri-La, there is a group of postmen who, year after year, trek over mountains and ridges — often walking dozens of kilometers just to deliver a single family letter to eagerly awaiting loved ones. “Following the Snowland Postal Route” is to walk a path filled with gratitude, appreciation, and moving moments. Witness the breathtaking beauty of Meili Snow Mountain, the majesty of the Lancang and Jinsha Rivers, the wild exuberance of Tibetan song and dance, receive the blessing of the Meili Snow Mountain Sacred Waterfall, and feel the awe-inspiring convergence of ice lakes and countless streams.

The route is there, whether you take it or not; happiness is underfoot, no matter where the path ahead leads. Gore-Tex