Weekend 2-day round trip from Shanghai to Northwest China! Effortlessly see snow-capped mountains!

Because Lanzhou airfare and accommodation are very cheap, round trip only cost 700+ RMB (400 RMB can get you a Sheraton), so I booked quickly! I flew after work on Friday and arrived at Hongqiao Airport on Sunday night. I left around 11 am every day, but I still managed to explore the area around Lanzhou more than enough! And it's much warmer than Shanghai! The total cost was around 1500+ RMB (not counting the delays caused by Spring Airlines). Day 1: Inkstone Danxia (40-minute drive from the airport) It was quite a sight for a southerner to see Danxia for the first time! You can take a sightseeing bus to the top of the mountain for a panoramic view, but the scenic area is too large and the bus schedule is not very efficient, so I spent a lot of time waiting for the bus. You could also visit another free Danxia, ​​Kushui Danxia! It might be more convenient. Wushaoling + Maya Snow Mountain (location: [Tanyaogou Village]) 2-hour drive from Lanzhou. Along the way, you can see endless loess mountains. After entering Tianzhu, you'll see snow-capped mountains everywhere. The houses are all in Tibetan style, and you can occasionally see herds of yaks and sheep, which is very interesting! However, we overlooked the direction of the sunlight; it was completely backlit near sunset! Everyone should go in the morning!! Day 2: City tour + Liujiaxia Reservoir The food wasn't particularly amazing; the Lanzhou noodles tasted similar to those chain restaurants in Shanghai! But the hand-pulled lamb wasn't gamey at all. We had a few cups of Lanzhou-style sweet fermented rice, and the milk tea was quite nice.