If you love history and the stark beauty of the Northwest, we recommend the Silk Road Northwest route: Lanzhou → Wuwei → Zhangye → Jiayuguan → Dunhuang. This is the golden section of the ancient Silk Road, 7-10 days, with deserts, grottoes, the Great Wall, and Danxia landforms.
Arrive in Lanzhou on day 1, eat a authentic Lanzhou beef noodle soup (go in the morning, they run out by afternoon), afternoon: Yellow River Iron Bridge to see the Yellow River. Day 2: high-speed train to Zhangye (about 3 hours), afternoon: Zhangye Colorful Danxia—the sunset-lit Danxia mountains look like a spilled paint palette.
Day 3: Jiayuguan, see "the greatest pass under heaven"—the westernmost fort of the Ming Great Wall. Day 4: Dunhuang, afternoon: Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, ride a camel and watch the desert sunset. Day 5: full day at Mogao Caves, see the Thousand Buddha Caves' murals and sculptures—book tickets online in advance.
Day 6: Yumenguan (Jade Gate Pass), Yardang National Geopark, see the Gobi sunset. Day 7: return. If you have more time, take the train from Dunhuang to Turpan and Urumqi to go further west.
This route is best in autumn (September-October), when it's not too hot and the Danxia colors are at their best. Note that the Northwest is dry—drink lots of water and use strong sunscreen. Accommodation is no problem, every city has chain hotels. Budget: about 5,000-7,000 RMB per person (excluding long-distance transport).
