Lanzhou Bingling Temple Grottoes Full-Day Small Group Tour
The Scenery of Liujiaxia: The Liujiaxia Reservoir ripples with blue water, and the green mountains stretch along both banks. A boat trip on the lake allows you to fully enjoy the tranquility and magnificence of the plateau lake. The Thousand-Year Art of Bingling Temple Grottoes: The grottoes preserve thousand-year-old Buddhist murals and stone carvings. Each Buddha statue and each mural tells an ancient cultural story. The Hidden Zen of Luojiadong Temple: The temple is built on a mountain, with a quiet environment. It is a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle and quietly feel the Zen and nature. The Spectacle of the Confluence of the Yellow River and the Tao River: In Liujiaxia, you can witness the magnificent scene of the confluence of the Yellow River and the Tao River and feel the magic and greatness of nature. In-depth Cultural Exploration Tour: The itinerary combines natural scenery and human history, taking you to appreciate the unique charm of the Gansu area and embark on an in-depth cultural exploration tour.
Similar adventures in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture
What to expect
In the morning, depart from Lanzhou and travel by car to the Liujiaxia Reservoir Dam. First, head to the Liujiaxia Bridge Observation Deck to admire the magnificent view of the Yellow River. Afterward, proceed to the Huangtao Confluence Viewing Platform to witness the unique spectacle of the Yellow River and Tao River converging, one yellow and one green, distinctly separate.
Around noon, travel by car to the Bingling Temple Grottoes (approximately a 2-hour drive). The Bingling Temple Grottoes are located on the cliff face on the west side of Dasi Gully in Jishi Mountain, about forty kilometers southwest of Yongjing County, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, China. They were first carved into the cliffs of Dasi Gully on the north bank of the Yellow River in the early Western Jin Dynasty (around the 3rd century AD) and formally established in the first year of Jianhong in the Western Qin Dynasty (420 AD), with four layers up and down.
After finishing the tour of the Bingling Temple Grottoes, take a car back to Lanzhou (approximately a 2-hour drive). En route, you can enjoy the scenery along the way and savor the wonderful journey of the day.
Reviews
joined a big group but turned out there’s only 7 of us so our driver was able to provide pick up and drop off service. pity we were not informed about the special grottoes that prior payment is required at the ticket counter
Even though I don't speak Chinese, they kept in touch via WeChat and sent messages like what time to arrive! Even with the rain, it had its own charm, and the Chinese people I was with were all friendly, so we had a great day! It gets very cold in September, so dress warmly. I bought some corn and it was delicious. Everyone on our tour was traveling alone.
This was a small group tour using an SUV. The driver picked me up from my hotel and dropped me off at the hotel after the tour. The kind driver drove carefully and even helped with taking photos during the tour. The itinerary was well-planned, and I saw and experienced a lot. It was even more helpful that my travel companion assisted with communication in English. I'd like to thank them as well. The travel agency also managed the tour schedule kindly and appropriately. Thank you again for providing such a wonderful trip.
I was very worried because I'm a foreigner, but the WeChat guide was in English, so I was able to get information about the schedule and costs through WeChat. The actual tour was with other Chinese tourists, but the driver made us feel comfortable, so everything went smoothly without any worries.
Very well organized day trip to Bingling. (I hsd to rate a guide, but this was without one.) We don't speak Chinese, but there was someone to translate. It could help if the driver had some sentences ready, such as "30 minutes here". Overall it was an easy enough day, although I think that another 30 minutes at Bingling would be better. We felt rushed to get back on the boat. Also, the back seat of the van was back-breaking for me.
If you want to enter the caves and climb the steps, it's additional tickets. Allow 1.5 hrs for the whole process, excluding the caves. Toilets are relatively clean. There's 1 sitting toilet. Boat ride can be a bit choppy. Access may close if there's heavy rain.
the driver and brother were very friendly. they took us to all the locations and also took us to get lanzhou beef noodles. the view was very good and locations very beautiful. would RECCOMEND!
Although it's a demanding trip with no lunch break, it covers all the highlights and offers excellent value for money. The driver doesn't speak any English, so a translation app is essential. (I was a bit taken aback when the pickup time was changed to early morning...) Additionally, at the final geopark, you won't be able to get around easily with just Alipay, so you'll need to have WeChat Pay ready.
We were very happy with the tour, we are foreigners and didn't speak Chinese but the driver made us feel very welcome and translated for us, the bus ride itself was very comfortable. Thank you for the trip. :) We were very happy with the tour, we are foreigners and didn't speak Chinese but the driver made us feel very welcome and translated for us, the bus ride itself was very comfortable. Thank you for the trip. :)
The itinerary was well-paced and offered great value for money, with excellent time management at each attraction.
Good to know
- Pickup Service Scope: 【Contact Time】 A staff member will contact you by phone or text message the day before your departure (19:00-22:30). Please be sure to check your messages. If you have not been contacted by the specified time, please call the emergency contact number in your order. The departure time is subject to the staff’s notification.
Schedule: The group tour departure time is around 7:00 AM, and the tour generally ends around 6:00 PM, after which you will be taken back to your hotel or the original pickup point. We will inform you of the meeting time again the day before the tour, so please arrive at the meeting point 10 minutes before the scheduled time.
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