10 Days in Zhongwei
Ten days go deeper — a second face of Shapotou, canyon and grottoes, the goji county and river lodges — closing with two honest neighbour days, Yinchuan by HSR and Gansu's Yellow River Stone Forest.
Quick Answer
Is 10 days enough for Zhongwei?
10 days lets you go beyond Zhongwei's core into neighborhoods, food markets, and one or two day trips at a relaxed pace.
Source: NihaoVisit Zhongwei guide
10-day Zhongwei itinerary at a glance
Use our full Zhongwei travel guide as the base and adapt it to 10 days. Keep the city's three signature attractions as the backbone; fill the rest with neighborhood walks, food markets, and an easy day trip.
Arrival, Gaomiao & the old streets
In by HSR to Zhongwei South, on the Yinchuan-Lanzhou line, or into Shapotou airport; Gaomiao stacks its halls up a single platform — Ming-era origins, rebuilt in the 1940s — and the night-market street closes the first day.
- zhongwei gaomiao
- zhongwei drum tower
Shapotou — the river face
Sand-slide down the tall dune, drift back downriver on a sheepskin raft, zipline over the water. Since the 1950s the straw checkerboards have held the dunes off the 1958 Baotou-Lanzhou railway.
- zhongwei shapotou
Shapotou — the desert face & Route 66
Morning among the inner dune sea, then the dead-straight road west that photographers call China's Route 66, out to Beichangtan and its old pear orchards — about 60 kilometres round trip.
- zhongwei shapotou
- zhongwei route 66 road
- zhongwei beichangtan village
Tonghu — an honest Inner Mongolia note
Half an hour beyond Shapotou, Tonghu's grassland and lakes sit across the regional line in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia — labelled honestly as an edge-of-province day. Desert-camp sunset and a sky full of stars.
- zhongwei tonghu grassland
- zhongwei tengger desert camp
Sikouzi canyon
About an hour southeast, a sandstone gorge with narrow defiles and cliff walkways; bring water and climb the higher path while the morning is cool.
- zhongwei sikou canyon
Zhongning — goji & grottoes
An honest county day about an hour east — the goji museum and berry fields first, then the Shikong grottoes above the old town, their earliest carvings traced to the Tang.
- zhongwei zhongning goji museum
- zhongwei shikong grottoes
Jinsha Island & the Huanghe Suji
Boardwalks over the Jinsha Island wetlands, then an afternoon among the restored Yellow River farmhouses of the Huanghe Suji near the Shapotou south bank.
- zhongwei jinsha island
- zhongwei huanghe suji
Yinchuan — an honest neighbour day
A neighbouring-capital day, labelled as such — about 90 minutes each way on the HSR. The Western Xia tombs, the Zhenbeipu film sets and the Helan Mountain rock art crowd one long day; consider an overnight if trains allow.
- yinchuan
Yellow River Stone Forest — an honest Gansu day
A neighbouring-province day, labelled as such — about two hours' drive into Jingtai County, Gansu, where sandstone pillars line a bend of the river; rafts and donkey carts work the gorge floor.
- zhongwei jingtai stone forest
Slow morning & departure
One last market breakfast, a riverside walk, then the HSR from Zhongwei South towards Yinchuan or Lanzhou, or the short hop from Shapotou airport.
- zhongwei city markets
Budget for 10 days in Zhongwei
| Tier | Per day | 10 days total |
|---|---|---|
| Backpacker | USD $50–$80 | USD $500–$800 |
| Mid-range | USD $100–$200 | USD $1,000–$2,000 |
| Luxury | USD $300+ | USD $3,000+ |
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Frequently asked questions
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See also: Zhongwei travel guide, China visa 2026, China trip cost.