Possible week to fill between Xi'an and Lanzhou

We have a trip booked for May which is Beijing - Pingyao - Xi鈥檃n - Lanzhou then Silk Road to Kashgar.

Recent events mean we might have a gap of about a week between Xi鈥檃n and Lanzhou and a contingency plan is being discussed with the agent. However I thought asking here about ideas for a destination or maybe two for that week would be a good idea.

Interests are history, architecture, traditional way of life, scenery - all taken at a gentle pace.

Looking for places that are not over-far from Xi鈥檃n/Lanzhou (ie don鈥檛 want to spend too much time in planes and airports though overnight trains OK), not hot, hopefully relatively free of tourists and perhaps with a change of scenery from the rest of the trip.

All suggestions gratefully received.

Possible week to fill between Xi'an and Lanzhou

Try the route going Jiuzhaigou -- Langmusi -- Zoige -- Xiahe -- Lanzhou. This takes you through beautiful scenery and Tibetan areas. However I%26#39;m not sure if it would be affected by the troubles in Tibet Autonomous Region.

Possible week to fill between Xi'an and Lanzhou

Thank you for that suggestion.

Like you I suspect that recent events in TAR (the cause of the possible %26#39;empty%26#39; week) may present problems around Xiahe.

Xi%26#39;an-tianshui--xiahe--lanzhou by bus or car.

Thanks.

We had wondered about Tianshui as a base for Maiji Shan and the Water Curtain Thousand Buddha Caves. Any thoughts on the town itself and those two places?

I don%26#39;t see Xiahe as a realistic proposition at present. If we have to fill this week (because we can%26#39;t get to TAR) then it seems likely that Xiahe and similar areas may also prove inaccessible.

Another possibility running through my mind was to make a loop north from Xi%26#39;an to Lanzhou via Ningxia. It seems an area that%26#39;s a bit off the usual tourist track (which might be nice) but not sure whether it%26#39;s worth considering further. Any information on that part of the country, please?

Xi%26#39;an-- kongtongshan--maijishan--lanzhou

I was in Ningxia for a few days last May, and it was quite nice. Shapotou was fun!

';Shapotou was fun!';

Fun as in a bungee-jumping, white water rafting, dune buggy sort of way; or fun in a way that might appeal to staid 60-somethings?

Didn%26#39;t try the bungee jumping. The flying fox over Yellow River was expensive and disappointing. The sand slide was great, and so were the dune buggy rides. Ostrich and camel rides were so-so, one of my friends fell off the ostrich and got a little pawed.

Oh. That sort of fun. Tianshui way looks more like us!

Oh dear, sorry then. I think I noticed the ';60-something'; but missed out the ';staid';! :(