You will be met at Xining Airport and transferred to your hotel. There may be the chance for some birding on a nearby mountain, to look for forest birds like Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Plain Laughingthrush, Oriental Turtle Dove, Hill Pigeon, Chestnut Thrush, Godlewski's Bunting, Meadow Bunting, Red-billed Chough, Black Redstart and Daurian Redstart.

Accommodation: Hotel in Xining (en suite rooms).

Meals: D.

This morning, we will depart from Xining city in the early morning and drive north towards Dongxia Forest Park. The evergreen conifer woods are the dominant tree species in the forest, and lush shrubs occupy the forest gaps and openings; both provide great habitats for small forest species.

Here, we will focus on nuthatches, warbler and tits. We will seek out some exciting species such as Crested Tit Warbler, White-browed Tit Warbler, Gansu Leaf Warbler, Chinese Nuthatch (Snowy-browed Nuthatch), Przewalski's Nuthatch (White-cheeked Nuthatch), Plain Laughingthrush, Elliot's Laughingthrush, Siberian Rubythroat, and Chinese Thrush.

We will visit a number of hills and forests looking for species like Daurian Jackdaw, Rook, Kessler's Thrush, Chestnut Thrush, Common Rosefinch, Chinese White-browed Rosefinch, Grey-headed Bullfinch, Grey-capped Greenfinch, Red Crossbill, Slaty-backed Flycatcher, White-throated Redstart, Rufous-vented Tit, as well as the shy Smoky Warbler. In the afternoon, we will drive to Menyuan and do more birding there, mainly focusing on Przevalski's Pinktail and Ibisbill.

Accommodation: Hotel in Xining (en suite rooms).

Meals: B,L,D.

Today we will drive to Gangcha and spend some time birding near Qinghai Lake. Qinghai Lake is the largest lake in China, situated on the largest, highest and youngest plateau in the world. We have good chances to see the Black-necked Crane, Bar-headed Goose, Northern Pintail, Red-crested Pochard, Eurasian Wigeon, Whooper Swan, Ferruginous Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Tufted Duck, Black-necked Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Pallas's Gull, Kentish Plover, Pale Martin, Green Sandpiper and Common Redshank.

We will also spend some time in the nearby grassland as we search for Twite, Hume's Short-toed Lark, Asian Short-toed Lark, Mongolian Lark, Tibetan Lark, Rufous-necked Snowfinch, Pere David's Snowfinch, Isabelline Wheatear, and Ground Tit. After an enjoyable birding time around the lake, we head on to Gangcha and search the nearby area for the endangered Przewalski's Gazelle, which is only found in this area.

Accommodation: Hotel in Gangcha (en suite rooms).

Meals: B,L,D.

This morning, we will drive towards Chaka and explore the majestic Tianjun Canyon. The canyon is famous for its unique and colourful rock formations. The canyon's reddish hues, particularly in sunlight, are a striking feature, leading to its other name, Keziliya Grand Canyon (meaning "red cliff" in Uyghur).  In the afternoon, we will visit Wulan to look for Tarim Babbler, Bearded Reedling and Lesser Whitethroat. After we arrive in Chaka, we can visit a nearby village, where we will look for the Daurian Partridge, Isabelline Shrike and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Accommodation: Hotel in Chaka (en suite rooms).

Meals: B,L,D.

We will spend the whole day on the harsh desert and arid mountain ranges of Chaka, searching for plateau and desert species. Some of these birds require a level of patience, as they are well-adapted to staying hidden in this vast ecosystem, but these birds are well worth the effort. For instance, the Pallas's Sandgrouse is a gorgeous desert species and is adept at camouflaging itself in the ochre desert steppe.

We will also look for other sought-after species including Henderson's Ground Jay, Isabelline Shrike, Isabelline Wheatear, Desert Wheatear, Crested Lark, Asian Short-toed Lark, Hume's Short-toed Lark, Mongolian Finch, Pere David's Snowfinch and Blanford's Snowfinch. In the forest bordering the nearby villages, we will focus on some arboreal species such as Eurasian Golden Oriole, Great Spotted Woodpecker, White-cheeked Starling, Eurasian Hoopoe, Azure-winged Magpie, Upland Buzzard and Amur Falcon. We will also spend some time in the nearby valleys to search for birds such as the rare and elusive Przevalski's (Ala Shan) Redstart, Rusty-necklaced (Przevalski's) Partridge, Tibetan Partridge, Hill Pigeon, Black Redstart and Pine Bunting.

Accommodation: Hotel in Chaka (en suite rooms).

Meals: B,L,D.

Today we will spend more time in Chaka if needed. We can then either visit the southern part of Qinghai Lake or visit Longyangxia. The itinerary for the day will be determined by what we have seen so far.

Accommodation: Hotel in Xinghai (en suite rooms).

Meals: B,L,D.

Today we will reach our highest altitude for the tour of around 4300m when we visit Ela Mountain Pass. We will be mainly searching the alpine meadows and screes. Our first target is the highly range-restricted and rare Tibetan Rosefinch. While slowly walking up the mountain in search of this bird, we will also scan the mountain slope for Güldenstädt's Redstart, Tibetan Lark, White-rumped Snowfinch, Rufous-necked Snowfinch, Henri's Snowfinch, Black-headed Mountain Finch, Bearded Vulture, Himalayan Vulture, Tibetan and Snowcock. Following the exploration, we will drive 1.5 hours back to Longyangxia to bird and focus on species like Przevalski's Partridge.

Accommodation: Hotel in Longyangxia (en suite rooms).

Meals: B,L,D.

Our final day will be spent exploring Longyangxia, a geopark with beautiful Aeolian landforms. Here, we can expect some unique desert species like Przevalski's Partridge, Pale Rosefinch, Lesser Whitethroat, Hodgson's Redstart, Mongolian Finch and Desert Finch. In the afternoon, we will drive back to Xining where we will have our final dinner as a group and reflect on the past eight days.

Accommodation: Hotel in Maerkang (en suite rooms).

Meals: B,L,D.

Following a lovely breakfast at the hotel, you will be transferred to the airport to depart from Xining.

Accommodation: None.

Meals: B.