Featured Destination: Songmingyan National Forest Park

I am sure you have never heard of Songmiyan National Forest Park, but it is truly a gorgeous place to visit!

Located within Linxia Prefecture (临夏州) in Hezheng County (和政县), Songmingyan (松鸣岩) is a destination that is popular with locals and quite a few tourists from Lanzhou, but very few other outsiders.

There is an entrance fee of about 30 RMB to be paid upon entering the park area, but it is worth the price, especially if you can go on a day with clear blue skies.

You will see large mountains covered in forest, lower hills covered with farms and fields, and a few higher peaks towering off in the distance (Gannan Tibetan Prefecture, which is home to Xiahe and Langmusi, begins on the other side of the larger mountains).

To get there, take a bus from the Linxia South Bus Station (临夏南站) going to the town of Kangle (康乐), and ask to get off at Songmiyan. You can also hire your own taxi for the day from Linxia, or by first taking a bus to the town of Hezheng, and then hiring a taxi from there. It is about 1 1/2 hours by bus (10-15 RMB) to get to the park entrance.