Guide



Guide (Chinese: 贵德 Guìdé) is a county in Qinghai.

Understand
Guide (Guìdé, 贵德) is a Tibetan county located south of Xining. Because of its name, you will find it hard to search for information about it in English. It is near the origin of the 3 rivers (Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong).

The county seat is the town of Heyin (Héyīn, 河阴).

As of 2016, new highways mean that Guide is an easy 3-hour return day trip from Xining. Book your return ticket when you arrive!

Get in
Buses for Guide leave from the Xining West Bus Station every 40 min or so between about 07:00 and 18:00. Cost is about ¥30 and the journey takes around 1½ hours. Returning buses to Xining Are from Guide Bus Station (贵德汽车站). The last return bus leaves at 17:45.

Get around
Taxis start at ¥5 within the county seat. You can also get around in 3-wheel cars or on the back of a trailer for slightly less.

See


Guide received massive investment in the tourism sector in the 2010s. As of 2016, a five-year plan to "refurbish" the old town within the city walls has resulted in the creation of "Guide Old Town" - a modern take on what was clearly once a beautiful historical place. The refurbishment is almost complete and with it has come the demolition of many of the towns old buildings. The walls are still there, but they now contain a large museum and new temples seemingly devoid of believers.

Do
Hire a cab to the Zha Chang hot springs (扎仓温泉) about 20 km outside of town in a small Tibetan Village. The water is very very hot in the summer and locals indicate it's better in the winter. Be prepared for naked old Tibetan men and women. As of 2016, there is a fee for entry.



This is the rare town where genuine interactions with locals is possible. Enjoy!

Buy
Lots of cheesy Tibetan stuff.

Eat
Hand made square noodles are a popular local dish. Restaurants seem to be located close to the bus station.

Sleep
Turn left out of the Bus Station and there is a hotel with decent doubles for about ¥100 (after bargaining) about 50 m up the road. This hotel can take foreigners.

Wen Quan Binguan (hot spring hotel, 温泉宾馆) is a more upmarket option with a hot spring heated swimming pool and spa. This is the default location for foreign tourists. Doubles start at about ¥200. Outside of summer you should be able to bargain hard.