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Voykit pocket guide · China
Maqu
玛曲
Go for 1–2 nights if you want a remote Tibetan grassland experience and the Yellow River bend; skip if you have fewer than 3 days in Gannan or need reliable transport.
Maqu is a small county town in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of southern Gansu, sitting at 3,500 m on the Yellow River. It is not a sightseeing destination with ticketed attractions — the draw is the vast grassland, the river bend, and the sense of being in one of China's most remote inhabited areas. Most travellers come for one night as part of a loop from Xiahe or Hezuo, then leave the next day. Two nights allow a full day to explore the grasslands by hired car.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 玛曲
- Best months
- Jun–Aug
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (cold, some buses suspended)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥100–200 excl. bed · Mid ¥200–400 excl. bed · High ¥400+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Noodle bowl (Muslim or Sichuan) | ¥10–20 |
| Bottled water (500 ml) | ¥2–3 |
| Bus Maqu → Xiahe | ¥50–70 |
| Taxi within town | ¥5–10 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- GXH · Gannan Xiahe Airport
- Nearest airport, about 3–4 h by road via Hezuo; daily flights from Lanzhou and other cities, schedules vary — check
- LHW · Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport
- Long-haul entry point; bus or train to Lanzhou then a daily bus to Maqu, roughly 8–10 h total — check
Typical fares
- Bus Maqu → Xiahe
- about ¥50–70, 3–4 h (check)
- Hired car for a day
- ¥200–500 depending on distance
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The town is walkable (about 1 km (0.6 mi) from the bus station to the river). To reach the grasslands or the Yellow River bend, hire a private car or taxi for the day. Daily buses also head south to remote villages of Maqu County.The town is walkable (about 0.6 mi (1 km) from the bus station to the river). To reach the grasslands or the Yellow River bend, hire a private car or taxi for the day. Daily buses also head south to remote villages of Maqu County.
See and do
Known for
- Yellow River first bend
- Tibetan grasslands
- Remote high-altitude landscape
- Tibetan nomad culture
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow River first bend | Hire a car or taxi from town, about 20 min drive | About 1 h round trip |
| Grasslands south of Maqu | Hired car or daily bus heading south | Half to full day |
| Xiahe (Labrang Monastery) | Daily bus, about 3–4 h | About 4 h |
| Langmusi | Mini-bus, about 2–3 h | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Town centre
- A few larger hotels (doubles ¥100–200) and cheaper Chinese-style hostels (dorms from ¥20/person). Most are within walking distance of the bus station.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xiè xiè |
| How much? | 多少钱？duō shao qián |
| I don't understand | 我不懂wǒ bù dǒng |
| Where is the bus station? | 汽车站在哪里？qì chē zhàn zài nǎ lǐ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Altitude above 3,500 m: take it easy the first day, drink water, avoid alcohol.
- Sun is intense at this altitude: bring sunscreen and a hat.
- Bus schedules vary and tickets are bought just before departure — no advance booking.
- No ATMs may accept foreign cards; bring enough cash from Lanzhou or Xiahe.
Maqu is safe for tourists. The main risks are altitude sickness, sunburn, and the lack of English or ATMs. No nightlife to speak of.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Maqu yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Yellow River first bend
- Tibetan grasslands
- Remote high-altitude landscape
- Tibetan nomad culture
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Maqu, revision 4940878 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4940878
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/maqu). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.