Into Xiahe: Most people tend to arrive here from Lanzhou. The only daily bus departs from the west bus station at 7:30am (RMB40, 8 hours) and stops for lunch near the small town of Linxia. Should you fail to wake up early enough to catch this bus, you ‘ll have to take a morning bus to Linxia and make a change there. From Linxia, buses to Xiahe depart about every 40 minutes between 6:30 and 4:40pm. For those coming in from Sichuan’s Zoig you will need to come via Hezuo. You can catch the 6:20am bus that goes from Zoigê to Hezuo, via Langmusi. Buses to Xiahe from Hezuo (2-3hrs, RMB10) depart frequently before 4pm.

Leaving Xiahe: The daily bus leaving Xiahe for Lanzhou departs at 7:20am (a bargainable RMB20). To ensure a seat, you should get up even earlier. You can also go to Linxia–there are two to three buses an hour (RMB10, three hours) between 6:30am and 4pm, about the same timetable for buses to Hezuo (RMB6.5, two and a half hours).
Xiahe is also a starting point for travelers heading for Qinghai. One daily bus leaves for Tongren (RMB24, 5hrs). However, due to poor road conditions, do not count too much on the punctuality of the daily bus, which is sometimes even cancelled. If you plan to go southward to Sichuan province, you can first take the morning bus to Hezuo and then change.