Scenic spot introduction:
Qinghai Lake is the largest inland lake and the largest saltwater lake in my country. For tourists, Qinghai Lake is a holy place in people's hearts, a paradise for hikers and cyclists, and a sea of rape flowers. This lake, 150 kilometers away from Xining, is called "Kunol" in Mongolian and "Couwenbu" in Tibetan, which means "blue sea". It covers an area of 4,500 square kilometers and is 3,200 meters above sea level. At a glance, it is vast, ethereal and magnificent. It is a huge treasure mirror bestowed by nature on the Qinghai Plateau.The area around Qinghai Lake is vast, with vast grasslands, numerous rivers, abundant water and grass, and a quiet environment. The turquoise lake is surrounded by the surrounding mountains, like a huge emerald jade plate embedded between the mountains and grasslands, forming a magnificent and beautiful scenery where mountains, lakes and grasslands complement each other. The fish and bird resources here are even more abundant. It is an area where fish migrate to spawn and birds are concentrated. Therefore, a large number of photographers gather together every season to feel the natural charm of Qinghai Lake.
For tourists who like folk culture, Qinghai Lake is also a treasure that cannot be missed. In particular, the Qinghai Lake Sea Worship is not only a folk activity with strong religious overtones, but also a cultural phenomenon that contains many folk customs and expresses people's good wishes for harmonious coexistence with nature. Sacrifice to the sea was originally a tradition of the Mongolian people. The Mongolian people originally believed in shamanism and believed that all things have animism, especially that heaven is the supreme god. In the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongolian people had the custom of offering sacrifices to the sky, mountains and sea. Since the Qing Dynasty, the worship activities in Qinghai Lake have become larger in scale and more religious. In 2008, Qinghai Lake Sea Sacrifice was selected into the second batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. In addition, the Qinghai Lake Cycling Race held from July to August every year is also Asia's top event and can be called the highest altitude international road cycling race in the world.
Attractions distribution:
Qinghai Lake Scenic Area is located in the northwest of Qinghai Province and is divided into Bird Island, Sand Island, Erlangjian Scenic Area and Fairy Bay Scenic Area. Most scenic spots are distributed around the lake, with the east, Hunan and west sides of the lake being more concentrated. In the east of the lake there are Riyue Mountain, Daotang River, Shadao, Jinshawan, Jinyintan, Atomic City, etc.; in Hunan there are Erlangjian, the main scenic spot; in the west of the lake there are Bird Island, Chaka Salt Lake, etc., as well as the most beautiful road by Qinghai Lake - Huanhu West Road from Heimahe Township to Shinaihai; Hubei has Qilian Mountains and Menyuan rapeseed flowers worth viewing. There are also many private pastures owned by local herders around the lake, where you can ride horses, yak, etc.Scenic spot qualifications:
National 5A level scenic spot, national nature reserveScenic spot features:
Self-driving tours, nature reserves, bird islands, inland lakes, saltwater lagoons, lakesScenic spot map:
Travel Notes of Travellers:
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- Tiedan: Mission Operation 2010 (Part 1) ~ Travel Notes on the Qinghai-Tibet Line
- Travel tips: Top ten most beautiful tourist destinations in July!
- Tiedan: Heavenly Qilian (V) Hainan
travelling guideline:
Day 1: Charter a car to Qinghai Lake in the early morning. On the way, you can see the first mountain of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway entering Tibet → Riyue Mountain. Stop and visit. Then go to Erlangjian Scenic Area, the main viewing point of Qinghai Lake. The location here is very advantageous. Here you can see the most beautiful Qinghai Lake. At noon, drive to Heimahe Township for lunch.
In the afternoon, we will drive to Shi Naihai Township first. The 41-kilometer Huanhu West Road from Heima River to Shi Naihai Township is the most beautiful section of Qinghai Lake. You might as well get off the car and take a walk. Then go to the ruins of a large ancient city on the edge of Qinghai Lake → Fuqi City Ruins. Finally, we arrived at Chaka Salt Lake. Small trains were running around the lakeside, and salt mounds stood like snow-capped mountains. If you are lucky, you can see mirages forming on these rivers during the day. To stay in Chaka for the night, we recommend Qingyan Hotel, which costs 120 yuan for a standard room and has complete facilities.
The next day: Get up at 6 o'clock in the morning to watch the sunrise over Qinghai Lake, and then first come to the famous Bird Island. After seeing the three-rock Gucha Mountain, which is composed of reefs, gravel beaches and sand ridges, we drove to Xihai Town for lunch.
In the afternoon, visit my country’s first nuclear weapons research base, including the base exhibition hall with seven exhibition rooms and the Atomic City underground command center. Then we arrived at the Jinyintan Grassland in Haiyan County. From July to September every year, flowers bloom here and birds fly. It is a typical pastoral area. Finally, we came to Shadao Park, where there are rich and colorful tourism projects. The island is dotted with freshwater lakes, golden and silver sands complement each other, and flocks of seabirds. In the evening, take the bus back to Xining to rest.
Tour route:
Two-day tour: The first day: Erlangjian Scenic Area → Heimahe Township → Fuqi City Ruins → Chaka Salt Lake
The second day: Bird Island → Gucha Mountain → Xihai Town Atomic City → Jinyintan Grassland → Shadao
Best time to visit:
summer
Shopping recommendations:
Visitors can choose their favorite ethnic ornaments in the tent tourist goods store by the lake.
Black and purple lambskin is one of the precious fur varieties in Qinghai Province and is also a precious fur exported to my country. It is taken from the lambs of Heizang sheep (the skin is not more than half a month old, if it is more than one month old, its skin is called Ermao or "a handful"). The black and purple lambskin has a soft coat, terry-shaped flowers, tight patterns, beautiful curls, black color, light skin, and good warmth retention.
Scenic spot map:
Scenic spot location:
China>Qinghai Province>Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
How to get there:
The most common way to go to Bird Island is to take a bus from Xining. There are ticket offices at the intersection of Changjiang Road and Xiguan Street;
Take the bus to Bird Island from major travel agencies in Xining. It costs about 100 for a one-day trip and a two-day trip. About 180 yuan, not including food, accommodation and entrance fees;
Rent a van: The rental price is about 1,200 yuan. When passing Riyue Mountain on the way, you can ask the driver to stop. There are some religious places of worship and towers to see. look.
Car rental: The cost of traveling around the lake is about 800-1,000 yuan.
Scenic area map:
Click to expand the scenic area map
Qinghai Lake ticket price:
Tickets for Qinghai Lake 151 Scenic Spot are 100 yuan, a cruise is 45 yuan, beach tickets are 22 yuan, and Bird Island tickets are about 100 yuan. Shadao costs about 100 yuan.
Scenic area opening hours:
Open all day
