Qinghai travel notes and introduction to 11 must-visit attractions

Qinghai has a vast territory, rich resources, magnificent mountains and rivers, and numerous ethnic groups. It has unique advantages and potential for developing tourism. This article is for reference only. It is my notes on traveling to Qinghai and information on 11 must-visit attractions.

Things to note when traveling to Qinghai

1. Qinghai has a relatively dry climate in the United States, so you should appropriately increase your intake of vegetables and fruits to enhance your resistance. Although the mutton in Qinghai is delicious, don’t eat too much, as this will cause you to get angry. There are not many fruits here, so you can take some vitamin supplements.

2. Remember to drink more water. The air humidity in the plateau is relatively low, which can easily cause dehydration and cause some diseases, and you should drink continuously but in small amounts.

3. Li Qing Liquor in Tibetan areas of Qinghai is quite intoxicating. It is appropriate to drink two-thirds of the amount of ordinary liquor on weekdays.

4. Foods such as butter tea in Tibetan areas are not suitable for mainland people, so you don’t have to eat too much. There are empty butter tea bowls available locally for guests.

5. The wind and sand are relatively heavy, so pay attention to sand prevention measures.

What should I prepare for going to Qinghai Lake during National Day?

During the National Day, the temperature difference in Qinghai Lake is huge. According to weather factors in previous years, the temperature during the day is around 20 degrees, and at night when the sunshine is strong, it may be around zero degrees. If you choose to spend the night in Heima River and get up the next day to watch the sunrise, you can wrap yourself up in quilt and go out. It's literally ~ by the way, it's not recommended to stay in a tent at Black Horse River. Although all accommodations in Black Horse River are not ideal, you may want to try the riverside tents, it is said that you can watch the stars at night, but it is really cold if you want to spend the night in a tent!

Clothing reference: 2 long-sleeved shirts, 1 light jacket, 1 fleece or down, 1 coat, 1-2 sets of autumn clothes and trousers, 1-2 pairs of wear-resistant dirty pants, Some disposable underwear, socks, gloves, slippers, hats, masks, scarves, sunglasses.

Food: High-calorie food, add some chocolate or something. If there are several meals on the train, you can bring some fruits and snacks, depending on your personal circumstances. In terms of diet, the most recommended thing is to do as the locals do, drink butter tea and eat yak meat buns, which can alleviate altitude sickness.

Drugs: In fact, people often say that they should take Rhodiola rosea and Gaoyuan to treat altitude sickness, but they are not very useful. I recommend taking Danshen dripping pills and inosine oral liquid twice a day. Taking American ginseng lozenges and drinking glucose water regularly can alleviate altitude sickness. If you already have a cold, you cannot go to Gaoyuan. If you catch a cold before traveling, it's in your own interest that you'd better cancel it. Altitude sickness may also cause headaches. Suitable analgesics are Fenbid and ibuprofen. Don't buy painkillers, indomethacin, etc. Stimulates mucous membranes and causes bleeding easily at high altitudes. For gastrointestinal issues, it is recommended to take some Po Chai Pills. In addition, use some multivitamin tablets, as there are few plateau vegetables and it is easy to be deficient in vitamins. Others need to take some anti-inflammatory drugs, cold medicine, and band-aids. Generally speaking, people with colds and heart disease should avoid going to high altitude places.

11 must-visit attractions for Qinghai Lake tour guides.

1. Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake is a must-visit place for travelers who come to Qinghai. Qinghai Province is named after Qinghai Lake, which was called the West Sea in ancient times. It is the largest inland lake and the largest saltwater lake in China. Qinghai Lake is surrounded by mountains, with Riyue Mountain, Nanshan Mountain, Rubber Mountain and Datong Mountain in the east, west and north respectively. The Buha River originates from Tianjun County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is the largest river flowing into Qinghai Lake, so Tianjun County is also called the source of Qinghai Lake.

The beauty of Qinghai Lake lies in its vastness, its deep blue, its seasonal changes, its birds singing and the fragrance of flowers, and its ever-changing scenery of more than 300 kilometers around the lake. Here you can see herds of cattle and sheep, green yellow flowers and desert oases.

Best travel time:

When is the best time to go to Qinghai Lake? I think it’s suitable for all seasons. The key is what you most want to see and experience. I have already listed them

From early April to the end of May, and from mid-October to the end of November, snow will fall on the top of Qinghai Lake, and the sapphire blue lake water is decorated with silvery white makeup, clean and elegant;

< p>From the end of November to the beginning of March next year, whooper swans inhabit Qinghai Lake, stir up the water and fly in, singing in the sky, plateau swan lake;

From the end of November to the end of March next year, Qinghai Lake is frozen , is a snow-white world covered in thousands of miles of ice.

In early April, the lake surface thaws and opens up, making it a spectacular sight.

From early September to mid-October, it is autumn in Qinghai Lake. The autumn air is crisp and the yellow rain is continuous, which is suitable for traveling.

Transportation: There are two main routes from Xining to Qinghai Lake, namely the northern route and the southern route.

Northern Line: Xining-Huangyuan-Xihai Town (Jinyintan, Atomic City)-Qinghai Lake There is a bicycle service center in Jinyintan, Xihai Town. Generally, passengers riding on the northern line go to Xihai Town, then assemble a rented car and ride 17 kilometers west to Qinghai Lake.

Southern Line: Xining-Huangyuan-Daotanghe-Riyue Mountain-Qinghai Lake Tour groups, chartered tours, and self-driving tours generally enter Qinghai Lake from this line.

The ideal tourist route in Qinghai Lake should be clockwise from south to north. Jinyintan, Atomic City, Riyue Mountain and Daotang River are also famous attractions in Qinghai. If you go to Qinghai Lake, you can pass by the scenic spots on this route to avoid repeating the road. Plus, the direction is exquisite.

Tibetans have the custom of crossing mountains and lakes in a clockwise direction, which is a custom of Tibetan Buddhism.

Recommended travel routes:

One-day tour: Xining-Huangyuan-Daotanghe-Riyue Mountain-Qinghai Lake (Erlangjian-Nanshan Guanhai-Jinshawan-Shadao )-Xihai Town (Jinyintan, Atomic City)-Huangyuan (Tangier Ancient City)-Xining;

Two-day tour around the lake: D1: Xining-Huangyuan-Daotang River-Riyue Mountain-Qinghai Lakes (Erlangjian, Nanshan, Heimahe) move into Heimahe.

D2: Qinghai Lake (Sunrise on the Black Horse River - Bird Island - Fairy Bay - Gangcha - Erhai - Sand Island - Jinsha Bay) - Xihai Town (Jinyintan, Atomic City) - Huangyuan (Danger Ancient City) - Xining;

Note: It is recommended to add Chaka Salt Lake to the two-day tour, which is on the west side of Qinghai Lake and more than 80 kilometers away from Heimahe Township near Qinghai Lake. Generally, we arrive at Chaka Salt Lake from Heima River before 4 pm on the first day. Interested travelers can stay a little longer to watch the sunset, and then rush back to Heimahe to stay so that they can watch the sunrise over Qinghai Lake the next day.

Introduction to attractions:

Now, please follow me and follow the order of the two-day tour around the lake. I will take you around the lake on the map and briefly introduce the various attractions of Qinghai Lake. Attractions:

1. Section from the fishing ground to Erlangjian

Ticket: 10 yuan

The southern route starts from the 109 National Highway that just enters the fishing ground in the Qinghai Lake area to Erlangjian. About 20 kilometers long. It is the most beautiful place in Qinghai Lake and the place where tourists are most concentrated. You can reach the lakeside through the paths of local Tibetans to own farmland or pasture. Tibetans often collect tickets at crossings and can negotiate prices. It costs 10 yuan to go to the lakeside, and you can add 5 yuan to take pictures among the rapeseed flowers.

In this section, especially in July and August when rapeseed flowers are in full bloom, the golden rapeseed flowers, green highland barley fields, blue lake water, blue sky and white clouds form an extremely beautiful picture. In this section, you have to spend more time playing around the lake, taking pictures of girls, riding horses and yaks.

Note: Traffic is heavy in this section. Many people who drive by car enjoy the scenery while driving and stop at any time. There is a great risk of rear-end collision, so be sure to pay attention to safety.

2. Erlangjian Scenic Area

Ticket: 100 yuan (from October 20th to April 15th of the following year, the off-season ticket is 50 yuan);

Erlangjian is an elongated peninsula by the lake. Seen from a height, it looks like a sharp arrow thrust into the lake. This scenic spot was converted from an abandoned arsenal, and there is also a torpedo launch pad in the lake. It is China's first torpedo launch test base and was previously known as Base 151 because it is 151 kilometers away from Xining. There are rare deep-water harbors, yachts and other recreational facilities here, making it the core scenic spot of Qinghai Lake. In the scenic area, you can take a yacht or bus to Erlangjian for sightseeing. Fees are not included in the ticket.

I generally do not recommend hikers to enter this scenic spot

There is a road leading to Hainan Qiabucha on Nanshan Mountain opposite Erlangjian Scenic Area. The road winds up Nanshan Mountain, overlooking Qinghai Lake. Here you can see the different shades of blue at the bottom of the lake. Erlang sword is clearly visible. The grassland, highland barley fields and rapeseed fields beside the lake are like patches of yellow-green. The tranquil lake stretches to the northwest, and the sand dunes on the other side of the lake are clearly visible. Yachts in the lake were painted with white logos.

If you want to spend money in Erlangjian Scenic Area, you might as well come here. You may not be able to see the true face of Erlangjian when you buy a boat ticket in the scenic spot, but you can see it all when you arrive at Nanshan.

4. Heima River

Ticket: 10 yuan (watch the sunrise)

More than 70 kilometers west from Erlangjian Scenic Area along National Highway 109, you will find Heima River Township town, affiliated to Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. A small river named Heima River flows through here and flows into Qinghai Lake, hence the name Heima River. Because it is located in the southwest of Qinghai Lake, it is a market town with convenient food and accommodation, so people like to gather here to watch the sunrise. The specific place to watch the sunrise is the Panchen Laze Scenic Area not far from the town. The sun rises slowly over the eastern sea level. Looking from a distance here, you can see three huge tripods standing in the waves. This is a small island composed of dense white limestone reefs, so it is called Three Stones.

When the weather is good in summer, you can also stay in a tent hotel by the lake. If it's cold there there's a painted steel room. You can watch the sunrise after leaving the tent in the morning. The price of a tent is 30-50 yuan per bed, depending on your bargaining power and check-in time. Its price is relatively high during the peak season.

There are many hotels in the town, which are small in scale and of high quality. Most standard rooms do not have a separate toilet, but the price of the toilet is relatively high and the condition is very average. When the peak season arrives in July and August, beds are very tight in the town. The price of a standard room with bathroom is between 280-350, and it needs to be booked in advance. If you don't book, you can only live in a tent by the lake.

In the past, Panchen Laze Scenic Area did not charge admission fees, but last year after the bumpy cement roads in the scenic area were resurfaced, some people charged fees. Alas! It's better not to fix it.

In fact, if you don’t want to see the sunrise over Qinghai Lake, you don’t have to be on the Black Horse River. Along Huanhu West Road from the Heima River to the northwest, there are many tents, hotels, and reception stations run by Tibetans. In which neighborhood was the famous Uncle Dancher's home located? As long as you are on the west side of the lake, you will definitely see the same sun in the same direction.

The reason for living in Heimahe is that there are more accommodation options.

When it's a clear day, you can stay in a tent hotel and watch the stars at night. The starry night sky without light interference is very beautiful, especially in the morning when the sky is just bright, it is the most intoxicating time.

5. Offering sacrifices to the sea

Tickets: None

About ten kilometers northwest of the Heima River, there is a place where Tibetans offer sacrifices to the sea. Here we pray for Poseidon's blessing on people and animals, and for good weather. Friends who have been to Qinghai Lake all have the same feeling. What they see on the road around the lake is a straight line of Qinghai Lake, but the Haiji Highway here is built on a hillside. Because it is higher than sea level and close to the lake, the area to see the lake is relatively large. In addition, it is just a check-in here after watching the sunrise at Heima River at 8 or 9o. Shortly after the sun rose, the lake surface sparkled. It is recommended that travelers stop and play here for a while.

6. Bird Island

Ticket: 120 yuan (from April 20 to August 15 every year, off-season tickets are 48 yuan for the rest of the time);

Bird Island, named after the hundreds of thousands of migratory birds that live on the island, is located in the northwest corner of Qinghai Lake, not far from the Buha River Delta. There are two islands of different sizes and shapes. These two beautiful islands are the world-famous Bird Island. Qinghai Lake is a paradise for birds. As the natural environment around Qinghai Lake continues to improve, the lake has been closed for fish farming for decades, and the number of migratory birds coming to the shores of Qinghai Lake has increased year by year.

From the Heima River to the northwest along the Huxi Highway

The best time for bird watching is from the end of April to the beginning of June every year. The road to Bird Island is built along the Buha River, the largest river in Qinghai Lake. There are also many birds on both sides of the Buha River, including black cormorants, bar-headed geese and brown-headed gulls. Standing on the roadside, you can see birds flying around in pairs. If you don’t want to spend money on attractions, you can park your car on the side of the road and watch. If you still don't I find this unpleasant.

Every year from winter to spring, that is, from the end of November to March of the following year, whooper swans migrate to Torishima and Izumi Bay in the Ishino Sea to spend the winter. Therefore, Qinghai Lake is also called Plateau Swan Lake. At this time, you can bargain at the Bird Island Scenic Area. Fortunately, two people could buy tickets to enter. Watching swans on Bird Island in winter is absolutely romantic. There are only you and a group of swans in the huge scenic spot. Imagine that, my friends!

7. Just observing

Tickets: None

The coastal city of Gangcha is a county in the north of Qinghai Lake, under the jurisdiction of Haibei Prefecture, about 40 kilometers away from Bird Island. . In the past two years, Gangcha County has attached great importance to tourism and has successively built many scenic spots such as Huang Yujiayuan, Cangyang Gyatso Cultural Square, and Sanskrit Lingka.

Every year from the end of May to the beginning of August, millions of yellow croakers swim upstream in Qinghai Lake and enter many rivers in Qinghai Lake such as Liusha River, Buha River, and Quanji River to spawn. The migratory journey of croaker to spawn is arduous, dangerous, and even a journey of death. Just now, Chacha built Huang Yu's home on the Liusha River near the west of the county seat. Here you can see Huang Yu's migration process. Where there are fish, there are birds, and there are many seabirds here. They are so much fun circling and diving on the river.

On his way to Beijing, the sixth Lama Tsangyang Gyatso died of a sudden illness while traveling at Qinghai Lake in Gangcha County. In order to commemorate him, Gangcha County built Cangyang Gyatso Cultural Plaza in the east of the county, where people who like Cangyang Gyatso can visit his immortal poems.

There are five prayer flags on the hillside where National Highway 315 passes in the east of the county, namely the sunrise area on the sea, the six-character mantra prayer area, the floor-to-ceiling pagoda area, the colorful sail circle area, and the multi-colored sail area. Its beautiful name is Sanskrit Lingka, which has the characteristics of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also the largest prayer array I have ever seen in Qinghai. In addition, there is a section of the road not far from the pass covered with prayer flags, which is also very spectacular. It is necessary to stop and take photos here.

8. Fairy Bay

Ticket: 60 yuan

Fairy Bay is on the edge of Qinghai Lake, more than ten kilometers away from Gangcha County. There is a sign on National Highway 315. Huang Yujia has a road leading to Qinghai Lake Farm, which extends southward. Fairy Bay is mainly a lakeside wetland, and a plank road leading to the lake has been built in the scenic area. Tourists have been to the lakeside many times around Qinghai Lake, and their interest has been greatly reduced. Few people go to this scenic spot. Personally, I think the scenery here is pretty good when the weather is good. See my photos for details! Other tickets here can be bargained for.

9. Gahai

Gahai is an oval lake 3 kilometers northeast of Qinghai Lake. Due to the continuous evaporation of Qinghai Lake, Gahai and the mother of Qinghai Lake are separated by a sand mountain. From Gangcha, follow National Highway 315 to Hargil Township, then walk more than ten kilometers to Haiyan County, where there is a branch road extending to the southeast. This is the starting point of Huanhu East Road. Walk about five kilometers along Huanhu East Road, and you can see a blue lake on the right side of the road. This is Gahai, and there are several unguarded paths that lead across the railway to the lake. The lake is shallow and clear, and tourists are rarely seen. Suitable for people who like to be in a daze and clean.

10. Shadao

Ticket: 70 yuan

More than 20 kilometers east of Gahai is the Shadao scenic spot. The large sand dunes in the scenic area are formed by sand ridges protruding from the lake surface and accumulated by wind and sand. They are like a new crescent-shaped sand dune floating on the water, which is a great wonder of the lake. There are many kinds of desert recreation projects in Shadao Scenic Area.

I rarely bring people here to the International Sand Sculpture Art Festival held in July every year, mainly because people think the tickets are too expensive, so I usually take them to Jinshawan instead of going along Hudong Road. Walking more than ten kilometers southeast, you will pass through a desert area. There are many desert recreation projects run by Tibetans on the roadside, such as sandboarding, desert motorcycles, off-roading, etc. This area is fun. I often take my friends to Jinshawan, which is also guarded by local Tibetans. Bargain, each person can enter 10 yuan. Here, you have to walk through a sand dune. The sand in the dune is very soft and it is very comfortable to take off your shoes. This dune feels like a desert. Think about it, it must be the first time in your life that desert, lake, cattle, sheep, and grassland appear in the same picture, right?

Okay, here we have basically gone around the lake. Let me introduce some places that are not known to most people, but I think are good places to save money or not spend money. The above is just my personal opinion and may not be completely accurate. They are only for your reference. How to play the game? I still recommend travelers to selectively and in-depth play according to the season and personal preferences. Go to a few places when the weather is bad, and play more when the weather is good.