Kunlun Grand Canyon: A Hidden Gem in the Qaidam Basin, a Perfect Summer Retreat with Wetland Surfing and Cool Waters

Golmud is an important stop on the Gansu-Qinghai Grand Loop, but people actually know and explore it very little. Many only know that there are popular spots like the U-shaped internet-famous highway, Dongtai Jinaier Lake, and Chaerhan Salt Lake. Those who know a bit more are also aware of attractions such as the source of the Yangtze River, Kunlun Mountain Pass, Yuzhu Peak, and the Populus euphratica forest. However, this is still just the tip of the iceberg of Golmud.

Although Golmud is only a county-level city with a population of just 220,000, its jurisdiction is really large—over 110,000 square kilometers, larger than provinces like Zhejiang and Jiangsu, not to mention the four direct-controlled municipalities and smaller administrative regions like Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. It is the largest county-level city in China by area, and it contains vast expanses of Gobi, desert, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, and other geological landforms, with many areas rarely visited by humans. So for tourists, a little more knowledge brings a lot more surprises.

The Kunlun Mountain Grand Canyon undoubtedly belongs to this category of scenic spots. It is a place not marked on maps. Although you can find some information about the Kunlun Mountain Grand Canyon online, clicking into it basically leads to a scenic area in Xinjiang (the Kunlun Mountains stretch 2,500 kilometers, known as the ancestor of all mountains in China, with numerous crisscrossing canyons; so before any particular canyon becomes famous, it's not surprising that they all call themselves the Kunlun Mountain Grand Canyon). So it can truly be described as little-known.

Kunlun Mountain Grand Canyon, also known as Kunlun Grand Canyon, is part of the Kunlun Mountain World Geopark. The entrance is about 15 kilometers from the main road of the Qinghai-Tibet Highway. Inside, there are natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon, Antelope Valley, and Snow Mountain Canyon. The Grand Canyon is the first scenic spot we entered.

After driving our vehicle into the canyon, we found it to be a pristine, untouched canyon. If not for the decent-looking gate built outside the scenic area (though no one was on duty), we would have definitely thought it was an undeveloped wild attraction. Because there is no trace of artificial modification inside—no shops, no staff, not even a walking path for tourists.

There is a small river in the canyon, said to be a tributary of the Kunlun River. With no sightseeing trail built along it, the only way to explore inside is to drive an off-road vehicle through the narrow canyon, splashing through the water. The water splashes everywhere, offering incredible coolness. Especially in July and August, when major cities across the country experience temperatures of 40°C, the canyon is filled with a cool breeze, making it extremely pleasant.

Although the river water in the canyon is not deep, it all comes from the melting glaciers and snow on the Kunlun Mountains, unpolluted and exceptionally pure. The temperature is extremely low. When you scoop the water into your palm, it feels like ice-cold mineral water, instantly relieving the heat and bringing incomparable refreshment. Even now, as I sit in front of the sweltering computer in Chongqing organizing these pictures, I can still feel a hint of coolness and deeply miss it.

As we walked deeper into the Grand Canyon, the scenery changed with every step. Some places were several meters wide, while others were only two or three meters. Looking up, the sky appeared as a narrow slit. Such landscapes are the rings of time carved by tens of millions of years of erosion from melting snow on the mountains, with unique shapes that are truly awe-inspiring. When we launched the drone, the view from above showed the canyon as a crack in the earth—narrow, steep, and rugged.

The Grand Canyon is just one part of the Kunlun Grand Canyon. Further in, you can also see Antelope Valley, Snow Mountain Canyon, Narrow Sky, and Sword-Throat spots. The richness of the landscapes and the uniqueness of the formations are breathtaking. For more details, Yufan will share in another article. Welcome everyone to follow!