Qinghai also has a Thousand Island Lake, with islands resembling a fleet of ships sailing out to sea, forming a unique geological wonder in the world.
Before traveling to Qinghai, many people yearn for the vast Gobi Desert and towering snowy mountains of the Northwest, wanting to experience the remoteness and vastness there, but upon arriving in Qinghai, they are often amazed by the lakes scattered like stars. The vast Qinghai Lake, the magnificent Emerald Lake, and the Sky Mirror Chaka Salt Lake go without saying, and the Water Yadan is even more stunning and unforgettable.
Water Yadan, also known as Wusute Water Yadan, is a unique water Yadan in the world. It is located in the northwest of the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai. After millions of years of geological movements and time changes, it has nurtured and formed the world's largest and most spectacular Yadan landform, covering an area of over 20,000 square kilometers. Wusute Water Yadan is the most essential part of it.
To be precise, Wusute Yadan is part of the Nanbaxian Yadan group. The Yadan earth mounds in this area are generally between 10 and 25 meters high, with the highest reaching about 50 meters. The Yadan forms are rich and varied, scattered throughout the lake, making it the only water Yadan landscape discovered in the world.
Water Yadan is easy to find. It is right next to the famous网红 road - National Highway 315 (from Xining, Qinghai to Turgart, Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang), and not far from the famous U-shaped highway, Dongtai Jinar Lake, and Xitai Jinar Lake, so they can be visited together.
We visited Water Yadan during a cultural activity in Golmud themed "Source of Three Rivers, Mysterious Kunlun". It took nearly 4 hours by car from Golmud city center, so the most convenient way is self-driving or renting a car. After our car passed the U-shaped网红 highway on National Highway 315, the scenery on both sides gradually changed from the endless Gobi desert to undulating terrain, and some broken walls and remnant hills appeared.
At first, there were sparse scattered earth mounds. As we continued, these varied earth mounds became denser, eventually forming continuous clusters. Although it is a barren land with no vegetation beyond the yellowish brown, nature's extraordinary workmanship has turned it into a magnificent geological wonder - this is the unique Yadan landform group of the Qaidam Basin.
Upon entering Water Yadan, taking the scenic sightseeing bus takes us to several fixed highlights. Since we had a long journey (we had to return to Golmud, 8 hours round trip), we went directly to the most essential part and quickly launched a drone to capture this unique natural wonder.
Viewed from the ground, these earth mounds standing in the lake water come in various shapes. They look like castles, camel caravans, or tigers and leopards, some running, some sitting or lying down. They are three parts real and seven parts imagination. The more you look, the more they resemble. Here we can let our imagination run wild. As our thoughts become active, these earth mounds on the lake seem to be given life and become vivid.
Viewed from the drone, the Water Yadan becomes more three-dimensional. Each earth mound, big or small, tall or short, is an island. Looking around, the islands are scattered like stars, even more beautiful than the Thousand Island Lake in Zhejiang. Moreover, these islands seem to face the same direction. Upon closer inspection, they resemble ten thousand ships sailing out to sea or ten thousand horses galloping - truly breathtaking.
What shocked us the most was this green lake at Wusute. Seen from afar, it looks like a green gem embedded in the desert hills. In this vast Gobi desert, suddenly seeing a stretch of clear water makes one doubt their own eyes, giving an unreal feeling. The water in Wusute varies in color due to different depths. Some places are dark green, some are light blue. Viewed from the air, it even feels like being on a small island in Southeast Asia, so much so that a friend traveling with us jokingly called it the Qinghai branch of the Maldives.
It is understood that there was no lake here originally. One year, a huge mountain flood broke out on Kunlun Mountain, forcing the Nalenggele River, which originates from Kunlun Mountain, to change its course and flood this area, thus forming this unique Water Yadan landform. Quite magically, there are flocks of waterfowl and wild ducks in the lake, either soaring in the blue sky or playing in the shimmering lake water. As a result, tourists jokingly call it "Hundred Birds Thousand Island Lake".
1. Water Yadan is beautiful but very sunny. There is almost no shade throughout the journey. So when traveling here, be sure to take sun protection measures. Without protection, you may get sunburned after a few hours.
2. The journey to Water Yadan is quite far. Whether self-driving or chartering a car, make sure to fill up the fuel tank when passing a gas station along the way.
3. Prepare plenty of snacks and drinking water before departure. There are few places to eat along the way, only the fast food restaurant at the Water Yadan scenic area and a few small restaurants. Not only are they crowded, but the food may not suit your taste.
