September Gansu-Qinghai Route Personalized Tour (Part 4: Qarhan Salt Lake and Water Yadan)

Upon arriving in Golmud that evening, I booked a one-day tour on Ctrip, visiting only two places: Qarhan Salt Lake and Water Yadan.

There are many tours departing from Golmud, but I personally think these two attractions are the most worthwhile.

At 7:20, I boarded at the designated meeting point and found the group had about 20 people, not full. Solo travelers could take two seats, which was comfortable.

Each row of seats had charging ports, though slow charging, it was sufficient.

At 8:30, we arrived at Qarhan Salt Lake.

The standard ticket price was 100 yuan, but the driver could buy it for 95 yuan. I bought it in advance on Xianyu for 85 yuan.

The agreed return time was 11:30, so we dispersed.

Qarhan Salt Lake, located in Golmud City, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, stretches over 160 kilometers east-west and 20-40 kilometers north-south, with a salt layer thickness of about 2-20 meters and a total area of 5,856 square kilometers. It is the largest salt lake in China and the second largest in the world.

Qarhan Salt Lake is a large inland comprehensive salt lake dominated by potassium salts, associated with various minerals such as magnesium, sodium, lithium, boron, iodine, chlorine, bromine, rubidium, and cesium. Among them, the reserves of potassium, magnesium, and lithium rank first in China, with a potential economic value of hundreds of trillions of yuan. It has extremely rich potassium and magnesium salt resources, with reserves of 500 billion tons, making it the main production area of potassium and magnesium salts in China, enough to feed the world's 6 billion people for 1,000 years.

Qarhan Salt Lake has an altitude of 2,670 meters and features a unique landform—salt karst topography, commonly manifested as salt stalactites and salt flowers.

The Qarhan Salt Lake scenic area opened to the public in 2019, and this pristine beauty has become a must-visit on the Northwest Grand Loop due to recommendations from netizens.

In August 2023, it was designated as a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

To reach the core area from the ticket office, one must take a scenic bus, which takes about half an hour.

The car traveled along a road built through the salt lake, giving us a rough impression of the lake's vastness.

After getting off the bus, one can take a paid electric cart to quickly reach the deepest part of the scenic area.

I didn't take it, and in practice, walking there wasn't tiring, with enough time to explore.

The return route can take another path through the lake, avoiding backtracking.

Today was overcast, with the sun occasionally appearing, so it was naturally hard to get good photos.

Choosing positions and angles, I managed to take a few decent shots, doing my best.

Qarhan Salt Lake lacks the "Sky Mirror" label of Chaka Salt Lake, but its stunning emerald cracks, Wanzhang Salt Bridge, and thousand-island salt flowers subvert people's perception of salt lakes, becoming an irreproducible presence on the Northwest Loop.

The salt flower wonders of Qarhan Salt Lake are like an art palace carved by the earth. The naturally formed salt crystals in the lake take on various shapes—some like coral clusters, others like mushroom groups, gleaming with diamond-like luster under the sun. These salt flowers are most prominent in specific seasons (September-October), and walking among them feels like stepping into a fairy tale world of ice and snow.

The lake water of Qarhan Salt Lake, due to varying mineral concentrations, displays gradient colors such as mint green and Tiffany blue, with patches of different shades interweaving like an abstract painting.

Walking along the middle road on the return, I realized that under overcast conditions, this was the best spot for photos.

On the way back, the scenic bus made an extra stop at the Wanzhang Salt Bridge for photos, adding ten minutes.

The Wanzhang Salt Bridge is a 32-kilometer-long road made of salt, with both the roadbed and surface made of salt crust, without piers or railings, yet able to support heavy vehicles. Standing on the bridge, with salt lakes on both sides like mirrors and the road stretching to the horizon, it is an excellent scene for shooting highway photos, provided it's sunny.

By the assembly time, two groups were over half an hour late, causing the whole bus to wait.

Finally, two girls returned 50 minutes late. One passenger couldn't stand it and verbally scolded them in harsh terms. Though it seemed ill-mannered, it was satisfying.

Due to the significant delay at Qarhan Salt Lake, the bus sped off afterward, skipping the meal stop. We arrived at the Water Yadan scenic area (Wusute Yadan Geopark) at 15:10.

Along the way, we saw many Yadan hills.

To our surprise, it was sunny here, even with intense sunlight!

The ticket price for Water Yadan was 60 yuan, and the electric cart was 60 yuan.

According to online guides, the deeper scenery is only suitable for drones and has many tricks, so I only bought the entrance ticket.

Wusute Yadan Geopark consists of Yadan landforms and Duck Lake, with the lake water originating from the Nalinggele River valley in the western Kunlun Mountains. Over millions of years, due to environmental changes, water erosion, and wind erosion, the Yadan groups at the junction of the northern and western hilly natural areas of the Qaidam Basin have formed the unique Wusute (Water) Yadan landform group.

"Yadan" is a Uyghur word meaning "steep-sided hillock," also called "wind-eroded forest," a peculiar wind-eroded landform.

The first spot at the entrance was indeed enjoyable, from Haigui Bay to Wanghai Terrace.

What surprised me most was that the Yadan hills on the shore could be climbed, offering a better view—much better than taking the electric cart.

Climbing to the top of the hill, the view was excellent.

I think Water Yadan is more beautiful than the Yadan in Dunhuang.

Around Duck Lake, there are sparse aquatic plants like reeds, and in the water, there are unique wild Yadan fish and plateau crabs. In summer and autumn, thousands of wild ducks gather here, creating a spectacular scene, vividly called "Hundred Birds and Thousand Islands Lake" by outdoor and self-guided travel enthusiasts.

In September, there were no mosquitoes at Water Yadan, but the downside was the strong sun.

Walking to farther viewpoints, there were fewer people, only ducks around.

The strong wind in Wusute Yadan Geopark carries away loose sandy soil, leaving low-lying grooves. The hard mudstone layers are relatively stable, and through wind sculpting, they form mounds of various sizes and shapes, gradually highlighting the Yadan landform. These mound-like earth forests range from 4-5 meters to 20-30 meters in height, shaped into bizarre forms by wind erosion. Some look like high walls, some like majestic castles, some like desolate tombs, some like giants sitting or lying down, some like a proud rooster crowing, some like horses, elephants, lions, or tigers.

Not exploring further, I returned the same way to the entrance.

Yadan hills are scattered throughout the lake, making this the earliest and only water Yadan landscape in the world, unique and rare.

This is the largest and most spectacular Yadan community in the world. These Yadan mounds are spread across the lake in various shapes. Here, you can feel the extraordinary craftsmanship and unique charm of nature.

At 17:10, I returned to the bus and found everyone basically present. We departed on time.

The scolding was indeed effective, haha.

Along the way, we saw various terrains and landscapes, welcoming the sunset, feeling joyful.

At 21:00, we returned to Golmud city.

A long drive, but the trip was worth it!

Travelogue Index: 1. Preface 2. Qarhan Salt Lake 3. Water Yadan 4. Return Trip

Travel Information: Hotel Index, Guide Index, Ticket Index, Website Navigation, Travel Index, Cruise Index, Enterprise Travel Index, Alliance Cooperation, Distribution Alliance, Friendship Links, Enterprise Gift Card Purchasing, Insurance Agent, Agent Cooperation, Hotel Franchise, Destination & Scenic Area Cooperation, More Alliance Cooperation

About Ctrip: About Ctrip, Ctrip Hotspots, Contact Us, Careers, User Agreement, Privacy Policy, Business License, Security Center, Ctrip Content Center, Intellectual Property, Trip.com Group Algorithm Disclosure