Qinghai Lake

Chinese name: 青海湖（Qing Hai Hu）
Location: Heimahe town, Hainan Tibetan Prefecture, Qinghai Province.( about 150km from Xining)
Ticket: Entrance ticket CNY90.00 during 01Apr to 31Oct, CNY50.00 during 01Nov to 31Mar.Electric cart CNY20.00, boating CNY110.00
Estimated tour time:1 day
Recommended time to visit: May-Oct, especially during Jul-Aug.
Nearby attractions: Ta’er Monastery, Mabufang’s Residence, Dongguan Mosque, Sun and Moon Mountain, Chaka Salt Lake, etc.

Qinghai lake, located on the northeastern Qinaghai-Tibet Plateau, has been chosen as Chinese biggest lagoon and inland lake of World Record Association. Qinghai Lake has many “most” in China, and it’s the national scenic spot with 5A; Qinghai Lake is frost bound in December every year, with period of 6 months and half meter in thickness. Its elevation is approximately 3,200 meters (10,499feet) above sea level, causing its cool climate. The daily average temperature is about 15 degrees. The depth of lake water is over 21m, the deepest is about 32.8m, poundage is 105 billion cubic meters, and the height is 3,260m. There are 5 small islands, and the biggest one is Haixin Mountain. Bird Island is on the west of the lake, with area of 0.11 square meters, which is the breeding place of over 10 migratory birds like bar-headed goose, larus ichthyaetus, and cormorants, with number over 100,000. Now there builds Bird Island natural protection area, the lake is filled with naked carp of Qinghai Lake, and Binhu Prairie is a natural pasture.

● Highlights of Qinghai Lake

Sand Island Area

Sand Island is on the south of Qinghai Lake, which is a newly developed travel bright pearl of Qinghai province. Taiyang Lake, Yueya Lake, Luwei Lake, and Tian'e Lake intersperse in Sand Island, gold sands as well as silver sands enhance each other's beauty, seabirds form a group, grass land is very green, and reeds are picturesque. Sunshine, sand beach and sea wave form a beautiful painting handscroll. Sand Island is a multiple scenic spot gathered sightseeing, travel, scientific investigation, sports and entertainment and summer vacation. The entrance of the scenic spot is 7 km away from Qinghai Lake. The prairie sightseeing site of the scenic spot is the ecological construction as well as the representative area of ecological travel, and it keeps the original natural appearance. When Shashan presents in the front of us with deep posture, a strong original beauty directly hits our hearts. There are so many scaly ripples so it seems a restricted area of people's activity.

Luwei Lake, yueya Lake, Taiyang Lake

Three lakes have diverse features: there are many reeds in Luwei Lake, and a lot of yellow ducks, like in Jiangnan land of rivers and lakes; Taiyang Lake is like sun, and the water is pure and transparent; Yueya Lake: the form is like a cold moon, the water is pure and transparent, which causes imagination.Shashan in Sand Island is a beautiful scenery.

Xiannvwan Area

Xiannvwan is located on the north of Qinghai Lake, and here are many kinds of animals and plants; wetland landscapes have unique features, especially habitats for the dozens of species of birds to migrate. From June to October every year, wetland of Xiannvwan in different seasons has diverse flowers with different colors------red and yellow, which presents in front of you just like a carpet knitted by nature, so it is really called "the sea of flowers".At the same time, the deep religious culture and history tales here guide the local religious believers to burn incense and offer sacrifices to the sea on lucky days every year.

From June to October every year, wetland of Xiannvwan in different seasons has diverse flowers with different colors------red and yellow, which presents in front of you just like a carpet knitted by nature, so it is really called "the sea of flowers". At the same time, the deep religious culture and history tales here guide the local religious believers to burn incense and offer sacrifices to the sea on lucky days every year.

Erlangjian Area

Being 151 km away from Xining City, Erlangjian Scenic Area also called “151 Base”. It is a long and narrow embankment winding into Qinghai Lake, just like a sword. It is famous for grassland, sand beach, a diversity of animals and folk activities. At present, enough sightseeing areas were built, like Bird Observatory, Deer Garden, Lake-viewing Bridge and Lake-viewing Pavilion where you can have a perfect sight for the best view. In addition, you are able to get a delightful experience in the recreational areas which centers on wharf and Four Mascots Carving, and you can enjoy yourself by watching large-scale folk music and dance, Tibetan folk customs. What’s more, an opportunity of playing water games is also provided. If you are interested, water scooters, water bikes and self-driving yacht are waiting for your attempt. In conclusion, Erlangjian Area is the largest reception base and folk customs base, you can appreciate a high-quality relaxing holiday.

Bird Island

It can be called Xiaoxi Mountain or Egg Island(named because of eggs over the ground). It is 4km away on the north of Buha River with big east and long as well as narrow west, like a polliwog, and the entire length is 1,500m.  In March-April every year, migratory birds like wild goose, ducks, cranes and gulls start to nidify in Qinghai Lake; in May-June bird eggs are over the ground and young birds are in group very lively. And now there are over 30 kinds of birds on the island with number of over 165,000; in June-August groups of birds fly under the blue sky and cruise on the lake in the clear autumn; in September birds start to migrate towards south. In the incubation season, you can see another spectacular scenery, and you had better not disturb them. 

You are just allowed to watch them 200 meters away with telescope, and you can see the following scene: Bird Island is just 0.27 square kilometers like a polliwog. On the highland like the head of polliwog, there are thousands of dense and numerous birds' nests, which cannot be easily expressed in words. Birds multiply and live in the environment of luxuriant water and grasses, plenty foods, dry air, enough sunshine and less native predators so Qinghai Lake is called "Heaven of Birds".

PS: As the Qinghai Province decided to ban tourism activities in the core zones and buffer zones of national nature reserves, the reserve closed its Bird Island and SandIsland to tourists on August 29, 2017, renaming it Bird Island Wetland of International Importance.