Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Nature Reserve

Chinese Name: 可鲁克湖-托素湖自然保护区  (Ke Lu Ke Hu - Tuo Su Hu Zi Ran Bao Hu Qu)
Location: Delingha City, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture,  Qinghai Province
Ticket: Entrance ticket CNY20.00
Estimated tour time: 1-3 hours
Recommended time to visit: May to October
Nearby attractions: Alien Site Scenic Spot, Qaidam Basin, Yangtze River source, Lushan Mountain rock paintings, Lumanggou Valley rock paintings, etc.

Keluke Lake-Tuosu Lake Nature Reserve, total area is 147.7 square kilometers. Located in the eastern Qaidam Basin, on the Prairie of Huitoutawei, there are two large and small, beautiful and tranquil lakes, named Keluke Lake and Tuosu Lake. They are like two shining giant mirrors, inlaid in the vast gobi, between the vast grasslands. The Qinghai-Tibet railway runs between the two lakes. The reserve is about 50 kilometers away from Delingha, the capital city of Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and about 500 kilometers away from Xining, the capital city of Qinghai Province. It plays a great role in regulating climate and maintaining ecological balance in the Qaidam Basin.

Keluk, originally a Mongolian language, means "a grassy achnatherum", "a place with beautiful water and grass". Tosu, also in Mongolian, means "the Ghee Lake". Although Keluk Lake and Toso Lake are very close to each other and share the same ecological environment and changing history, their appearance and character are quite different. Keluk Lake belongs to brackish fresh water lake, the water is clear, the lake is calm, the scenery is beautiful. Tosu Lake is a typical inland saltwater lake, surrounded by vast gobi desert with high temperature, high evaporation of lake water, high salt content in the water, few aquatic plants and animals, zooplankton and phytoplankton. 

Tuosu Lake is a vast lake with an open shore. When the wind is calm, the lake is magnificent. When the weather changes, the lake is breathtaking with waves turbulent, spray splashing, patting sound shore. 

In the early spring in each year, when the ice in Keluk and Toso Lakes begins to melt, flocks of black-necked cranes, bar-headed geese, fish gulls, wild ducks and other rare birds fly to Keluk and Toso Lakes from the remote islands in Southeast Asia to build nests and raise babies here. Black-necked cranes like to nest in the marshes and reeds near Keluk Lake, bar-headed geese and grey geese like to nest on the sand dunes between the two lakes, fish gulls, brown-headed gulls and wild ducks mostly gather on the Bird Island in Toso Lake. Toso Lake Bird Island covers an area of about one square kilometer, there are thousands of birds on the island. The whole island is full of nests and eggs, which is simply a "bird paradise" and "egg world". Keluk Lake and Toso Lake are listed as a national nature reserve.