Qinghai Lake

Qinghai Lake sits at around 3,200 metres, a shallow salt lake big enough that from most of the shore the far side is invisible. The road around it runs for roughly 360 kilometres through grassland grazed by sheep and yaks, past settlements and prayer flags, and in July the fields on the northern shore turn solid yellow with flowering rapeseed. Bird Island on the western side holds breeding colonies of gulls, cormorants and bar-headed geese in spring. Most visitors only see one developed access point near the main road, but the lake rewards a full circuit by car or bicycle, which takes two or three days at an unhurried pace.

History

Qinghai Lake, which gave the province its name, is China's largest lake, a salt lake with no outlet. Under the Han large numbers of Han Chinese lived in the Xining valley to the east, and in the 17th century Oirat and Khalkha Mongols moved into the region and became known as the Qinghai Mongols. Through much of the 20th century it shrank, with about 85 percent of the river mouths that once fed it dry by 2003, before it began to grow again from 2004 (Wikipedia, Qinghai Lake).

What's there

• The northern shore in July - rapeseed fields in flower running down to the blue water.
• Bird Island - the western breeding colonies, busiest during the spring migration.
• The loop road - the full circuit through grassland, with long empty stretches between settlements.
• Erlangjian - the main developed access point, with boardwalks down to the water's edge.

When to go

Summer is the season: the grassland is green, the rapeseed flowers in July and the roads are clear. Spring brings the birds but also cold wind off the water. Winter freezes the lake, which is striking but hard to travel around. At this altitude the sun is fierce even when the air is cold, and afternoons often cloud over.

Before you go

The developed access points are fenced, ticketed and lined with stalls, tethered yaks and photo props, and they get busy. The altitude affects people arriving straight from Xining. Wind off the lake is more or less constant. Without a car the lake is hard to see properly, since bus stops are far apart and the shore road is very long.

Nearby

Xining and the Kumbum monastery to the east, with Chaka salt lake to the west.

Key facts