Travelling takes you to faraway places. But, pinpointing the right destination is only the first step of dealing with the rigors of travel. It isn’t just about choosing the right holiday destination, but also making it a memorable one too. A travel itinerary that includes the U-Highway, Emerald Lake, Devil’s Eye, and Sky Mirror is the perfect opportunity to make for an unforgettable experience in China. The country is home to a wealth of natural wonders that are both entertaining as well as helpful if you want scenic views, breathtaking scenery, or just something inside your camera frame.
Day 1
Xining, known as “Huangzhong” in ancient times, is an ancient city with a history of more than 2,100 years.
There are many famous places to visit in Xining, including Beishan Temple, Dongguan Mosque, Ma Bufang Residence, etc. Besides the rich history and humanities, Xining also has almost all the “famous” food in Qinghai, such as hand-held mutton, old yogurt, roast pork, stuffed skin, clay hot pot, sheep intestine noodles, Ga noodle slices, mixed soup, etc.
Day 2
Xining – Riyue Mountain – Daotang River – Golmud
Drive to Golmud, known as the “Chaka Yan Lake of China”, on the way, we will pass by Riyue Mountain and Daotang River.
Day 3
Golmud – Mangya Emerald Lake – Devil’s Eye Aiken Springs – Mangya
Start the journey of exploring the uninhabited land in Mongya. This is the intersection of China’s four uninhabited areas (Changtang, Lop Nur, Hoh Xil and A’erjin Shan).
Nature has given Mongya unique geomorphological features, and it has been sparsely populated, so it has many unknown and secret places.
The first stop is the purest sky realm in the depths of Qaidam (Mangya Emerald Lake), this salt lake 99% of tourists have not visited, when most of the tourists’ eyes are still gathered in Dachaidan Emerald Lake, we are already in the middle of the untouched secret world.
Then we went deep into the grassland to explore the geothermal geyser that has been bubbling for thousands of years – the “Devil’s Eye” Aiken Spring. “Aiken” means “terrible” in Mongolian, and “Aiken Spring” means “source” in Mongolian. Because of its lake component Aiken Springs around the grass and formed a reddish-brown circle, the center is the bubbling spring, which formed a huge “eye”, known as the “eye of the earth.
From an aerial view, this huge eye vein is clear and lifelike, dotted around it with many small green springs, mysterious and shocking; in addition to its amazing bloody eye shape, Aiken Spring also has a magical “shouting spring” property, it is said that standing on the shore and shouting at it, or stomp on the shore, the fountain mouth of the water flow will increase and will gush higher.
Day 4
Mangya – Yardang in water – Dongtai Ji Nai’er Lake – G315 – Da Qaidam
Yardang in water (National park in Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture). This is the world’s only water Yadan landform, and because of its remote location, even locals may not know how to get there, so few people have ventured there so far.
Then we went to Dongtai Ji Nai’er Lake, which is not far away, The magic of Dongtai Ji Nai’er Lake is that a dirt road divides the lake in two, half pure Tiffany blue and half pure green with very high salt content.
Dongtai Ji Nai’er Lake is covered with white crystals on the shore, and the lake is surrounded by a large area of Yadan landform, with the cleanest color of the lake and the vast and boundless sky unique to the northwest, a pure and strong visual impact.
This hundred miles of desert Gobi uninhabited area of the precious pearl, this only belongs to the mysterious color of nature, let you feel as if you have come to the end of the world, let you feel a kind of return to the natural inner peace.
We drove along the G315 towards Da Qaidam, a straight, endless road of hundreds of kilometers, where you can feel the freedom of road travel.
Day 5
Da Qaidam – Da Qaidam Emerald Lake – Chaka Yan Lake – Chaka Town
Da Qaidam Emerald Lake is named Emerald Lake because of its rich salt content, forming a natural emerald green color, just like a jewel set in the desert. The green sky is reflected in the emerald lake as if the sky is sprinkled on the earth.
Chaka Yan Lake was named one of the “55 Places to Visit in a Lifetime” by National Travel Geographic magazine. The lake has a long history of salt mining, and the salt content is so high that the lake naturally crystallizes and becomes pure white. Above the crystals is a thin layer of dew, reflecting the sky, clouds, and mountains on the opposite shore in the white lake, which is so beautiful that it is also known as “China’s Sky Land”.
Day 6
Chaka Town – Qinghai Lake – Xining
On the last day of the trip, Qinghai Lake, with its different views in different seasons.
The G315 highway is one of the most beautiful highways in China, with endless desert areas on both sides and a tranquil sky above. It allows you to experience the natural beauty and tranquility of this vast terrain, which is unique to northwest China.