Qinghai Lake Day Trip (青海湖)

Qinghai Lake (青海湖, Qīnghǎi Hú) is China's largest lake, about 4,600 square kilometres, sitting 150 km west of Xining at 3,194 metres. It is not the turquoise of a tropical postcard but a deep, cold, unreasonable blue, clear enough to see the bottom 10 metres down, ringed by yellow rapeseed in July and snow on the mountains in June. Nothing else in China looks like it.

The Shape of the Day

2.5-3 hours out, 2.5-3 hours back, plus the park ticket. Most people enter through the Erlangjian (二郎剑) scenic area on the northeast shore; the 101 scenic area (青海湖101景区, 倒淌河) is quieter. Both run ¥90-100 ($12.60-14), and shuttle buses inside the gates add ¥20-35.

Getting There

• Day tour - ¥200-350 ($28-49) including ticket, driver, and usually Sun Island (太阳岛). The easy default, and right on a first visit.
• Chartered car - ¥400-600 ($56-84) for the day, at your own pace.
• Self-drive - the lake road is one of the great drives in China. Fill up in Xining; the next reliable fuel is 60 km away.
• Bicycle - people ride the 100 km of shore road in July and August. Flat, but at 3,200 m and often into a headwind.

Practical Tips

• Plan around the altitude. The lake is nearly 900 m above Xining. Two nights in Xining first, no alcohol the day before, no running around the shore for photos, and expect a headache. If it worsens, drive back down.
• Layer up. July nights sit around 5°C and the wind off the water is colder. Bring a fleece and a windproof shell, not a t-shirt.
• Sun. UV burns through sunscreen in an afternoon at this altitude: SPF50, sunglasses, lip balm. The most common way people ruin a Qinghai trip.
• Bird Island is closed. The old Haixi Bird Island (海西鸟岛) no longer admits visitors, after birds struck the power lines. Watch the colonies from the shore platforms, or go to E'hahe Lake (尕海湖).
• Timing: wild geese and gulls peak in May and June; rapeseed flowers run early July to mid-August.