Shahu Lake (沙湖)

Shahu Lake (沙湖, Shā hú) is a lake sitting in the dunes 60 km north of Yinchuan, and it holds more than 200 bird species, which is why Chinese birders call it "the kingdom of birds" (鸟的王国). Reed beds, sand dunes, and a working fishery share the same few square kilometres, which makes it one of the few genuinely good birdwatching sites in northwest China.

Highlights

Cable car and sand sled - You arrive on the dune side and ride about 5 km down over the sand, then sled down a dune if the conditions allow. It is about ¥40 ($5.60) and it is the part that makes this fun rather than quiet.

The boat through the reeds - A flat-bottomed boat, about 20 minutes, cutting through reed beds where you are close enough to see herons standing in the shallows. This is the classic Ningxia experience. If you only do one thing here, do this.

The birdlife - In spring (March-April) and autumn (September-October) the reeds hold swans, grebes, egrets, and Relict Gull, one of the rarest gulls in the world. In summer it is mostly reed warblers, which is still a good morning with binoculars.

Fishing life and reed ash bread - Fishermen still work these shallows, and the tourist bread cooked in hot reed ash (沙湖烤馍) sold near the pier is the thing worth eating here. Bring cash for it.

¥50 ($7) entry, roughly ¥50 ($7) for the boat, ¥40 ($5.60) for the cable car and sled. 60 km north of Yinchuan, about an hour by taxi at ¥150-220 ($21-31) one way, or a tourist bus from the railway station for ¥10 ($1.40) that takes two hours each way. Open daily, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. No booking, but weekends are busy and the boat queue gets long by midday.