The Great Barrier Reef, the Sahara Desert, the Great Falls of Nicaragua... The mysteries of nature are dizzying. These various magical landforms represent the evolution and formation of millions or even tens of millions of years. If I have to tell you a reason why I like to travel, then, I want to see the amazing nature with my own eyes, and want to experience the beautiful scenery that may disappear, which is the reason why I fall in love with travel.
Qinghai, an inland province in my country, most people's impressions of him are probably from the photos taken by photographers and tourists. Now, with the increasingly convenient transportation, they want to see these beautiful scenery with their own eyes. more and more. In the process of browsing the news, I accidentally saw an expert pointing out that the Dachaidan Yadan landform in the hinterland of Qaidam in Qinghai is likely to disappear completely in the wind with the passage of time... "Maybe I saw Every glance will become history!" As soon as I thought of this sentence, I immediately made up my mind: it's time to go to Qinghai!
From Shanghai to Qinghai, taking a plane is the most convenient way. When the plane passed the Kunlun Mountains, my heart became excited! Shanghai in May is already short-clothes and shorts, but seeing the snow-capped peaks now is like traveling to another world.
The destination of my trip: "Wusut Water Yardang Geopark", located more than 300 kilometers away from Golmud Airport in Qinghai. When we arrived at the airport, we took an SUV off-road vehicle and drove towards the destination non-stop. After driving for a long time, the desert along the road is like the landform of an alien planet in a sci-fi movie. This section of the road is sparsely populated, which is what everyone calls "no man's land". I suddenly feel that human beings are so small in front of nature.
Although the journey was tiring, when we arrived at the geological park before the sunset, everyone felt that all the hard work was worth it! The azure lake reflects the magical and beautiful Yardang landform, and a herd of camels walks slowly in the distance... What Guyan of the Desert describes is just such a scene at this moment.
The Yadan landform at an altitude of 2,680 meters is actually a wind-eroded landform that only appears in dry areas. The salt and sand in the lake 75 million years ago accumulated, and was gradually sculpted by wind erosion under the uncanny craftsmanship of nature and time. Coincidentally, the sudden eruption of the surrounding mountain torrents caused the river to change, and the water flooded this arid land, eventually forming the "Water Yardang" that we see today with the lake surface and the special terrain.
Don't worry, our journey has just begun~
leave the earth's surface
The beautiful veil of "Wusut Water Yardang Geopark" is more charming with the sunrise in the east. On the first morning, we greeted this beautiful geological park by waiting for the sunrise.
On the sapphire-like lake, there are rocks that have been eroded by wind for thousands of years. With the blue sky of the same color as the lake, an unreal strong contrast makes people feel like entering a dream. Cooperating with the mist in the morning, it forms a soft beauty that cannot be described in words, and it is also a beauty bestowed by nature for thousands of years, giving people the illusion of "leaving the surface of the earth".
I have summarized our three-day travel tour in Wusute Water Yardang Geopark into the following ways, I hope it can help you~
1. Watching the beautiful scenery quietly
The beauty of the Yadan landform on the water needs to be felt quietly. Climb to a high place and look far away. There are countless Yadans on the huge lake, just like old people full of wisdom, as if waiting for something here? At this moment, time seems to have paused, and it also reminds me of the magnificent feeling of Du Fu's poem: "What is fluttering like, the sky and the earth are like a gull".
Such a sun can only be photographed in the open desert area:
This place presents different appearances throughout the year. In summer and autumn, many migratory birds come from far north to spend the winter. The lake here has become a paradise for migratory birds. In winter, the lake freezes, and due to the different salinity of the lake water, icicles on the lake surface will form. In the middle of winter, the ice layer on the lake is thicker. It is said that you can walk on the lake to enjoy another kind of beauty of Yadan in winter.
The weather in the desert is often sunny. As the night falls, the stars in the sky rise quietly. Since there is no influence of urban light pollution, it is highly recommended for astronomical observation and photography enthusiasts to stay here for 2-3 nights. It is a great choice to watch the starry sky or take pictures of the sunrise.
2. Take photos
In such a beautiful natural environment, it is really a waste not to leave a set of photos! A few of our fellow friends took pictures with each other and recorded the beautiful photos of ourselves and nature.
With plenty of sunshine and charming wind-eroded landforms, Yardang on the water is an ideal destination for lovers of natural scenery photography who love nature, or come here to take wedding photos, fashion blockbusters, etc.
The picture below is a lizard photographed in the desert:
3. Ride on a camel
People who live in the desert, or have experienced long-distance travel in the desert, know that camels are very important companions for people or necessary for transportation. Camels carry people across the vast desert with relatively little food and water supplies.
Although the utilization rate of camels as a means of transportation has become less and less with the changes of the times, it does not prevent them from bringing people more fun in the desert as friends.
We rode camels in Wusute Water Yardang Geological Park, feeling the beautiful scenery and dreamy sunset, and more importantly, experiencing a feeling of traveling through time. Thinking about the Silk Road back then, people rode camels across the vast desert under the scorching sun, and it was really not easy.
4. Crazy off-road
In the open desert, it is the best choice to feel the speed and passion, ride a desert off-road motorcycle and enjoy the joy of speeding in the wilderness!
The tires of desert off-road motorcycles are very wide, and it is very safe to choose relatively flat roads. Travelers like me who usually like quiet projects, this time also rode a desert off-road motorcycle and ran wildly, riding from key scenic spots to the uninhabited desert hinterland. And because the motorcycle is easy to operate, if you encounter a favorite landform, you can experience it from multiple angles.
5. God's perspective
Some of the fellow travelers carried drones, and the photos of the desert taken from the air made people feel the uncanny workmanship of nature even more. But that is Yadan on the water felt with a machine lens.
If you want to see it with your own eyes, then you have to recommend the glider in the Geopark. Under the leadership of professional pilots, after a period of gliding, they rushed to the sky, and felt the magical land from the perspective of God!
Sleeping on the desert and the sea of stars
When we first entered the camp, we were attracted by a group of RVs, which were lined up in an area of the "Martian Landform", and these RVs were our "home" for the first night.
Walking into the RV, there is everything you need: bed, TV, toilet, hot water... It's like staying in a hotel.
When visiting the family room, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the space is not only more spacious, but also has a living room, which is almost enough for a family of 6 to stay at the same time. Think about how interesting and unforgettable it is to fall asleep on the desert and the lake under the company of the sun, the moon and the stars?
I turned on the alarm clock in the middle of the night, wanting to see how beautiful the starry sky in the desert is! When I opened the door sleepily, I was shocked by the cold air and the sight in front of me!
The beautiful Milky Way is right in front of you, as if within reach! Probably because the area we were in was very empty, and it was obvious that the sky seemed to be very low. Such a beautiful scenery can only be recorded with a camera! Quietly tell everyone: 2-3 am is the best time to take pictures of the starry sky.
In addition to RVs, there are also hotels in the scenic area where you can live. The spacious, bright and comfortable space in the picture below is our "home" for the second night in Qinghai.
The scenic hotel and restaurant belong to the same building, which has different room types such as standard rooms, double bed rooms, and suites. Adventure couples, team experiences, and family trips can cover almost all types. Not much to say, everyone quickly accept the beautiful pictures:
Accompanied by the Milky Way in the sky, the desert by the lake and Yadan, we spent another wonderful night.
In the scenic restaurant, we ate a lot of Northwest and Sichuan cuisine.
At the last farewell meal, we also met the filming team and stars from Taiwan, China. It seems that the Wusute Water Yardang Geopark has long been famous, and it has long been an important stop for people from all over the world to experience the beauty of China.
In addition to arriving at the "Wusut Water Yadan Geopark" alone, it is also recommended that you follow some self-driving routes, such as: Xining-Qinghai Lake-Chaka Salt Lake-Water Yadan-Dunhuang-Jiayuguan-Zhangye Ring Road For tourism, Wusute Water Yardang Geopark is an important node on this ring.
Our farewell meal in Golmud:
When I was about to leave the scenic spot, I heard from the locals that they were worried that the scenery here would soon disappear. With the change of the earth's environment and other issues, it is true that many beautiful scenery may never be seen again. A person's life is like a drop in the ocean. To grasp our limited life, to experience and feel the beauty of the earth to the fullest, what could be more meaningful than this?
