The seven cities form a beautiful picture scroll on the vast Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. There are sacred mountains, holy lakes, Gobi Desert, and forests and mountains. Qinghai, under the rough appearance, presents people with another kind of tenderness, which is about the vastness of life and the richness and splendor of human civilization.

Can you imagine it? Islam and Tibetan Buddhism coexist harmoniously and thrive here. The ancient Tang-Tibetan road in the past has not been obliterated by the long river of history, but it is now glowing with new brilliance;

Enter Qinghai for the second time, follow the footsteps of the Yellow River, and go deep into the source of the Yellow River and Animaqing of the Golog Tibetans. This is like a clear poem, if you don't pay attention, you won't know it.

Qinghai Lake (Daotang River-Erlang Sword Scenic Area Section)

G109-Qaidam Basin Sunset

Milky way starry sky of Chaka Salt Lake

Qilian - Drow Mountain

Maduo County Yellow River Source-Eling Lake & Zhaling Lake (Closed on May 22, 2018)

Four sacred mountains in Tibet - Animaqing (6282 meters)

Maqin County - Lajia Temple in the depths of the Yellow River

Guide Ancient City

Colorful Peak Forest in Ashgon Gorge

Menyuan Rapeseed Flower Field

Gangshika Snow Peak (5254.5 meters)

The whole journey is about 2664 kilometers by car;

Self-driving car: Volkswagen Lavida;

D1: Xining-Ping'an-Xiazong Temple, the journey is about 135 kilometers;

Overnight at Four Seasons Hotel Xining, double room 320, including breakfast;

Road conditions: The main roads are asphalt roads, including a small section of gravel winding mountain road at Baima Temple in Ping'an County, and bomb pit road at 20 kilometers away from Xiazong Temple.

D2: Xining-Xunhua-Daotang River-Hunan Section of Qinghai Lake Ring-Chaka Salt Lake, the journey is about 618 kilometers;

Overnight at Chakaqing Salt Lake Hotel, standard room 380, including breakfast, in the scenic area, very convenient;

Road conditions: The entire asphalt road, among which Riyue Mountain - Daotang River, Heima River - Chaka Town is hundreds of kilometers of high-altitude winding mountain roads.

D3: Chaka - Hot Spring Town - Huashi Gorge, the journey is about 433 kilometers;

Overnight in Huashixia Tibetan Inn, standard room 120;

Road conditions: G109 to G204, mainly asphalt roads, of which Gonghe-Huashixia is a high-altitude winding mountain road.

D4: Huashi Gorge - Maduo - Yellow River Source - Maduo, the journey is about 302 kilometers;

Overnight at Maduozha Linghu Hotel, standard room 400, including breakfast;

Road conditions: The road conditions of G204 are average throughout the entire journey. Among them, Xingxing Haitu Road is a large bomb crater road + gravel winding mountain road, Eling Lake in the Yellow River Source Scenic Area is a gravel bomb crater road, Niutou Monument gravel small bomb crater + high-altitude intensive U-shaped curve, Zhaling Ordinary off-road vehicles cannot go to the lake!

D5: Maduo - Donggicuona Lake - Xia Dawu - Animaqing - Dawu Town, the journey is about 342 kilometers;

Overnight at Nianbao Yuze Hotel in Dawu Town, standard room 480, including breakfast;

Road conditions: Dema Expressway and Huajiu Expressway are under construction. You can find the entrance to drive. Among them, Huashixia-Dongge Cuona Lake dirt road is quite difficult to walk, with bomb crater gravel + soil mounds, and Huashixia-Xiadawu 38 kilometers is a bomb crater gravel road. The lower Dawu-Xueshan Township-Zhihaidai pass has bomb craters, landslides, high-altitude U-shaped gravel winding mountains, and one-way roads. It is very convenient to drive to Dawu Town from the Dema Expressway under construction.

D6: Dawu Town-S101-Laga Temple-Guide, the journey is about 335 kilometers;

Overnight at Guide Hotel, standard room 120;

Road conditions: asphalt road throughout the whole process, continuously crossing middle and high altitude snow mountains and winding mountain roads;

D7: Guide-Songba Tibetan Village-Guide Geopark-Xining-Menyuan, the journey is about 310 kilometers;

Overnight at Menyuan Qingshizui Hotel, Standard Room 278;

Road conditions: The entire asphalt road, the Yellow River cliff winding mountain road entering Songba Tibetan Village has been paved with asphalt road, but the road is narrow and winding mountain.

D8: Menyuan-Gangshika Snow Peak-Xining, the journey is about 189 kilometers;

Overnight at Four Seasons Hotel Xining, double room 320, including breakfast;

Road conditions: Asphalt road of National Highway 227, winding mountain road along the way + crossing two snow mountains, Gangshika Xuefeng winding mountain road has been paved with asphalt.

At the end of the article, the Qinghai Qilian-Gansu Zhangye section was added in July 2014, passing through Zhuoer Mountain and Provincial Highway 227.

2017 data, for reference only:

1. Xining - Kumbum Monastery, 5A level, the most famous Tibetan Buddhist temple in Qinghai, one of the three major temples outside Tibet, 80 yuan/person;

Xining Road Bus Station in Xining City has a special bus line to arrive, and the ticket is 3 yuan.

2. Qinghai Lake, 5A level, the official Erlangjian Scenic Spot is 80 yuan/person, you can go to the private rape flower lake, about 20-30/car;

You need to charter a car or drive yourself to arrive. There is no public transportation, only passing buses.

3. Chaka Salt Lake, 3A level, 70 yuan per person, 10 yuan for a one-way battery car in the scenic area, and 50 yuan for a one-way small train;

There is a shuttle bus from Heihe Town, Qinghai Lake to Chaka Town, get off and walk 4 kilometers to Chaka Salt Lake Scenic Area;

4. Eling Lake, Zhaling Lake, 80 yuan/person;

A chartered car is required (about 3800 yuan/car for 4 hours), and there is no shuttle bus to arrive by car!

5. Winter to Cuona Lake, Xingxinghai, no tickets, need chartered car, self-driving to arrive, no shuttle bus!

6. Animaqing, one of the four sacred mountains in Tibetan areas, no tickets;

Need to charter a car, arrive by car, no shuttle bus!

7. Guide National Geopark, 120 yuan/person;

You need to charter a car or arrive by car, and you can take the Xining-Guide round-trip shuttle bus.

8. Menyuan-Qingshizui Yuanshan Viewing Platform, Daban Mountain Viewing Platform, 4A level, 60 yuan/person;

Xining-Menyuan shuttle bus, get off at Qingshizui Town, take a taxi to the viewing platform;

9. Gangshika Snow Peak, no tickets;

Need to charter a car, arrive by car, no shuttle bus!

10. Qilian-Zoer Mountain, Niuxin Mountain, official 60 yuan/person, surrounding private 5 yuan/person;

Take the shuttle bus to Qilian County and take a taxi to Zhuoer Mountain.

1. Whether it is backpacking, hitchhiking, self-driving, or chartered car, it is a kind of enjoyment to shuttle around Qinghai Lake with clear water, blue sky and sea of ​​rapeseed flowers. If you love sports, you may wish to participate in competitions such as walking, running, and cycling around Qinghai Lake.

2. Bring a backpack. During the flowering period, Nianbao Yuze, Xianshan, Meihu, Huahai and various sacrifices constitute a grand performance that makes people want to stop.

3. Animaqing in Maqin and Gaduojuewo in Yushu are two of the four sacred mountains in Tibetan areas. Come on a cross-country trip to worship the snow-covered sacred mountains.

4. The Baizha Temple in Golog Tibetan Banma County is like a lotus flower hidden on the top of the mountain. It is a wonderful building that you must not miss during your trip to Qinghai.

5. From July to August every year, the rape blossoms on the plateau always bloom later. From the sea of ​​rapeseed flowers in Menyuan, along National Highway 227, the rapeseed flowers criss-cross all the way to Qilian's vast grasslands and snow-capped mountains, where the endless golden yellow and barley are intertwined, just like giant paintings, majestic .

6. On June 6th of the lunar calendar, the most wonderful Tongren Bon religion and shaman teaching ceremony of Huangnan Tibetans will be held. At that time, the remnants of primitive religion will be everywhere. People will sing and dance, sacrifice, invite gods, reproductive worship, and the most mysterious and exciting blood sacrifice. I missed it. Another year.

7. Go westward along National Highway 315 and enter the depths of the Qaidam Basin, a place called Huatugou, which is only a few hundred kilometers away from Hoh Xil. Oil is hidden under the desert, and the exposed mountains are eroded by wind and sand. , there is only dryness and desolation here, standing under the miraculous Thousand Buddha Cliff, it seems to have traveled through time and space.

8. Kumbum Monastery in Xining, Dana Temple in Nangqian, and Jiegu Temple in Yushu are good places worth staying and worshiping during your journey. Among the cliffs, King Gesar and the White Pagoda Group of Thirty Generals prove that The extraordinary achievements of these places.

9. Starting from the star-studded sea of ​​stars, entering the uninhabited Ering Lake and Zhaling Lake, continuing to go deep into the uninhabited Xingxiu Sea, and reaching Quliezong, the source of the Yellow River starts from this moment, which is to bring the legend into reality.

10. If you have enough money and time to come to the Grand Canyon, you will find that there are only heartbeats and voices left in the world. This is the source of the Yangtze River, the origin of mountains and rivers, and a pure land that cannot be copied in the world.

Round-trip transportation: about 4420 yuan, Xining-Lanzhou bullet train 232 yuan, subtotal 4654 yuan;

Car rental fee: 148/day*8, handling fee 20, insurance 800, subtotal 2004 yuan;

Fuel and tolls: a subtotal of 1,500 yuan;

Catering: an average of 300/day*8 per day, with a subtotal of 2,400 yuan;

Accommodation fee: subtotal 2618 yuan;

Tickets: Xiazong Temple 60 yuan, Qinghai Lake 20 yuan, Chaka Salt Lake 140 yuan, Yellow River source 100 yuan, Menyuan rape flower 120 yuan, subtotal 440 yuan;

The total cost is about 13614 yuan (2 people), 6807 yuan per person.

No matter how far I have traveled and how many geographical features I have seen, searching for the source of the Yellow River has always been something I look forward to doing.

Qinghai Lake has become famous in the past two years. Starting from June every year, a large number of travelers gather in Xining, with all identities. The first thing to do when you come to Qinghai is to go to Qinghai Lake. Whether it's self-driving, cycling, or hiking, every way makes people feel hearty.

The way around Qinghai Lake is very simple, you can go clockwise or counterclockwise, usually for 3 days and 2 nights, pass through several small towns along the way, watch the sunrise and sunset, and watch the spring flowers bloom.

I am deeply fascinated by the openness, roughness, and atmosphere of the Northwest. I love this vast land, but I can't express it accurately. But I know that if I can read Haizi's poems in Qinghai Lake, it must be like reminiscing about Sanmao's works in the Sahara.

Chaka Salt Lake is disappointing as an old Internet celebrity place, not because it is not beautiful enough, nor is it not unique enough, but because the scenic spot has been destroyed by the huge passenger flow, especially the tour group. Chaka Salt Lake is the most disappointing place in Qinghai trip, so I write it together with Gongyu Expressway.

In the evening, I had dinner in Chaka Town. After going out, Chaka in the distance was like a black hole, endless, and my eyes were dark. Drive along the highway and pass through the Gobi No. 4 Highway, and we return to the gate of Chaka Salt Lake. At 1 o'clock in the morning, I walked 4 highways to the depths of the salt lake with a flashlight, and saw the extremely beautiful starry sky and the gorgeous Milky Way.

People often compare Chaka Salt Lake to Bolivia's sky. Of course, if the conditions are met, the salt lake here is indeed in a dream. You can't tell the front or the back. Looking at the distance, the sea and the sky are the same color.

Today's Chaka Salt Lake is performing in a mediocre way. The air permeability is not good, and the wind is not weak. It is difficult to clearly show the reflection in the salt lake. Since Chaka Salt Lake is the same as Qinghai Lake, it is a must-see destination for tour groups in Qinghai. From the morning, the Salt Lake is full of people. Even if you take off your shoes and go down to the Salt Lake, there are still people everywhere. Naturally, the interest in playing is great. discount.


The small sightseeing train in Salt Lake costs 50 yuan per person for 4 kilometers, and it is still a one-way trip.

Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, and the northward line are mostly within the Tarim Basin, and the landforms are mostly in the form of Gobi, weathered stones, and Yadan, and are broad. Leaving the edge of the Tarim, heading south, and going deep into the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, our itinerary began to become exciting and gradually reached a climax.

This place is called Huashi Gorge. It is a very dilapidated town, but it is an important road leading in all directions.

I often travel in Tibetan areas, and I am used to the snow in July. Coming out of Chaka Salt Lake, most people continue to circle Qinghai Lake or enter Golmud, and we go deep into the Golog Tibetans. Except for local vehicles, there are few tourists traveling by car along the way. The experience can be described as super value.

Driving and driving, I can’t remember how many mountains I have climbed. Finally, we arrived at Maduo at noon.

Two Lakes: Eling Lake and Zhaling Lake in the Yellow River Source National Park

One Monument: Bull Head Monument

The sign of the source of the Yellow River at the entrance of Maduo County

Maduo County is a small town in the depths of Guoluo Tibetan people in Qinghai. Most of the tourists who come here are true love for Tibet. Maduo County is an important supply station for going to the source of the Yellow River. Every July, the county will be somewhat popular, mostly to see the source of the Yellow River.

From the county seat to Yushu, 20 minutes drive out of the city is the Sea of ​​Stars. When the weather is fine, you can overlook Haizi. The large and small lakes are like stars in the grassland, against the blue sky.

In the afternoon, we drove into the gate of the Yellow River Source National Park in one car. After buying the tickets, we had to bump 50 kilometers on the washboard road to reach Lianghukou.

The Yellow River originates from the Bayan Har Mountains, and all streams converge to Zongliequ in Yushu Prefecture, forming two source lakes of the Yellow River, Zhaling Lake and Ering Lake. In front of you is Eling Lake, which is a plateau freshwater lake at the source of the Yellow River, along which it goes straight to the source of the Yellow River.

The pale green lake behind the Eling Lake stele is Eling Lake, and the gray-white lake in the distance is Zaling Lake. Eling Lake and Zhaling Lake are sister lakes at the source of the Yellow River, and the water of the Yellow River first flows into the two lakes.

Proceed 50 kilometers to the source of the Yellow River and arrive at the "Two Lakes and One Monument", namely Niutou Monument, Eling Lake and Zhaling Lake.

Ering Lake is vast and magnificent. In the morning, the surface of the lake is calm and the waves do not move; in the afternoon, the weather often changes drastically, with sudden strong winds, the calm surface of the lake is choppy, and the waves hit the shore.

Looking back on the road beside Eling Lake

The Bull Head Monument is 4,610 meters above sea level, and the overall height of the monument is 5 meters. This is where the monument to the source of the Yellow River is located. On the stele are the inscriptions on the source of the Yellow River written in Chinese and Tibetan by Hu Yaobang and the 10th Panchen Lama. Many tourists who come here take pictures here as a commemoration of coming to the source of the Yellow River. Of course, the real source is not here, but it will continue to go deeper for several days. Except for scientific research and exploration, most people will come here to commemorate it.

The wind was very strong on the top of the mountain, and the sun began to set, so we had to descend. If it got dark, I believe it would be a very bad thing to drive by the source of the Yellow River. Of course, I have experienced it.

On the way down, we saw a magnificent fire cloud, so when it got dark, we drove alone on the shore of Eling Lake, with only the last shadow of the setting sun in front of us. It was completely dark that day, bumping on the washboard road, and strong winds were blowing outside the window. The fear in my heart would increase with time. When I saw the gate of the source of the Yellow River in front of me, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. It takes another half an hour to climb mountains and ridges.

cotton cloud in the distance

The expressway from Xining to Yushu has basically been completed, which means that it will be very powerful to go deep into Guoluo Tibetans and Yushu in the future, instead of taking the old roads that can definitely improve driving skills. The expressway was not opened, so I found an opening and went up from Maduo County to Animaqing.

Donggecuona Lake is near Maduo County. The plateau lake is very beautiful when the weather is good, but the dirt road is too difficult to walk.

There are four sacred mountains in Tibet, Gang Rinpoche in Tibet, Meili Snow Mountain in Yunnan, Gaduojuewo in Qinghai and the Animaqing in front of you.

Taking the high speed can completely avoid the super bad road of Highway 38 in Xiadawu Township, in the snow mountain countryside. If you have an off-road vehicle, congratulations, you can get closer to Qing Anima better.

Animaqing is a sacred mountain. The main peak "Maqing Gangri" is composed of three peaks above 6,000 meters above sea level, and the highest peak is 6,282 meters above sea level. The three snow peaks are shimmering with silver light, looking from a distance, they look like crystal sculptures floating above the sky, which makes people feel awe and some kind of religious fantasy. This is the sacredness and magic of Anima Qing.

It is conceivable that driving on the high-speed road that will be opened to traffic in the future will bring a visual feast. In any case, every passerby will be deeply attracted by the creamy and silky mountain of this superstar. If you want to go deep into Animaqing Snow Mountain, you may wish to exit from Xueshan Township, and you will be challenged by superb driving skills.

Well, leaving the Golog Tibetan plateau area, we continue to go north, making a big turn along the Yellow River, hiding a temple and a city deep in the canyon.

The Yellow River turns the first big bay on the north bank of the canyon in Maqin County

Lajia Temple, a Gelug Sect monastery hidden deep on the banks of the Yellow River, is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with extraordinary bearing.

A corner of Guide City Wall

From the Raja Temple to cross the mountains, temporarily parted from the Yellow River, marching in the vast Danxia landform, continuous ravines and canyons, combining lush greenery and desolation.

The Yellow River Bridge, not long after driving out of Guide County, crosses the Yellow River, and on the side of the cliff will enter the treasure land hidden in the boudoir.

Songba Tibetan Village, along with the renovation of the small road beside the cliff of the Yellow River, has become a place of new niche Internet celebrities. Climbing up the mountain stream on the half slope, the Yellow River canyon is impressively in front of you. If the weather is fine, you will see a emerald green "belt" flowing quietly, which is the Yellow River.

The small village hidden deep in the Yellow River gorge, coupled with inconvenient roads and dangerous driving on the shore, made it hidden in the boudoir and no one knew it.

Songba Zangzhai is a small hidden village, where the Yellow River rushes out of a fertile oasis. Among the verdant forests, countryside and villages are hidden among them. There are no rich and powerful families here, and the oldest houses in the village are more than two hundred years old.

The largest small rapeseed flower in the country is in Menyuan, Qinghai. From July to August every year, the golden color of the plateau comes later, and 10 billion rapeseed flowers weave a golden sea of ​​flowers waiting for tourists from all over the world, and also weave the golden dreams of Menyuan people.

Overlooking the small town of Menyuan

To watch the rapeseed flowers in Menyuan, in addition to the flower viewing platform and Qingshizui viewing platform, there are endless flower fields along the way by self-driving, hiking, and cycling. It is also a good idea to find a flower field farm to enjoy after a while way.

Overlooking the Gangshika Snow Mountain Group

In the distance, Gangshika Snow Mountain is 5254.5 meters above sea level. It is the highest peak in the eastern section of the Qilian Mountains. The good news is that today's roads have been completely asphalted, but there are still fewer people and fewer cars.

Overlooking the sea of ​​flowers in Menyuan from a high altitude

The car can no longer go to the colorful waterfall, and it is probably possible to get close to the snow-capped mountains here. If you have sufficient time and equipment, you may wish to hike up the mountain, and you can reach the glacier at the foot of the snow-capped mountain in 3 hours.

Gangshika Snow Peak is not high above sea level, and it is an ideal place for mountaineering adventures for travel enthusiasts. It is currently the closest and most popular first peak in the Xining tourist circle.

I have been to Qilian twice. This "Swiss town" in the northwest is clean and expensive. It is the only place to go from Qinghai to Zhangye, Gansu. Arrive in Qilian in the evening, the popularity of summer makes prices soar, even the most common budget hotels can charge 500+.

Before it gets dark, drive up to Mount Zhuoer first. The ticket for 60 oceans is worthy of an excellent view, overlooking Niuxin Mountain in the distance and Qilian Town below.

Due to its proximity to Gansu, religions are also diversified, and Tibetans and Hui people coexist.

After entering the Qilian Mountains, the scenery is all on the road. Along the way is a natural picture drawn by the beautiful highland barley and rapeseed flowers. The rolling Qilian Mountains and the surging Babao River form a pure and atmospheric natural geological landscape in the Northwest.


【postscript】

Qinghai, with its excellent natural geological beauty and dual humanities of Tibet and Hui, has always attracted people from all over the world. Whether you want to see snow-capped mountains, Gobi, deserts, salt lakes, forests, or temples, the geology and landforms here are changeable and show extreme beauty. Whether it is self-driving, backpacking, exploring, or cycling, this place can greatly satisfy you.

I have been destined to travel to Qinghai three times, and I can feel different experiences each time. While enjoying the fun, I will strongly recommend you to leave Qinghai Lake and Chaka Salt Lake, these tourist check-in places, and go deep into various places in Qinghai. States and counties will bring you an unforgettable experience.

Leaving Qilian, I left Qinghai along National Highway 227 and entered Zhangye, Gansu. In the Hexi Corridor, I have a new story to share with you.

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