Introduction
When you mention the Great Northwest, you may think of the Gobi, the desert, and the Mogao Grottoes, but the real hard core still has to go to the "west of the Northwest".
This time, I will travel through the 40-kilometer Yardang landform and no-man's land, which will give you a wonderful pleasure like interstellar travel. The most "Mars-like" place on earth, the mysterious temperament of the Gobi "Devil City" and the sci-fi scenes in "The Martian" can be seen in the Northwest!
About the itinerary
Day 1: Dunhuang - Boluo Zhuanjing Oil Town (the shooting location of the nine-story demon tower) - Lenghu Oil Site - Montenegro Gobi - Lenghu Town
Day 2: Russian Boliang Yadan Landform - Mars Geopark - Jinel Lake - Dongtai
Day 3: Water Yardang - U-shaped road - Xiaochaidan Lake (can also be replaced by Emerald Lake) - Dunhuang
About the destination
Qinghai Province is named after "Qinghai Lake", which is the largest lake in China. Qinghai has a large land area and few people. The terrain is high in the north and south, low in the middle, and high in the west. The altitude decreases stepwise from west to east, and the east of Qinghai has the lowest altitude. It borders Gansu in the north and east, Xinjiang in the northwest, Tibet in the south and southwest, and Sichuan in the southeast. It is located in the northwest of the four major geographical divisions.
about traffic
Qinghai does not have a well-developed transportation network like the tourist cities in the mainland, and the distances between various attractions are far away. It is naturally suitable for self-driving travel. You can also enjoy the scenery along the way, or have the opportunity to encounter rare wild animals. Scenic spots can ride horses, camels, etc. It is recommended to prepare a pair of comfortable and easy-to-walk flat shoes.
about the climate
The climate in Qinghai is a plateau continental climate, with long hours of sunshine, strong radiation, large temperature difference between day and night, small annual temperature difference, long winter and cool summer, with an average temperature of around 20 degrees, making it a good summer resort. Both thin and thick clothes need to be prepared. In summer, short-sleeved clothes during the day and down jackets at night are very common. If you want to shoot the starry sky at night, warm gloves and hats are also necessary supplies.
About altitude sickness
The altitude in the northwest is between 2,000 and 4,000 meters, and altitude sickness may occur only when it exceeds 3,500 meters. Don’t worry too much. Generally speaking, the northwest region is not particularly high. If you are worried, it is recommended to take Rhodiola in advance to prevent high reactions.
About photographic equipment
A mobile phone with a better camera function is the most convenient
Then there is the portable camera, this varies from person to person, such as myself
One mobile phone, one A7R3, one A7s3+14mm+G24-105+GM70-200
There is also DJI Mavic 2 pro-God's perspective is king, which is different from the common high-altitude perspective and can better reflect the vastness here (it has been gloriously blown up in this trip)
Of course, like me, you can also bring a picture book and draw some strange mountains and rocks, which is quite interesting.
about the vehicle
The vehicle chosen this time is the Hongqi HS7 flagship SUV. The 5-meter-class body has a large space for two rows. It has leather seats and aviation headrests. It not only sits comfortably, but also can hold everyone's luggage. Another reason for choosing it is that the engine and gearbox are smooth and fuel-efficient, the chassis is highly adaptable, and it is easy to drive the winding mountain road at a high altitude of 3,000 meters, plus the L2.5 driver assistance system and high-tech functions such as face recognition and fatigue monitoring , Dual 12.3-inch high-definition large screens combined with AR navigation make this journey full of surrealism, truly giving everyone the concierge-level driving enjoyment.
text introduction
Arrive in Dunhuang by plane, take a short rest, drive Hongqi HS7 to leave the city, and start a 3-day adventure tour of the Great Northwest.
Day 1: Dunhuang - Boluo Zhuanjing Oil Town (Nine-story Demon Tower shooting location) - Lenghu Oil Site - Montenegro Gobi - Lenghu Town
Transportation: Self-driving, 250 kilometers in total, 5 hours by car, Paipaistop actually departs at 8:00 am and arrives at the residence in Lenghu Town at 10:00 pm
Route: Go south from Dachaidan Expressway G3011, go west along National Highway 315 known as "China's Route 66", and pass the Chaerhan Salt Lake along the way.
Live in: Cold Lake Town
The location of "Nine-story Demon Tower" [Axeboluo Zhuanjing Petroleum Town]
Start from Dunhuang and go to the first destination, Axeboluo Zhuanjing Oil Town, which is the location of "Nine-story Demon Tower", located about 100 kilometers south of Dunhuang, go here to directly navigate "Boluo Turn to Jing Town" and that's it.
Driving all the way for 2 hours, I went deep into the desert from the modern city. The roadside is the endless Altyn Mountains. I walked alone along the road in the vast Gobi Desert, only accompanied by the surrounding loess and mountains. I.
Slowly come to the ruins of the old county town of Boluo Zhuanjing Town, Aksay Kazak Autonomous County, which is at the foot of Dangjin Mountain. Aksay County is the only ethnic minority autonomous county in Gansu Province with Kazakhs as the main body. One of the Kazakh autonomous counties.
Driving into the neighborhood is quite desolate. On both sides of the dilapidated neighborhood, ruined walls and abandoned buildings are scattered around without breath.
This is also a small town that thrived and died because of oil. The town has been abandoned for more than 20 years, but it is not as big as Cold Lake Oil Town, and you can walk around it.
We just stopped for a while. Some of the things that appeared in the movie are no longer there, but some things have been rebuilt and decorated on the basis of the original ones.
Petroleum site [Cold Lake Petroleum Town]
Continue to drive south for 2 hours and arrive at the oil town of Cold Lake.
On the vast Gobi Desert in Mangya City, Qinghai Province, there is a huge group of abandoned buildings. The roads are wide and crisscross, and the houses are row upon row, but the streets are empty. It is indeed much larger than the oil town of Axelboro Zhuanjing.
This abandoned building complex is called Lenghu Petroleum Base Site, which was once very prosperous. It is located at the junction of Qinghai, Xinjiang, and Gansu. It is a small town that prospered and died because of oil.
Before the last century, it was a desolate no-man's land, with few people and wild animals. It is also the place with the most sunshine in Asia, with more than 3,500 hours and a sunshine percentage of more than 80%, ranking third in the world. my country is an extremely arid area with very harsh natural conditions.
The change occurred on September 13, 1958. When the drill bit of the 1219 drilling team drilled to a certain depth in the "fourth underground well", crude oil gushed out. It is said that it lasted for 3 days and 3 nights. One of the four major oil fields in China (the other three are: Yumen, Karamay, and Sichuan), it started its glorious page, and at its most glorious time, Lenghu City was established.
With the discovery of oil, more and more oil people brought their families to Cold Lake, forming a super town with a population of 40,000 to 50,000 people, with schools, hospitals, dance halls, movie theaters, hotels, inns, etc. , Vehicles are constantly coming and going, brightly lit, bustling and bustling, it is called "Little Hong Kong in the Northwest".
It is a pity that with the discovery of Dunhuang oil, the oil in Lenghu gradually dried up. The people who used to live here moved to Dunhuang one after another. It was raining, fell into disrepair for a long time, the house gradually collapsed, and the oil town of Cold Lake was gradually forgotten.
Today's Lenghu Oil Town has become a ruin, without a single complete house. It is said that beams, gates, door frames, furniture and other wood have been taken away, leaving only a pile of loess and sand. At the entrance, there is a stone tablet that reads "Cold Lake Oil Base Site". There are only 20,000 people left in the population, mostly the oil workers and their descendants.
Driving along the main road, there are neat dilapidated houses on both sides, but there are sonorous but mottled slogans on the wall, as if seeing the booming oil production scene back then.
Walking into the house, there is nothing but bricks. Climbing up the wall, you can see the Qilian Mountains in the distance. The top of the mountain is covered with a layer of snow.
Overlooked from the air, the roads are straight and the houses are neat and grand. One can vaguely imagine its prosperity at the beginning, but now it is empty and turned into ruins, submerged in history as if forgotten, which makes people sigh.
Like Iceland's [Black Dushan]
Heidu Mountain is one of our favorite places in this trip to Qinghai. At present, there is basically no relevant information on the Internet. It is a super unpopular niche attraction that has not yet been developed. It is not a scenic spot, but a very small destination ( No tickets).
My self-driving route is to return to the vicinity of Lenghu Oil Town after a circle, so the actual location of Heidu Mountain is opposite the Lenghu Oil Base. If you stay in Lenghu for a longer time, you can also go from Lenghu When you go to Heidu Mountain, you can see this piece of Montenegro Gobi from a distance, the actual distance is about 2 kilometers.
However, due to the harsh climate and environment of Lenghu Town, the natural features here are unique, and the endless Gobi Desert must have some spectacular scenery.
If you want to take pictures of the starry sky, you can camp at the ruins, and you can see the clear Milky Way at night when the weather is clear. When camping, you must form a team and pay attention to safety, after all, the surrounding area is deserted.
The most Mars-like [Yardang landform] I saw for the first time
From the oil town of Lenghu to the south, you have already entered the Yadan landform area. In fact, Lenghu and even the entire Yadan area in Haixi are called the Obo Liang Yadan landform group. Our tourists only refer to this area. A certain place, that is, the one not far from the Mars camp, tomorrow I will go to the Mars camp.
This scene really makes people want to make a film, so I lit a fire and chatted with my friends here for a while, and the sky gradually got late.
Day 1 Accommodation in Cold Lake Town
Oboliang's self-driving tour far exceeded expectations. I really want to stay longer, even want to take pictures of the starry sky in the sleeping car at night, but the accommodation in Lenghu Town has been deducted, and it takes about 40 minutes to drive to the accommodation. There are relatively few hotels in Lenghu Town, the accommodation conditions are average, and the price is relatively low. High, so be sure to book a room in advance, otherwise you may not have a room if you look for it temporarily.
Day 2: Russian Boliang Yadan Landform - Mars Geopark - Jinel Lake - Dongtai
Transportation: Self-driving, 200 kilometers in total, 4 hours by car
Route: To Mars Geopark
Accommodation: Arrive late, live in the Taitung service area
Obo Liang Yadan landform [Mars Geopark]
The next day we went to the Mars Geopark. There is relatively little network information in this place. Just search for "Mars Camp" in the navigation. It took about 2 hours to drive from Lenghu Town.
The Mars Camp is an exhibition hall at the entrance of the Mars Geopark, where spacesuits and alien leather jackets can be rented.
The self-driving car will first go to the Mars Geopark first, then install the electronic fence, and drive according to the prescribed route (safe route), you can enjoy the unique Obo Liang Yadan geological landform, don't worry about getting lost, and you won't get stuck in the sand, Arriving at the top of the mountain there is also a hot spring.
Obo Liang is part of the largest Yadan landform group in China - the Qaidam Yadan landform group, and it is also the most amazing part.
The individual Yadans have different shapes, forming a natural Yadan landform museum, which is the place with the most complete and concentrated types of Yadan landforms.
A few years ago, Ebo Liang Yadan was well-known, but at that time it had little presence in the tourism industry, and most of the people who went there were off-road enthusiasts. After all, the roads between the Yadan groups are intricate and easy to get lost, and the road conditions are soft. If you accidentally get stuck on the sandy dirt road, ordinary self-drivers really can't enjoy it.
However, since the fire on the Hercynian Line last summer, more and more off-road vehicles have entered directly. The main route has basically been rolled into a hard sandy road by many wheels. Just run along the ruts, and don’t run on the road without traces. , basically safe.
It is called "the place most like Mars in China". There are no rules, no rules, everything is arbitrary by nature. It suddenly felt like we were driving on an expedition on Mars.
The Yadans with different postures of wind-eroded hills are like warships full of sails, winding endlessly towards the distance.
Desolate, cold, rough and almost brutal. Like a giant ecstasy.
The car shuttles between Yadan, in addition to bringing a shocking visual impact, it is more of a thrill of galloping in the wilderness.
Driving in Oboliang, the howling wind flew past the car window, making a devil-like whimper; the deserted car tail was flying yellow sand outside the window, as if traveling through "hell", full of excitement.
Maldives, China【West/East Taijinel Lake】
Taijinel Lake is located in the hinterland of the Qaidam Basin, and the solid salt minerals are mainly halite resources. The color of the lake is different from that of Qinghai Lake. Due to the high copper content, the lake water is bright green, and the shore is covered with white crystals. Xitai Jinel Lake and Dongtai Jinel Lake belonged to the same lake, but they were separated into independent lakes due to the shrinkage of the lakes.
The water of Xitaijinel Lake is green on one side and blue on the other side. The road runs through the middle, it's beautiful! Due to the erosion of the lake, the road surface is uneven, similar to a washboard road, about 17 kilometers long.
There are halite deposits at the bottom of the lake, which are rich in resources. And most of it has been taken away by a large enterprise, and it has become the raw material base for the company to produce potash fertilizer.
Dongtai Jinel Lake, known as the Chinese version of "Maldives", has been promoted to Qinghai's Internet celebrity attraction. Not far from Dongtai Jinel Lake is West Taijinel Lake. The two lakes are located in no-man's land, and only a few self-driving tours and photography enthusiasts will arrive, so there are very few tourists.
In Dongtai under the setting sun, there are various water Yadans standing on the lake. The combination of yellow sand, blue lake, and Yadan is amazing the magic of nature. There are different moods and longings in the daytime and in the sunset. !
Day 2 Stay in Taitung service area
The small hotel in the service area is very convenient, and the accommodation conditions are just enough to live in. There is no air conditioner, and you can’t use it here. You can turn on the floor heating or heating in cold weather, which is very good.
Day 3: Water Yardang - U-shaped road - Xiaochaidan Lake (can also be replaced by Emerald Lake) - Dunhuang
Transportation: Self-driving, 500 kilometers in total, 9 hours drive, departure at 8:00 am, return to Dunhuang at 7:00 pm, we passed Xiaochaidan Lake, did not go to Emerald Lake, you can also go to Emerald Lake.
Route: Take National Highway 315 towards Xiaochaidan Lake, turn to Liuge Expressway, turn to National Highway 215, turn back to Liuge Expressway, then turn to National Highway 215 to return to Dunhuang
The only [Wusut (Water) Yardang Geopark] in the world
Water Yardang Geopark is the only water Yardang landform in the world. Because of the uplift of Lake Jinel, it gradually submerges the Yardang Group on the northern edge, just like a "vast ocean" emerging out of the endless desert.
The Yadan landform on the Gobi is like a group of migrating whales, thousands of them cruising in one direction. Yadans are rich and varied in shape, spread all over the lake, and are the earliest water Yadan landscapes discovered in the world. There was no water here, but one year a mountain torrent broke out, and the Nalengele River, which originated in the Kunlun Mountains, was diverted and flooded this area, forming the water Yardang landform.
This seems to be a wave of the earth's hand, raising the lake to submerge the rocky Yadan group, forming a unique water Yadan.
"Yadan" means "a hill with steep walls" in Uighur.
In spring and autumn, flocks of waterfowl and wild ducks are flying in the blue sky, playing in the shimmering lake, or running and chasing on Yadan. Therefore, it is called Duck Lake by the locals. It is also called "Hundred Birds and Thousand Islands Lake" by tourists.
Yadan in the khaki-yellow water was dyed orange-red by the setting sun, and the lake water also turned dark blue with the sky. The contrast was strong. There was only a breeze, and the water surface was as calm as a mirror.
In the past, when people talked about the landforms of Yadan, the first thing people thought of was Dunhuang and the devil city in Xinjiang. They didn't know that there was such a peerless beauty in the Qaidam Basin of Qinghai that was kept in a boudoir.
Even the locals have only known this amazing scenery around them in the past two years. No wonder, although Water Yadan is beautiful, it is located in a vast desert. Except for Dachaidan Town, which is 240 kilometers away, there is no decent village or town in the surrounding area.
Some people say: it is the jasper on the Gobi Desert, and it is a lost world; some people say: it is a paradise for tourists and explorers; There are many, and there are very few people who come here to see the wonders!
Chinese version of Route 66 [G315 U-shaped highway]
Driving north from Dongtai, the G315 U-shaped highway has also become a check-in point in the past two years, which can be called the "Chinese version of Highway 66". The intuitive feeling of the road is "this is going to heaven!"
But for the sake of safety, don't sit/lie down in the middle of the road to take pictures. The speed of passing vehicles is basically above 60 km/h. Especially the apex in the middle of the U-shaped road is the driver’s blind spot. You can’t see people until the last section, and sometimes the speed will reach 100 yards. Posing for a long time, if it hinders the driving of vehicles, is also a traffic violation.
There is a high soil slope 30 meters away from the road, and vehicles can drive in and stop to watch the spectacular scenery of the U-shaped road section.
Don't miss 【Xiaochaidan Lake】
We originally planned to go to Dachaidan Emerald Lake, but the travel time was not enough, so we checked that there is a small Caidan Lake nearby.
Xiaochaidan Lake, also known as Xiaochaidamu Lake, is located in Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, with an altitude of 3216 meters. It is a lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is located at the intersection of Delingha Expressway and Liuge Expressway. If your route is from Delingha to Dachaidan, you will miss this beautiful scenery.
The lake is calm and deep, reflecting the sky, and the flocks of sheep are grazing aquatic plants by the lake, which is peaceful and peaceful. Looking down from the air, this gemstone is surrounded by salt crystals and wetland aquatic plants, which turned her into a finely crafted ornament and was left in the vast Gobi.
This is an unexpected gain from this trip, and I hope that next time I will have the opportunity to go through all the things that I didn't play carefully this time.
end
The three-day itinerary is awe-inspiring, whether it is the uncanny craftsmanship of nature or the ruins of the oil town of Cold Lake.
There was a very popular song of geological team members at that time, which was very suitable for the mood of this trip:
It was the wind in the valley that moved our red flag;
It was the violent rain that washed our tent.
We have a flaming enthusiasm that overcomes all fatigue and cold.
Carrying our luggage on our backs, we climbed up layers of mountains, full of boundless hope, to find rich mineral deposits for our motherland!
It is the rivers that converge into the sea of waves.
Dedicate our infinite wisdom to the motherland and the people.
We have flaming enthusiasm to overcome all fatigue and cold.
Putting our luggage on our backs and climbing up the mountains, we are full of infinite hope to find rich mineral deposits for the motherland!
It is the star in the sky that lights the lamp for us;
It is the bird in the forest that announces the dawn to us.
We have flaming enthusiasm to overcome all fatigue and cold.
Putting our luggage on our backs and climbing up the mountains, we are full of infinite hope to find rich mineral deposits for the motherland!
This was the most popular song of the year, the most heroic song, and it was also the career that countless young people yearn for.
Pay tribute to young people who work hard and innovate!
