LAKE QINGHAI - THE PEARL OF XINING

Tibetan Farmhouse of Tibetan Grassland

Whenever you are in Xining don't ever miss to visit Qinghai Lake and the highland plateau of Tibetian. I promise you will be astonished and in awe to drive through a vast highland plateau with pure green grassland in spring and brownies grassland in summer. Snow-shrouded mountain along the way...and please believe me this are a rare sight in Northwestern China and not many know about this reality not even the Chinese from Beijing or Chengdu.

Qinghai Lake has long been one of the biggest draws in Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province which lies on the northeast of Tibetan Plateau. At an altitude of 3200 meters, Qinghai Lake boasts great charms – Blue sky and water, white clouds and green grassland, amazing rape flowers, a wonderful summer resort, and mesmerizing landscape.

Cultivated Highland Tibetan Plateau.

A Tibetan displaying a white Yak...

August ) is the best time to visit Qinghai Lake. September and early October is also good time to have a glimpse of the lake though most of the grasslands have turned brown.

We travel by coach to Qinghai Lake. Basically, you have three ways of transport – taking a public bus, hiring an exclusive car or van, and taking a shared car or van.

The Flowers of Qinghai Lake

The Flowers of Qinghai Lake

Private or shared car or van or coach gives you much freedom in terms of getting off on the way to Qinghai Lake or back to Xining downtown. There are quite a  few scenic attractions and historical sites on the way to Qinghai Lake. You can ask your driver to stop for the site you are interested in, making your day trip more interesting and value-added.

Neat in rows - should be Tibetan attitude.

Qinghai Lake is located 151 km west of Xining’s city center. It is the largest inland lake and saline lake as well in China with a circumference of 360 km and average depth of 21 meters. Qinghai Lake is formed byGenerally the 151 km overland ride is a scenic drive, passing by massive valleys, alpine meadows, limpid rivers, historical sites and remote towns. Well, follow me to drive into the wonderland of Qinghai Lake in late September. It is just unbelievable..and this is not in Switzerland or the Alpen nation of Europe. But right here in China.

That's Qinghai Lake.

The 151km ride is mainly composed of three parts: Xining Downtown to Huangyuan County 50km; Huangyuan – Daotanghe Town 50 km and Daotanghe – Qinghai Lake 50 km.

One of the Pavillion at Qinghai Lake

This is Bayi Passenger Transport Station which is located at Kangle on East Avenue, many public bus lines reach the bus station. You should get off at the station of Kangle for Bayi Passenger Bus Station.

It is a comfortable drive from Xining to Huangyuan along an enclosed expressway.

This is the toll gate for the expressway.

Appreciating the scenery and nature.

Duoba Toll Gate and Start your day trip.

Driving along the expressway, accompanied by the mountains and Huangshui River On route and accompanied by the mountains and Huangshui River
We finish the first 50 km drive and get to the downtown of Huangyuan County . Your driver will stop at the entrance to the ancient Dan Gaer Ancient City  for a brief visit. Dan Gaer Old Town used to be a commercial center, a hub of the Tangbo Ancient Route ( a minor Silkroad), starting from Tang Dynasty and it reached its prime in Qing Dynasty. Many of the old city’s building are still well kept or have been restored.

The entrance to Dan Gaer Ancient Town

Strong word - I think for those from Beijing and Shanghai Chinese.

Lounge and smoking area--open air lounge 

Daotanghe Town

Before we get to the edge of Qinghai Lake, we get 

off at 

The rape flower fields by the highway. Grape flowers are cash crops fo r the local farmers. The rape flower seeds are essential eating oils. The best time to see the rape flowers falls on July through August. Today we are lucky to catch the last hues of the rape flowers.

Qinghai Lake is a well-developed scenic area rated as an AAAAA attraction, the highest grade by China National Tourism Administration. Several areas by the lake are open to visitors: Erlangjian Area, Sand Island, Bird Island, and Fishing Harbor. We visit the lake at  Fishing Harbor (entrance fee: RMB 40) instead of the most commercial and well-developed Erlangjian Area9 ( Entrance fee: RMB 100 + RMB 140 for cruise on the lake).

The lakeside of Qinghai Lake

Caption of one the signage.

After Dan Gaer Old Town, we continue to start our second leg of the trip from 

Dan Gaer to Daotanghe Town  ( a National Highway). It is an exciting scenic drive! It is a deluxe experience for people living in Beijing pestered by the annoying haze.

We stop by the side of the highway, surrounded by brown meadows, blue sky and white clouds for a while. I ask my driver to take a stereotyped picture by his van.

Snow capped mountains, brown grasslands and glazing sheep We soon reach Daotanghe Town . We pass by the most essential pay attraction in Daotanghe – a wetland with beautiful landscape. Daotanghe Wetland with beautiful landscape.

We drive through Daotanghe Town and start our last leg of our day trip from Daotanghe to Qinghai Lake, the last 50 km drive.

Various signage ,some with confusing meaning and directive.

Qinghai Lake

The Snow capped mountains with reflections on the lake

Our driver gives us a pleasant surprise by driving up to the hilltop south of Qinghai Lake, easy for us to have a panoramic view of the mesmerizing lake.

The hill dotted with glazing sheep with the backdrop of Qinghai Lake

Mock up of non-Muslim Tibetan ritual display.

Near the entrance of Qinghai Lake- Food,souvenirs, rest room and others.

Winding on the south of Tibet plateau, Himalayas consists of many parallel mountains which run from east to west, and its main body are located at the border where China, India and Nepal meet. It has a length of 2400 kilometers, a width of 300 kilometers, and an altitude of more than 6000 meters. With an altitude of 8844.43 meters, Mt. Everest is believed to be the world ’s highest peak, and located at the border between China and Nepal. Within the area of 5000 square kilometers around Mt. Everest, there are 4 peaks with an altitude of more than 8000 meters, and 38 peaks with an altitude of more than 7000 meters.

Halal Food is available near Qinghai Lake.

Introduction of Tibet, Qinghai

As the main part of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Tibet Autonomous Region owns an average altitude of more than 4000 meters, and is called as “the roof of the world”. According to its complax terrain, Tibet are divided into three natural areas. Northern Tibet Plateau, which occupies about two thirds of the Region, is located among Kunlun Mountain, Tanggula Mountain, Gangdise Mountain and Nyenchen Tanggula Mountain. Southern Tibet refers to the area between Gangdise Mountain and Himalayas, where Yarlung Tsangbu River and its tributaries flow by. Eastern Tibet is an area covers with series of high mountains and deep valleys firstly run from east to west and then run from south to north, which belongs to Hengduan Mountains. Its landscape is dominated by high mountains, middle mountains, low mountains, hills, plains etc. Tibet is also covered by other landforms such as periglacial landform, karst landform, aeolian sand landform, volcanic landform and so on.

One on the halal restaurant near Qinghai Lake- managed by Tibetan Muslim. 

The crystal blue -Lake Qinghai

Qinghai Province, located in the middle of northwest of China, is famous for the Qinghai Lake, the largest inland salt lake in China. With an average altitude of more than 3000 meters and an area of 720,000 square kilometers, it lies in the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and shares boundary with Tibet, Xingjiang, Gansu and Sichuan Provinces. Many lofty snow-covered mountains and source of major rivers in China can be found here, such as Kunlun Mountain, Qilian Mountain, Tanggula Mountain, Yellow River, Mekong etc. Sapphire-like lakes scatter on the lush ranch land. All of these create a land of marvel, mystery and diversity. The climate of the province is of typical highland and continent. Most of the province is dry and cold with long winters, short summers, frequent winds, long hours of sunshine, and great temperature differences between day and night. Qinghai is populated with multi-ethnic groups, including Hans, Tibetans, Huis, Tus, Salars, and Mongolians.

Tibetan people near lake Qinghai Lake

The largest salt lake in China

Qinghai is well-known for its historic relics and nature landscapes. The traditional customs and folkways of the local ethnic groups have attracted thousands of tourists home and abroad. Famous scenic spots are Qinghai Lake, Taer Monastery, Qutan Temple etc.

Scenic view of Lake Qinghai

Boats-big and small at Qing Hail Lake.

Boat cruising  Lake Qing Hai

Qinghai Lake is located 151 km west of Xining’s city center. It is the largest inland lake and saline lake as well in China with a circumference of 360 km and average depth of 21 meters. Qinghai Lake is formed byGenerally the 151 km overland ride is a scenic drive, passing by massive valleys, alpine meadows, limpid rivers, historical sites and remote towns. Well, follow me to drive into the wonderland of Qinghai Lake in late September. It is just unbelievable..and this is not in Switzerland or the Alpen nation of Europe. But right here in Asia.

Qinghai is well-known for its historic relics and nature landscapes. The traditional customs and folkways of the local ethnic groups have attracted thousands of tourists home and abroad. Famous scenic spots are Qinghai Lake, Taer Monastery, Qutan Temple etc.


More Photos to see...

THE SILK ROAD - QINGHAI LAKE

PLITVICE - The National Park of Croatia

Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia is a World Heritage Site located at 44° 44'-44°57’N, 15° 27-15°42'E. The waters of Plitvice Lakes, flowing across limestone and chalk have, over thousands of years, deposited natural dams of travertine which have created a series of beautiful lakes, caves and cascades, in a continuing biogeological process. Its forests are a refuge for bears, wolves and many species of birds.

Geographical Location

Close to the Bosnia-Hercegovina border in the Dinaric mountain 20 kilometers (km) northwest of Bihac in Bosnia and 110 km south of Zagreb on the main road to the Adriatic. Approximate coordinates are 44° 44'-44°57’N, 15° 27-15°42'E.

Date and History of Establishment

• 1928: The lakes originally accorded National Park status, but not developed;
• 1949: Plitvice Lakes (Plitvicka Jezera) declared public property by law, their boundaries finalized, and designated a National Park .
• 1997: The Croatian Parliament at the suggestion of the Lakes Public Establishment and the State Agency for the Protection of Nature and the Environment, expanded the Park by 10,020 hectares (ha) to include most of the underground catchment basin supplying lakes and streams of the Park.

One of the waterfall in Plitvice

Area

29,482 ha, composed of the original 19,462 ha plus the 10,020 ha extension.

Land Tenure

State; in Lika province, administrative district of Licko-senjska Zupanija. Some 3,500 ha of village agricultural plots, representing 12% of the Park, are privately owned. Administered by the Plitvice Lakes Public Establishment.

Altitude

417 meters (m) to 1,280 m.

Physical Features

The cascading water features in Plitvice

Plitvice plateau lies at 650-700 m between the Licka Pljesevica (1,640 m) and Mala Kapela (1,280 m)mountains and is intersected by the headwaters of the Korana River, the Black and White rivers. The upper end of the Korana Valley overlying the dolomite stratum is a wide basin holding the upper lakes while the lower lakes occupy a narrow limestone canyon. The Plitvice Lakes basin is a formation of biological origin, a karst river basin of limestone and dolomite, with approximately 16 lakes, behind dams created during the last 4,000 years by the deposition of calcium carbonate in solution by encrustation on mosses (Bryum, Cratoneuron), algae and aquatic bacteria. This results in the building, at about 1-3 centimeters(cm) per year, 

Wonderful water fall everywhere.

of phytogenetic travertine (calcareous tufa) barriers which have created lakes of various sizes linked by cascades and waterfalls, some up to 25 m in height. These have characteristic strange shapes and contain travertine-roofed and vaulted caves. The carbonates date from the Upper Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous ages and are up to 4,000 m thick.Soil types include humus on limestone, rendzinas and brown soils on limestone, eliminated and brown eliminated soils on limestone and humus, brown soils and the eliminated soils of sinkholes. In order to maintain and preserve the natural characteristics of the lakes from pollution, the whole of the surface and most of the subterranean drainage system has been included within the borders of the Park. The new areas comprise layers of karstified limestone with dolomites of Jurassic age.

The Gushing waterflows by edge of great Plitvice Lake..

Climate

The National Park lies on the boundary between a moderately warm lower level rainy fores  climate and a higher altitude snowy forest climate. The height of 700 m above sea level or the mean temperature of -3 degrees Celsius (°C) in the coldest month has been taken as the boundary line between the two climates.

Vegetation

There are 22,308 ha of forest which cover 75% of the Park, 6,957 ha of meadow and 217 ha of lakes. The forest comprises pure stands of beech Fagus sylvatica at lower altitudes and mixed stands of beech and firAbies=alba at higher levels. The percentages of species are 72.8% beech, 22.1% fir, 4.7% spruce Picea excelsa and 0.4% pine Pinus sylvestris. One area of 84 ha has never been cut and contains trees up to 700 years old. The forest can also be classified in terms of its underlying dolomite and limestone strata. 

Another view of the cascading water of Plitvice.

The dolomite communities comprise tertiary pine, hornbeam Ostrya carpinifolia , spruce and beech-fir forests. The limestone communities have a smaller number of forest types but cover a larger area with communities of spruce and fern, spruce in beech, coppiced hornbeam with sumac Rhus cotinus, Italian maple Acer obtusatum and heather- Erica spp. Hydrophytic communities of black alder- Alnus glutinosa, willow= Salixspp., grey ivy, reeds and bulrush communities. Alpine beech groves grade into fir and beech forests, with juniper-Juniperus, and in the valleys and on lower slopes patches of sub-Mediterranean vegetation. 

What a wonderful sight....the natural falls formation.

There is a large mosaic of meadow communities, depending on altitude, geology soils and other factors, in three taxonomic classes:=Festuco-Brometea,=Nardo-Calunatea, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea andScheuchzerio- caricatea fuscae.Threatened, endemic and protected plants include Cardamine chelido,Cypripedium calceolus,Daphne blagayana,Lilium bulbiferum,L. carniolicum,Primula kitaibeliana,P .wulfeniana,Ruscus hypoglossum and Paeonia mascula.

The calm flowing water in Plitvice

Fauna

The area is faunistically- rich, including European brown bear=Ursus=arctos, wolf=Canis lupus, European otter=Lutra lutra, wild cat=Felis silvestris, eagle owl=Bubo bubo, and capercaillie=Tetra=urogallus. There are records of 126 species of birds, of which 70 breed in the area.

Cultural Heritage

The area was the cradle of the prehistoric Illarian tribe of Yopuds dating from 1,000 BC. The Yopudic culture was followed by the Romans and from the 8th century AD was occupied by Slavs. Archaeological remains include a prehistoric settlement on the site of the current Plitvice village, fortifications, Bronze Age tools and ceramics.

Local Human Population

The area had 1,100 inhabitants in 1949 and about 2,200 in 1990 in 18 rural communities but there are now only two small settlements of elderly households.

The cascading water of Plitvice.

Visitors and Visitor Facilities

Tourism at the lakes started in the 19th century. By the mid-1980s tourists numbered 800,000 of whom two-thirds were foreign, largely German, with peak visitation in July and August. The revenue obtained from visitor fees (US$9.00) and general income from tourism amounted to some US$2.5 million in 1986. With the outbreak of war in 1991 and subsequent occupation of the park, tourism stopped completely and many buildings were damaged. In 1996, a tourism revitalization program began. Existing tourist facilities located within the park include hotels, post office, restaurants, car parks, and sports and information centers. There are now two entries for visitors, with car parks and information offices; visitors move around the park on arranged and marked paths and gangways. Within the Park, hotel accommodation is available at Plitvice, Bellevue and Jezero (currently being removed). During 1996, there were 260,000 visitors, in 1997 320,000, and in 1998 350,000. 

That beauty flow cascading fall,

The visitor reception service has developed a system with various educational sight-seeing programs. Visitors go round the Park with a qualified guide, according to the set program. The visitor reception service also has information offices where visitors can obtain all the necessary information. The Plitvice Lakes Public Establishment collaborates with local and foreign media to promote and give information about the Park.

The area of Plitvice Lakes is noted for its lakes, caves and waterfalls formed from deposits of travertine. The forests of the Park are a refuge for bears, wolves and many species of birds.

Any sight to behold

Conservation Management

The area of the Plitvice Lakes National Park is protected pursuant to the Croatian Constitution and the Nature Protection Law. Economic and any other kind of activity is possible only in line with the regulations concerning the Internal Order in the area. Management is done at a national level. The Council of Management, which consists of seven members, is appointed by the Government. The first General Development Plan of the Park was adopted by the Assembly of the local commune in 1970. From 1972 the Park was run as a company operating on -market principles which owned the tourist facilities and was supplied by local farmers. A Zoning Plan dating from 1986 is still valid, but environmental protection measures are not considered to be stringent enough to solve the problems which the Park now faces.

Serene lake of Plitvice

In 1996, the Ministry of Tourism and the Park management drew up the Tourism Revitalization Program for the Plitvice Lakes National Park, with the aim of drawing visitors back to the Park, without threatening the site's natural values. This program is part of a broader project called the Programme Basis of the Functioning and Development of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. The strategy aims to increase tourist facilities at the two main entrances, thus reducing the number of through-visitors to the Velika Poljana hotel zone, to keep freight traffic out of the Park, and ultimately exclude all motor vehicles from the Park, and to reduce visitor pressure on the central and most sensitive zone around the waterfalls and lakes. The management is to be restructured

Water walk way..

into the Park Management Sector and the subordinate Hotels and Restaurants Sector. The short term focus is to rehabilitate the protective and research functions in the Park, and to improve the visitor management system. A State of Conservation report on the Park was submitted to the World Heritage Committee in 15 September 1997.