Gahai Lake

The lake view is indeed beautiful, but it’s a pity that there is no blue sky!

Blue sky, blue sky, I finally know how important you are!

But the black-necked cranes and swans in the lake made up for our regrets about Gahai. Perhaps, traveling requires some regrets.

It is no longer open to the public, the gate of the scenic area is closed, and no tickets are sold. In other words, it is impossible to enter the Gahai scenic area through formal channels. The road around the lake is only about 2 kilometers, but it is close to the lake and the scenery is also very beautiful.

It's so beautiful! This is an internationally important wetland reserve. It's not open to the public. But it's great to see the beautiful Gahai Lake from the outside! It's already beautiful in mid-to-late May. I saw wild ducks.

It's a beautiful wetland. It would be even better if you come here during the migration of migratory birds.

It's a pity that I didn't go to the Gahai Sea. I was shocked by the green in the distance.

I passed by it on my way to Qinghai Lake via the southwest, and always thought it was part of western Sichuan, but it actually belongs to southern Gansu.

Gannan's largest freshwater lake is now closed for ecological restoration and can only be viewed from afar.

The breeding season for migratory birds is also the time when mice run rampant, running around everywhere.

Gahai Lake is located in the northwest of Langmusi, and is located in the west and east of Huahu Lake in Ruoergai. When I left Langmusi for Ruoergai, I was confused about which of the two places to go. Finally, I decided to go to Gahai because I generally don't like to go to too famous scenic spots. It turns out that this trip is worth it. When the morning mist slowly dissipates on the lake, the amazing scenery comes into view. The distant mountains like mirages are illuminated by the sunlight refracted by the mist in the haze, and the lake is boundless. After the morning mist disappears, it is a movie of blue sky and white clouds, mountains and waters connected, which is extremely beautiful.

The top attraction of Gahai Grassland is of course Gahai, which is the largest freshwater lake in Gannan. However, there is another attraction on the edge of Gahai that is even more worth mentioning, that is Guomang Wetland.

It was so beautiful when we saw it on the left side while driving on the road, so we stopped and took some photos, but because we were blocked by a net and were far away from the lake, we could only zoom in to take photos, so the photos we took were nowhere near as good as seeing it with our own eyes.

Gahai Lake On the way to Maqu County, I looked at Gahai Lake from afar. The sun was very hot and there was nothing special to see, so I turned around.

As the altitude near Gahai Lake increases, there are more and more bald mountains. The road is pretty good without any steep mountains, so there is no need to worry about landslides.

The water and grass here are lush and it is a paradise for birds.

The unique tranquility of plateau lakes

If the weather is fine, you can walk to the scenic spot or ride a horse to the scenic spot. The distance is not far.

We arrived at Gahai at noon. The sun was scorching. It was not the flowering season and the scenery was very ordinary, just a swamp with nothing to see.

Although not as big as Huahu Lake, I personally think it is better than Huahu Lake. However, due to the weather, I feel that Gahai Lake is more than twice as beautiful as Huahu Lake. After getting off the electric car, I walked towards the lake. The first thing I passed was a big stone sign with Gahai written on it, with Chinese characters on the front and Tibetan characters on the back. I walked along the wooden plank road and arrived at the lake not far away. Under good sunlight, a different view appeared in front of me.

It was not the season when the grass and water were lush, so we could only look at the scenery of the snow-capped mountains and the lake from afar. There was a plank road by the lake, but the scenic area was not open to the public, saying that it was to protect the wetlands. We could only look at the lake and sigh. There were several cars parked nearby, and their situation was similar to ours. It is said that plans cannot keep up with changes, and this is probably true. The fence by the lake is not high, and it is tempting to climb over it, but there is a police station next to the gate of the scenic area, so it is better to restrain this impulse.

The car stopped by the road, and we tried to look far away from a high place, such as with the help of the stone pillars on the roadside. The wind ruffled the lake water, and the snow-capped mountains could not play with the water; occasionally the wind was calm, and the reflections were half-hidden by the slightly tall grass, so we could only feel the vague and wet beauty, like looking at a beauty across the mountains, hazy and unclear.

Gahai Lake is picturesque and is the best place to escape the heat in summer. Have fun there.

Gahai was the biggest surprise of this trip. Someone once said that Gahai was a tasteless place and could be ignored if time was limited. If I really believed this, I would probably regret it.

The water of Gahai Lake is clear and transparent. Water birds swim among the water plants against the backdrop of the reflection of blue sky and white clouds.

The ticket to Gahai Lake is 50 yuan per person. The ticket is stamped with the seal of the local village committee. It is estimated that it is run by local villagers. By the way, the toilet next to the ticket office is very clean, which is rare in Tibetan areas.

It is a long way from the ticket office to the edge of Gahai Lake, and you can choose to take a battery car or ride a horse. The original Gahai Lake was on the side of the provincial road, and there is still a road sign on the roadside. Probably for business needs, the core area of the general scenic spot is always a long way away from the ticket office, and Gahai Lake is no exception.

After getting off the electric car, we walked along a wooden boardwalk to the lake. The weather was just right.

We arrived at the Gahai Lake Scenic Area at around 5pm. The weather was a bit cloudy and windy. We took the scenic area shuttle bus to the lakeside, and then we had to walk along the wooden plank road to the lakeside to appreciate Gahai up close. Although it was cloudy and the flowers were almost withered, it was still beautiful. However, it is still recommended to view the lake at noon or on a sunny day. It is really refreshing to take a walk under the blue sky and white clouds when there is no wind.

Wetland grassland, bird paradise, bring a telephoto lens to shoot birds. The small flowers in the lake are still very beautiful in summer, similar to the scenery of Huahu Lake.

Gahai Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Gannan. You can visit it on the way to Langmusi. Personally, I think there is no need to buy a ticket. You can enjoy Gahai Lake along the ring road around the lake. However, the road is seriously damaged and there are often potholes. You have to be careful when driving.

There are many migratory birds living in Gahai Lake, which shows that the ecological environment is well maintained. When I went home to check the photos, I actually found the figure of the black-necked crane. It turned out that we had passed by the black-necked crane before, but we were too far away and didn’t notice it at the time. It remained in my photos and I met it again.

Don't drive too fast here. There may be herdsmen driving cattle and sheep on the road. Be careful not to hit the cattle and sheep. After all, no one has a mine at home.

I just went to Gahai Lake in early August 2018. Although the weather was bad that day, with rain and sunshine, the photos I took were still amazing! Beautiful!



The ticket is a bit expensive, but it's acceptable. It takes a while to get to the main entrance of the scenic area. You can walk directly or ride a horse. But you can't drive in. Our family of three bargained down to 100 yuan for 3 people. You can ride by yourself or have someone pull you. You can see a lot of mini prairie mouse babies on the whole trail~~~ Really cute~ But I didn't take a picture because they went into the hole as soon as I saw them 23333~



After entering the scenic area, the flow of people is acceptable. After all, few people have heard of Gannan, and even fewer people go here. The biggest feature here is... There are a lot of water birds! There is an observation deck on the plank road, which is the best place to take pictures of birds! The location is high and surrounded by water, so you can have a close contact with birds. And you can face the rainy and sunny climate in Gannan very well. You can sit in the pavilion to hide from the rain at critical moments (by the way, the signal here is good, you can post a TikTok circle of friends when you are hiding from the rain~). As soon as the sky cleared, I came out and guarded a corner to take pictures of birds~ The birdsong around made people feel very comfortable, and taking pictures had a feeling of being integrated into nature. It's a pity that we brought Huawei and Apple mobile phones, and taking pictures is definitely not as good as professional cameras. I hope senior photographers can come here to take artistic photos or something. I didn't see a rainbow after the rain this time. After reading the comments, if you see a rainbow here, then congratulations, even if you only use a mobile phone, p-picture will win millions of likes in the circle of friends~



I didn't encounter good weather last time. If you encounter a clear blue sky with white clouds, please take pictures as soon as possible! Otherwise, there will be a sudden storm~ Overall, Gahai Lake is worth a visit, and it is a must-go in Gannan! If you don't go, you will really regret it! (The premise is to choose the right season and time~)



I’m a Beijing girl born in the 2000s. I just came back from Gannan. I hope you guys give it a thumbs up, and also share it with other friends who want to go to Gannan!

It was already 11 o'clock when we arrived at Gahai. The sun was shining fiercely overhead. It was so hot that we couldn't stand it. But in order to see the beautiful scenery, we went on a tour fully armed. Unfortunately, the scenery was not as good as other places, but the friends had a lot of fun. Gahai is not low in altitude, 3,479 meters. It is located in Luqu County and is the stopover and breeding place for many rare birds migrating from the south to the north.

There is no need to go to the ticket office to enter the scenic area. This is a beautiful pure land that cannot be blocked by the ticket office, and the road next to it is the best place for photography.

Unfortunately, it was closed due to the spawning of migratory birds, so we could only experience it outside the scenic area.

The scenic area here has been renovated. When I came in April, cars could still drive into the scenic area, but now you have to take a battery car. But the scenery is still as beautiful as before. The sky here is beautiful, even on cloudy days. It reminds me of a saying, "The sky is always there, but the clouds come and go."

There are many animals like marmots in Gahai Lake, and their personalities are very similar to those of marmots. They are very curious. If you look at them, they will keep looking at you. They are so cute.

Gahai Lake is right next to the national highway. There is a small road that turns in. The sign is very clear, but I don’t know which scenic spot is closed. Parking is not allowed on the road beside the lake. It’s very speechless. A management car honked back and forth, saying that parking is not allowed.

I took some aerial photos here and after seeing so much of the prairie, I felt that Gahai Lake had nothing to see.

It doesn't have any special features, because I've been to Xinjiang and seen Sailimu Lake and I thought this place was too small!

The grassland wetland landscape is the same as that of Hua Lake, but the water area is larger. The sunrise and sunset here are very beautiful. It’s a pity that I couldn’t go into Gahai Lake to see its true appearance. I just looked at it from a distance through the car window.

After the peak season, the gate was closed, so we drove along the path next to the lake and stopped the car at the place closest to Gahai Lake. The high Gahai Lake was particularly quiet. Apart from the four of us, there were only yaks grazing by the lake and unknown birds living by the lake. We opened the car door to let the fresh breeze penetrate the car, and ate our own lunch while watching the yaks slowly moving their bodies and nibbling on the grass by the lake, and watching the birds flying lazily one after another, not flying high. It was not a pity that the Gahai Lake Scenic Area was closed, otherwise we would not be able to appreciate and experience this pure natural appearance!

Gahai Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Gannan, is a good place to take landscape photos during the May Day holiday, where you can enjoy the beautiful view of snow-capped mountains reflected in the lake.

Gahai Lake is a mature scenic spot. At dusk, the golden sunlight shines on the wetland, and the lake water is deep blue, which is quite beautiful. There are photographers squatting to shoot birds flying over the water. I can only say that you need a good lens and a good camera to see the wetland scenery.

Tips: The temperature is low at sunset, so take care if you are taking photos in a jacket or a skirt!

It's still very beautiful. It's even more beautiful in summer! It's a pity that we went there during the National Day holiday

You can't miss Luqu when you travel to Gannan, and you can't miss Gahai Lake when you come to Luqu. In the summer, wild flowers cover the vast grassland of Gahai Lake, and thousands of birds gather in the vast lake. This is the real Shangri-La of the Snowy Plateau and the mirror of the plateau in Luqu, Gannan. There is no direct bus to Gahai, but you can take the bus from Xiahe or Hezuo to Langmusi and get off at Gahai;

The ticket is not expensive, only 40 yuan, but when I went there it was closed for environmental maintenance.

As a wetland, it is not particularly spectacular, and there were Tibetan robberies nearby.

In Gannan, it is not too far from Huahu Lake and Langmusi in northern Sichuan, and the plank roads and houses are very beautiful.

Gahai Lake is surrounded by mountains. The three rivers Qiongmudanqu, Wengniqu and Duomuqiqu, which originate from Guoermangliang in Nanshan, flow into the depression and become the inexhaustible source of Gahai Lake together with the spring water in the depression. Large swamps have formed around the lake, with aquatic organisms such as loaches and stone fish growing in the water. The mosses, fern hemp, plum algae and other plants growing in the swamps and meadows provide a wide range of foraging spots and habitats for birds. Every year in late spring and early summer, flocks of white swans, grey geese, barnacle geese, grey cranes, brown-headed gulls, ruddy shelducks, green-winged teals, pintail ducks, cormorants, grassland larks and nearly 100 other bird species fly from the south and Southeast Asia to settle down, lay eggs and raise chicks in this plateau "holy lake". Groups of black-necked cranes, a national first-class protected animal, live and breed here during the summer, making it one of the important breeding grounds for black-necked cranes in China.

Gahai is on the way to Qinghai Lake. I personally think it is very beautiful. The blue water and green reeds are like an oil painting. I even think it is more beautiful than Qinghai Lake because there are so few people.

There are many water birds, and if the weather is good, you can take pictures that look like a mirror of the sky!

Gahai Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Gannan, located in the center of the grassland. It is also a bird sanctuary. Every summer, black swans, egrets, geese and ducks inhabit here, but unfortunately we didn't see any. The scenery here should be similar to that of Huahu Lake, but unfortunately a large area of water has disappeared. A few sparrows were pecking at grass stems in the tall weeds, and there were many cute pikas running around. The scenery was much better than that of Huahu Lake.

Gahai Lake Observation Deck. It is said to be the source of Gahai Lake! The wind was cold and the altitude was 3500 meters. We climbed up with great effort under the watchful eyes of a Tibetan woman, without any obstruction. It cost 25 yuan per person to come down. It was a huge contrast with the Sangke Grassland. But from a distance, Gahai Lake was very beautiful.

If you plan to go to Huahu Lake, you don't have to go to Gahai Lake. The scenery is the same, but Gahai Lake has no water and is relatively small. It feels like the developer specially built it for a fee. I really don't recommend it.

The sky is blue, the clouds are beautiful; the lake is beautiful, the water is beautiful; the land is green, the grass is beautiful.

It's really bad. There is a national highway to the entrance of the scenic area, but it was blocked by the scenic area. There are several battery cars, but there may be only two. After waiting for 20 minutes, one came. There was no order. Dozens of people had to fight for seats. One car could take more than a dozen people. Moreover, the battery car did not reach the entrance of the scenic area, and you still had to walk up a big slope by yourself. In the scenic area, you can't see flowers or birds. The most are mice. The grass is not as good as the grassland and pastoral homestay along the way. Moreover, the viewing platform can't see the water clearly without a telescope. It was surrounded all the way. It was impossible to walk to the lake by yourself. I feel that the 70 yuan is spent unfairly! On the contrary, riding a horse can take you to the lake, but I don't know if the price is black. To be honest, there is really nothing to see in this lake. Don't come in July and August. Maybe you can see the water up close during the rainy season. The picture with water is still a close-up of the mobile phone.

Gahai is located in Luqu, Gannan, Gansu.

It is a pearl of the Gannan prairie, with lakes, wetlands and flocks of migratory birds.

It was raining when we came, which was a bit disappointing.

There is not much water left and it doesn't feel like a big lake. It is best to go there in a rainy season. July is more beautiful.

I don’t know if it’s because there are too many scenic spots here or what, but Gahai didn’t leave a very good impression on me!

Very average, not recommended! Maybe we went in the wrong season, in early June, the grass there was still withered and yellow. Probably because it was off-season, the gate was closed. Fortunately, we didn't go there specifically, we just passed by and took a look. Such a place should not be fenced off and charged money.

I went there in mid-July and was extremely disappointed. You can drive to the lake, but you have to take a battery car. There are only two, and you have to wait for many people. I thought it would take a long time to take the battery car at 20 yuan per person. It took only three or five minutes from the parking lot to the entrance of the scenic area, and you still have to take it. It's obviously a rip-off. It's even worse after entering the scenic area. The water surface is not big and it looks like it's going to dry up. There are no birds. It's the season when wild flowers are in full bloom, but there are only a few sparse flowers on the grass. There are rat holes everywhere, and rats are running around. I walked on the pier, and there was almost nothing to see, nothing to see, nothing to see! Those who went with me felt that they were seriously ripped off. The scenery on the road was not as good as the ticket price of 50 yuan per person plus the battery car of 20 yuan. This money is really easy to make!

We passed by Gahai Lake, the ticket cost more than 100 yuan. It was cloudy and drizzling that day, and the weather was very bad. I heard from tourists who had just come out of the scenic area that it was still quite cold and the flowers had not bloomed yet. With this weather, there was absolutely no reason to go in.

A not very well-known small lake on the way to Dachaidan. When driving here, I was attracted by it from afar. The color is very different from Qinghai Lake. The color of Qinghai Lake is blue, and the color of Gahai is green. In addition, you can see snow-capped mountains in the distance of Gahai Lake, unlike Qinghai Lake, which gives people more of the feeling of the sea.

I like lakes like Gahai, which have the feeling of Namtso and Yanghu.

There were a few cows leisurely eating the abundant water grass by the lake. They didn't seem to be afraid of us. They didn't see people very often, so they probably thought we were some strange creatures.

There isn’t much water in the lake, the grass is fresh green, and there aren’t many flowers blooming. In short, it’s not the most beautiful season.

After two years of drought, the wetland area of Gahai has been reduced by two-thirds. Waterfowl have settled far away on the sandbanks, making people on the other side of the river extremely anxious.

Gahai Lake is just on the road to Ruoergai Grassland, and the scenery is nice. The ticket for the entire scenic area seems to be 30 yuan, and it takes more than an hour to complete the tour. The wooden walkway is lined with wild flowers on both sides, and you can see many vole holes in the ground, and you can see vole holes coming in and out.

From Xiahe, we took County Road 408 and then National Road 213. It took about three hours to get to Gahai. On the way, we saw countless Tibetan pigs wandering around the roadside. I really wanted to catch one. The scenery of Gahai is similar to the Huahu Lake we visited in northwest Sichuan in 2014. Both are plateau wetlands. Gahai is like a brilliant pearl inlaid on the beautiful grassland. Standing on the observation deck, the lake water is azure blue that complements the sky, adding a little agility and a unique view. We posed in various beautiful poses. We couldn't help but lie flat on the carpet-like grass with our limbs facing the sky, and sighed at the beauty of nature.

The secret place is very good. It is not as beautiful as the legend, but it is definitely much better than ordinary waters. The water area is very large, not "Ga", the literal meaning.

It was cloudy when we went there. If it was sunny, it would be very beautiful. The surroundings are very open and any place on the road is beautiful. In fact, the scenery is still on the road.

It's not as beautiful as Huahu Lake in Sichuan. We went there in August and the water was almost dry. We didn't see the sea, only grass.

"Ga" means small in Tibetan. It is a good place for bird watching in winter. The scenery is also charming in summer and worth visiting.

The introduction of Gahai Lake says that it is the first freshwater lake in Gannan area, hiding many birds. From June to September every year, flocks of black-necked cranes, black storks, swans, grey cranes, geese and ducks, and nearly 100 migratory birds migrate here to live and breed, making it a bird watching resort. However, I don't know much about birds, so bird watching resorts are not very attractive to me. Instead, a photo of the red sunset attracted me here. I had always thought about coming to the Northwest in summer because I wanted to see green everywhere. In the end, I came in autumn. Well, although the grassland in autumn does not have green scenery, it has a different flavor. Especially today's sunny day, the blue sky and white clouds set off the golden grassland, which is also beautiful.

Gahai Lake is similar to Huahu Lake. It is a wetland reserve and an important migratory bird reserve. When the weather warms up, it will attract a large number of birds to inhabit. You must go there on a sunny day, otherwise the scenery will be very ordinary, especially if you don't go there in July or August. If it is cloudy, you can give up.

Gahai is on the way to Xiahe, and it is worth a visit. The water surface is not large, but the trestle is quite unique, stretching from the entrance of the scenic area to the water's edge far away, and then extending along the lake. When there is a lot of water, the trestle is in the water, and the scene is quite refreshing! When I went there in 2015, the car could drive directly to the entrance of the scenic area, but this year I can only take a shuttle bus!

This is a wetland on the plateau. When the water and grass are lush, many wild water birds breed and live here. Various plants grow here.

Gahai Lake is a plateau freshwater lake and a bird-watching wetland. It depends on the season, as the water level is relatively low in autumn.

Gahai Lake is no worse than Huahu Lake, the scenery is equally beautiful, but it is far less famous than Huahu Lake.

This is much better than the grassland of the week, I really like the dandelions in it.

The water level had receded significantly, and the plank road was too far away from the water to be seen by water birds.

Very beautiful lake, ultraviolet rays are very strong, be sure to take enough sun protection

Arriving at Gahai Lake in the early morning, it was very quiet and comfortable. If you come here during the season when the water plants are lush, the scenery should be good too.

It's really just an average place, a plateau lake with barbed wire around the lake. When I stopped there, I had to endure being chased away by the fierce Tibetans. I couldn't find a proper scenic spot, it was very embarrassing.

Just a quick look, nothing special to look forward to.

The scenery is nice, but it was noon when I went there

The area where Gahai Lake is located is called "Coning" by Tibetans, which means "where yaks walk around". It is comparable to "Flower Lake". Tickets for Gahai Lake are 50 yuan per person.