Chaka Salt Lake

It is managed by Zhejiang merchants. It seems that Zhejiang residents have preferential treatment. It is a good experience to take a small train to enter. This track was also used for salt mining in the past. You can get off at the last stop to take pictures and then take a small train to the Sky Realm Square to see the salt sculptures. As for whether the photos are beautiful, it depends entirely on the weather. If the water is cold, you need to rent shoe covers.

Chaka Salt Lake, one of the 55 must-see attractions for Chinese people, is known as the "Mirror of the Chinese Sky"

Chaka Salt Lake is also called Chaka or Dabusun Nur. "Chaka" is Tibetan, meaning salt pond, or sea of green salt; "Dabusun Nur" is Mongolian, also meaning salt lake. Chaka Salt Lake is the smallest of the four salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin and the earliest developed one. Unlike other salt lakes, Chaka Salt Lake is a brine lake with both solid and liquid coexisting, embedded in the snow-capped mountains and grasslands rather than the Gobi Desert. The salt lake is wide and sparkling. The sky is full of white clouds, and the mountains are majestic in the distance. The blue sky, white clouds and snow-capped mountains are reflected in the lake, which is like a poem and a painting. The surrounding grass is lush and the sheep are like pearls. Walking on the lake is like entering the world of salt.

Here, you can take a small train to sightsee deep in the lake, watch the magnificent scene of modern large-scale salt-mining ships spraying water and swallowing salt pearls, watch the lifelike salt flowers of various shapes growing through the clear lake water, explore the mystery of the world at the bottom of the lake, and appreciate the spectacular sight of the rolling salt waves left on the lake after high tide.

The train ticket was not difficult to buy. When I queued up to buy the train ticket, I was told that I had to wait in line for 2 hours. It was recommended to take the battery car and then walk in, which only took an hour and a half. I went back to buy the battery car for 10 yuan/person, and soon got on the car as I wished, and soon arrived at the end of the battery car. This place can already go down to the lake, but it is at least 2 kilometers away from the less crowded place inside, and 3 kilometers away from the end of the train.

Note ⚠️

1. It is best to prepare some wet wipes before visiting Chaka Salt Lake. When the exposed skin is stained with salt or salt water, it should be washed with fresh water or wiped off with a tissue. If it is left on for a long time, it will cause certain damage to the skin.

2 Because the salt layer is relatively rough, it will be a bit painful to walk barefoot, and the silt is deep in the lake, so it is not recommended to walk too deep. The light here is very strong on sunny days, and there is also reflection from the lake surface, so you need to prepare sunscreen, and it is best to prepare a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes.

3. The Chaka Salt Lake area is about 3,000 meters above sea level. Please be careful not to exercise at a distance to avoid altitude sickness.

4. You cannot eat in the scenic area and shopping is not very convenient, so it is best to bring your own drinking water and dry food.

5. Go to Chaka Salt Lake. If the weather is good, it is recommended to prepare a pair of sandals so that you can take pictures in the water. Girls who love beauty can choose colorful long skirts.

6. Whether the photo can be taken beautifully depends on your fate with her! The weather is very important!

Chaka Salt Lake, also known as Chaka or Dabusun Nur, is a natural crystalline salt lake located in Chaka Town, Ulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is one of the four major salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin. "Chaka" is Tibetan, meaning salt pond, which is the salt of Qinghai; "Dabusun Nur" is Mongolian, also meaning salt lake. Chaka Salt Lake is as famous as Ta'er Temple, Qinghai Lake, and Mengda Tianchi. It is one of the "Four Major Scenic Spots in Qinghai". It is called China's "Sky Mirror" by travelers and was rated as one of the "55 Places You Must Visit in Your Lifetime" by the National Geographic Tourism Magazine.

Attention photography enthusiasts:

1. Sky Mirror: Chaka Salt Lake is spacious and flat, and its surface has a strong reflective ability, like a mirror for the sky to dress up, and is known as China's "Sky Mirror". The best time to take photos of the "Sky Mirror" is before 9 am and after 5 pm. Unfortunately, we went there after 9 pm. The weather was good, but there were no clouds, and it was not very good to be too calm~~~

2. Mirror of the Night Sky: Chaka Salt Lake is located at 36 degrees north latitude, in the eastern part of the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai. The plateau is pollution-free. In the lake area, you can clearly appreciate the vastness and majesty of the Milky Way and the dazzling and strange meteors. The reflection of the lake makes the starry sky and the lake surface blend into one color, and the starry sky seems to be sprinkled on the lake surface. Therefore, Chaka Salt Lake at night is called China's "Mirror of the Night Sky". However, it is still quite cold to shoot at night. Those who pursue it can consider it. After shooting at night, you can only stay in Chaka Town. Chaka Town does not seem to be very big, so it is better to book accommodation in advance.

3. Sunrise and sunset: Chaka Salt Lake is the most beautiful during the period before and after sunrise and sunset. The colorful clouds, morning sun or sunset illuminate the salt lake, forming a picture of water and sky in one. The sunrise time of Chaka Salt Lake is around 6:30 in the morning from May to September, and the sunset time is around 19:30 from May to September. So if you want to take pictures of sunrise and sunset, you can only live in Chaka.

I haven't opened China-TravelNote for a long time. After opening it today, I remembered that when I went to Qinghai for a trip last summer, I picked and chose travel agencies and local drivers on China-TravelNote. After a week of hesitation, I found a highly praised local driver. I was able to travel more than 2,300 kilometers in six days without thinking, both economically and affordably. I think China-TravelNote is a great platform now. I also found a professional driver on China-TravelNote. I should have given a good review last year, but I kept forgetting it. I'm really sorry, Brother Gao. I will never forget your care and concern. Choice is really the most important thing. I will visit you when I have time. I will also go to Qinghai. It's so beautiful. There are still many places I haven't visited ( •̀∀•́ )

Chaka is a photographer's paradise. Walking along the train tracks, there are girls wearing red skirts and scarves all along the way. The sky of South America is in Bolivia, and the sky of China is here. Chaka Salt Lake, like a tear of God scattered on the Silk Road, seems to have too many good reputations. But my evaluation of it is very average...

Some people and some scenery have extraordinary magic to me, attracting me and making me willing to cross the crowds, mountains and rivers, and come from afar regardless of everything to meet you. And Chaka is such a place. A place with the highest expectations and the most disappointment...

It is strongly recommended to go early to avoid the peak period! We entered the scenic area at around 9 o'clock, and the number of tourists had already increased. At 11 or 12 o'clock in the afternoon, the tourists were full.

I bought the tickets online and scanned the QR code to enter. Very convenient...

We rushed into the scenic area. We wanted to buy tickets for the train to the less crowded area in the center of the lake, but we didn't expect that there were so many people waiting in line for the train that we had to wait for an hour. We gave up without hesitation and ran all the way on foot. Fortunately, the center of the lake is not too far from the entrance of the scenic area and can be reached in half an hour on foot.

There was really nothing to take photos of at the entrance of the scenic spot. There were dense crowds everywhere, and there was no feeling of the sky realm at all. We continued to move forward and came to the center of the lake. It was still crowded. Everyone took off their shoes and walked into the center of the lake to take pictures of the reflections. We were no exception. As soon as we took off our shoes, the lake surface covered with salt crystals was so sour and refreshing that it was unforgettable. In order to get the photos, we had to fight and gritted our teeth and continued to move forward, walking towards the center of the lake where there were fewer people. When our feet were almost exhausted, the crowd had been left behind us. Let's start shooting, the sky realm!

The sky was not blue enough and the reflection was not clear enough. The photos turned out good, but only those who went in there know how it felt. My calves were covered with salt water and were blown in the cold wind for a long time. The dry weather in the northwest and the strong ultraviolet rays made my skin particularly dry. After the edge of my skirt dried, small salt grains crystallized.

It depends on the mood of the sky. It is best when the weather is clear and windless. The mirror of the sky is very beautiful.

The service facilities are very good. You can take an electric car to the Sky Mirror Square for 5 yuan at the gate, and then walk in or take a small train.

The food court has a wide variety of food and the prices are acceptable.

You need to rent shoe covers when going down to the lake. I didn’t rent any and the sandals I was wearing were really uncomfortable on my feet, and I almost couldn’t walk back.

Don’t think it’s too far, walk further in, there are fewer people and the lake water is clear.

There are quite a few people here. We are so lucky to have come here today! We have good weather!

The mirror and reality are indistinguishable

Go straight in along the railway track of the Salt Lake Train. This railway track and train were used to transport salt in the past. Now that salt is not produced here, it is used for sightseeing. And the width of this railway track seems to be narrower than the standard conventional railway track.

The main thing about the salt lake is to see the reflections. Fortunately, the weather was clear, otherwise there would be no reflections.

The sky and the earth are almost seamlessly connected.

The lake is very shallow, just above the ankles.

There were too many people walking around near the shore, so the sand at the bottom of the water was stirred up and the water was very turbid.

The surface of the bottom of the water is a layer of crystallized salt, so after the rain, when the sun comes out for a while, a layer of salt crystals will form, and a perfect reflection will appear. Of course, perfection also requires no wind.

The highlight of today's itinerary is Chaka Salt Lake, which is one of the places Betty and I had longed to visit before we came here, after all, we had seen too many beautiful photos. However, when we arrived at Chaka Salt Lake, it was drizzling and the sky was covered with dark clouds. It felt like we had come to a fake Chaka Salt Lake.

After entering the park, walk about 1 kilometer to the Sky Mirror Square. Further in is the Salt Sculpture Park, which has various large sculptures made of salt.

Going further in, you will reach the salt lake. However, today the salt lake looks like this... No, it must be that I opened it wrong!

There are four kilometers from entering the salt lake to the end of the railway track. You can choose to take a small train or walk along the wooden plank road next to the railway track.

Along the way, I kept doubting, "Is this the place? But it doesn't look right! Do I have to walk to the end to see it?" I walked four kilometers tenaciously and finally believed that it was all the fault of the weather, or we had entered a fake park.

The first thing was to pack my gear, take off my coat and put on slippers. Now I think it was still cold. When we went to buy tickets, Director Ma and I were waiting on the side. The aunt from the scenic spot came over and told us to wear more clothes. Are all the people in Qinghai so warm-hearted?

We arrived at the scenic spot around 10 o'clock in the morning. The temperature was around 5 degrees Celsius. I vaguely remember that it took us at least more than an hour to walk from the entrance of the scenic spot to the place where we could take pictures of the reflection of Chaka Salt Lake. I can tell you responsibly that I had cramps in the soles of my feet. If someone cut off my big toe at that time, I probably wouldn't have any reaction, haha. Along the way, people kept asking us if we were cold. Of course we were, but they would be hot later.

Only when you really get to this place, you can understand what others mean by "walking in". I thought it was to walk in along the direction of the train, but it was not, it was to walk deeper into the lake. If you wear slippers, there is no need to wear shoe covers, and shoe covers are really ugly. There are many salt caves under the water. Director Ma accidentally fell down, and I can't describe the feeling of soaking in salt water. It must be very sour! But Director Ma's wound healed really quickly!

This is my third time to Chaka Salt Lake, but my first time to buy tickets at the ticket office. The first two times I went in from outside the scenic area. This time it won’t work. I have to take the right way with my family!

When entering the scenic area, you can choose to walk or take a sightseeing bus, depending on your own time, but the sightseeing bus is recommended (extra charge, 5 yuan/person/one way).

The sightseeing bus moved forward slowly and arrived at the ocean of salt. Everything around was about salt. The breeze was filled with the smell of brine, which was salty.

When you get off the bus, you can hear the salt crystals rustling on the road. The statues are made of salt blocks, so lifelike that they seem like the gods themselves. This is not the recommended sightseeing bus.

This is a sightseeing train, the ticket price is 50 yuan per person, what a rip-off!

The ground is covered with salt, just like a layer of heavy snow. Now many areas of the salt lake have banned tourists from entering the lake, but if you walk along the railway for about 100 meters, you can see people taking pictures in the salt lake. If you want to take beautiful pictures, just go ahead.

Unfortunately, due to several days of heavy rain, the salt lake only reflects a gray sky.

As we walked to the salt lake, we were shivering and sniffling the whole time. It was really cold~~~ (don't laugh at me, Guangdong kid). We just walked around the salt lake and then got on the car, but didn't go deep.

From the southwest of Qinghai Lake, take National Highway 109 through the Rubber Mountain and go downhill all the way to Chaka Salt Lake. The sky becomes brighter and brighter, and I feel extremely refreshed under the blue sky and white clouds.

The road runs parallel to G6 along the mountains, and driving on it is such a smooth experience!

We have arrived at the Chaka Scenic Area. The huge parking lot made it difficult for us to find our car when we returned (covering our face, bee). There are several public toilets with the same appearance. Don’t use them as parking signs, as they will cause great harm to people (poor crying bee)(poor crying bee)(poor crying bee)

Buy your tickets online first

Go straight into the scenic area

Chaka Salt Lake is a developed scenic spot

The parking lot, souvenir shop, shoe cover rental shop, etc. are crowded with people.

After entering the scenic area, you can choose to buy a small train ticket to go deep into the area.

Or spend 1 or 2 hours walking to the depths

I went there on foot. It was really tiring to walk for more than an hour with a backpack on my back.

I didn't buy one because I had to queue for half a day to see the train.

Of course, when I came back, I was so tired that I couldn't walk anymore.

I decided to buy a train ticket and take the train back.

You really need to bring your own slippers in advance

Bare feet are really more painful than on a massage mat

It is not expensive to rent shoe covers

But the shoe covers are really ugly and affect the photo taking

Be careful in the water

There are some holes in some places

If you're not careful you'll fall in.

After I got ashore, my pants were in a mess.

The trouser legs absorbed the salt water from the salt lake

After it's done, it's stiff.

When we were near Chaka, we could see a little bit of blue sky. We were very relieved and looked forward to seeing the legendary sky. When we arrived at Chaka, the rain had stopped, but there were a lot of clouds and the wind was very strong. The strong wind could not blow away the clouds, but only blew us silly. Yangyang and I did not feel much better from the altitude sickness. We were too weak to walk to the Lake Center Park, so we turned back halfway. When we returned to the visitor center, we found a mailbox. The tickets also came with stamps, so we could mail them directly. We wrote a postcard to each other, and we found a store that sold postcards to borrow... I guess it was not me who did this, Yangyang would not do such a thing, hahaha. Later, Luoluo showed us the photos they took in the Lake Center Park (and said that it was beautiful there, and the previous ones were not worth mentioning at all, which was heartbreaking). After Lao Yang sobered up, he thought we should line up and take a train directly to the Lake Center Park, and then look at the scenery along the way to decide whether to walk out... Well, this is indeed scientific. I don’t know where I got the courage to line up and walk several kilometers to get in in the snow and strong wind... But I didn’t regret not walking to the Lake Center Park.

A poem: Fisherman's Pride



——Review of the Chaka Salt Lake



Water connects to the blue sky lake Yingke,



Clouds cover the snow-capped mountains and the lake is full of salt.



Visitors all over the pool dance gracefully.



In the reflection,



Suspected to be a visitor to Wonderland.



I admire the beauty of Chaka Salt Lake.



The Sky Mirror reappears and seduce people again.



This scene seems to be in the sky.



The spring breeze blows,



The wind blows up a lake of messy shadows.



——Excerpt from my travel notes: A Poetic Journey through China: Sichuan, Qinghai and Tibet



Notes:

Looking at the photos on my phone, I saw a few photos of Chaka Salt Lake when I revisited it two years ago (2017). It was the last attraction of our trip through Tibet and Qinghai that year. This is our second time to Chaka Salt Lake. This time, Chaka Salt Lake was reopened after being closed for maintenance. It is very different from the first time I came here in 2015. It has become more beautiful, really much more beautiful. I wrote a poem at that time. It seems a little awkward today, but it is a true portrayal of my mood at that time. I have not made any changes and post it here to commemorate it. The photos were also taken with an old mobile phone at that time, so they are not ideal. I hope my friends will forgive me.

This popular tourist spot in Qinghai is becoming more and more popular. However, it is also crowded from June to August every year, so be prepared. If you come during the off-season, it is okay if there are fewer people. If you come during the peak season, it is recommended to come early in the morning, otherwise you will basically be photographing people in the middle period.



You can take a small train inside, the ticket is not cheap, but it is worth a try. In addition, if you go down to the salt lake in the scenic area, you need to buy shoe covers inside the scenic area. If you bring your own shoes outside, sometimes they are strictly checked and not allowed.

Friends who plan to take aerial photos will not be able to do so. Currently, aerial photography cannot be carried out, and only ground photography can be done. If you want to take photos of the starry sky, it is generally difficult to achieve. Scenic spots are not allowed to stay at night unless you have a way.



The best months for shooting in Chaka are usually less rainy. June has less rain, a higher proportion of salt, and the lake surface is lower and flatter than July and August. There are fewer people, so it is not easy to ripple. Morning or afternoon is more suitable. Accommodation around Chaka is not very convenient, and there are not many options. It is recommended to stay at the nearby Heima River or Huanhu West Road, where you can also watch the sunrise over Qinghai Lake. Chaka is generally open from 7:30 am to 18:30 pm.

You can buy tickets through WeChat official account or at the ticket counter. If you like to keep your ticket stubs, it is recommended to buy at the ticket counter (for example, I like to keep my tickets...hahaha).

After entering the park, you need to buy a ticket for the train, which costs 50 RMB for a one-way trip. If you don't take it, it will take more than half an hour to walk or bike to the end. It is recommended to take a ride to experience it. In addition, there will be battery cars for sale on the way back, and you can buy one at this time (only 5 RMB, remember to bring cash here, because WeChat and Alipay cannot be used for payment at the moment).

Because it was the National Day holiday, I spent a lot of time buying tickets and queuing up to get on the train. My legs were tired from standing, but when I got on the train and it slowly drove out with the wind, I felt full of energy.

After the whole trip, I found that Chaka is no longer the legendary Chaka. The road was covered with salt grains and turned black. Many tourists crossed the fence to take pictures, making the beautiful appearance even more blurred, which made Chaka, which was not very clean, even worse. I was full of expectations for Chaka, but I was disappointed. I wonder if I will change this bad impression next time I see it, or if I went in the wrong season? Or is it more beautiful during the Spring Festival or winter?

The National Geographic Tourism Magazine selected Chaka Salt Lake as one of the "55 places you must visit in your lifetime". Chaka Salt Lake, also known as Chaka or Dabusun Nur, is a natural crystalline salt lake located in Chaka Town, Ulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is one of the four major salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin. Chaka is Tibetan, meaning salt pond, which is the salt of Qinghai; Dabusun Nur is Mongolian, which also means salt lake. There are many salt sculptures to watch in the scenic area, and you can also take a small train to visit the depths of the salt lake. Visitors can walk barefoot to the lake to watch and take pictures of their own reflections.

Without the blue sky, there is no sky realm. To go to Chaka Salt Lake, you must take a small train and choose a good location. In order to take beautiful photos, it is all white. I want to leave as soon as I arrive. Maybe we have too high expectations, but the sky is not good.

You have to rely on luck to see the Sky Realm. You can't see it just because you want to. I advise everyone not to be deceived by the sunshine here. You should bring thick clothes if you need to.

In faraway Bolivia, there is a place called "Mirror of the Sky". The azure sky and the endless white salt grains meet at the horizon, making people feel the purity of nature. The breathtaking beauty makes countless tourists yearn for it! In Qinghai, China, there is also a "Mirror of the Sky", which is the Chaka Salt Lake in Wulan County, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province. When we went there, we did not avoid the peak period, so there were more people. It is recommended that friends who want to go there start early or late, and never go when there are many people~~

Everyone knows it is Chaka, but in October, the salt water melted, and there were colorful balls everywhere, and without the contrast of white clouds, it was so disappointing.

The little train is a must. It is recommended to take the train to the central area and walk back because it is very far and the road is difficult to walk on!

I heard there was a small train here that I could take photos with, but it was gone this year!! Only the rails were left!

I thought the salt lake was very beautiful, and there were all kinds of tweets and pictures online, but I was surprised. I even arranged to stay here for a night just to take pictures, but... I suggest you choose the right month to come here! Otherwise, you will just take some pictures and leave, and you don't need to stay too long!

The mirror of the sky is exactly what I imagined! It is the most anticipated place in this trip, no doubt! Because the weather is good, it looks like in the painting, the silver waves are poetic and picturesque. God must also favor this place, so he inserted such a pure and white world here. There is no obvious dividing line between the lake and the sky, and there is no edge. It seems real and illusory. Standing on the salt lake, it seems like traveling through the mirror of time and space. The world is upside down, and I am reluctant to leave in the end. Zhejiang people are free of charge with ID cards.

Walk to the middle of the lake, the photo effect is better, be careful of the black hole, you can buy shoe covers in advance. The shoe covers are not very waterproof, but wearing shoe covers is better than going barefoot, and it won't hurt your feet.

Tickets here can also be purchased online, 70 yuan per person. After entering the scenic area, I found that many people were queuing at the small train. I was still confident in my physical strength and decided to walk all the way. So when people are young, they always like to make some rash promises.

The weather became better and better as we went deeper into the salt lake. Most of the clouds had dispersed. I kept taking pictures until my eyes couldn't see enough.

I originally thought that the scenic area was not big, but as I walked, I found something was wrong. The road seemed to have no end. As I went deeper into the lake, I found that I could wear shoe covers to enter the water. In order to reduce the weight of my luggage, I only brought a pair of shoes. I couldn't take such a risk, so I just stood on the shore and watched the happiness and excitement of the people in the water.

Finally, I reached the end. There was a large area of white salt grains on the ground. The reflection in the sun was so bright that it hurt my eyes. I sat by the lake for a while. I couldn't stand the sun any more, so I decided to take the train back. My feet were starting to hurt. The train ticket cost 50 yuan, so I had to spend it. But the 50 yuan was not wasted. I came to the salt lake to experience the train. It was a different feeling.

In order to enter the scenic area earlier, we set off from Heima River at 6 o'clock in the morning. As it had been raining yesterday, the driver said that we might not see the sunrise this morning, so we did not watch the sunrise and set off directly to Chaka Salt Lake.

The road was cloudy and sunny, with the sun sometimes appearing and sometimes disappearing. I was still praying for a sunny day. At about 9 o'clock, I arrived at the Chaka Salt Lake Scenic Area. The sky was clear, with blue sky and white clouds. It was the sky of Chaka in my dream!

It took quite a long time to queue up for the train when entering the scenic area. I still recommend taking the train one way. A few years ago, Chaka was only a production site for industrial salt. The train was used to transport salt. Now the transportation of salt has completed its historical mission and has become a service for tourists. The railway tracks on the beautiful salt lake are also a beautiful scenery. You can walk in and take the train out, or take the train in and walk out, because the distance from the entrance to the innermost scenic area is quite far.

You can see the beautiful scenery on both sides on the train. The plank road beside the track is all salt, salt, and the world of salt. The road is made of salt! You must go to the salt lake to experience it. There are shoe covers for rent here, but I think flat sandals are the most suitable choice. Shoe covers are big and ugly, and they also affect the effect of taking pictures. Wearing sandals is much better, and there is fresh water to wash your feet outside the scenic area.

Chaka Salt Lake is listed as one of the 55 places you must visit in your lifetime. There are many beautiful pictures in internet celebrities' pictures and Douyin, which are magnificent and fascinating. However, many people come here and feel that it is not as beautiful as in the videos and pictures, and are greatly disappointed.

I want to say that Chaka is really beautiful, but it must be on a sunny day. The blue sky, white clouds, mountains in the distance, and the reflections in the lake are really beautiful. No matter how good the photography equipment is, it can't capture the beauty of being there. So, those who can catch up with good weather and see the beautiful scenery are all lucky!

In addition, professionals and professional equipment, plus post-production editing, the angle when taking pictures, and sunlight conditions are all important factors that affect the quality of photos. You cannot compare tourist photos with pictures taken by professional photographers!

It is highly recommended to take a ride on the small train at Chaka Salt Lake. Looking toward the lake from the small train, it is crowded with people, as magnificent as dumplings being dropped into water. Get the same one on TikTok quickly!

Factors for taking photos with mirror-like reflections at Chaka Salt Lake:

1. It must have rained two days before. After two days of exposure to the sun, the alkalinity in the water has been reduced and the water surface has become clearer.

2. The best time is within 1-2 hours after sunrise in the morning. If you want to take photos in the afternoon when the sun is shining, the background will be the newly built plank road, which is not very beautiful.

3. No wind, no wind, no wind

Therefore, taking a mirror-like photo at Chaka Salt Lake depends entirely on your luck.

When we arrived, the weather was gray, so it was basically cold to take pictures. We simply gave up and went directly to the last section of the salt field, sat on the rails, spread salt, and took pictures. I have to mention here how important good photography skills are to the enjoyment of travel. I would like to encourage all friends with this sentence~

The Chaka Salt Lake is not what I imagined, which is a bit disappointing. But no matter what, it is still one of the classic attractions that you must visit in Northwest China. You will regret it for the rest of your life if you don’t come here, so hurry up and see it before it changes beyond recognition.

9-Day Tour of Dunhuang, Qinghai: D1 Xining - Ta'er Temple - Riyue Mountain - Daotang River - Qinghai Lake - Heima River [stay at Heima River];

D2 Watch the sunrise at Heima River - Chaka Salt Lake - Delingha;

D3. One-day tour from Delingha to Hala Lake

D4. Delingha ~ Koruk Lake ~ Tosu Lake (optional) ~ Chaerhan Salt Lake ~ Golmud

D3 Golmud_Kunlun Pass_Khekexili_Sonam Darje Conservation Station_Golmud (stay in Golmud);

D4. Golmud-315 Most Beautiful Highway_Water Yadan_Nanbaxian Yadan Landform_Dachaidan (stay at Dachaidan);

D5 Dachaidan_Dangjinshan_Aksai--Yangguan_Dunhuang [stay in Dunhuang];

D6: Mogao Grottoes in the morning and Mingsha Mountain in the afternoon [Camping in Dunhuang Desert? ];

D7 Depart from Dunhuang - Guazhou - Jiayuguan (the most majestic pass in the world) - Zhangye Colorful Danxia - Zhangye [stay in Zhangye];

D8 Zhangye - Minle - Ebo Ancient City Ruins - Biandukou_Zhuoer Mountain_Qilian Grassland (stay in Qilian); D9. Qilian_Gangshika Snow Mountain Colorful Waterfall - Heiquan Reservoir - Xining

After entering the scenic area, you will reach the station for the small train after walking a short distance. You can queue up after buying a ticket and take the train. In the peak season, the queue is still quite long. If you don’t want too many passers-by in your photos, don’t be afraid of trouble and walk deeper into the lake! Good reflections need to be taken in slightly deeper water. Too shallow water will not give you a perfect reflection. When walking, you should also pay attention to those black holes, as they will fall in!

Chaka Salt Lake is closed for management every year, so if you want to go there, you should check the opening hours in advance.

The temperature at Chaka Salt Lake in July and August is comfortable, so you don't need to wear thick clothes. However, you must take precautions against the sun because the ground is very white and the sunlight will be more glaring, so you will need sunglasses to protect your eyes.

Regarding the shoe covers, I suggest renting them in the scenic area, the rent is 5 yuan/pair, the quality is good, and buying them outside the scenic area is not good and not environmentally friendly. Also, the salt lake is really clean now, and it is well managed. I hope everyone can protect it together.

When we first entered the lake, the sky was clear. Because of the position of the sun, the salt lake looked very white. When the sun began to move a little bit, the sky became bluer and the lake became bluer. With the appearance of clouds, it became even more beautiful. The best time to see the lake is around 10-11 o'clock, and then there will be strong winds and the lake will not be calm.

It's a long way from the gate of the scenic area to the inside of the salt lake. You can walk or take a small train. The small train has about 51 people. It takes about 20 minutes to half an hour to walk in, and 10 minutes by train. In the middle is the small train track, and on both sides are salt lakes where tourists can go in the water.

In the salt lake, red and bright-colored clothes are a perfect match. I saw many girls well prepared, wearing red clothes and ethnic earrings to take beautiful photos, but they ended up in the water up to their knees, and it was forbidden to go into the water! The scenic spot did not inform us in advance, and the tourists who bought shoe covers suffered a great loss...

Anyway, the more you look forward to a place, the more disappointed you will be! Chaka Salt Lake is, I really don't recommend you to come, there is nothing to see, unless you are lucky, guarantee that the weather is clear, there is no wind, there is little water, there is enough light, and there are few people, you may be able to take good pictures.

Since Chaka Salt Lake came into people's view in 2014, four years have passed, and Chaka Salt Lake is no longer as full of fairyland as when everyone first saw it. Especially in the summer of 2018, Chaka Salt Lake has already been in the late stage of cancer!

You can search for Chaka Salt Lake on any platform. With garbage everywhere and a gray sky, you may even have the illusion that this is not the Chaka Salt Lake at all. But please believe your eyes, this is the Chaka Salt Lake after it was overcrowded with tourists.

Chaka Salt Lake was the most disappointing attraction of my trip.

Chaka Salt Lake is an iconic destination for traveling in the northwest. It was once popular for its dreamlike skyscape, but now it has been partially destroyed due to the large number of tourists and man-made pollution. There are not many expectations for Chaka.

Although Chaka is not as beautiful as before, the salt lake in the distance is still crystal white and spotless. It's just that it's hard to have beautiful reflections in this season, and it's hard to find a beautiful sky. But the holy snow-like lake surface can still cleanse the soul. How can such a beautiful scenery be destroyed by human hearts? Yes, I'm talking about those tourists who litter and go into the lake at will!

When the weather is clear and the waves are calm, the lake is very reflective, like a mirror for the sky to dress up. It is called the Mirror of the Sky. It has become famous because of Douyin in the past two years. It is also a place I am looking forward to on this trip. The weather on our day was not very good. It was a bit cloudy and the wind was very strong. My hat was about to be blown away, and I didn’t see the mirror effect.

If you walk on the road paved with large salt grains, it will take dozens of minutes. There are salt sculptures along the way. Beautiful sisters are shaking their red sand scarves to take various photos. It’s cold and windy, so I didn’t take satisfactory photos. It’s a bit regrettable. I will come again when I have the chance.

Zhejiang ID card is free~!

Yes, you read it right. I can enter for free with my Zhejiang ID card. Because this area is a poverty alleviation area targeted by Zhejiang, the government has made this offer.

The salt lake is huge, the sky is blue, and the view is wide.

The entire salt lake is very large, and they only set aside a small area for us to experience it. If we walk, it will take about 20 minutes to half an hour.

A plank road leads to the innermost part, and there are salt lakes along the way, which you can go down to experience. We took the small train directly to the innermost part, where there were relatively fewer people.

There are large salt lakes on both sides of the small train in the center of the salt lake. People standing in the salt lake in groups of three or four do not feel crowded.

Behind every beautiful photo, there is a lot of sadness. For example...

This coarse salt is really big, hard and irritating! It hurts so much! !

Most people can't walk a few steps barefoot, and I'm wearing stockings, which has already tortured my feet... I want to stay here for the rest of my life and don't want to take one more step!

Regarding shoe covers... There seemed to be people selling shoe covers at the entrance of the park, but I didn’t care because we brought our own slippers.

You are not allowed to go into the salt lake with plastic shoe covers or your own shoes because they will pollute the salt lake. There are special people watching over the area, and if they see you go into the water with your shoe covers, they will come and grab you.

But the disposable slippers in the hotel can be used in the water. I wore the hotel slippers and walked to the middle before dragging them aside.

But it is really difficult to walk in slippers because the coarse salt grains will get into the slippers, which makes it even more painful. I can only move slowly, bit by bit.

If you want to take photos, I suggest you wear brightly colored clothes so that the reflection in the water will be very beautiful. I wore a dark-colored outfit that was not suitable for me, and the reflection was not very clear.

And you have to find a place with shallow water, preferably one where you can show your instep when standing in a salt lake. If the water reaches your ankles directly, it will only make your legs look short and it will look like you are directly immersed in the water with your feet gone... Unless you tiptoe, but believe me, it is too painful and most people can't do it...

The salt lake is corrosive. The edge of my skirt was rotten by the salt water, and I was buried in Lanzhou.

And after getting ashore, you will find that your body is covered with white spots. If you lick them, they are very salty.

When you come out of the salt lake, you will pass a corridor selling handicrafts and snacks. It is mainly developed for tourists to buy souvenirs. The souvenirs are not very interesting, but some of the snacks are quite good.

Full of expectations, but disappointing. Life is always so dramatic. When I didn't put on makeup, didn't wash my hair, and was dressed very sloppily, I took photos everywhere; but when I got up early, washed my hair, put on makeup, and wore very unique clothes, I didn't take a single photo. In short, you should be careful when going to the salt lake. My phone fell into it, and the camera was covered with salt. I felt sorry for myself. Chaka Salt Lake, a place where I felt that the photos were better than the real scene for the first time. There were so many people and the weather was so hot that I was exhausted. Of course, I give a thumbs up to the fact that Zhejiang people don't need tickets.

Because in the articles I read by other bee lovers before, no one mentioned the bad weather at Chaka Salt Lake, and the driver did not remind us or give us any suggestions. When we saw the gray sky that was neither sunny nor cloudy, we still bought tickets to enter the scenic area.

After that, I really felt... I don't want to say it. Please enjoy the following pictures and feel the Chaka Salt Lake under the big dark clouds and the biting northwest wind!

When you take the train, you can still see the blue sky and some sunshine but not strong.

The sunlight was reflected by the salt particles on the ground, making it slightly dazzling.

The wind is strong, the clouds are thick, and the water level is high.

Ask us how much we were shocked! The staff said, you can't take pictures today

My head was almost blown away by the wind. It was the first time I knew what "头置塞塞叫" meant.

160 yuan wasted, and I almost got a headache. I envy other friends who have seen the sky realm~ I envy them very much

Our "Sky Realm" is a bit gray

Dear all, here is my warning - if you enter the park in a windy/cloudy/wrong time, be careful to pay. The Emerald Lake behind can make up for it, don't worry about it, the Sky Realm depends on the weather, there is no need to appreciate it with such a low appearance. Thats all! THX!

The red glow in the sky is about to fade away, but the thick clouds still refuse to disperse, hiding the beauty between heaven and earth.

There are white salt crystals under my feet, heavy clouds above my head, and the clouds are reflected in the lake, forming a grayish white patch.

What a beautiful snowy and vast expanse



Then there was a graceful reflection in the lake

It is conceivable that without the gray and white reflection of the clouds as the background

What a picturesque scenery

"The shallow water surface, touched by footsteps, allows those beautiful girls to lift up the gauze in their hands with the distant mountains and blue sky as their backs and the lake as their mirror, their long skirts fluttering, their smiles as beautiful as flowers, and their reflections as beautiful as sisters, frozen in the cool breeze..."

Be careful with your feet, because sometimes you will step on a salt hole and your foot will sink into it. When you pull it out, you will find your leg covered in mud. Unfortunately, I got caught in this trap, which caused my entire left calf to hurt when I was taking photos at the salt lake. When I fell in, the circle of crystallized salt in the salt hole rubbed my skin, but it was no big deal. We went there early in the morning, so there were not many people. When we were about to leave, there were so many people on the lake that it was impossible to find a quiet surface to take pictures of reflections. There were only circles of water waves.

You can choose to walk or take a small train to enter the salt lake. The first thing you see when you enter is a salt sculpture. It is recommended that friends who go there pay attention to sun protection and UV protection. Sunglasses are a must! Sunglasses are a must! Sunglasses are a must! Otherwise, you will have white eyes all the time. My sister and I walked and walked all the way to the deepest part of the salt lake that can be reached on foot with our unyielding will and the courage to not be afraid of sunburn.

, it is still difficult to walk on the water. Even if you wear slippers, you will definitely get scratched if you walk barefoot!

Chaka Salt Lake is also called "Chaka" or "Dabusun Nur". "Chaka" is Tibetan, meaning salt pond, which is the salt of Qinghai; "Dabusun Nur" is Mongolian, also meaning salt lake. It is a famous natural crystalline salt lake in the Qaidam Basin. It was first known for producing edible salt. Because its salt crystals contain minerals, making the salt crystals blue-black, it is called "green salt".

The mining history of Chaka Salt Lake has exceeded 3,000 years. There is a record in Xining Prefecture New Records: "It is located west of the county seat, more than 500 miles away, southwest of Qinghai... It is surrounded by several hundred miles. The salt is naturally formed and inexhaustible. The Mongols scooped it with iron spoons and traded it at Yushikou, and the county people relied on it." The mining at that time was extremely simple. People only needed to uncover the salt cover of more than ten centimeters to easily scoop out the natural crystalline salt from underneath.

Quietly watching over the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the beauty of Chaka Salt Lake has existed for hundreds of millions of years. Unlike other salt lakes, Chaka Salt Lake is a brine lake with both solid and liquid. The mined brine will re-crystallize into salt layers after a few years. It is inexhaustible. The initial proven reserves are more than 440 million tons. The salt output can be used by the people of the whole country for about 75 years. This is a gift from nature.

Today, the salt still tastes the same salty, the name is still the same name, and the place is still the same place, but since it was called "Sky Realm", Chaka Salt Lake has transformed from an ugly duckling into a white swan, and has now become the most popular tourist destination in Qinghai Province.

The railway cars used to transport salt are now dressed up as small trains, which immediately become a beautiful scenery. The narrow-gauge railway extends all the way to the end of the lake. Take a small train and slowly drive into the depths of the salt lake. With the sound of the wheels clanging, it seems as if you are approaching the platform of heaven.

Looking around, all you see is white. In the distance, under your feet, around you, and everywhere is a world paved with green salt. Even the air has a faint smell of salt.

The world, as crystal clear as snow, constitutes a landscape painting in ink and wash. The endless emptiness and extreme tranquility seem to make the whole world only hear the sound of one's own breathing. What comes into view is only the blue sky and white clouds in the sky, and the reflection on the ground that is hard to tell whether it is real or illusory.

The entire salt marsh is like a huge mirror, with the sky connected to the water, the water connected to the sky, the light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds. The poetic and picturesque mirror effect can't help but make people speechless with admiration - no wonder this place was once rated by National Geographic Magazine as one of the "55 Places You Must Visit in Your Lifetime".

It is said that red belongs to Chaka Salt Lake. Although I brought a red dress suitable for the occasion, looking at the temperature, I don’t have the courage to devote myself to art. Well, then let’s have fun in the salt fields.

We entered the park at 4:30 in the afternoon, and there were still a constant stream of tourists. It took more than ten minutes to walk from the ticket office to the main scenic area, which is not a short distance, so make sure you wear comfortable shoes!

According to rumors, the large salt particles in Chaka can ward off evil spirits. Some people came prepared. If you go out of the park and buy salt at a small vendor's stall, it will be very expensive. The three of us each took a small piece as a souvenir.

When I got to the observation deck, I was terrified by the huge crowd. It was only a few hours before the park closed, and I couldn't imagine what it would be like when it was full.

Next to an abandoned railway, across from the vast salt lake area, but this area is not open to the lake. Since it is in a corner, there are relatively few people. It also produced a lot of cool photos

The lake water condensed into white salt, forming a huge reflector, just like the famous Uyuni, reflecting the blue sky. The cheerful tourists walked into the mirror, and a soul-moving beauty of harmony between man and nature emerged spontaneously. The first step was taken with extreme caution, for fear of sinking into the mud and falling into the water. When I stepped on it, I felt the solid ground and felt relieved. The most moving thing in the world is called soul. The ancients believed that all things have spirits, and all the beauty in the world comes from the uniqueness and colorfulness of each soul. Many times, my heart will be moved during my journey. And this time, the dream that moved me was the soul of Qaidam - Chaka Salt Lake.

I personally think that it is definitely not a good experience to visit Chaka Salt Lake during holidays. You need to buy tickets to enter the scenic area. The ticket is 70 yuan, the train is 50 yuan (one-way), the sightseeing car is 5 yuan (one-way, I don’t think it’s necessary to take it), and the shoe covers are 5 yuan (deposit 100 yuan) which are easy to break, so be careful when using them. As for the tour route inside, I can teach you based on my many years of experience:

Buy tickets and a one-way train ticket to the lake area from the ticket office at the entrance of the scenic area (it is recommended to take a one-way train, because it is 4 kilometers one way from the entrance of the scenic area to the pier railway station in the center of the lake, which is the place with the most beautiful reflections. The train ticket can also be bought at the railway station, but there are many people in the peak season, so many times when you arrive at the station, the ticket is not sold inside, and there are no tickets. To be on the safe side, you can buy tickets at the ticket office, and only buy tickets to enter the lake area). After checking the ticket and entering the scenic area, go directly to the auditorium railway station to take the train (usually once every half an hour, irregular in the peak season). The train will stop at the Sky Mirror Station when entering. Don't get off, and sit directly to the terminal station, the pier railway station. When entering, you can see the beautiful scenery (and beautiful women) along the way, and choose the best angle for taking pictures by the way After getting off the train, walk back along the salt road and take pictures. If you have chosen a photo spot when you walk in, you can arrive quickly and seize the best angle to take seductive pictures. You still have to walk 4 kilometers to go back, so walk slowly while taking pictures. After all, the altitude here is nearly 3,100 meters. You will reach the Sky Mirror Station along the salt road, where you can take pictures of salt sculptures and panoramic views of the salt lake. After taking all the pictures, you can choose to take a sightseeing bus at the Sky Mirror Station. However, it is only six or seven hundred meters away from the exit of the scenic area. If you are not tired yet, you can continue to walk out. After exiting the exit and passing a commercial street, you will reach the parking lot (the scenic spot is still very business-minded in this area of ​​the commercial street). Be sure to remember your location when parking, otherwise it will take a long time to find it!

We don't have excessive expectations for Chaka

There is no disappointment

The weather is the filter of Chaka

Going to Chaka is all about luck

But I was still shocked when I arrived at the scenic spot.

The train queue is so long that I doubt my life

The whole lake is full of people

I just grabbed a bunch of red dresses from Taobao

The four of us stood by the lake in a daze.

They all said in unison that the salt lake they imagined was not like this

The last time I went to Qinghai, I didn’t come to Chaka Salt Lake. It’s 150 kilometers from Qinghai Lake in the direction of Delingha. I have seen Chaka Salt Lake in many magazines and travel notes before. I also know that it has one of the most famous nicknames, called the Mirror of the Sky. It was once selected by the National Geographic Magazine as one of the “55 Places You Must Visit in Your Lifetime”.

When visiting Qinghai, almost no one will miss the famous Chaka Salt Lake, which was rated as one of the "55 Places to Visit in a Lifetime" by National Geographic Magazine and one of the "30 Most Beautiful Places in China" by CNN. July and August every year are the most beautiful seasons for Chaka Salt Lake.

Chaka Salt Lake is divided into two scenic spots, "Sky Realm" and "Sky No. 1", and tickets are sold separately. The former is an old scenic spot, suitable for viewing and taking pictures, and has salt sculptures, while the latter is newly developed and has many entertainment projects. We chose "Sky Realm" and bought a package ticket for 108. It includes tickets, small train fees and shoe covers. The scenic spot does not allow going into the lake without shoe covers or disposable shoe covers. Shoe covers are rented separately for 10 yuan. The deposit is 50, and the package ticket also comes with a bag of Chaka Salt Lake salt, which costs 3 yuan per bag if bought separately.

Chaka Salt Lake Train - 5 stops, Old Auditorium Station, Chaka Salt Station (Sky Mirror Station) - Chaka Xia Station (Sky Road Reflecting the Stars) - Chaka Feng Station (Sky Joy) - Chaka Snow Station (Sky Mirror Clear Water) - The train stops at every station, and you can take it directly to the last station: Chaka Snow Station and then take the train back

Chaka Salt Lake is really amazing. Because we did not visit the Erlangjian Scenic Area of Qinghai Lake today, we had plenty of time. After having lunch at a halal restaurant near Rubber Mountain, we checked into Home Inn in Chaka at 1:30 pm. The clothes I wore in the morning did not seem to be suitable for taking pictures, so I changed into another set of clothes at noon. After packing up my things slowly, I slept for 40 minutes. Then at 4:30 pm, Brother Min came to take us to Chaka Salt Lake.

I saw mixed reviews online before I went there. It happened to be a sunny day when we got there, so the scenery was quite great and very photogenic. Objectively speaking, not only Chaka Salt Lake, but many lakes in Qinghai, their scenery really depends largely on weather factors.

Chaka Salt Lake has gained great fame in recent years and is known as the "Mirror of the Sky". It has become the fastest growing tourist attraction on the Qinghai-Gansu line. In fact, it is just a salt factory. Chaka has a long history of salt production. People have been mining salt here since the Western Han Dynasty. It was called the "Salt Pond". However, large-scale mining began during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Due to the large amount of salt produced and the ease of mining, it has become one of the four major salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin.

There is no grass here, and the salt ponds are like farmland, with yellow-green water inside. Tourists can walk freely in the salt fields wearing rain boots. It was a gloomy afternoon, and the two mountains sandwiching the Chaka Salt Lake - Wanyan Tongbu Mountain, a branch of the Qilian Mountains, and Wanggaxiu Mountain, a branch of the Kunlun Mountains, were also gray. Even the reflection of the mountains in the lake was not beautiful enough; the salt sculptures stood at the entrance of the scenic area, looking lifeless; a railway and a small train leading to the core of the salt field scenic area became the most beautiful scenery. You can walk slowly along the railway and then walk back, which is actually only a few kilometers away, but most tourists still choose to go in and out by small train.

Chaka is known as the "Mirror of the Sky" because of the clear weather and the better views in the morning and evening. The air here is clean, so it is also a great place to watch the Milky Way. Due to the open space, you can observe the vast Milky Way and strange meteors. The reflection of the lake makes the starry sky and the lake water merge into one, creating a beautiful scene of the Milky Way falling into the salt lake.

Chaka Salt Lake is located in Chaka Town, Ulan County, in the eastern part of the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai. It is known as the Mirror of the Sky and is an important stop on the ancient Silk Road. It is known as the Eastern Gate of Qaidam and has historically been a must-pass place for merchants and tourists entering Xinjiang and Tibet.

The salt lake is 15.8 kilometers long, 9.2 kilometers wide, with a reserve of 450 million tons and an area of 105 square kilometers. Walking on the lake is like entering a world of salt.

Chaka Salt Lake has beautiful scenery and charming mountains. The lake is sometimes rippling with blue waves, sometimes vast and white, integrating beauty and grandeur. Among the numerous salt lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it is unique and has a variety of styles.

When visiting Chaka Salt Lake, weather is very important. The salt lake without sunshine is a bit more dull and less bright, and you can't see the wonder of the sky mirror at this time.

The scenic area is very large, suitable for staying overnight in the scenic area to watch the sunset and sunrise. If the weather is good, it will definitely be a great photo! I recommend going to Sky One! There are slightly fewer people.

Chaka Salt Lake is located in Chaka Town, Ulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Prefecture, Qinghai Province. "Chaka" is Tibetan, meaning salt pond, and "Dabusun Nur" in Mongolian means the sea of green salt.

The average altitude of Chaka Salt Lake is 3,059 meters, the lake area is 154 square kilometers, and the scenic area is 30 square kilometers. It is an important stop on the ancient Silk Road and is known as the eastern gate of the Qaidam Basin.

Chaka Salt Lake is indeed a beautiful place, but unfortunately there are too many tourists, so we can only choose to go to some less crowded places. It costs ten yuan to rent a pair of shoe covers here. It costs money to take the sightseeing bus and the small train. If you want to reach the Sky Realm, you need to buy three tickets, one Sky Realm ticket, one sightseeing bus ticket, and one small train ticket. (Tip: The small train does not include the return trip, so you need to buy another ticket for the return trip. The sightseeing bus ticket includes the return trip. You can get on the bus directly after returning to the drop-off point.) It is indeed very far to walk in from the gate, so this attraction really cannot save money. If there are many people and you don’t want to queue, especially in the peak season, buy a package ticket online. Sky Realm is composed of many small lakes, many of which are suitable for taking pictures, but if you want to take pictures of the blue sky and lake when you play here, you have to shoot in the direction of the sun, so it is best to find a lake with few people and shoot in the angle of the sun, so that you can shoot that beautiful blue tone. If you want to have fun and see more beautiful scenery when visiting here, it is recommended to avoid the peak season.

1. Chaka Salt Lake: It is too big and sunny. It is best to take a small train (try to sit on the right side) and go straight to the bottom (where the scenery is the most beautiful). After getting off the train, rent a pair of boots (10 yuan), then play in the lake to your heart's content. Check the time and then walk back (about 40 minutes), taking pictures as you walk.

2. The wind was a bit cold, so it was OK for young people to wear skirts. But it was very cold in early June!

3. If you want to go down to the lake to take pictures, it is recommended to wear rain boots/shoe covers.

4. The water in Chaka Salt Lake contains salt and minerals, which are corrosive. Never touch it with your bare hands or feet!

5. The best time to take photos of the "Sky Mirror" is before 9 am and after 5 pm. So the reflection effect in our photos is not good!

Private cars cannot drive to the innermost part of the scenic area, and you need to take an environmentally friendly car to enter and exit, which is a little inconvenient for the elderly, so you should know in advance. It is not recommended to go on a cloudy day, the scenery will be particularly discounted, so be prepared. On a sunny day, it is recommended to take a small train to the center of the lake, and then slowly stroll out, taking pictures while walking. Pay attention to the weather forecast before going. If it is the transition season, there may be strong winds and the middle of the lake will be very cold, affecting the tour experience.

Chaka Salt Lake is the most famous scenic spot in the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop. The scenic spot has a plan, investment in construction, publicity, quality service, and design for profit. As the "Sky Realm", the innate conditions are excellent (plateau salt lake, large lake surface, wide field of vision), and the acquired conditions are average (weather, sunshine, clouds, wind, temperature). The hard conditions and soft conditions do not match, that is to say, it is a low probability event to achieve the "Sky Realm". On the other hand, "Success and failure are also due to Xiao He". The louder the name, the higher the expectations. Tourists come with full of hope, but most of them will be disappointed by the "low probability". The peak season will further deteriorate the acquired conditions: the tourists in the lake may only see people but no sky in the mirror. It is better to go to Chaka Salt Lake in the off-season.

Revisiting the old place, I found that Chaka has been expanded and built grandly, and has been given a very poetic name: Mirror of the Sky. The area I visited in the early years is now called the West District, and the newly built one is the East District. A visitor center with a very large parking lot has been built in the East District, and there is a scenic area gate with a huge pictographic character "Chaka" as its logo. Inside the gate is a scenic area square with the theme of an equally huge abstract sculpture of salt crystals. There are several rows of shops that seem to sell small commodities and convenient food, forming a commercial district. There is a tall camel sculpture where the square meets the block, and the words "Hump Square" are written on the base. On the edge of the salt lake, a tall observation deck was built next to a row of houses. From a distance, it looks like a radio telescope called "Sky Eye".

A sightseeing train has been added to the scenic area, and a wading trail has been laid in the lake. The facilities are obviously much better than before.

Chaka Salt Lake, also known as Chaka or Dabusun Nur, is a natural crystalline salt lake located in Chaka Town, Ulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is one of the four major salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin. "Chaka" is Tibetan, meaning salt pond, which is the salt of Qinghai; "Dabusun Nur" is Mongolian, also meaning salt lake.

Chaka Salt Lake has a cool climate, dry and little rain, and belongs to the plateau continental climate, with an average annual temperature of 4°C and an average annual precipitation of 210.4 mm. The lake is 3,100 meters above sea level, 15.8 kilometers long, 9.2 kilometers wide, oval in shape, and has a total area of 105 square kilometers.

Chaka Salt Lake is as famous as Ta'er Temple, Qinghai Lake and Mengda Tianchi. It is one of the "Four Major Scenic Spots of Qinghai" and is called the "Mirror of the Sky" of China by travelers. It was rated as one of the "55 Places You Must Visit in Your Lifetime" by the National Geographic Tourism Magazine.

Generally speaking, the newly developed area we went to is very big, but the ticket price of 100 plus the train is not worth it. The Emerald Lake behind is nice.

The drone flew up again, and it was obvious that most of the lakes and waters were not clear and transparent, and the colors were dull, which was completely different from the salt lakes we saw later. Fortunately, the salt lakes in our itinerary ranged from poor to second-rate, and then to top-level. If we had visited the Chaka Salt Lake in the end, we would have felt it was bland and tasteless, and we would have felt that the 100 yuan "entrance fee" was not worth it.

Chaka is very beautiful in winter, it should be said that Chaka is beautiful all year round.



- Things to note for Chaka Salt Lake in winter -

📷Photography guide: The universal red skirt! Or other colored skirts, the purer the better. White skirts are also very beautiful. It is recommended to wear a red shawl~

🕙Business hours: 7:00-18:30, avoid the peak hours, morning and evening are the best (such as around 10 am or around 4 pm).

🚗Transportation strategy: It is recommended to take a bus or carpool to Heimahe. The price varies in the off-season and peak season, about 50-100 yuan per person.

💰Ticket cost: Tickets 70, train 50, Zhejiang Hukou ID card has a surprise (Zhejiang Hukou has discounts in many places in Qinghai Province, you can try)



📌Other suggestions: Chaka is beautiful in winter. It should be said that Chaka is beautiful all year round. The advantage of winter is that there are fewer people and you can take as many photos as you want. But it is also too cold to go into the water and the clothes are too bulky, so it is recommended to come in summer!



⚠️Note: Open, windy, no one, Chaka Salt Lake in winter is super cold! I caught a cold in such an environment. It is very dangerous to catch a cold in the plateau, and the lack of oxygen caused by the cold air in the plateau in winter will make the cold more dangerous.

It was really cold at the end of September. If you want to take beautiful photos in the water, you must bring your own high-waisted water shoes. The rented shoe covers are completely useless! I had only seen photos of the salt lake before, and only when I got there did I realize that there were snow-capped mountains behind the salt lake. This time on the Qinghai-Gansu loop line, I really saw a lot of snow-capped mountains. I couldn't see enough~

Chaka Salt Lake, the famous "Sky Realm", has a ticket price of 60 yuan per person. You can take a small train to enter, 50 yuan per person. The small train will drive along the lake all the way inside. There are salt lakes on both sides of the road. It is worth taking a ride. You can see the scenery of the entire salt lake, but it is a bit cold. Of course, you can also walk in and see some salt sculptures. We took a small train in and walked back. It took about an hour to walk. There are too many people here. Everyone wants to take pictures of the Sky Realm, but it is already impossible to go into the water in October. It is very cold. There will be some shallow places where you can wear shoe covers to enter, but these places are not so clear. Only deeper lake water can see the reflection, and the best time to shoot here should be in the morning and evening. At noon, the salt will have a strong reflection. It is best to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Because there were too many people, we didn't stay too long. There was a battery car a few kilometers away from the gate. If you don't want to walk, you can take it to the gate for 5 yuan per person.

Chaka Salt Lake is overrated. I was really longing for it when I came here~~~ I felt it was just so-so when I saw it!!! If you go to Emerald Lake and Chaerhan Salt Lake... you don't even need to come to Chaka...

The overall feeling is that there are many people on holidays, and the lake is densely packed with people. You have to walk a long way to take photos without people. But mature scenic spots may be like this, with special foot baths and relatively complete facilities.

I went there on November 11th, and I thought the weather was cold.

It will affect the scenery, but I didn't expect it to be much more than expected.

We went to the new scenic spot, Sky One.

Very good!

As an independent scenic spot, there are too many people in the peak season. It affects the experience a bit. To take pictures of the mirror effect of the sky, weather and light are very important. Chaka Town has limited reception capacity, so it is best to book in advance.

The Sky Mirror is definitely worth a visit! It is one of the must-see attractions in your life. It is pure and open, which purifies your soul. Wear sunscreen! Bring a pair of thick socks or diving socks if you want to take pictures. Stay away from the crowd and go to shallow water to get the best photos!

The most beautiful part of the salt lake is in the core lake area, so you should go directly to the core area without spending too much time on the road.



In the core lake area, you can choose to walk in, or you can buy a small train ticket, then queue up and sit directly inside.



However, during the peak season, there are usually too many people and it takes a long time to queue up. You can walk in. It is about 3 or 4 kilometers one way and it takes about 30 to 40 minutes to walk.



The amount of water in the lake evaporated too much, and the lake surface is mainly solid salt. Looking around, it is a vast expanse of white. If you only look at the photos, you will not be able to tell whether it is salt or snow.

In Chaka, to see the most beautiful sky, the most important thing is good weather. If the weather is bad, everything will be in vain.

When my friends went there before, it was always cloudy. The lake was just white and the sky was gray. It was not pretty at all. My friend even said that he was deceived by the beauty photos.

But I firmly believe that we will see the beauty of Chaka when we go there...

After all, it’s not that Chaka is not beautiful, it’s just that you didn’t go there when it was beautiful.



The most beautiful time for the Sky Mirror is when the weather is fine and sunny!!! and when there are few people. We were lucky to meet each other. Although my daughter didn't want to wear a red dress for taking photos, she was still beautiful under the Sky Mirror. There was no one around, and it felt like the whole Chaka was ours.

When taking photos at the salt lake, you must be careful of the salt caves under your feet. There will be protective nets set up in the salt caves near the shore in the core lake area, but there are no protective devices far from the shore, so be sure not to step on empty water.

It has lost its original flavor and has become commercialized. During the peak season, it is full of people.

It has lost its original flavor and has been completely commercialized. People go there to see it during the peak season.

Check the weather forecast before going. If the weather is good, the photos will be beautiful no matter how you take them. You can go barefoot in the lake without renting shoe covers. There is a foot washing pool at the exit. With thousands of people in the lake, you can still find a relatively open lake to take beautiful photos. We took a tourist train from Xining for a day and the scenery on the way was also good.

On the second day of cycling around the lake, we arrived at Heima River. In the afternoon, I chartered a car with my cycling friends from Heima River to Chaka Salt Lake. The scenery of Chaka Salt Lake is very beautiful, but there are many people in summer. If you want to take photos with mirror effect, you have to walk farther.

If you often use TikTok, you will definitely be familiar with the "Chaka Salt Lake", a popular online attraction in the past two years. Chaka Salt Lake is a famous natural crystalline salt lake in the Qaidam Basin, China's "Sky Mirror", and its salt production can be used by the people of the whole country for about 75 years. From June 1 this year, a tourist train was opened, and there is a train from Xining to Chaka Salt Lake every day. The name of the train is Sky Realm, and the carriages are all covered with various photos of Chaka Salt Lake. It is a veritable tourist train with Chaka Salt Lake as the theme.



It should be noted that there is only one bus from Xining to Chaka Salt Lake at 8:25 in the morning, and there is only one bus from Chaka Salt Lake back to Xining at 4:30 in the afternoon, which takes about 4 hours. If you miss this afternoon bus, you can only come back the next afternoon. Therefore, if you do not plan to stay in Chaka Town, remember not to miss the train, because the train will not wait for anyone.



Therefore, if you plan to go back and forth to Chaka Salt Lake in one day, the actual time to play in Chaka Salt Lake is less than 4 hours, which is still a bit tight. It is recommended that you have lunch on the train to save time for eating. It is recommended to take a small train when entering, because time is really tight. Although the price of the small train is a bit expensive, it costs 50 yuan per person, and the speed is not fast, it is much faster than walking, and it is also a good experience to enjoy the scenery around the salt lake along the way while sitting on the small train.



The train will take you to the most central area of Chaka Salt Lake, which is the best place to shoot the popular Chinese version of the "Sky Realm" video on TikTok. If the weather is clear, Chaka Salt Lake will show you its most beautiful side. Unfortunately, it was cloudy when we went there, and the photos were a bit disappointing. The mirror-like videos taken on the Internet must have been taken on a sunny day. Fortunately, the weather forecast said that it would rain today, but it didn't rain at all. Isn't this a reflection of our good luck? ! So people must be content, especially during the travel process. Don't be discouraged if you really encounter bad weather. Maybe it will be a sunny day next time you come.

I entered the Chaka Scenic Area twice on May 31 and June 1, 2019, and stayed at the Qingyan Hotel: I showed the Chaka Scenic Area ticket information to the front desk and they could issue a second entry pass to the Chaka Scenic Area (180/night. Standard room 0977-8240254. A large yard with safe and convenient parking). There are two other accommodations in the scenic area: Chaka Salt Lake Youth Hostel and Chaka Salt Lake Qingyan Hotel. It seems that if you stay in these two scenic areas, your own car must be parked in the parking lot. The price is unknown. If you need it, you can call to inquire. I recommend a public account: Sunshine Qinghai Tourism Platform - with hotel phone numbers and room types. If you want to take star photos in Chaka, there is a lot of light pollution (after entering the scenic area, they will not care when you leave or clear the area. After exiting the scenic area, follow the arrows on the ground to reach the parking lot); after 08:00 in the daytime, large groups of people arrive one after another. If you want to avoid the crowd, we enter the scenic area at 06:30 (if there are too many people in the salt lake, there will be ripples on the lake surface and no reflections. I need to wait for a while for the water surface to calm down when I enter alone). The water in the salt lake should be very cold in early June. I brought my own rain boots and it was no problem at all. Several male classmates who rented shoe covers from the scenic area gritted their teeth because of the cold...

A few days ago, I saw that "Chaka Salt Lake" was trending. Many people wanted to go there to experience the beauty of the "Sky Mirror"! A few days ago, I saw that "Chaka Salt Lake" was trending. Many people wanted to go there to experience the beauty of the "Sky Mirror"! When I went there, I took a speedboat and a small train back! Chaka Salt Lake is still very beautiful. It rained the day before, so it was windy the next day! Many people took pictures against the wind! Because of the rain, the water in the sky was up to the knees and there was no mirror image. Half of the sky was sunny and half was cloudy. It is said that the water on the shore is shallow in good weather! It just has a mirror effect! Thinking that if it didn't rain on the third day, I would either go to Chaka or go to Qinghai Lake again! It was sunny when I was in Chaka, and I saw the scenery!

Chaka Salt Lake, also known as Chaka or Dabusun Nur, is a natural crystalline salt lake located in Chaka Town, Ulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. It is one of the four major salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin. "Chaka" is Tibetan, meaning salt pond, which is the salt of Qinghai; "Dabusun Nur" is Mongolian, which also means salt lake. Chaka Salt Lake is as famous as Ta'er Temple, Qinghai Lake, and Mengda Tianchi. It is one of the "Four Major Sceneries of Qinghai". It is called China's "Sky Mirror" by travelers and is rated as one of the "55 Places You Must Visit in Your Life" by the National Geographic Tourism Magazine. But when I went there, it was cloudy, snowy and windy, and I couldn't see anything. It was just gray and stinky like a ditch. To be honest, if it was this weather, I wouldn't recommend you to come to Chaka.