Qaidam Basin

Located in the northwest of Qinghai Province, between the Altun Mountains, Qilian Mountains and Kunlun Mountains, it is about 800 kilometers long from east to west and about 350 kilometers wide from north to south. It covers an area of about 200,000 square kilometers. It is the highest inland basin in China. The Qaidam Basin has an altitude between 2,600 and 3,000 meters. It has high altitude, little cloud cover, long sunshine hours, and perennial drought and little rain. These are the climate characteristics here. We passed through Delingha, Daxiadan, and went to Dunhuang, passing through here.

The Qaidam Basin is one of the three major inland basins in China. It is a closed, huge intermountain fault basin and was once one of the four major basins in China. It is located in the northwest of Qinghai Province and the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, mainly in the Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. The northwest reaches the Altun Mountains in the north; the southwest reaches the Kunlun Mountains; the northeast has the Qilian Mountains, covering an area of 257,768 square kilometers. The inland is rich in iron ore, copper ore, tin ore, salt mines and other minerals, so it is called the "treasure bowl". The Qaidam Desert in the hinterland ranks fifth among the eight major deserts in China.

As soon as you leave Golmud city, you enter the Qaidam Basin. The road feels more like an uninhabited area than the Hoh Xil. There is no human habitation for hundreds of kilometers, let alone finding a place to have breakfast.

For a long time, the two-thirds of the Qaidam Basin is covered with Gobi and desert and there are few tourists, which makes people feel lonely.

But the landscape here is richer than you can imagine. You can go deep into the vast Yadan Ghost City and experience the desolation of nature.

Along the way, the blue lake, the oasis of rape flowers, and the scenes of large flocks of sheep gradually disappeared, replaced by wind-eroded landforms, sand dunes moving in the wind, the Gobi Desert, the uninhabited areas, and the monotonous yellow.

Flat, vast, dry, desolate...this is the feeling that the scenery of Qaidam gives people.

The mountains in the distance are low mountains and have been severely eroded, but there is a hint of green that makes the whole picture full of vitality.

The car continued to drive on the vast plateau, and we sang karaoke in the car (Zebra Brother’s equipment was very complete)

From grassland to Gobi, it is a visual feast.

I was quite happy to enter the desert yesterday, but it was totally different today. The same scenery, hot desert climate, and the despair of not being able to see a city for hundreds of miles.

The scenery is also the most desolate of the whole journey. The Qaidam Basin has coarse sandy minerals. We shuttled through the Haloxylon ammodendron forest reserve. The Qaidam Haloxylon ammodendron forest was planted by the Ant Forest where we often play.

Go to the toilet first, and you won't have any trouble on the road. Otherwise, you can brave the disgusting toilet at the gas station. Or you can relieve yourself in the Gobi Desert, the rocks are the best cover.

What is the Gobi Desert? This time I saw it. It was really barren, with flying sand and rocks, no grass, and no human figures.

It was a cloudy day with dim light, and fine white dust like broken bones swirled in the wind. From time to time, various types of cars of different sizes sped past on the flat asphalt road, but the view was desolate and desolate.

Crossing the Gobi Desert and the no-man's land, the beautiful shock

It is the same Yadan landform as the famous Devil City... It is the same landform as what I saw in Cappadocia...

The Qaidam Basin is the highest basin among the four major basins in my country. Qaidam is not only a world of salt (there are many salt lakes and swamps in the southeast), but also rich in oil, coal, and various metal deposits, such as the oil in Lenghu, the coal in Yuka, and the lead and zinc mines in Xitieshan, which are all very famous. Therefore, the Qaidam Basin is known as the "treasure bowl".

The round trip through the uninhabited area in the hinterland of the Qaidam Basin is nearly 600 kilometers. You need to set out early in the morning and prepare dry food and water on the way, as there is no place to restock at noon.

On the way, you will pass a beautiful desert highway, where you can take in some great views. In addition to paying attention to safety, you must also be careful to grab a spot with the noisy tour groups.

People who have lived in big cities for a long time can come and experience the desolate northwest of our motherland.

As one of the four major basins, it has its own characteristics. Although the scenery is a bit monotonous, it is not boring. You can see various mountains and lakes along the way, which gives you a sense of traveling through time. The most beautiful highway is here, and the Emerald Lake is also here. The scenery is guaranteed. On the way, because you take the highway, you can also see Xiaochaidan Lake, which has great scenery.

I don't know if this Qaidam crossing counts as a trip. I sat for 6 hours and my butt was sore.

The Qaidam Basin, famous for its mineral resources, is known as the "treasure bowl", but the Gobi and desert that occupy two-thirds of the entire basin make it an uninhabited desolate place, but the landscape here is richer than you can imagine. Endless loneliness, vastness, desolation, seemingly a silent barren land, but it contains infinite vitality. Looking out the window, I was speechless for a moment. The ethereal and shocking beauty made me speechless. The roads here are indeed empty and unmanned. Not only are there no people, but there has been no car for a long time. It is a good place to shoot highway blockbusters, but friends who want to take pictures on the road must pay attention! Safety! There are still vehicles coming and going from time to time, and the speed is very fast, so you must avoid them in advance.

Looking around, everything seems lonely and desolate.

There is no one here for a long time, and there are very few cars. The straight road stretches as far as the eye can see, giving the feeling of a western highway blockbuster.

We have crossed the uninhabited area of Qaidam Basin. The endless Gobi scenery and the mirage are fantastic. The scenery and enjoyment along the way. And a song "See you again"...

The roads in the uninhabited areas are suitable for taking road photos, but please pay attention to the passing vehicles and be safe when taking photos!!

The spectacular Gobi scenery is truly breathtaking. Whenever you come across a parking space, stop and take photos.

Chaka Salt Lake belongs to Qaidam. Going to Chaka Salt Lake is also considered to have been to Qaidam. Coincidentally, the weather was sunny that day. Everyone in the group praised the blue sky and white clouds, and the wide view was amazing!

The vast Gobi Desert makes me feel deeply ashamed of my poor language.

I cannot describe the beauty of the vast mountains and rivers,

I saw a beautiful sunset in the Gobi Desert.

The radiance of the sunset is not enough to describe it,

I'm at a loss for words to describe it better.

Just a bunch of exclamations.

The boundless Qaidam Basin, with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, is fascinating.

The desolation of the Gobi road in the Qaidam Basin, the strong contrasting colors and lines, can give you the feeling you want to shoot

A deserted road, parked and played for several hours, the beauty of the journey is not necessarily in the scenic spots

Except for the three people, the car and the drone, the world seems to be still.

The endless earthen bag Yadan landform in Nanbaxian is impressive

In the vast Gobi Desert

Open-minded and comfortable

No one is living

This feeling of isolation is quite exciting

Every cell in the body is relaxed

Looking around, there is almost no grass in the desert except for the sparse "camel thorn".

Driving all the way from Yadan, you will cross the Qaidam Basin, which has a strong Gobi style.

The Qaidam Basin is the highest basin among the four major basins in China (the other three are the Sichuan Basin in Sichuan Province, the Tarim Basin in Xinjiang Prefecture, and the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang Prefecture). It is located in the northwest of Qinghai Province and the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is surrounded by the Kunlun Mountains, the Qilian Mountains, and the Altun Mountains, and covers an area of about 250,000 square kilometers. "Qaidam" is Mongolian, meaning "vast". The Qaidam Basin is not only a world of salt (there are many salt lakes and swamps in the southeast), but also rich in oil, coal, and a variety of metal deposits, so it is known as the "cornucopia".

The Qaidam Basin in Haixi is the most open, purest, wildest and unrestrained plateau desert scenery I have ever seen. The blue sky, white clouds and yellow soil, the simple and even somewhat monotonous color combination creates the most open space scene. The large areas of white space give people endless imagination. Walking on the vast plateau, with the sun shining on the white clouds, it is hard not to be open-minded!

It's really great. All the places that appear in geography textbooks, the endless roads and the surrounding Gobi are really spectacular.

The Qaidam Basin is the highest basin in my country, with a vast territory and unique Yadan landforms. The scenery along the way makes people feel particularly happy, and in the distance of the Gobi Desert are Danxia landform mountains.

The blue sky, white jade, and the Yadan landform, everything is perfect. I love the roads here~~

The landforms are mainly Gobi Desert, sand dunes and mountains. The deep red mountains show different colors and shapes under different sunlight. Some look like the face of an old man, some like the face of Buddha, and some like animals. As long as you have enough imagination, the mountains in Qinghai will satisfy all your imaginations.

The straight asphalt road leads to the sky. Both sides of the road have been completely desertified, with no grass growing. It looks like a desert. There are very few cars, and it takes a long time for a car to come from the opposite direction. It's my first time driving on such a road, and it feels great! Suddenly I remembered the movie (No Man's Land) starring Huang Bo, and the scene in it is very similar to this desert road!

The Qaidam Basin is a treasure trove, rich in various mineral deposits. Walking along this line, you can indeed see the rich and colorful colors.

There are mountains along the way, and the road is straight except for a few wild camels.

It's really awesome to cross the Qaidam Basin. It feels like driving on an endless road while listening to music.

The Qaidam Basin can be described in two words: desolate. After Dulan, Barong, Nomhong, and all the way to Golmud, it is very desolate. The desert Gobi, headwind, yellow sand, and lack of water are the biggest impressions left on me. Many people who ride the Qinghai-Tibet line will probably choose to start from Golmud, or ride from Lhasa to Xining. But the really difficult part is passing this section from Xining to Lhasa. It is even more difficult if you ride this section alone. From Barong to Nomhong, there was a water shortage for 50 kilometers.

The boundless desert Gobi is like a boundless broad heart. On the Qaidam Basin Highway, people can laugh, sing and dance to their heart's content.

We just kept driving that day in the Qaidam Basin. The view was vast, there were few cars, and it was a separated two-lane road, so if you want to take photos on the road you can. It felt like America's Liberty Avenue.

We should drive by here, and we can take pictures of any scenery to make a computer cover

This trip to the Qaidam Basin gave me the following feelings:

1. Life is very fragile in front of nature. Cherish what you have, live well in the present, and give up those meaningless "goals" and "efforts"!

2. The scenery is on the road. Feel it with your own vision, hearing and thinking. It is freer and more profound! Rather than the receptive understanding of mature scenic spots!

3. The Yadans in Nanbaxian, Lenghu and the water Yadans in Dongtaijinaier Lake are all large in scale and have their own characteristics. They are currently free, so the business of Gansu Devil City will be affected!

4. Let's go wild! It's very suitable for people who have been living in crowded and depressing cities for a long time to relax!

5. Do a good job of sun protection, especially girls!

6. The road conditions are very good, and a single car can complete the journey, except for old cars that are prone to breakdown. It is important to fill up the gas and prepare enough water when you see a gas station! (There is a gas station at Yuka Toll Station after leaving Dachaidan, and there are gas stations at Dongtai and Xitai on National Highway 315. There will be a gas station at Lenghu or Huatugou about 320 kilometers after Xitai Gas Station, and there is only No. 93). In addition, it is best to travel with several cars, so that you can take care of each other and explore in depth and discover beautiful scenery. Be careful in bad weather!

2016.8.1--8.3 We traveled in Qinghai, driving through the Qaidam Basin. The Gobi Desert was desolate, but there were indeed oil and coal underground, which the locals called the Cornucopia.

It feels like a Western movie, it's really great, it feels special.

A place that makes people crazy but also quiet.

After the rain, the sky finally brightened up.

Desolate but magnificent. And I am here/at this hour/the world shows me the rippling mountains and rivers/how big its secrets are/how big the sky is

Half an hour after driving from Dachaidan to Yuka, we got off the highway and turned onto Provincial Highway 210 (formerly National Highway 315). The opening of this road made the Qaidam Small Loop Line possible, and we took this option. The good road continues, with a long straight road, flat, almost no cars, and no speed limit probes. Can you ask for more? Of course, this is not an uninhabited area. From time to time, some natural gas plants and drilling wells appear in the yellow sand Gobi, like movie scenes. After seeing the sign of Nanbaxian Industrial Zone, we arrived at the fork between Wutumeiren and Yiliping. Don't go to Yiliping, otherwise you will go to Xinjiang, and the road conditions on this road are extremely bad. At this time, you can already see a large area of Yadan landforms on the left, and 12 kilometers ahead you will officially enter the Devil City. You will slowly find that you are already in countless raised sand piles. From the perspective of aerial photography, these sand piles are all facing the same direction. Obviously, this is a masterpiece of the wind. In the evening, when the wind howled in the countless sand piles, the roar of the devil began. Combined with the legends of some missing tourists, it deserves the name of the Devil City. Unfortunately, when we passed by, it was afternoon. At this time, there was no shadow of the devil except the scorching sun and breeze at noon. Remember not to leave the road and go deep into the Devil City. Not to mention that the soft sand is very easy to get stuck, the sand piles that look almost the same and the iron-rich soil that strongly interferes with GPS will make getting lost a fatal killer. As the saying goes, you must be in awe of nature.

Go straight ahead on 210 and you will meet National Highway 315. Then go west for about 50 kilometers after passing Dongtai toll station. Opposite a China Mobile base station tower, there is an iron gate with a banner of the underwater Yadan project hanging on it. Follow the wheel tracks and you will reach the lake. This lake is called Ya Lake, located between Dongtaijinaier Lake and Xitaijinaier Lake. It doesn’t even have a name on the map, but it is the only underwater Yadan landform in the world.

Even though there were clear ruts, we were still very careful when we left the road. We accelerated when we encountered sandy roads. After all, we were in 2WD and dared not neglect it. When we arrived at the lake, we found that there were large sand piles everywhere, whether in the lake or around the lake. When we looked closely, we found that these sand piles were so huge, more than 10 meters high. Due to the long-term wind erosion in the same direction, the west side was basically an almost vertical cliff, and the other side was gently cascading. Almost every sand pile can be climbed up, and standing on the commanding heights, you can overlook the entire Yadan in the water. The blue lake water, the sparkling waves, and some unnamed birds hovering over the water, suddenly swooping down and diving into the water to catch fish. Suddenly I felt that I was not in the Gobi Desert, but in Jiangnan, the sunset, the water birds, the breeze, if it were not for the endless Gobi Desert in the distance, I would really be confused.

The road to Dunhuang is full of Gobi landscapes. The only plant that grows there is camel thorn. You can also see desert tornadoes. That’s what a barren land is like. If the car breaks down and there is no signal, it’s too dangerous.

The Qaidam Basin is a place to experience the desert Gobi. In addition to a few oases, there is more yellow sand. If you are not strong enough, it is best to come in summer, as winter is too bleak.

It is really good and worth a look. It is a wonderful time in the trial field of life! Seize the opportunity. If Chen Nianqing doesn't come, I don't know what I will do tomorrow.

I guess only self-driving tours can take this route, but... It's really beautiful, Yadan on the water... And it's free

You are vast and lonely - To the Qaidam Basin

The weather is really good, the unique western scenery, free and broad

The scenery is unique, the beauty of desolation, it's like my own paradise, I like the feeling of driving here

This 200 to 300-kilometer-long road in the uninhabited area gives people a different feeling!

On the long road from Delingha to Dunhuang, the scenery passing by quickly outside the window is the endless loneliness of the vast Gobi Desert.

It is the only way from Daxiadan to Dunhuang. The endless Gobi Desert looks very desolate, but the scenery is particularly beautiful. You can relax your mind. On that straight road, you just want to jump and pose as you like. It never feels enough. It is a great place to make blockbuster movies!

Here, the road condition is very good, straight and wide. It is not easy, and the speed is 160 km/h. But later I noticed the speed and controlled it intentionally.

Flat, vast, arid, desolate, silent, barren... This is the feeling that the scenery of Qaidam gives people. The mountains in the distance are low mountains, dry and severely eroded. The materials eroded from the mountains are washed down from the mountains by very little precipitation, forming this vast sloping alluvial plain in front of the mountains. Only at the foot of the mountain, due to the rare and small amount of water, do some places have clumps of vegetation. Because of these vegetation, the picture has gained vitality and beauty.

The Qaidam Basin gives people a feeling of being very dry, with a desert-like terrain. The gravel on the ground is very sharp and will poke the soles of shoes when walking on it, but there are also some traces of off-road vehicle tires.

Finally I realized what emptiness is. I drove from Qilian County to Golmud, crossing the Qaidam Basin. The endless desert, looking towards the sunset, the only feeling is that the earth is really round, infinitely circular, as if there is no end. The sunset is beautiful, the Milky Way is beautiful~

It was great, thousands of miles away, and there was no one around. The entire blue sky and desert was all to myself.

The Qaidam Basin is one of the three largest inland basins in China, located in the northwest of Qinghai Province and the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is surrounded by the Kunlun Mountains, the Qilian Mountains and the Altun Mountains. "Qaidam" is Mongolian, meaning "salt marsh".

Where does this road lead to? Towards the sky. It was the first time in my life that I saw the boundless Gobi Desert. Its rugged, heroic, majestic and magnificent charm gave me a much deeper feeling than the mountains and the sea. When I stepped on it, it rustled. Except for some drought-resistant plants, few plants grew there, and the animals also flew away. Witnessing this scene, I truly understood the artistic conception of "no birds fly in the barren desert, and dreams are still lazy in the mountains".

The Qaidam Basin is the highest basin in China. You can feel how big it is on the road as you drive along the basin.

Go enjoy the pure natural beauty ~ There are also pure natural toilets haha

Crossing the Qaidam Basin made me truly feel the vastness and desolation of the Northwest. The road is well built, with Gobi Desert, snow-capped mountains and grass grids like those in textbooks along the way. I highly recommend it.

The Qaidam Basin is really great~~ The scenery is first-class for taking photos~~~ It’s a pity that we can’t stay longer~~

Wild camels can often be seen in the basin.

It is said that there are still wild wolves~~ but in broad daylight, there is no chance to see~~~

This time we saw a lot of wild camels~~~so happy~~~



There is another treasure in the Qaidam Basin - Gobi agate. Unfortunately, now there are protective nets on both sides of the road.

There is no chance to look for the agate next door~~~

The best embodiment of the desolate desert, the natural landscape is magnificent and the road conditions are excellent. There are no service facilities along the way except for gas stations. Girls need to prepare for toilets in advance. Once on the road, there is almost nowhere to hide.

The purest Northwestern scenery, empty and deserted, it's worth a visit!

The Qaidam Basin is one of the three largest inland basins in China. It is a huge closed intermountain fault basin. It is located in the northwest of Qinghai Province and the northeast of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is surrounded by the Kunlun Mountains, the Qilian Mountains and the Altun Mountains, with an area of about 250,000 square kilometers. "Qaidam" is Mongolian, meaning "salt marsh". The desertified landforms cast a color of perseverance on it, the wild grass is indifferent and desolate, and thick clouds cover this large area. The wind started to blow when we were 100 kilometers away from the destination. Slowly, Qaidam under the blue sky and white clouds showed us another side of it. The high mountains in the distance can be clearly seen to have been blown away by the strong wind. We have walked a long way...

The wolfberries here are great, they are moisturized by snow water for a long time. They are big and not stained in the sunshine. 58 per pound! 500g WeChat 597785218

Qaidam Basin is on the way from Qinghai to Dunhuang. There are endless Gobi deserts along the way. Driving here does not require any driving skills at all. The roads are wide and straight. It is a place suitable for taking road photos. Everyone can take as many photos as they want.

The most profound feeling I had along the way was that "the most beautiful scenery is on the road"! I experienced the thrill of speeding while driving, and enjoyed the scenery along the way while riding.

There were no trees or grass, no fish or birds, no signs of any life. There was only the scorching sun and endless undulating yellow sand dunes. It was quiet and dead silent, as if the air was frozen.

Only by driving yourself can you fully enjoy the beautiful scenery.

This day was the longest day of driving, with nearly 600 kilometers to drive through Aksai County, crossing Dangjin Mountain, and then entering Qinghai Province. The altitude ranged from more than 1,500 meters to about 3,900 meters, with more than 100 kilometers of slow uphill. Entering the Qaidam Basin, "South Kunlun and North Qilian, 800 miles of uninhabited Hanhai", the road stretched to the horizon, and mirages appeared and disappeared from time to time.

The day was characterized by a long itinerary and few attractions, but the famous Qaidam Basin itself is a huge scenic spot. We stopped at an unmanned section of the road to have fun and take photos. The sky is high and the land is vast, it's up to you... Dare to sit here! ! ? ?

It is only in the Qaidam Basin.

The Yadan landform of S210 in the Qaidam Basin is very spectacular. The Yadan on the water of Xitaijinaier Lake is also very spectacular.