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Some say that a trip to the Northwest is like traveling ten times. It's a land favored by God, rich in beauty: snow-capped mountains, grasslands, lakes, Danxia, deserts, Gobi, ancient monuments...
From ancient times to the present, everyone who has visited the Northwest has loved it. The Northwest has always been a desirable travel destination and a sacred place for photographers to shoot.
We have never stopped exploring the Northwest, where you'll find the "most unlike-Earth place on Earth," a "Mars Camp" reminiscent of a sci-fi movie, and a geothermal fountain shaped like a "devil's eye."
When heading towards Mangya Town from Lenghu Town, 500 meters ahead of the No. 173 monument on the S305 Provincial Road on the left, there is a large iron signboard with the words "Eboliang". Only when you come here, after traveling thousands of miles, can you be said to have truly arrived at this holy land of the northwestern starry sky!
Here, with an altitude of over 3,200 meters, yardangs stand in large numbers on 20,000 square kilometers of land. It is the place with the most complete yardang landforms and the richest shapes.
Because of its unique terrain, mysterious wind sounds are often generated. In addition, the local rocks are rich in iron and the geomagnetic field is strong, which can easily cause compasses to malfunction, resulting in pedestrians being unable to determine their direction and getting lost. It is called the "Devil City" and also known as "the place on Earth that looks most like Mars."
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Best time to shoot: Sunset/Milky Way rise
The high-quality dark night resources and the unique Yadan landform of Eboliang create a unique starry sky photography destination.
For best viewing, avoid visiting during the 10 days before and after the 15th day of the lunar calendar.
From Mangya towards Xinjiang, at monument No. 1209 on National Highway G315, there is a signpost for Aiken Spring, which is the "Devil's Eye".
The brown spring is surrounded by colorful "eye sockets", red, gold, orange... like a huge palette falling into the spring water, blending and nestling together, which is extremely spectacular.
The first person to record the Aiken Spring was the Russian explorer and traveler Przhevalsky, who introduced the Aiken Spring in the Gas Basin in his book "Towards Lop Nur".
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5 stars for aerial photography capabilities)
Best time to shoot: Noon is the best time for aerial photography, when there are no shadows on the water.
Opening hours: 9:00-18:00
From July to September every year, Aiken Spring will continue to gush.
This is a paradise for aerial photography enthusiasts. You can capture panoramic shots, overhead shots, vertical shots, and even waving videos. No angle can be missed.
If the red devil's eye is like "hell on earth", then the Daxiadan Emerald Lake is a tear shed by God.
A teardrop can be called the most beautiful tear in the world. Emerald Lake has many camera positions and many prospects. There are also many good locations that have not been discovered, waiting for you to explore slowly.
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Compared to Mangya Emerald Lake and the recently-burned Dongtai Jinaier Lake, I personally believe that Dachaidan Emerald Lake is still a more suitable place for producing photographs. Its diverse array of small salt lakes in various colors and shapes is unmatched by other salt lakes.
Lenghu Mars Camp is China's first Mars simulation base. It is located in Lenghu area, Mangya City, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province. The desolate and rugged scenery around the camp makes people feel as if they are on Mars.
Over the past two years, the "Lenghu Mars Town" has captured the attention of countless people, frequently appearing in newspapers, magazines, and major new media platforms. Mainstream media outlets such as People's Daily and China Daily have also personally visited Lenghu to explore this mysterious "planet."
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Opening hours: April to November every year
Travel Guide: You can rent various space suits here to take environmental portraits
There is also power and wifi, making it a good "Mars" supply point
The starting point of "Mars Highway 1" is between the 953km and 954km signs of G315 National Highway, and the end point is the ruins of the No. 5 oil base in Lenghu. It is 88km long.
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Driving through the Yadans and watching the aerial footage is like exploring Mars. The scenery along the way is rugged and almost brutal, its beauty shrouded in ruthlessness, and the visual impact is absolutely shocking!
One end is high and steep, the other is low and gentle, like the back of a whale emerging from the sea. The mountains grow larger and denser, and the feeling of crossing Mars becomes stronger and stronger...
In the Northwest region, yardang landscapes are everywhere, but what is amazing is that it also has the world's only water yardang!
The Water Yadan is located in the center of the vast Gobi Desert in the Qaidam Basin, surrounded by large uninhabited areas. The most amazing thing here is the harmonious integration of the Yadan landform and water.
There are geometric-shaped RVs parked in the Water Yadan RV Camp, which is very beautiful in the desolate Gobi Desert.
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Best time to shoot: Sunset/Milky Way rise
The RV camp only started operating in July. The shooting point is very close to the accommodation, and it is a good location to shoot the Milky Way sunset.
The Dongtaijinaier Lake area is located deep in the heart of the Qaidam Basin and is a super-large lithium deposit dominated by brine.
Located beside many Yadan groups and with a large lake surface, there are convection winds all year round, and the water surface often has ripples, making it difficult to encounter a smooth sky mirror.
The sunlight is good in the morning and at noon, and the water is bluer when there is no wind, and the Tiffany blue is more prominent.
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Mainly aerial photography, the scenery from the sky perspective is unique, and medium and long focal lengths are also a good choice for portraits.
Best time to shoot: morning and noon, no need for sunrise, more beautiful when there is plenty of light
When you think of the Sky Realm, you must think of the "Chaka Salt Lake", but if you go deep into Golmud City, Qinghai, there is a larger salt lake - the Chaerhan Salt Lake.
It covers an area of approximately 5,800 square kilometers! It is the largest salt lake in China and the second largest in the world! It is equivalent to the size of 56 Chaka Salt Lakes!
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
The scenery is better than Chaka Salt Lake! The most important thing is that there are fewer people, so you don’t have to queue up to take pictures, which is more relaxing!
This was once a bustling oil town, and was used as a filming location for the film "Nine-story Demon Tower." The town was built on oil, but it also went from bustling streets to deserted ruins.
The traces left by human existence have been integrated with nature. You can still see the ruins of abandoned kindergartens, hospitals, buses, clubs, factories, etc.
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Recommended shooting time: Morning and afternoon when the light is soft
Mainly portrait street photography, if you like cool style, you can stay here for a while.
"Hoh Xil" means "green ridge" in Mongolian. It is located in the northwest of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and is China's precious 51st World Heritage Site.
Along the route are Kunlun Mountain National Geopark, Wuji Dragon and Phoenix Palace, Kunlun Pass and Sonam Darje Monument. Continuing forward, you will reach Hoh Xil.
The most important thing is to appreciate the charm of the desert along the way, and you can also see the plateau elves Tibetan antelopes. Especially after the epidemic, the frequency of Tibetan antelopes coming out to forage in Hoh Xil has greatly increased, perhaps because there is less human interference.
Tips:
Recommended star rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Best time: May to August every year
Shooting suggestion: It is recommended to use a focal length of 200 or above and maintain a high shutter speed for shooting
The use of drones has given us another 2.0 version of Qinghai. Thanks to those friends who love photography and the outdoors, we can see the ultimate beauty of the stars!
If you are interested in photography, please scan the QR code to join the China-TravelNote Photography Exchange Group
You can make friends, meet up with friends, and get a free photography learning gift package worth 199 yuan.
