56 times larger than Chaka Salt Lake! Asia's largest sky mirror, free yet rarely visited

Golmud, also known as the Military City or Salt Lake City, is a county-level city under the Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, located in the heart of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, western Qinghai, and the southern edge of the Qaidam Basin.

"Lone smoke rises straight over the vast desert, the setting sun hangs round above the long river." Golmud serves as a crucial base for exploring Haixi, Qinghai.

After spending 3 days in Haixi, visiting Qarhan Salt Lake, Dongtai Jinair Lake, Watery Yadan, Xiao Qaidam Lake, Da Qaidam Emerald Lake, Delingha Golden Light Tower, and Heishishan Reservoir, it was absolutely worth every penny.

👇 Pre-trip Preparation
Clothing
Must bring thick clothing and sun/wind protection gear. The plateau is extremely sunny, very cold mornings/evenings, and may have sandstorms. (I encountered a sandstorm at Watery Yadan and super strong winds at Da Qaidam!)

Altitude Sickness Essentials
To prevent altitude sickness, recommend bringing some Gaoyuan'an capsules
✅️ (No need to take in advance, helps the body adapt better to high altitude. Altitude sickness is mainly due to oxygen deprivation - these improve hypoxia tolerance, essential for plateau travel)

Day 1⃣
Golmud - Da Qaidam Town/Golmud
As China's largest salt lake, Qarhan Salt Lake spans Golmud City with a total area of 5,856 km². Its salt reserves could feed the global population for millennia.

Depart Golmud in the morning, passing Qarhan Salt Lake, Dongtai Jinair Lake, and Watery Yadan. Whether self-driving or chartering, you can return to Golmud or stay in Da Qaidam Town by afternoon - staying in Da Qaidam is more convenient.

Allocate 2-2.5 hours for Qarhan and Watery Yadan, about 1 hour for Dongtai. From personal experience, this timing is completely sufficient without feeling rushed!

Day 2⃣ Golmud - Da Qaidam Town
If staying overnight in Da Qaidam, start from there to visit Xiao Qaidam Lake and Da Qaidam Emerald Lake - reserve a whole afternoon to leisurely explore Emerald Lake.

If traveling from Golmud to Da Qaidam, pass by Xitieshan Mountain and Xiao Qaidam Lake, reaching Da Qaidam Town by noon (can visit en route), then enjoy a full afternoon at Emerald Lake! Overnight in Da Qaidam Town where accommodations and dining are convenient.

Day 3⃣ Da Qaidam Town - Delingha
On the third day, depart Da Qaidam without hurry - reach Delingha by noon, passing the impressive Delingha Solar Thermal Power Tower (worth a brief stop for photos/drones).

Afternoon visits to Heishishan Reservoir and Cypress Mountain (about 10km from downtown) offer grassland pastures, snow mountains and the reservoir. Though just a reservoir, Heishishan's water is incredibly blue!