City: Qinghai
Top Things to do in Qinghai
Countries
What to do and see in Qinghai, China: The Best Things to do
Qinghai (Chinese: 青海; pronounced [tɕʰíŋxài]), formerly known in English as Kokonur, is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northwest of the country. As one of the largest province-level administrative divisions of China by area, the province is ranked fourth-largest in size, but has the third-smallest population.
Restaurants in Qinghai
1. Lake Kokonor
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 597 reviews
Reviewed By garyr0bertb - China, null
I visited Qinghai Lake in December 2020. Qinghai Lake (Koko Nor), China’s largest lake, changes according to the seasons. I wanted to see it in winter, the low tourist season. The lake is majestic, even in winter as the edges are iced over. I took alpine hiking gear but abandoned the idea when the temperatures hit minus 20 centigrade with strong winds blowing. Further away from the lake though it was only minus 12. At the touristy Erlangjian, only 1 of the 25 shops was open and I encountered only 6 other travellers. I saw more yaks & sheep than people. Still I walked for a bit around the lake and noticed a lot of small Tibetan Buddhist shrines and other things I could not identify. I booked a car & driver through a national Chinese tourist company to ensure a knowledgeable and licensed local driver with necessary insurance. We used a translation app to communicate. While only 130 km from Xining, the drive took nearly 3 hours as the driver thankfully drove slowly through the snowy roads. The scenery (photos uploaded) was spectacular, and he knew from experience where to stop and say “photo”. There were only two small towns enroute with distinctive Tibetan architecture. The driver informed me that Qinghai Lake is sacred to Tibetans and many pilgrims come here each year. I only experienced one section of the lake on a day trip and visited the famous Ta’er Monastery on the way home. I intend to visit the lake again in either Spring or Autumn and stay for 4-5 days, do some hiking, visit the mountains nearby and also Chaka Lake. Some Tips # This is a very remote part of China so careful preparation is needed if you do not join a tour group. # Hiring a licensed driver for a day or more provides you with greater flexibility but is more expensive. # Winter is not the best time for everyone. # There is a narrow bitumen bicycle path around the lake or sections of the lake but I’m not sure I would take by racing bike! # Definitely avoid Chinese national holidays unless you are comfortable with large crowds. # Read about its geography, history & religious significance before visiting as it might influence the type of experience you have. It’s a photographer’s paradise. # Remember that most of the land to the water’s edge is fenced, private, pastoral land which means “Keep Out”.
2. Vairocana Temple (Temple of Princess Wencheng)
3. Qinghai Plateau
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 28 reviews
Reviewed By KodoDrummer - Yekaterinburg, Russia
This July, the colours of Qinghai Plateau are amazingly beautiful. Some fields have areas of yellow, adjacent to fields of green, and another a brownish red. In yet another field, there was a mixture of red, white, and orange flowers. And in another, a field of lavender. All magnificently beautiful. And to assist with the pollination, there were boxes of beehives, and thousands of bees at work in the fields of flowers.
4. Museum of China Tibetan Medicine Culture
5. Qinghai Golmud Kunlun Mountain National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5 reviews
Reviewed By PB852014
We had been in a dust storm the day before in Golmud and there was very much dust left in the atmosphere so you could only see a couple of hundred meters so we missed it on the way up, but on the way down in the morning what a sight to see all the animals and the morning sun gleaming on the ice capped mountains a sight I will never forget.
6. Ta'er Monastery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 205 reviews
Reviewed By HINDONG - Singapore, Singapore
From a small shrine built by the parents of Tsongkhapa at his birth place in 1360s, it was expanded into a large monastery 200 years later on request of the Third Dalai Lama. Tsongkhapa was the founder of Gelugpa Sect, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism, and teacher of first Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama. Its still an important monastery for Tibetan Buddhists outside Tibet. Kumbum Monastery is also known as Ta'er Si in Chinese. The monastery is about 25 km from Xining Railway Station. There are 3 ways to visit the monastery. 1. Join a day tour. 2. Take a public bus from the bus interchange next to the Xining Railway Station. 3. Arrange with a taxi driver to take you there and fetch you back. The car ride is about 30 to 45 min depends on traffic conditions. This will cost you about RMB 200 to 250. The monastery is a sprawling complex which requires about 3 to 4 hours to cover. There are English information boards in front of each building. You can also hire a guide there if you can communicate in Chinese. Not sure there is any English speaking guide there.
7. Longwu Temple
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By galinamf - New York City, United States
Very beautiful and large Buddhism temple. Highly recommend visiting. Beautiful view of the statue in front of the entrance with the entire monastery complex on the background.
8. Kunlun Mountain Pass
9. Zhuo'er Mountain
10. Chaka Salt Lake, Haixi
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 93 reviews
Reviewed By AmdoBoy - Xining, China
We visited Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡盐湖 Chaka salt lake scenic area is the only 4A scenic area of salt lake tourism in China. It is operated by qinghai chaka salt lake cultural tourism development co., LTD. The scenic spot is named after "sky mirror". Chaka salt lake is located near chaka town, wulan county, haixi Mongolian and Tibetan autonomous prefecture, qinghai province. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, chaka salt lake is pure, blue and white, with reflections intertwined, which looks like a natural mirror. It is one of the "four great landscapes in qinghai" and one of the "55 places one must visit in one's lifetime" in national tourism geographic magazine.
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