Things to do in Qiandao Lake

The beauty of Qiandao Lake lies in its creation of a picturesque landscape of "vast waters, small islands, and verdant mountains," perfect for relaxation. With over a thousand islands scattered across the lake, the most classic view is from Meifeng Island, accessible by boat. On a clear day, the scenery is truly therapeutic.

Tianyu Mountain is a rare scenic spot in Qiandao Lake where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the entire lake area without taking a boat, making it suitable for tourists who don't want to visit the islands. You can walk up the mountain and stand on the viewing platform for a complete view of numerous islands and the Qiandao Lake Bridge. At sunset, the lake is bathed in golden light, making for stunning photos. The downsides are that escalators and water slides require separate fees, and the view is significantly reduced on cloudy days. Overall, it's best to make a special trip in the evening to watch the sunset, or visit it along the way. If you're making a special trip, it's advisable to check the weather forecast beforehand.

The lake view was beautiful, but the island experience was terrible. The cable car ticket was expensive, but the ride was quick. There wasn't much to do on the island, except for the lake view. The boat ticket was ridiculously expensive and not worth the price; compared to Gulangyu Island, it was a bargain. The lunch buffet sounded good, but the taste was mediocre. The selection was limited, and the portions were small. If you arrived late, the food was already sold out, and they didn't replenish it. There was no white rice, just steamed buns, haha. It was totally overpriced.

The Southeast Lake Area was a fantastic experience! Compared to the Central Lake Area, it was less crowded, the water was crystal clear, and the scenery was more pristine. The boat tour visited Osmanthus Island, Tianchi Island, and Huangshan Peak in sequence, offering a leisurely pace. Climbing to the top of Huangshan Peak and overlooking the "All Under Heaven Belongs to the People" landscape was breathtaking; cable cars provided for easy ascent. The boat tour with the lake breeze was very pleasant – highly recommended!

The whole process is effortless. Three elevators take you up the mountain to the observation deck. Continuing upwards, there's a gate for taking photos. If you don't want to explore other areas, you can follow the signs to take the water slide down. However, you can actually continue walking upwards. 1-2 hours is enough. The water slide is very fun, long enough, a little thrilling but not scary.

Meifeng Island is the most worthwhile destination in Qiandao Lake, with beautiful scenery. However, the ticket price is a bit expensive, and you need to purchase a cable car ticket separately. The cruise ship has two levels, with the economy class on the lower level offering a less desirable experience. A premium business class experience requires an additional fee to purchase on-site.

If price isn't a factor, this is a pretty good adventure park where you can experience fun that many other parks don't offer. What I especially enjoyed was the cable car ride upwards. During the ascent, you can see many distant natural landscapes, and when you reach the highest point, you can overlook Thousand Island Lake.

If you don't want to go to the islands, the botanical garden is a great choice for your trip. It's rich in negative oxygen ions, has beautiful scenery on sunny days, and you can get close to various animals. It's also suitable for camping and picnics.

The number one lake view in East China, bar none! The weather was great today, the rain stopped and it wasn't sunny. We visited Osmanthus Island with monkeys, Tianchi Island with koi carp, and Huangshan Peak overlooking the magnificent island group. We also rented a drone for aerial photography, and successfully completed our trip.

After waiting for 2 days, we finally waited for an hour without wind and rain. The store contacted us and said that we could fly at 4pm. We grabbed our kids and went there. We finally got on the hot air balloon. Although the clouds were still very thick, it did not affect the beautiful scenery. We also saw Phnom Penh in the sun. We were so lucky😀