Dongtai Ji Nai'erhu

🏜When you think of the great northwest, do you picture a vast desert and endless Gobi? But this time, I'm going to take you to a different secret place in the northwest—Lake Jiner! 🚇 Follow National Highway 315 westward, and on the distant horizon, a light blue glow twinkles—that's Lake Jiner! Its beauty is breathtaking, like a sapphire that nature has left behind on earth, even more beautiful than Emerald Lake and Chaka Salt Lake. 🏖 🌟Here come some photo tips! 📷 💡Don't rush to take pictures, walk around a bit, and you'll find that you're closer to the lake and there are fewer people! The effect of drone aerial photography is unparalleled, as if the entire sky is reflected on the surface of the lake! 💡Make bigger movements, use the lake to capture the effect of the sky mirror, and you will dominate this lake! 💡Simple props like umbrellas and outdoor chairs can add a lot to your photos, especially that bottle of coconut water, it feels like you've instantly traveled to the Maldives! 🍹 🌤Remember to check the weather, Lake Jiner is even more beautiful on sunny days! Navigation address: Dongtai Jiner Lake (located on National Highway 315). 🚗 🚗For transportation, it is recommended to drive yourself or charter a car. It's more cost-effective to charter a car in a team, and you can focus on enjoying the fun of taking pictures! 🎫Tickets? Non-existent! Free entry! 💖I've already planned the recommended route for you for the Qinghai-Tibet Grand Loop tour! Starting from Xining, crossing Riyue Mountain, Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, and then to Lake Jiner, each stop is a view! 📍 Come to Lake Jiner and feel the charm of this 'Maldives'! 🏝

Qinghai! The re-emergence of 'Little Maldives' is stunning! (Strategy live) The end of 2023, the actual shooting with water, the color is very beautiful! Currently, it is still an undeveloped scenic spot with no admission fee, free FREE Dongtaijinoer Lake ( A touch of Tiffany blue in the Qaidam Basin! A paradise in the Gobi desert! Navigation strategy: Locate Dongtaijinoer Lake. 2 After reaching the vicinity of the positioning point, search for two signs on the side of the road (picture 6). 3 Enter from the roadside by the signs, climb over a ditch that has been dug out (there is already a path trodden by people in the ditch, and there is a large stick to help climb the slope). 4 After crossing the ditch, walk to the lakeside on the main road, about 20 minutes. Small tips: The lakeshore is frozen near the shore, for safety, try to avoid walking on the ice. Don't be disappointed if you see all ice instead of water! From the sign (picture 7) go in, walk to the left for about 5 minutes, look far (picture 8), try to walk on the solid salt land to reach the flowing water, that's the beautiful Little Maldives, casually shooting looks great!

📍Attraction Address: Xiaochaidan Lake, Water Yadan, Dongtaijinoer Lake, 315 U-shaped Highway. Departing from Chaka Town at 8 am on the 20th, due to the rainy weather, the guide adjusted our itinerary for the sake of our scenic shooting effect, changing the original plan to visit Chaka Salt Lake to Water Yadan instead. The rain was quite heavy today. After leaving Chaka, the two hours of rain made us a bit worried about today's itinerary, but fortunately, it stopped raining around 11 am, and we seemed to have driven out of the rainy area. Xiaochaidan Lake: Xiaochaidan Lake is on the highway we were traveling on, and we also stopped to sightsee. Since this attraction hasn't been developed much, or maybe I didn't go to the viewing area, the overall feeling was average. After leaving Xiaochaidan, the next part of the journey was quite long. Starting from Xiaochaidan Lake, we slowly entered the Gobi area, from the loess mixed with a few clumps of sparse grass to the reflective and whitening desert, truly feeling the change in the landscape. Stepping on the yellow sand, the piercing northwest wind carried the sand and howled past, the scorching sun overhead burning the exposed skin, and the endless yellow sand brought a sense of despair. Water Yadan: Around 3 pm, we arrived at the Water Yadan scenic area, a super large lake with bizarre rocks emerging from the water, named by the scenic area as the West Sea Fleet, Turtle Bay, etc., with white sand on the other side. Dongtaijinoer Lake: Arrived around 5 pm. I heard it was only opened in June this year, and there is no admission fee, and the parking is also free. The lake is a salt lake, similar to the previous Chaka Salt Lake, but it hasn't been developed like Chaka Salt Lake, it's purely undeveloped, so it's closer to nature, which I prefer more. 315 U-shaped Highway: Arrived at the U-shaped highway at 7 pm, passed by at noon, there were more people, and more off-road vehicles, and for the convenience of the itinerary, we got off to take photos on the way back. At this time, there were fewer people on the highway, and the U-shaped highway under the setting sun also added a kind of beauty. Note: If you go to the salt lake, remember to bring shoe covers; if you go off-roading on the 315 highway, ordinary city off-road vehicles should avoid going down. We saw three cars stuck in the sand pits and slipping on the road. The guide also said that the cost of towing them out is quite high. Photos 1-5 are of the U-shaped highway and its surroundings. Photos 6-9 are of Water Yadan. Photos 10-13 are of Dongtaijinoer Lake.

It's not abroad! It turns out China has its own Maldives! || The water color of Lake Jinoer in Dongtai 😃 It presents a unique color that floats between blue and green 🤩 In Western culture, this elegant and charming hue is considered a symbol of happiness and love, and it has been given a beautiful name—Tiffany Blue. It is also known as the 'Chinese Maldives' 🌊 In 2020, the water level of Lake Jinoer in Dongtai began to recede. In just two years, many people hadn't had the chance to witness it with their own eyes, and it disappeared from everyone's sight. 🌟 But fortunately, this year Lake Jinoer in Dongtai has returned with its stunning scenery! 📍 Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture • Lake Jinoer in Dongtai Located on the G315 national highway in Golmud City (about 30km from the Water Yadan) ✅Currently, there is no need for a ticket to visit, and it is completely unpolluted. Not far from Lake Jinoer in Dongtai, there is the Wusute Water Yadan, highly recommended to take this route ★G315 Internet-famous Highway—Lake Jinoer in Dongtai—Water Yadan—Lake Jinoer in Xitai★, driving along the way, you can see a lot of beautiful scenery, it's truly a 'scenic corridor'. 🚕 Self-driving Route ▶ From Da Qaidam Town, take the Liuge Expressway south towards Golmud, drive for about 47 kilometers, then turn right (west) onto G315 national highway, pass through the U-shaped internet-famous road, and after about 160 more kilometers, you will reach Dongtai. On the road, you will see a milestone for 875 kilometers on G315, continue for another 600 meters, and on the left, there is a clear intersection where you can turn in (a large parking area has already been developed), this is the entrance to Lake Jinoer in Dongtai. 🔍Note: After turning left from the national highway, you will need to drive on a dirt road. 👗Photo Outfit Suggestions ◾Since Lake Jinoer in Dongtai is a light blue, it is recommended to wear bright clothes. ◾Long dresses in red or yellow are super atmospheric. ◾You can also choose accessories like scarves and headbands, capturing the moment they flutter in the wind can be super beautiful. ◾However, when going to the northwest, be sure to bring down jackets, storm jackets, etc., and pay attention to keeping warm! - 📝Warm Tips 1. It is recommended to change into slippers before going, walking barefoot in the lake can be very painful. Also, under clear weather conditions, the lake water looks its best. 2. The corrosiveness of the salt lake is very strong, be sure to take care not to drop your phone or other electronic devices into the lake! 3. Do not drive small cars close to the lake, as they may get stuck. If you want to go to Mangya (Aiken Spring and Yadan of Ebo Liang), it is recommended to use an SUV.

When it comes to the great Northwest, the first thing that comes to mind is the arid and rainless Gobi Desert. Then, in such an extremely arid desert area, numerous colorful lakes are born. It's hard to describe the feeling of driving for hours, crossing hundreds of kilometers of Gobi, and then suddenly a boundless expanse of azure sea appears before your eyes. ~ 🚘4-day 3-night travel route Day1⃣️ Land at Xining Airport ➡️ Qinghai Lake ➡️ Stay in Chaka Town Day2⃣️ Chaka Salt Lake ➡️ Dachaidan Emerald Lake ➡️ Stay in Dachaidan Town Day3⃣️ Qarhan Salt Lake ➡️ Water Yadan ➡️ Stay in Water Yadan Day4⃣️ Dongtaijiner Lake ➡️ Delingha Airport ~ 📷Recommended check-in spots Water Yadan Yadan landforms are quite common, but Water Yadan is truly a unique existence, with countless large and small Yadan scattered on the blue lake surface like warships in the sea. Dachaidan Emerald Lake There are dozens of different colors here, blue like the sea, green like emerald, yellow like amber. Qarhan Salt Lake The light green lake is also boundless, really feels like coming to the seaside for a holiday. Chaka Salt Lake This is a great place to see the mirror of the sky, when the weather is clear, the water surface can reflect the sky's reflection, as if walking in the clouds. Vertical mirror surface + reflection of the lake can form 3 avatars, very interesting. Dongtaijiner Lake The Chinese version of the Maldives that disappeared for 3 years has returned, the blue-green lake water is really healing. Qinghai Lake The azure lake water, flocks of seagulls, thought I had come to some island. Really amazed by the vitality of nature, in the vast expanse next door, so many colorful lives are nurtured.

East Taijiner Lake ⛰【Travel Guide】 📍Detailed address: On the way from Shuixia Yadan to West Taijiner Lake, beside the G315 national highway. 🚗Transportation guide: Public transportation is basically inaccessible, it is recommended to drive by yourself or charter a car. 🕙Opening hours: Open all day. 💰Ticket price: Free, it is an undeveloped attraction. 🌟Highlights: It belongs to our own inland Maldives. It is said that it had disappeared and dried up for 3 years until it reappeared in the latter part of last year, presenting a vast expanse of Tiffany blue romance. 📌Little Tips: Vehicles cannot drive into the location, after navigating to this address, there is a warning sign beside the national highway, then you need to cross a dirt ditch, where there is a wooden stick, you can get across, and then you have to walk about 1km to reach the lakeside, trust me, seeing it will be worth the journey.

When the mysterious expanse of the Northwest comes to mind, one naturally envisions endless deserts🏜️, vast Gobi, and towering mountains⛰️. However, in this vast land lies an unexpected treasure—Lake Dongtai Jineer, a hidden natural wonder beside National Highway 315 that astonishes all who discover it. During a journey deep into the Northwest, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter Lake Jineer—a blue🔷 miracle even more enchanting than Emerald Lake and Chaka Salt Lake. Once a lake that had disappeared from sight, it has now returned to the public eye, revealing its charming brilliance once again. 📷Photography Guide for Lake Jineer: ✔️Don't rush to press the shutter; take a leisurely walk🚶 around the lake to explore secluded spots. Bring a drone for an extraordinary aerial perspective. ✔️Use the clear lake surface to capture reflections🪞. Be bold and try different angles to capture stunning images like mirrors of the sky. ✔️Simple props such as umbrellas🌂 or outdoor chairs, or even a coconut water🥥 in hand, can become unique elements in your photos, creating an exotic atmosphere while enjoying the dual pleasures of taste and hydration. Pay attention to the weather forecast🌥️ and choose the best time to shoot. 🧭Navigation: Lake Dongtai Jineer (along National Highway 315) ❄️Climate: Significant temperature differences between day and night in spring, be sure to prepare warm clothing, especially in plateau areas. Transportation: Self-driving or chartered car is possible, and for photography enthusiasts, it is recommended to travel with others for convenience and economy. 🎟️Admission: Free access for all visitors. 📝Recommended Itinerary: Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop Day : Depart from Xining, passing Riyue Mountain, Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake, and stay overnight in Chaka. Day : Head to the Water Yadan, Lake Jineer, and arrive in Dachaidan to stay overnight. Day : Explore Heidushan, the oil town, and finally reach Dunhuang City. Day : Visit the Mogao Caves, Silk Road heritage cities, Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring, experience the Shazhou Night Market, and return to Dunhuang City to rest. Day : Visit the Son of the Earth, Zhangye Danxia Geopark, and stay overnight in Zhangye. Day : Traverse the Qilian Mountains, Qilian Grassland, admire the Gangshika Snow Peaks, immerse yourself in the endless rapeseed flowers of Menyuan, and finally return to Xining.

5.17 is the last day of the Qinghai-Tibet loop. After saying goodbye to the driver, I knew that sometimes farewells in life can be very difficult. In just seven days, I saw many landscapes I had never seen before. The mountains, rivers, and lakes in nature added a stroke of rich color to my memories. The weather was good on the day of departure. Along the way, there were herds of yaks and sheep. Nearby were grasslands not yet fully green, and in the distance, there were rolling snow-capped mountains. I also encountered several devout pilgrims. The wind was strong at Qinghai Lake, but the water was very blue. Along the way, I also enjoyed delicious yak hotpot, small plate chicken, and some unnamed wild vegetables. We crossed the Rubber Mountain at an altitude of 3817 meters, the first pass of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It rained on the way to Chaka. I had lost hope, but when the car stopped at the entrance of the scenic area, it suddenly cleared up. The salt lake was transparent. When the sky and the lake reflected each other, I understood what is meant by 'Mirror of the Sky'. The next day, we passed through Delingha in the Haizi Poetry and arrived at the Chaka Salt Lake. When I saw it, I felt its beauty was almost unreal. The breeze stirred up layers of blue waves. It was like an emerald that had fallen to earth. Driving on the 315 national road, I saw the Yardang landform that I learned about in high school geography. Different from the grasslands I had seen before, its beauty was a powerful presence in the desert. We passed by Dongtaijiner Lake, which was not included in the itinerary, but the driver took us there anyway. When I approached it, I marveled at its beauty. The lake water was light blue and clear to the bottom. It truly deserves the title of China's 'Maldives'. On the way back, the driver found a back road to take us through the no-man's land. It was both tense and exciting. When we stood on the earth mounds of the Yardang landform, the wind was strong, and the view was vast. It seemed as if the entire land of the Northwest was in my eyes. Crossing the Dangjin Mountains at the junction of three provinces, we arrived in Dunhuang. In the evening, we went to the Shazhou Night Market, where I ate the anticipated beef pie with sand onions and drank delicious apricot peel tea. The next morning, we went to the Mogao Caves. Seeing is believing, and I was amazed at the craftsmanship of the ancient painters. As someone who studies art, it was a visual shock. The colors and lines were all exquisitely beautiful. The weather at the Mingsha Mountain was not good in the evening. I climbed barefoot for a long time and was already out of breath before reaching the top. The sandstorm was too strong, and I had to stagger down. Fortunately, I saw the long-awaited Crescent Lake and took some sand back home in a fridge magnet. During the days in Gansu, it was never sunny, but the colors of the Rainbow Danxia were still beautiful. It's just a pity that I didn't see it on a clear day. Time quickly came to the last day. Finally, I arrived at the Qilian Mountain grassland. The sky was not kind, and it started to drizzle, but that day I hugged a lamb, tried archery, drank a cup of warm butter tea, enjoyed yak meat hotpot, and listened to the songs of the Tibetan people. Everything was beautiful. When we crossed the Daban Mountain Tunnel, the highest in Asia, it also signaled the end of this journey. I have wanted to visit the Northwest for a long time, and this time I finally got my wish. On the way home, I cried. This was the first time I felt upset after a trip ended. The landscapes and people I encountered along the way were rich and wonderful. I think this is a journey I will never forget in my life. The Northwest is like a colorful dream, and I hope it will forever be in my heart.