Chaka Salt Lake

Chaka Salt Lake, located at No. 9 Yanhu Road, Chaka Town, Wulan County, Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, 'Chaka' is Tibetan for salt pool, and in Mongolian, it is 'Dabson Nor', which means the sea of blue salt. Chaka Salt Lake has an average altitude of 3059 meters, a lake surface area of 154 square kilometers, and a scenic area of 30 square kilometers. It is an important site on the ancient Silk Road and the intersection of National Highway 109 and National Highway 315. It is 298 kilometers east of the provincial capital Xining and 200 kilometers west of Delingha, known as the eastern gateway to the Qaidam Basin. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, the calm lake surface is like a mirror, reflecting the beautiful and intoxicating sky, earning it the nickname 'Mirror of the Sky in China'. Immersed in the world of salt and strolling on the lake surface is like walking above the clouds, with water reflecting the sky, the sky touching the earth, and people walking in the lake as if they are traveling in a painting. Chaka Salt Lake offers continuous beauty throughout the seasons. In spring, the low-hanging clouds in the sky fall into the lake, making it hard to tell whether the salt is whiter or the clouds are. In summer, the rippling lake water is as green as emerald, touching the heart. In autumn, the dried-up lake surface is crystal clear and flat, and in winter, the desolation is even more challenging. Chaka Salt Lake is also famous for producing Daqing salt, becoming China's first green edible salt production base. In recent years, with its suitability for both production and tourism, it has gained a high reputation in the international and domestic tourism industry and among Qinghai-Tibet Plateau scenic tours. The number of visitors has been increasing year by year. It has been rated by National Geographic Traveler magazine as one of the '55 places one must visit in a lifetime', becoming another beautiful and prestigious card for the great beauty of Qinghai.