Qinghai: Chaka & Qarhan Salt Lakes, July 2025

By Beatrice Wong
August 13, 2025
8:00 pm
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Nested in the heard of Qinghai province at 3,100 meters lies the oval-shaped Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡盐湖, once an important courier station and salt production center of the ancient Silk Road, now a popular attraction with salt formations and the mesmerizing Mirror of the Sky. Chaka literally means “salt lake” in Tibetan. Much smaller than its counterpart in Bolivia – Salar de Uyuni, and also much less impressive in my opinion. From June to October each year, due to the crystallization of the salt deposits, a salt ground is formed leaving only a few milimeters of water on its surface. From a distance, it becomes a giant mirror. Chaka Salt Lake, like other salt lakes, was once part of the ocean. After centuries of crustal movement, the ground rose and many salt lakes and ponds were formed. The rain will continue to bring more salt down from the surrounding mountains so that Chaka Salt Lake will in a way have endless salt supply. In this sense, Chaka is “the memory of the ocean”. The best way to explore the salt lake is to take the sightseeing train all the way in and then walk for about an hour back to the entrance. The Mirror of Sky Square is the core area of Chaka Salt Lake Scenic Area with viewing platforms, statue of Goddess Muyao Luosangma, and large salt scultpure groups including that of Genghis Khan, Wu Xian, and Jingpo etc. Qianying Muxue Platform千影木雪, with 6 small viewing platforms from different angles, is supposed to be the best place to enjoy the sunset of the salt lake, but unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. Besides the salt sculptures, there are also some remnants of the salt factory and the old railway that used to transport the salt mined here. Chake Salt Lake Scenic Area is usually swamped during peak season so we decided to stay at the nearby newly developed Sky No. 1 Scenic Area at 茶卡泡泡屋 which is a transparent yurt to easily catch the beautiful sunset and sunrise at Chaka.

茶卡泡泡屋

茶卡泡泡屋

茶卡泡泡屋

茶卡泡泡屋

The Mirror of Sky Square is the core area of Chaka Salt Lake Scenic Area with viewing platforms, statue of Goddess Muyao Luosangma, and large salt scultpure groups including that of Genghis Khan, Wu Xian, and Jingpo etc.

Remnants of the old railway at Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡盐湖

Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡盐湖

Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡盐湖

Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡盐湖

Qianying Muxue Platform千影木雪, with 6 small viewing platforms from different angles, is the best place to enjoy the sunset of the salt lake.

Chaka Salt Lake 茶卡盐湖

Chaka Sky No. 1 Scenic Area

Chaka Sky No. 1 Scenic Area

Chaka Sky No. 1 Scenic Area

Of the two salt lakes I visited this time, I much preferred the Qarhan Salt Lake 察尔汗盐湖 for its apple green colored waters. Located in the southern part of Qaidam Basin, Qarhan Salt Lake is the largest salt lake in China and the second largest in the world. The area used to be part of the ocean and as the earth’s crust moved, the Himalayas rose, forming the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As the seawater drained away, lakes of all sizes appeared. With the dry climate, the brine gradually crystallized into salt. Qarhan literally means “World of Salt” in Mongolian and was only discovered as a mineral deposit in the 1950s. There is a “Ten Thousand Meter Salt Bridge” made entirely of salt, so smooth that even airplanes can take off from it. There are also many beautiful salt flowers and salt islands that sparkle under the sunlight. Salt flowers are the crystals that form when salt crystallizes in the salt lake. Due to the different concentrations, different salt flowers form like works of art some look like small islands. These salt flowers make the salt lake look like something out of a fairy tale. Qarhan Salt Lake Scenic Area opened in 2019 and became a National 4A level tourist attraction in 2023.