Qinghai Lake, 130 km from Xining, is the largest salty water lake in China, covering an area of 4583 square kilometers. The lake sits at an altitude of 3266 meters and is called "Koko Nor" in Mongolian and "Tso Ngonpo" in Tibetan. Koko Nor means "blue lake"; its brackish waters are an extraordinary turquoise-blue. It is lined by a brilliant yellow algal bloom. Qinghai Lake was originally freshwater. It developed in the Early Pleistocene when tectonic movements blocked the course of the through-going ancestral Buh He, which now enters the northwest side of the lake. However, the water is now brackish. Rock steps and strand lines, features carved into the landscape when the lake was higher, document a long gradual decline in water level during the past 8000 years.

The lake has a number of attractions that draw travellers in this region in. Ornithologists, campers, hikers, botanists, swimmers, sailors, fishermen, loners and nomads all find areas of interest around the lake. The beauty here lies in its salty vastness and the remote peace that it instills. The colours that can be found around the lake are of purity and contrasts, from the deep yellows of oil seed rape against the cold blues of the lake to the dark greens of distant mountains against the fluffy white of bilious clouds.

The highlight of the lake is Bird Island , 350 km away from Xining , a peninsular in the westernmost part of the lake and the most impressive sight, especially in season. This island attracts 100,000 migrating geese and gulls every year. The best time to watch the birds is May to June. For most of the summer rare species can be seen here in great multitude.

Editor: Carolyn