Chaka Salt Lake – Reflective Surfaces

Chaka Salt Lake is also known by the name Chaka Yanhu. They were initially a portion of the ocean during the primordial times. These lakes were in fact formed when a very intense activity of crust occurred resulting in creation of biggest plateau across the globe which is Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The primordial soup had recedes its waters into Pacific as well as Indian Oceans nearby. The depressions within this plateau became big typical salt lake that retained lot of water. This led to formation of well known lakes in the entire region. These lakes are in fact made of more than 30 big as well as small lakes. The biggest one among these lakes is Chaerhan Salt Lake. The surface area of this popular lake comes to approximately one hundred and five square kilometers.

This lake isn’t much far from the lake Qinghai. It is situated close to the Chaka Town in Wulan County of Qinghai which is in eastern side of Caidamu Basin. The breadth of lake is nearly 9.2 kilometers. Its length is fifteen kilometers.

Reflective surfaces

The main highlight of Chaka Salt Lake is that they possess reflective surfaces which have the ability to mirror the moving clouds, tents of nomads, the mountains at distance, and herds seen near the region. The distinctive feature of this area is its salty smell which can easily be perceived from all spots close to lake. For this reason, it is being described as the salt world. The people living here make living by riding tourists on freight train and by dredging salt. In case of travelers interested in hiking, it is best to have a walk along salt bridge which crosses lakes of sixty kilometers. It will definitely offer an interesting experience. Beside the chief lake, one can even observe salt house. Lake can be considered as side trap in case of people who have a hiking experience or camping experience here as the sights near lake aren’t much spectacular. But still it retains a special beauty.

The scenery of this lake is very beautiful. Therefore, it is awarded as very significant scenic spot in early eighties by People's Government in Qinghai. It is well known for production of Qinghai salt and its unique landscapes. Millions of visitors from different parts of the world come here every year.

Travel Tips

In order to get here, one can have a tour arranged initially itself. The lakes are at three hundred and ten kilometers from Xining located in south western part of Lake Qinghai as well as Heimahe Tibetan Village. From both these locations, you can get tours arranges through different travel service operators. It will cost nearly six hundred RMB. One can also get a bus at long-distance bus station of Xining which moves to lakes. From Heimahe, one can get a ride to lake side. It is a journey of about one hundred and fifty kilometers only. You may choose bus or hired car. Hurry up to book your tickets to China!