Teaka Salt Lake Travel Guide

Teaka Salt Lake is known as the “Sky Mirror”. It is said that there are many salt sculptures in the scenic area, which can be viewed for free. The reflection of the lake surface makes the starry sky blend with the lake surface, creating a scene where the starry sky seems to fall onto the lake surface, so the Teaka Salt Lake at night is known as China’s “Night Sky Mirror”.

There are many salt sculptures to see in the scenic area, and you can also take a small train to visit the depths of the salt lake. Tourists can walk barefoot on the lake surface to watch and photograph their reflections. If you are lucky enough, you can see mirages formed on these rivers during the day. If it rains for several consecutive days, the salt layer in the lake may be diluted and dissolved, exposing the mud underneath, and you will not be able to go down to the lake to play. There are many small black holes in the salt lake, which are actually traps, so don’t step on them, and the darker they are, the more dangerous they are.

Travel Guide

1. Scenery in all seasons: Spring for industrial salt mining, summer and autumn for natural scenery, winter for salt lake snow scenery.

2. Permanent tourism activities: Sea offering activity on the 15th of the lunar May, sightseeing by small train, sightseeing by yacht, watching artificial salt mining or experiencing it yourself.

3. The salt lake and Qinghai Lake are separated by a highway, and tourists can visit them together.

4. Before visiting Teaka Salt Lake, it is best to prepare some wet wipes. When exposed skin comes into contact with salt grains or salt water, it should be washed with fresh water or wiped with paper towels. If it takes a long time, it will cause some damage to the skin.

5. The sunlight is very strong on sunny days, and there is also the reflection of the lake surface, so you need to be prepared for sun protection, and it is best to prepare a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes.

6. You can’t eat in the scenic area, and shopping is not very convenient, so it’s best to bring your own drinking water and dry food.

How to Get There

Location: China> Qinghai Province> Haixi Mongol Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture> Golmud> Teaka Town

Getting there: Bus route: Xining Passenger Transport Center (next to the railway station) has many buses going to Wulan and Dulanyou from 8:00 to 18:00 every day. You can take one and get off at Teaka.

Self-driving route: Starting from Xining, drive along National Highway 109 → National Highway 214 → Gongtea Expressway towards Wulan County and Teaka Town.

Ticket

Ticket price for Teaka Salt Lake: Entrance fee is 70 yuan, discounts are available for seniors, etc. The small train is 50 yuan.

Opening hours: 07:00-18:30

Salt Mine

The salt sedimentary minerals of the salt lake are composed of halite, gypsum, mirabilite, anhydrous mirabilite, Glauber’s salt, blödite and hydrohalite. The salt grains are large and pure, with a mellow fragrance, making it an ideal place to mine edible salt. Because its salt crystals contain minerals, the salt crystals are bluish-black, hence the name “blue salt”.

Railway

Since its development in 1980, Teaka has attracted numerous tourists from inland China and Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Tourists can not only enjoy the natural beauty, but also experience the fun of salt mining from manual to mechanized after learning about its history. The railway around the lake, on the other hand, offers a different way of viewing, with its unique charm.

Small Train

Taking a small train deep into the lake for sightseeing, you can watch the magnificent scene of modern large-scale salt mining vessels spitting water and swallowing pearls when mining salt, admire the magnificent paintings of the sunrise and sunset over the salt lake, see through the clear lake water, admire the vivid salt flowers of various shapes that are growing, explore the mysteries of the lake bottom world, and you can also appreciate the wonders of the rolling salt waves left on the lake surface after the tide rises.

Salt Sculpture

Teaka Salt Lake Salt Sculpture Festival is a major cultural and artistic event here. One by one, the sculptures are vividly sculpted by the omnipotent salt grains, shining brightly under the sunshine, becoming a new highlight in the vast salt fields.

If you are coming to Qinghai after September, please bring a windbreaker, or any other jacket will do, it is recommended that the clothes have a hood, sometimes the wind is strong, this kind of hooded clothes is very useful.