Things to do in Zeku

No. 12 of Best Things to Do in Qinghai

Chaka Sky No.1 Scenic Area

Chaka Sky No.1 Scenic Area is located in the eastern part of Chaka Salt Lake, backed by the sacred Kunlun Mountains known as the ancestor of all mountains. Situated at the eastern gateway of the Qaidam Basin, it offers views of the Kunlun Mountains to the south and the Qilian Mountains to the north, with picturesque salt lake reflections. The attraction integrates salt lake views and salt culture with ancient Qiang-Jingpo culture and Dorbed Mongolian culture, creating a comprehensive tourist destination featuring salt lake sightseeing, unique salt culture experiences, and eco-friendly vacations. Lakeside loop train The lakeside train route spans 8.5 km with 5 stops, allowing you to comfortably explore the entire attraction. Beautiful No.1 Scenic Spot is a must-visit photo destination. The entrance to Chaka Sky No.1 Scenic Area, designed with the characters "Chaka" as its image, is an iconic landmark of Chaka. Upon entering the scenic area, you'll immediately spot the Salt Sculpture of Camels, which stands 8.2 meters tall. The majestic two-humped camels, carrying salt bags, walk atop the pristine white salt piles, with the salt sculpture appearing incredibly lifelike. Walk through the commercial street to reach the Munao Zongge Square, where you must follow the totems on the square's ceremonial pillars to explore the origins of Chaka salt culture. At the southern end of the square, an 800-meter-long boardwalk extends deep into the salt lake. Designed in the shape of Gesang flowers, its farthest extension resembles a phoenix ready to take flight, earning it the name "Danfeng Chaoyang" (Phoenix Greeting the Sun). Experience the sacred and magical Sky Mirror Salt Lake up close. The outer lake resembles a vast blue sea, while the mirror lake shines like emerald jade. Due to varying salt concentrations, this creates a unique "two-tone lake" view. The mirror lake features distinctive walkways with creative designs, including [Descending Koi], [Four-Leaf Clover], [Eternal Diamond], and [Salt Heart Path]. The train on the lake perfectly recreates the iconic water railway scene from classic anime, harmonizing with the salt lake and sky to evoke a fairytale romance. Chaka Salt Lake at night is a favored observation spot for international stargazers and ranks among the top ten photography bases along the "Golden Silk Road". Here, you don't need to look up to see the starry sky—it surrounds you completely. It's a romantic stroll under the stars, a snapshot of timeless moments. The sunset at Chaka Salt Lake is unlike any other in the world - where ethereal hues fill your vision and gentle breezes intoxicate the evening glow. About featured experiences Experience the unique charm of camel riding and the thrilling excitement of ATV adventures, while our highland playground lets you revel in the crystal-clear waters and azure skies. Live-action horse performance Qinghai Province's first large-scale immersive performance series, "Impressions of Chaka," is a multi-category spectacular production deeply rooted in Chaka's rich historical and cultural heritage. The show features captivating performances such as "Grassland Hero - Genghis Khan," "Knight's Parade," "Salt Lake Flying Dance," and "Great Khan's Welcome Opening Dance," vividly showcasing the region's diverse ethnic history and culture. The highlight, the grand historical reenactment "Grassland Hero - Genghis Khan," features dozens of performers and warhorses executing breathtaking equestrian stunts like mounted archery, mid-air leaps, spinning maneuvers, and upside-down riding, recreating the Khan's epic historical journey. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Qilian Mountains under the open sky, this performance is an unmissable experience for visitors to Chaka. High-altitude Glass Water Slide The lakeside high-altitude glass water slide offers breathtaking views of the vast salt lake, the snow-capped peaks of the Kunlun Mountains year-round, and the sweeping vistas of the Gobi Desert and Qilian Mountains. Built by the lake, it provides two thrilling experiences: admiring the salt lake scenery from above while taking in the expansive meadows of the Tibetan Plateau, and feeling the rush of speed and excitement. Featured campsites At the entrance of the attraction, the Chaka Sky One Hotel (Sky One Scenic Area Branch) is a modern, lightly luxurious hotel built to high standards. Whether you choose to experience the Mongolian camp for a taste of frontier life, stay in a refined RV park, or book a room at the Starlight Bubble Hotel—where each unit is named after a constellation and offers a private retreat with curtains that reveal a dazzling night sky—you'll find unforgettable accommodations. Spend the night in the scenic area to admire the Salt Lake's nighttime beauty and the brilliance of the starry sky. Wake up to a special sunrise experience, strolling in the morning light as if walking through a fairyland. As the sun rises, immerse yourself in the unique charm of the Mirror Salt Lake. Plateau Dead Sea Floating Pavilion The "Plateau Dead Sea Floating Hall," designed with elements inspired by Chaka's Great Green Salt and salt lake reflections, is a unique salt therapy wellness experience destination in Chaka. The venue offers visitors a relaxing way to enjoy the magical pleasures of innovative salt lake experiential tourism, including floating on saltwater, applying salt mud, playing with salt sand, steaming in salt rooms, inhaling salt mist, resting on salt beds, and sleeping in salt caves—all of which effectively alleviate travel fatigue..

No. 2 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Jiuzhaigou

Shenxianchi Tourist Scenic Spot

In the Shenxianchi Scenic Area, you can see Alpine Haizi, a large area of calcified landscape and vast virgin forest. Shenxianchi is called "Nengen Sangcuo" in Tibetan, which means the place where fairies bathe. In the scenic area, there are lotus ponds, double dragon ponds, Qinglong sea, god frog sea, gold and silver beach and other scenic spots with their own charm. You can ride horses and raft in the scenic area. Compared with Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong Scenic Area, the altitude of Shenxianchi Scenic Area is only more than 2,000 meters, and the relative drop is only more than 300 meters. Tourists are more accessible, especially suitable for some tourists with strong altitude sickness.

No. 1 of Best Things to Do in Linxia Prefecture

Bingling Cave-Temple Complex

Located in the upper reaches of Liujiaxia Reservoir, on the north bank of the Yellow River in Sigouxia, southwest of Yongjing County. On the steep and dangerous red sandstone cliffs 2 kilometers long from north to south, the cave shrines are lined up one after another, and the plank roads are suspended in the air. It is magnificent and spectacular. It is one of the three largest caves in Gansu and one of the five largest caves in my country. Bingling Temple was formerly known as "Tangshu Cave", which means "ghost cave" in Qiang language. It was called "Longxing Temple" in Tang Dynasty, "Lingyan Temple" in Northern Song Dynasty, and "Bingling Temple" after the Yongle Period of Ming Dynasty. Bingling is called "Benlang" in Tibetan language, which means "one hundred thousand Buddhas". Bingling Temple Grottoes were first built in the first year of Jianhong in the Western Qin Dynasty (420 AD). Since the Sixteen Kingdoms period, it has gone through the Northern Wei, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, with a history of more than 1,600 years. During the period when the Western Qin Dynasty built its capital in Linxia, ​​the king personally visited the grottoes and wrote inscriptions, the originals of which are still preserved on the rock walls. From the time the grottoes were carved in 420 AD to the Song Dynasty, the grottoes had a great influence on Han Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Huayan Buddhism and Zen Buddhism. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, the Yellow School (Gelug School) of Tibetan Buddhism was introduced to Bingling Temple. Bingling Temple Grottoes, based on the inheritance of folk art from previous generations, absorbed foreign Buddhist art and created vivid sculpture and painting art with a brand-new attitude and concise approach. Its relief pagodas and Tantric murals are as famous as those of Mogao Grottoes and Maijishan Grottoes. The grottoes are divided into three parts: the upper temple, the cave ditch and the lower temple. The lower temple is more spectacular. They are distributed on a cliff 200 meters long and 60 meters high. There are 196 caves and niches in Bingling Temple Grottoes, 694 stone statues, 82 clay sculptures, and more than 900 square meters of murals. The larger Maitreya Buddha statue from the Tang Dynasty is 27 meters high, and the smaller statue is 10 centimeters high. Among them, there are 2 caves and 1 niche excavated in the Western Qin Dynasty, 8 caves and 25 niches excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty, 2 caves in the Northern Zhou Dynasty, 2 caves in the Sui Dynasty, and 20 caves and 113 niches in the Tang Dynasty. The artistic achievements of Tang Dynasty works were quite high, and there were more than 3,000 monks at that time. The ink inscription of the famous monk Faxian in the first year of Jianhong in the Western Qin Dynasty (420 AD) in this cave is the earliest chronological inscription preserved in the caves in China. It provides a mark for the dating of other ancient caves in the country and has very important historical value. The main body of the cave statues and murals is composed of the large seated Buddha in the natural cave No. 169 and all the small and medium-sized caves in the cliff face. Cave No. 169 was formerly known as Tangshu Cave, and is now called "Tianqiao Cave". It is 15 meters high, 8 meters deep and 20 meters wide. It is one of the earliest and best preserved caves in my country. There are three types of shapes in the cave: Buddha niches, stone carvings, and stone-based clay sculptures. Niche No. 171, located on the cliff of the cave, has a large seated Maitreya Buddha statue made of stone-based clay from the Tang Dynasty. It is carved against the mountain and is 27 meters high, majestic and solemn. The Western Qin "Manjusri Bodhisattva Asking about Illness" in the cave is one of the earliest Vimalakirti Sutra Transformations seen in my country. The original Cave No. 16 is now located in the Sleeping Buddha Hall opposite the cave group. The 8.6-meter-long clay sculpture of Bingling Temple Reclining Buddha is a reclining Buddha from the Northern Wei Dynasty, which has very important research value. The 25-cm-tall maid statue from the Tang Dynasty is one of the more precious existing cave statues in my country, and fully embodies the style of the prosperous Tang Dynasty. Next to the cliff at the entrance of Bingling Temple stands the steep Sister Peak, surrounded by scenic spots such as the Mandarin Duck Cave and the Medicine Spring, with green mountains and clear waters, dangerous peaks and strange rocks.

No. 14 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Aba Prefecture

Hongyuan - Ruoergai Prairie

Hongyuan-Zuoergai Grassland is located in Hongyuan County and Ruoergai County in the northeast of Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It consists of meadow grassland and swamp. It is an excellent destination to enjoy grassland scenery and Tibetan customs. Summer is the golden season for grasslands, where the weather is high and the visibility is high. Tourists can camp on the grass, looking around, the sky is amazingly blue, the grass is dazzling green, and the flowers are dotted in it, the fragrance is fragrant and the beauty is intoxicating. Here you can enjoy it slowly and savor it carefully. Pick up the camera and take a five-star landscape blockbuster.

Selected for Fall Viewing Attractions in Gansu

Ganjia Grassland

Ganjia Grassland is an open alpine meadow and a traditional pasture where herders have grazed their livestock for generations. In midsummer, the grassland is lush green, with wildflowers spreading along the gentle slopes and herds of cattle and sheep scattered throughout. Compared to Sangke Grassland near the county seat, it receives fewer tourists and retains the more primitive and tranquil appearance of an alpine pasture. The grassland's distinctiveness largely comes from the Baishiya stretching across the end of the pasture — a gray-white cliff stretching over 10 km that stands like a screen above the greenery, with Baishiya Temple located at its foot. The Yangqu River and Yangla River meander across the grassland. The Bajiao Ancient City, built on the terrace where the Yangqu and Yangla rivers meet, is named for its eight corners. Ascend the viewing platform to take in the panoramic view of the ancient city, surrounding highland barley fields, and pastures. The grassland covers a large area with scattered attractions. Baishiya, Bajiao Ancient City, and Zuohai Temple are located in different directions, making it suitable for a self-drive or car charter tour along the route.

Ganjia Secret Realm

The "Gangjia Secret Realm" is located in Gangjia Town, Xiahe County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, with a total area of ​​131.23 square kilometers. The altitude difference between the north and south of the Attraction is 1,300 meters. The unique geological structure contains a variety of geological resources such as cliffs, grasslands, plateau lakes, stone forests, canyons, prehistoric caves, and rivers. The Bajiao Ancient City, Zuohai Temple, Baishiya Temple, and the Denisovan Site Cave have become the imprints of the Attraction profound historical and cultural heritage. Academic masters and eminent monks such as Guru Padmasambhava, Tsongkhapa, Gongtang Cang, and Gendun Gumpel have successively studied, practiced, and preached in the Gangjia area.

No. 5 of Fall Viewing Attractions in Qinghai

Kanbula Global Geopark

Kanbula National Forest Park is located in Jianzha County, Huangnan Prefecture, Qinghai Province, about 110 kilometers away from Xining. The Attraction is centered on the Yellow River Reservoir formed by the Lijiaxia Dam. The reservoir is emerald green and clear, surrounded by red and steep Danxia landform peaks. The scenery is very spectacular and it is a popular niche tourist destination in Qinghai. Kanbula Forest Park is very large, with a depth of dozens of kilometers. The main entrance of the Attraction is on the east side. After entering, you can take a shuttle bus or a Cruise to visit, which is divided into water and land tours and lake tours. In addition, if you come from Guide, you can also enter from the back door of the Attraction on the west side, which is more convenient.

No. 2 of Best Things to Do in Qinghai Lake

Shengquan Bay Scenic Area of Qinghai Lake

Shengquan Bay Scenic Area of Qinghai Lake, located on the northern shore of Qinghai Lake, is a masterpiece of geological formation and glacial activity. With its magnificent and rugged cliffs reaching vertical heights of dozens of meters, it creates a striking contrast against the azure waters of Qinghai Lake, offering a unique landscape. As one of the core attractions of Qinghai Lake, Holy Spring Bay not only boasts captivating natural scenery but also serves as a vital habitat for diverse wildlife, holding significant ecological value. Nearby, visitors can explore rich historical and cultural relics, providing a multifaceted travel experience.

Forest Hiking in Jiuzhaigou

No. 3 of Best Things to Do in Gannan

Labrang Monastery

Located in Gannan District's Xiahe County, Labrang Monastery is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelug (Yellow) Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery is large in scale and high in status. A representative example of the monasteries and temples throughout Gannan, it is a must-see for visitors to the area. It is a majestic temple complex. It offers spectacular sights while walking through and also when taking in a panoramic bird's-eye view from its highest point. The monastery is full of giant Buddha statues and various exquisite sculptures, murals and countless musical instruments. Furthermore, the long corridor of the Labrang Monastery is a sight rarely seen anywhere else in the world. This is a place where pilgrims come to accumulate merit and to pray for friends and relatives.