Chaka Salt Lake, Haixi
Chaka Salt Lake, Haixi
4.5
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Chaka Salt Lake, Haixi and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
93 reviews
Excellent
53
Very good
24
Average
11
Poor
3
Terrible
2
Sunshine Z
Singapore, Singapore572 contributions
July 2020
One of the most beautiful and well organized locations in China for travel and tourists. perfect place for photography, fun vlogs and romantic escapades. Chaka left a beautiful memory inside my heart. especially dealing with high altitude illness.
enjoy it and if you there remember me.
Lion on the Road
enjoy it and if you there remember me.
Lion on the Road
Written 3 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
Oct 2019
Beautiful, non-polluted, glimmering blue water. To my surprise, this beautiful lake is visited by many. This year over 3 million sightseers will have visited this remote attraction. I'd recommend coming in mid-summer.
Written 24 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
July 2020
So very beautiful at this time of year. Hardly any sightseers wearing masks. Very scenic with the mountain backdrop.
Written 17 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
iristaletta
Beijing, China1,461 contributions
Sept 2017 • Friends
I was very excited to go here with my Chinese friends. We had a roadtrip from Xining to Qianghai lake and Chaka salt lake. We had studied photos on social media before so that we knew how to take good photos.
We came early around 9 and they say the best time is to be by the lake around 10am or 3 pm when the lake is at its best and there is less people.
It is very easy to navigate around as there are signed in English. The entrance ticket is 80 rmb. Then we took the slow train for 50 rmb to the end of the lake. I recommend to walk one way or both as the road is very nice all the way. We were lazy.
It was a clear day so we were lucky cuz the day before it was raining and very cold.
We came in the beginning of September and we could see snow on the surrounding mountain tops.
We had to go into the water, to take good photos and I recommend having a bag big enough to put your shoes in as you don't want to leave them unattended with so many people. The water was under our knees, so it is not deep at all. The water was not so cold but it was a bit painful to walk on the salt. We walked about 50 meters into the water to take pictures.
People seems to want to wear red when they take pictures here and they sell scarves everywhere to make nice colorful pictures. I did not see any other foreigners once on my Qianghai roadtrip so I think this is a part of China that in not much explored by foreigners.
I recommend this place. It is very special. They say July and August is the best time, however that is also when everyone comes so I would say September was a good time. Less crowded.
When we arrived there were almost no people but when we left there was so many people at the entrance.
There is actually a direct train from Xining once or twice a day so it it possible to get her by train directly. If you have time I recommend having a road trip from Xining to the lake cuz the scenery on the way is just amazing..
We came early around 9 and they say the best time is to be by the lake around 10am or 3 pm when the lake is at its best and there is less people.
It is very easy to navigate around as there are signed in English. The entrance ticket is 80 rmb. Then we took the slow train for 50 rmb to the end of the lake. I recommend to walk one way or both as the road is very nice all the way. We were lazy.
It was a clear day so we were lucky cuz the day before it was raining and very cold.
We came in the beginning of September and we could see snow on the surrounding mountain tops.
We had to go into the water, to take good photos and I recommend having a bag big enough to put your shoes in as you don't want to leave them unattended with so many people. The water was under our knees, so it is not deep at all. The water was not so cold but it was a bit painful to walk on the salt. We walked about 50 meters into the water to take pictures.
People seems to want to wear red when they take pictures here and they sell scarves everywhere to make nice colorful pictures. I did not see any other foreigners once on my Qianghai roadtrip so I think this is a part of China that in not much explored by foreigners.
I recommend this place. It is very special. They say July and August is the best time, however that is also when everyone comes so I would say September was a good time. Less crowded.
When we arrived there were almost no people but when we left there was so many people at the entrance.
There is actually a direct train from Xining once or twice a day so it it possible to get her by train directly. If you have time I recommend having a road trip from Xining to the lake cuz the scenery on the way is just amazing..
Written 14 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Richard C
9 contributions
May 2017 • Solo
It's a huge and shallow salt lake, there's a slow train going into the middle of the lake. On the right day it's simply awesome with mirror reflection, I was there when there were still snow on all the surrounding mountains which made it look even nicer, the problem of course means it's also colder and you need some extra courage to go into the water.
Try to avoid july / August, as that's the period when it's likely to be flooded with tourists.
It's not well known to international tourists yet, and it's in the middle of nowhere, but as of mid 2017 the park seems well developed.
But trying to catch it when there's still snow on peaks, not windy / freezing and sunny take some luck for sure. The weather in Qinghai province in general is very fickle and often volatile
Also, if your walking into the water either have plastic shoes go up to your shin or take everything below your knees off, it's not fun if you dip any shoe / socks / pants in the salt water
Try to avoid july / August, as that's the period when it's likely to be flooded with tourists.
It's not well known to international tourists yet, and it's in the middle of nowhere, but as of mid 2017 the park seems well developed.
But trying to catch it when there's still snow on peaks, not windy / freezing and sunny take some luck for sure. The weather in Qinghai province in general is very fickle and often volatile
Also, if your walking into the water either have plastic shoes go up to your shin or take everything below your knees off, it's not fun if you dip any shoe / socks / pants in the salt water
Written 21 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
moumou199
Hong Kong, China428 contributions
Oct 2017 • Family
This is a great attraction for those who are into photography. It was partly sunny and partly cloudy on the day we went, so, some of our photos came out great, some were quite dark. If you want to take photo of yourself / your friends, be sure to wear something bright. The salt sculptures were a bit disappointing tho.
Written 20 December 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Donna V
Melbourne, Australia126 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
It unique and of course there must be at least 1million photos taken here every day of girls in red dresses trying to get the perfect reflection in the shallow salt water. After a while you start getting into it and of course then I ended up with 100's of photos myself!!! it is addictive. the salt really hurts to walk on. Many people buy these plastic boots but that doesn't work, the best idea I saw was a man walking in his thick socks... perfect, he had no worries at all.... so go for thick socks. It is vast, white, salty and if you have a clear day you get the mountains in the background. One further thing please take sunscreen with you, I was burnt to a crisp because of the reflection off the salt..... Really worth stopping here, in fact I found this more fun and interesting than Qinghai lake which was my major reason for coming to Qinghai
Written 3 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
luka h
Las Vegas, NV34 contributions
June 2018 • Solo
Unlike anything i have seen before. You will walk on salt crystals and can take a short boat tour as well. Mountain views are very nice.
It is possible to walk far across the lake, though you will need to navigate broken railway track to do so. You can also walk barefoot into the lake; it feels nice but salt is very aggressive to your skin. They do rent pvc boots.
I reached chaka by morning train, comfortable 4hr ride from Xining. They offer sleeper for approx 100rmb and 2nd class. This tourist train doesnt run every day, so check in advance. You can return by same train (4 hours in chaka); i stayed in nearby chaka town and chartered a car back to xining next day (900 rmb, with stop at qinghai lake, where i recommend a bike ride.
Nearby to Chaka lake, they used to have bird island open to public, but it has just been closed indefinitely so you will not be able to go (good for birds though).
All in all, very nice trip, one to be repeated.
It is possible to walk far across the lake, though you will need to navigate broken railway track to do so. You can also walk barefoot into the lake; it feels nice but salt is very aggressive to your skin. They do rent pvc boots.
I reached chaka by morning train, comfortable 4hr ride from Xining. They offer sleeper for approx 100rmb and 2nd class. This tourist train doesnt run every day, so check in advance. You can return by same train (4 hours in chaka); i stayed in nearby chaka town and chartered a car back to xining next day (900 rmb, with stop at qinghai lake, where i recommend a bike ride.
Nearby to Chaka lake, they used to have bird island open to public, but it has just been closed indefinitely so you will not be able to go (good for birds though).
All in all, very nice trip, one to be repeated.
Written 15 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MorganYu1977
Shanghai, China259 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
It is a very famous place to go. A lot of ladies prepared colorful cloths with it, just to be ready for taking beatiful pictures. It is a rare place on the planet, with such a big hot area, a lake, with salty dense water. The surface of the late is like a mirror. The sunshine is very strong. be careful for skin-burning.
Just too many people here. Maybe winder time could be a nice time to go?
Just too many people here. Maybe winder time could be a nice time to go?
Written 4 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Libbylms
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia40 contributions
Aug 2017 • Family
When different season, Chaka Salt Lake with different view. Walk all the way in, prepare to photograph the scenic moment.
Written 28 January 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing