No filter, seeing the perfect Qinghai Lake under the clear sky. On August 2nd, I rented a car from Xining and spent two and a half days leisurely touring around Qinghai Lake.

No filter, seeing the perfect Qinghai Lake under the clear sky. On August 2nd, I rented a car from Xining and spent two and a half days leisurely touring around Qinghai Lake. On the first day, I stayed near Erlangjian, with Qinghai Lake right outside the window. The room was fairly clean, equipped with air conditioning and an electric blanket. The second day was the official start of the trip. After some research, I chose the Erlangjian Scenic Area where you can board a boat. Tickets were purchased by scanning a QR code and entering with an ID card, very convenient. Although there were many people, the scenic area is very large, and except for some crowding at the entrance, there was basically no queue inside. The area has KFC, Heytea, and other outlets, with prices and taste no different from outside. We took a high-speed cruise to the lake’s central peninsula. Because the boat was fast and bumpy, sightseeing on the deck was not allowed during the ride. The waves were rough, giving a real sea voyage feeling. After arriving at the peninsula, there were activities like yak riding and ATV rides. If you want to ride a yak for photos, it’s better to walk further in, where the price drops from 30 yuan to 10 yuan. The peninsula is very large, with soft sand that makes walking tiring. The scenery is quite similar throughout, so no need to walk the entire area—go as far as you can. For the return trip, we chose a small train, but the scenery was average; it would have been better to take the bus back hahaha (photos 1-5). After leaving Erlangjian, we headed to Bird Island. The West Lake Road is truly the most beautiful route, allowing close views of Qinghai Lake all along, very picturesque. On the way back from Gangcha to Xining, there wasn’t much good scenery (photos 6-9). At night, we stayed at a campsite on Bird Island, where you can see the Milky Way directly (photo 10). The next day, we got up early to watch the sunrise. Although we shivered in down jackets from the cold, the moment the sun rose over the lake, the entire water surface shimmered golden, a truly priceless moment in life (photos 11-13). Tips: 1. Be sure to apply sunscreen thoroughly. Among our group of 11, 5 got sunburned. The ultraviolet rays on the plateau are strong and can’t be avoided even inside the car. 2. There isn’t much good food along Qinghai Lake, and near Gangcha, dining places are far apart. It’s best to bring instant noodles or similar food. 💧 August at Lugu Lake | Water Willows Blooming into a Sea! 100% Healing August is a wonderful season at Lugu Lake! 🌊 On the pure mint-colored lake surface, water willows form a flowing galaxy, stunningly beautiful! Sitting on a pig trough boat feels like drifting into a Monet painting~ 💐 🌼 Top 3 Best Healing Experiences 🚣‍♀️ Pig Trough Boat Flower Sea Tour (Must-do No.1!) 🔹 Locations: Puluo Pier, Love Pier, Guandi Flower Sea Pier (densest flowers!) 🔹 Experience: Mosuo women row the boat, pushing aside layers of petals with the oar. You can touch the crystal-clear flowers by leaning down! Sunlight filters through the water, flower shadows sway, healing vibes maxed out! 📸 🔹 Tips: Go in the morning! Flowers bloom best, fewer people, soft light. Wearing a light-colored dress makes for stunning photos! 🌅 Sunrise/Starry Sky Watching at Lige Peninsula Viewing Platform 🔹 Stunning view: Climb the platform to overlook the heart-shaped peninsula bathed in morning light or starry sky, with the flower sea faintly visible—nature’s beauty beyond words! ✨ 🔹 Tips: Sunrise around 6:30 AM, check weather in advance. For starry skies, stay in Lige Village; no light pollution at night is breathtaking! 🏞️ Walk the “Walking Marriage Bridge,” Explore the Grass Sea Secret Realm 🔹 Feature: Walk on the 300-meter wooden bridge surrounded by reeds taller than people (Grass Sea). In August, it’s lush green with water birds flying, experiencing the romantic Mosuo legend. 🔹 Tips: Evening golden light plus ethnic-style shawls make for great photos! 🚗 Essential Self-Drive/Charter Stops Around the Lake 📍 Daloushui Village: Most bustling, many restaurants and accommodations, lakeside boardwalk perfect for chill strolls 📍 Lige Peninsula: Lugu Lake’s signature spot, stay one night in a lake view room, starry sky is amazing! 📍 Goddess Bay (Zhao’s Bay): Sunset heaven! Golden lake surface + pig trough boat silhouettes, bring snacks and quietly wait for sunset! 📍 Lover’s Beach (one on Sichuan side, one on Yunnan side): Yunnan beach is more open, Sichuan beach has the Lover’s Tree. Sit by the shore watching flower waves lap the shore. 📍 Gemu Goddess Mountain Cableway: Overlook the entire Lugu Lake! The flower sea looks even more spectacular from the mountaintop (not for those afraid of heights). 🍲 Healing Cuisine: 🔹 Steamed Stone Pot Fish: Freshly killed live fish, milky white fish soup is incredibly delicious! A must-try! 🐟 🔹 Mosuo Baba: Buckwheat cakes fried in butter, fragrant, sweet, and soft. 🔹 Water Willow Soup: Yes! Made from lake-harvested ingredients, refreshing and tender, a unique experience! 🔹 Roasted Suckling Pig/Free-range Chicken: Local Lugu Lake pigs and chickens, charcoal-grilled crispy outside and tender inside. 💚 August at Lugu Lake is like a tear sealed in the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. When the pig trough boat pushes aside layers of petals, when the Grass Sea breeze brushes your hair, when the starry sky falls into the lake... all noise is washed away, leaving 100% pure healing. This summer, come to Lugu Lake and dream about flowers and the lake! 🌌