China’s “Sky Mirror”: Qinghai’s Chaka Salt Lake Is So Beautiful It’s Irresistible!

▲ Chaka Salt Lake in Qinghai is stunning against a backdrop of blue skies and white clouds. (Photo / CFP)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, South America, is hailed as the “Sky Mirror” because during the rainy season, water accumulates on its surface, reflecting the sky like a mirror and creating a breathtaking unity of heaven and earth. Meanwhile, Qinghai Province’s Chaka Salt Lake is known as the “Chinese version of the Sky Mirror,” and was once selected by a magazine as one of the “55 Places to Go Before You Die.”

Located near Chaka Town in Ulan County, Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, Chaka Salt Lake sits at an altitude of about 3,000 meters. It stretches 15.8 kilometers from east to west and 9.2 kilometers from north to south, forming an oval shape with a total area of 105 square kilometers. The initial survey indicates salt reserves exceeding 440 million tons. Unlike other salt lakes, Chaka Salt Lake is a brine lake where solid and liquid coexist, nestled among snow-capped mountains and grasslands rather than deserts. “Chaka” means “salt pond” in Tibetan.

▲ Chaka Salt Lake in Qinghai is stunning against a backdrop of blue skies and white clouds. (Photo / CFP)

▲ A small tourist train is available for visitors by the lake. (Photo / CFP)

Chaka Salt Lake has long been a salt production area. Before tourism development, it was rarely visited. However, as Qinghai’s tourism popularity grew, visitor numbers to the province increased year by year, drawing significant attention to Chaka Salt Lake. Last year, the lake received nearly one million visitors, leading to shortages of meals, beds, and even restroom facilities.

To improve management, Chaka Salt Lake was closed for renovation starting October 16 last year and reopened on June 1 this year. The Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company recently launched a new tourist train from Xining, Qinghai, to Chaka Salt Lake. One visitor commented that the renovations, done while preserving the original landscape, were very harmonious, and the entire scenic area is so beautiful it’s irresistible.

%The salt flats offer China’s version of the “Sky Mirror.” (Photo / CFP)

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