Haibei

Home to the north shore of Qinghai Lake and the Qilian Mountain grasslands; the summer rapeseed fields of Menyuan are a highlight of any lake-circuit drive.

Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture lies in northeastern Qinghai, with the Qilian Mountains to the north and Qinghai Lake to the south, where grasslands, snow peaks and lakes set each other off. Parts of Qinghai Lake's north and northeast shores fall within its borders. Every summer, Menyuan County is covered in vast fields of rapeseed blossoms against a backdrop of snowy Qilian peaks. The scenery around Zhuoer Mountain and Arou Great Monastery in Qilian County is known as the "Switzerland of the East," and Haiyan County has the Atomic City Memorial Museum. The best season is Jun–Aug. Most visitors self-drive from Xining; the Lanzhou–Xinjiang high-speed railway has a station at Menyuan, and there is also Qilian Airport.

Destinations

• Qinghai Lake
• Qilian
• Menyuan

Itineraries

• Menyuan, Qilian, Qinghai Lake & Chaka Loop – Head north to the Menyuan flower seas and Qilian grasslands, then loop around the north shore of Qinghai Lake to Chaka.
• Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop Classic Route – A closed-loop route starting from Xining, circling Qinghai Lake, Qaidam, Dunhuang, the Hexi Corridor, and the Qilian Mo…
• Qinghai Lake & Chaka Salt Lake Classic Short Loop – A weekend route starting from Xining, connecting Kumbum Monastery, Erlangjian, the Heimahe sunrise, and Chaka Salt Lake.
• Qinghai Lake South Shore and Heima River Sunrise – Drive from Xining over Riyue Mountain to the south shore, stay at Heima River to see the sunrise, then return via Jinsh…
• Xining and Qinghai Lake Clockwise Loop Drive – Acclimatize in Xining for a day, then drive clockwise around the lake: sunrise on the south shore, the West Lake Ring R…
• Cycling Around Qinghai Lake – Start from Xihai Town and ride clockwise around the lake, about 360 km over four days, with rest days in Xining before…
• Qinghai Lake Loop with Chaka and Guide – A leisurely loop of Qinghai Lake, with day trips to Chaka Salt Lake and the Yellow River at Guide.
• Western Qaidam Wilderness Crossing – A one-way journey from Xining to Dunhuang, passing through Hoh Xil, Water Yadan, Mangya, Eboliang, and Lenghu.
• Zhangye Danxia and Qilian Grassland Horse Ranch – See Zhangye's Danxia canyons, cross Biandu Pass to spend two nights in Qilian and visit Zhuoer Mountain, then return vi…
• Qinghai Lake Winter Blue Ice – Stay in Erlangjian while the lake is frozen, and see the ice lake on the south shore, 151 and the Heima River ice.
• Qinghai-Tibet Highway: Xining to Lhasa – Follow the Qinghai-Tibet Highway across Hoh Xil and the Tanggula Pass, passing Namtso to enter Lhasa.
• Amdo Loop: Golog, Gannan & Rebgong – A classic Amdo loop starting from Xining, passing through Golog, Langmusi, Labrang Monastery, and Rebgong, before retur…