Nachitai & Kunlun Spring
纳赤台
A spring in the Kunlun valley that never freezes, linked to legends about the Queen Mother of the West and Princess Wencheng. It is the first rest stop on G109 before the plateau.
Nachitai lies in the Kunlun valley about 90 km south of Golmud, at an elevation of roughly 3,700 metres. "Nachitai" means "bathing terrace" in Tibetan. The Kunlun spring here stays at about 4°C all year and does not freeze in winter. The spring flows out from beneath an octagonal pavilion and is known as the "First Spring of Kunlun." Folk legends say that Princess Wencheng stopped here on her journey to Tibet, or that it is a sacred spring of the Queen Mother of the West's Jade Pool. Pavilions and a small temple stand beside the spring, and there are a military post, a road maintenance station and restaurants nearby. It is the first stop for a break on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway as it heads into the mountains. Continuing south from Nachitai, you pass Kunlun Bridge, Yixiantian Gorge, Xidatan and then Kunlun Pass, with views of the main Kunlun ridge and Yuzhu Peak along the way. Travelers who are interested can head separately from near Nachitai to the Queen Mother of the West's Jade Pool (Heihai, or Black Sea) in the Kunlun mountains, but the roads are poor and you need an off-road vehicle and up-to-date road information. Admission is free, and a stop of about 20 to 30 minutes is typical. Note: the altitude here is close to 3,700 metres, but it rises gradually, which makes it a good place to transition to the plateau.
Opening hours
All day