Photogrpahy — Travel Blogs

2021 summer AnotherMile team decided to explore North West of China for its outstanding landscapes , exotic milkyways and definitely thrilling desert. We decided to travel across three provinces of China - Qinghai, Gansu and Inner Mongolia. Teaming up with my photographer friend Manas, we decided to go for this photographic trip.

Adventure Begins with Myself and Manas at Xining Airport

Our itinerary was

Day1 05 Jun/21

1. Arrive at Xining

2. Visit Taer Monastery

3. Visit Xining TV Tower in the evening

4. Overnight stay in hotel at Xining

Day 2 06 Jun/21

1. Drive to Qinghai lake in Erlangjian Secenic Area

2. Drive to Heimahe and stay overnight

Day 3 07 Jun/21

1. Drive near Chaka Lake to Sky Pier No. 1

2. Sunset view at Main Chaka Lake

Day 4 08 Jun/21

1. Drive back from Chaka to Xining

2. High Speed rail to Zhangye and stay overnight at Kaoshan Tent

Day 5 09 Jun/21

1. Sunrise view at Binggou Valley

2. Afternoon drive to Rainbow mountain for sunset

Day 6 10 Jun/21

1. 3 hour drive to Badain Jaran Desert

2. Watch Alxa Right Banner Geological Park -> Bataan Lake -> Yikli Obo->Tamaying-> Dagetu (Honghaizi) camping

Day 7 11 Jun/21

1. Dagetu to Hudugejilin

2. Fairy Peak -> Yinderitu Sprint -> Bilutu -> Badain Jaran Teample

Day 8 12 Jun/ 21

1. Drive back to Zhangye and high speed rail to Xining

Day 9 13 Jun/21

1. Departure from Xining

A view from Binggou Hill Gansu with first ray of sun

Day 1 – Arrival at Xining

We were really excited to visit Qinghai for the first time. We had taken our DSLR, wide angle and telescopic lens, Drone, Go Pro, Giimble and were ready for an exciting photographic tour.

For the shoot following equipments were taken

1. DSLR body Nikon D850

2. Nikor lens 16-35 mm wide angle, 24 mm prime, 70 -200 mm telescopic lens, 1.4x tele converter

3. DJI Mavic Air drone with ND filter

4. GOPRO 8

5. DJI Giimble

6. ND Filter and Polarizer for the Nikor lens

We took the fight for Xining from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport. We reached Xining by afternoon. Our guide came to Xining airport to receive us. From airport we first went for lunch at a local restaurant. Not just photography, but local food lured us also. We finished the lunch with some sumptuous local dishes including some cold lamb and spicy roasted potato.

After lunch we went for a visit to Ta’er Monastery.

Ta'er Monastery, known as Kumbum Monastery, is situated in the Lusar Town of Huangzhong County, 25 kilometers southwest away from Xining, capital city of Qinghai Province. The monastery was built in 1379 with a history of more than 600 years. It sits on the slopes of a mountain, covering an area of 600 mu (40 hectares).Ta'er Monastery now ranks as a national 5A tourist area, the highest honor of China's tourist attractions.

Admission: 80 yuan (US$12.56)/person

As one of the six famous monasteries of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism, it is the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Therefore, it is a well-known holy land for Buddhist pilgrims. We were amazed with architecture of Ta’er Monastery specially Golden headed stupas. We took some videos and close shots of Buddhist Temples inside. We also went to an upper platform to take picture of the monastery from top. Another good location is to take the whole view of the main gate.

Our next target was Xinning TV tower from where we could see the whole city. However we were very tired and decided to drop it. We had a long drive planned the next day to Qinghai Lake and decided to rest early.

At Xining it is suggested to take the hotel at City Center.

Day2 – Qinghai Lake and Heimahe

Qinghai Lake is the largest lake in China. It is almost 4317 Sq. km with an average depth of 21 m. Our plan was to reach Qinghai lake early and find a suitable spot for sunset. Before travel we looked for best sunrise and sunset positions around Qinghai Lake. We found for sunset the best position at Qinghai Lake is Erlangjian Scenic Area（青海湖二郎剑景区）and for sunrise it is Heimahe which is also on the shores of Qinghai lake. Our driver suggested to have a detour through the Lachi mountains as the road is surrounded by green meadows and offer excellent views for drone shots. We took that route. Unfortunately it was raining and hence we couldn’t fly our drone. However, we could take some good shots under rain. There we visited a Buddhist temple at mountain top. The journey via Lachi mountain it took us 3 hrs to reach Qinghai but it was absolutely worth it.

We reached Erlangjian scenic area by lunch time. We had some excellent local lunch, especially the spicy potato and chicken. After lunch we entered the scenic area. Driver dropped us outside and we had to walk up to the lake. One can take a cycle to go near the lake or battery cars are also available. The first sight of Qinghai lake was just “wow”. It was so vast and beautiful. We decided to walk by the shores of Qinghai before taking good pictures. We walked through the wooden platform and finally reached a place where one could board the boats. There was a beautiful stupa made of colorful paper flag and some beautifully positioned trees within lake. White sea gulls flying around made it more majestic. We found a very good spot where there were two lonely trees standing near shores of the lake partly submerged in water. We took some drone shots and some DSLR shots using polarizer and ND filter. However the sky was bit cloudy and chances of good sunset was very doubtful. So by late afternoon we decided to go to Heimahe. The road from Qinghai to Heimahe was excellent and we took some DSLR shots stopping the car on our way.

Heimahe is a very small town and there aren’t many good hotels around. We stayed at Hucuican XingchengHotel local 2-star （黑马河璀璨星辰宾馆. It was nice cozy hotel. After checking in we quickly went to the sunrise spot to see how the sunrise will look like and also checked the milky way spot.

We decided to come to the same spot by 2:30 am. Initially it was a bit cloudy but by 2:00 am we saw the sky was full of stars. We reached the spot by 3:00 am. The spot for viewing the milky way was near lake shore with a view of the city at a distance. It is very difficult to locate the exact spot but it is on the way to the sunrise point and the locals are well aware of the spot.

The moment we got down the car we were greeted by the beautiful milky way - as if it was waiting for us. I was so awestruck for first few moments I couldn’t decide what to do. That was my first view of the milky way. After getting little accustomed to that immensely dark nights we switched on our head lights, located a suitable spot around where we could place our tripod and took some milky way shots. Ideally milky way shots need to be taken by using 1/500 rule. I used my 24 mm prime lens and used manual focus to infinity. While we are taking the milky way, Manas suddenly nudged me to look at my left. The moment I looked, I saw a beautiful golden moon popping out from the lake in the sky full of stars. It was a heavenly scene. At dawn we drove towards the sunrise spot.

The sunrise at Heimahe was majestic. Apart from some DSLR and Drone shots I also took some time lapse using my GOPRO.

After Heimahe sunrise shots we were now ready to go to Chaka.

Chaka is a salt lake which is in Ulan county , Haixi Prefecture , Qinghai . It is a major tourist destination and a key salt mine at Qinghai. It is famous for its blue water and reflective bed. Morning, we decided to go to Sky No.1 where Chaka’s reflective bed is best seen but ideally between 8:00 am to 10:00 am when sun is at a certain angle. By the time we reached it was already 11:00 am . We got some reflection but not very distinct. After lunch we went to Chaka Lake main spot. We took the toy train till the end of Chaka lake. The main spot is so vast that walking and going up to the end is very tiresome. Many people walk till the end and come back by toy train. The toy train has few stops. We just explored one spot and I mainly used drones for my photoshoots at Chaka. However, due to the strong wind I couldn’t fly much but managed to get some good shots.

Evening we had a great roasted lamb leg. That is a must at Chaka.

Day 4 – Chaka to Xining to Zhangye

Today it was time to go for great Gansu province where we could see the beautiful Rainbow mountain. From Chaka we returned to Xining and took the high speed rail to Zhangye. It takes two hours from Xining to Zhangye. When we reached Zhangye, it was raining and we were little upset that may be we would not be able to see proper sunrise at Binggou Valley next day. We decided to stay at Kaoshan tent which is out of city and near the Rainbow Mountains. Some of those colorful rainbow mountain rocks are there in the mountain near Kaoshan tent. It feels like you are staying inside Rainbow Mountains and hence that place is so special. Though initially it was raining, but out luck wasn’t that bad. The sun came out as soon as we reached Kaoshan where we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow in the backdrop of a red and glowing sky. I hurriedly managed to take out my drone and take some video clips of setting sun over rainbow mountain. Now we were optimistic of a blockbuster milkyway as the sjky had cleared up completely.

I used my photopill software and tracked the milky way path. I calculated by night 2:00 am we will have the milkyway directly on top of nearby mountain and the spot to get that view will be behind tent number M6. At night, we went to that place and boom the milkyway was up and ready for us to shoot. We initially struggled to get a clear view but then Manas got a higher platform it was magic. We got a beautiful shot.

Day 5 - Binggou Hill Sunrise and Rainbow Mountain Sunset

Whole night we were awake as early morning we had to go for sunrise shoot at Binggou hill. The park officially opens at 7:00 am but it is too late for a summer sunrise which was at 6:30 am. However, there is an option of special permission which allows one to enter at 6:00 am. The Binggou Hill authority will arrange a special car for the sunrise spot. After reaching the sunrise spot we really had to trek fast to get to the top to get that perfect light of rising sun. The idea here was not to take the sun rising directly but to take the shoot when the sunlight first falls on the distant snowy mountain peaks and also on million years old rocky valley. You can also take time lapse of sun slowly spreading over the Bingguo valley.

After Binggou Hill sunrise shots we came back at Kaoshen tent and took rest for the rest of the day. Evening we went to Rainbow Mountains. Ideal shooting time of the Rainbow Mountains is at sunset when the sun is at the lower horizon and the sun’s rays fall on the rainbow colored rocks at an angle making it colourful and glowing. Rainbow Mountains area has four spots in which the fourth spot is the offers the best view during sunset. So make sure that you are visiting the Rainbow mountains during the evening and with sufficient time in hand so that you cover first three spots and then go to fourth spot atleast one hour before sunset. Go to the top and set your camera towards the Rainbow colored rocks. One can use telescopic lens to take the rocks closely under glowing sunset light. Initially it was cloudy and I was worried about the zing moment. But suddenly just before sunset the sun peeped out of the clouds for ten minutes. This offered a magical colourful effect and I got an opportunity to shoot glowing Rainbow mountains. it disappeared behind the clouds after that and the light was bad again robbing the mountains off its color. However, even if it is cloudy, don’t lose hope and wait till the very last moment.

Next day was another big day as we were going for our desert safari.

Day 6 - Badain Jaran Desert

After early morning breakfast we started for Badain Jaran Desert which was around 3 hours drive from Zhangye. On our way to the desert, we stopped in a small town to pickup our guide and to buy some dry food and snacks. From there we went to the main entrance of Badain Jaran . At the main entrance we changed from our tour guide’s car and boarded the desert SUV with Badain Jaran Authority’s driver and guide. The SUV along with driver and guide needs to be booked in advance. This was my first desert experience and I was just spellbound by sheer vastness and beauty of sand curvatures created by nature. We had to stop at one place to register our entrance in the desert. There was a beautiful hotel there, so if anyone is not much interested in staying inside the desert can stay there. After registering and picking up equipments like shoe covers needed for desert trekking, we started our desert journey. The driving experience through desert was nothing less then a roller-coster ride. There are no proper roads and the cars follow the tyre marks of other cars to not get lost in the vastness of the dunes. The sand dunes at some places make an angle of almost 45 degrees, so the cars through the dunes also at times travel at 45 degrees. However, soon you will get accustomed to it . If you have motion sickness issues, ut us recommended that you take some medication before entering the desert and also sit at the front. We stopped at several places for taking photos. This resulted in a little delay and we could not reach our hotel which we had booked earlier. We ended up staying at a guest house the belongs to Arbo Hong.

After early morning breakfast we started for Badain Jaran Desert which was a 3 hours drive. In between we stop in a small town to pickup our guide and then went to the main entrance of Badain Jaran . At the main entrance you need to leave your current tour guide’s car and took the Desert SUV with Badain Jaran Authority’s driver and guide. The SUV along with driver and guide had to be booked early. Riding that grand Toyota SUV we entered the desert . This was my first desert experience. I was just spellbound by sheer vastness and beauty of sand curvatures done by nature. We first need to stop at one place to do entry. There was a beautiful hotel there. Somebody who don’t want to go deep inside the desert can stay there. After registering and taking equipments for desert trekking we started our desert journey. The driving experience through desert was not pleasant at all as it was full of ups and downs and sometimes the SUV was going down the sand dune almost at vertical 45 degree angle. However soon you will get accustomed to it . One who has vomiting tendency may sit at front of SUV. We stop at several places for clicking photos. Since it got little late we could not goto our desired place for night stay but ended up staying at a guest house belong to Arbo Hong.

Day 7 – Badain Jaran Desert Sunrise and Trekking

After taking the milkyway at astronomical twilight, around the dawn we headed for a sunrise near Arbo’s place. We were accompanied by our guide.The cars took us to the base of the sand dunes and then went for a steep climb. We needed to climb fast as we had to reach the peak before the sunrise so that we could capture the first rays of light on the sand dunes. Luckily we reached on time and waited for the sun. As the sun peeped over the dunes, the whole desert was lit up with glowing soft sunrise as if the whole desert had decorated itself with gold ornaments. It was an amazing scene to experience and it left me spellbound for few seconds. I deliberately took close shot of sandune curvatures of half shadow and half light. It was time to descend the dunes. After coming down, I flew my drone for some nice sand dune shots in golden light . After the shoot we came to Arbo’s place for a breakfast and then went for some good spots for further photo shoot . We visited Dagetu ( the beautiful pink oasis) , Yinderitu Spring , Fairy Peak ( didn’t climb) and finally to Badain Jaran Temple. In between we did some hikes which were tough but gave a true feeling of the desert.

Badain Jaran Temple is a nice place and we stayed at the guest house nearby. The rooms were good, with all basic amenities and clean.

The guide name was Li and driver name was Xie Hu. You can always ask for them.

Day 8 – Back to Xining

Next day morning I went for sunrise around Jaran temple and took some video shots . After breakfast we headed for Zhangye. In between we saw the Bataan Lake and few other places. As we came out of main entrance our driver was waiting for us. We headed for Zhangye and then took high speed rail to Xining.

After reaching Xining, we had a sumptuous dinner to celebrate our tour.

Day 9 – Back to Shenzhen

After breakfast we headed for airport and took our flight back to Shenzhen

Must Dos

Overall it was a great trip. You can follow the same itinerary or can add more places of Gansu or Qinghai. Our trip was mostly focused for photography.

Here are few tips

1. Take lighter clothes and some light jacket for desert. Don’t make luggage too heavy. However during winter it will be extremely cold so take warm clothes accordingly. Even in June at desert and Heimahe it was slight chilly. So even at summer time better to take some warm vest and gloves.

2. Take the DSLR and Lens in proper cover . Just keep in mind the desert sand is very fine and it may get into camera.

3. Take some Light snacks with you for emergency.

4. Take some insect repellent specially for desert.

5. Take a flash light with you incase you are going for milkyway

6. Take some desert shoes or atleast some nice trekking shoes and definitely hand and face guard for desert.

7. You can place your Go Pro at top of your car and take some cool road shots.

For the travel agency you can contact Wonder Ph : +86 15882165320

Wechat ID wangzhen7525

I hope you like this adventure from AnotherMile. Please share your feedback in the comment section below.

QINGHAI ADVENTURE