After 8 visits to the Jade Lake, I stayed up late to summarize 15 tips to avoid pitfalls

🌈 The Da Qaidam Jade Lake is like a palette overturned by God, simply a divine existence. So how can you see the colors you want to see? I've put together a super detailed guide hoping to help you. 1️⃣ Entrance fee is 50 yuan, sightseeing train is 60 yuan per person, opening hours are 07:30-20:00, it is recommended to play for 3-5 hours. If you have enough time and energy, you can choose not to take the train and enjoy walking, playing, and taking photos. 2️⃣ The train (non-stop) route: Ticket Hall → Lake No.2 (final stop); Train return route: Lake No.2 → Lake No.3 → Lake No.4 → Lake No.5 → Lake No.6 → Ticket Hall. The train stops at each station, with a 10-15 minutes interval per trip, no time limit for play, you can get on and off at the stations; Operating hours: 07:30-20:40 (last train leaves from Lake No.2); Board the train with a paper ticket, one ticket per person; valid for the day of purchase only, no refunds or exchanges once sold. It's best to sit on the left side for a better view. 3️⃣ The round trip is about 10 kilometers, with 6 stations in total, each station is about 1 kilometer apart, it is recommended to walk if you are physically fit, and not to follow the train route but go straight. Currently, the scenic area has not arranged for visits to Lake No.1 salt lake. 4️⃣ Lake No.2 and Lake No.6 are the filming locations of the movie starring Yi Yang Qianxi; to capture the reflection of the train, go to Lake No.3. 5️⃣ Tour route: After getting off the train, first play at Lakes No.1 and No.2, then return to the main road on the other side, follow the order of Lakes No.3, No.4, No.5, No.6, No.7/No.8, and finally take the return train at Station No.5 back to the entrance of the scenic area. 6️⃣ To get good photos at Da Qaidam Jade Lake, you definitely need a drone. If you don't have one, there are services in the scenic area that can help you take photos, 300 yuan per person. 7️⃣ Good weather is essential for good photos, so check the weather forecast before you go. However, on sunny days it's super sunny, so be sure to do a good job with sun protection. It is recommended to enter after 4 pm. 8️⃣ Residents of Shaoxing, Zhejiang can get free entrance, only need to purchase the train ticket. 9️⃣ The best visiting times are before 11 am or after 4 pm. 🔟 The Love Salt Lake is not visible to the naked eye; a drone is needed. 1️⃣1️⃣ Accommodation is available in Da Qaidam Town, about 12 kilometers from the scenic area, approximately an 18-minute drive, with a variety of options including Vienna, Xingcheng and other chain brands. 1️⃣2️⃣ Jade Lake is a salt lake with many variable salt cover caves and the salt water can corrode shoes and clothing, so it is advised not to enter the water carelessly and be careful of salt caves. If you want to lie on the ground for photos, be prepared to discard your clothes at any time. Swimming in the lake or soaking feet is prohibited. 1️⃣3️⃣ The altitude of Jade Lake is 3150 meters, which can easily cause altitude sickness, so it is advised not to engage in strenuous exercise or get overly excited. 1️⃣4️⃣ The temperature on the plateau is low and the temperature difference between day and night is large. If you want to watch the sunrise/sunset, it is recommended to bring warm clothing. 1️⃣5️⃣ Jade Lake is the least affected by weather among all the salt lake scenic areas in Qinghai. 1️⃣6️⃣ Lake No.1 is the largest Tiffany blue lake and is the only one with an observation deck, offering glass boat rides and paid aerial photography, but it's very crowded during peak season; Lake No.2 is also worth visiting, although not many recommend it, it's really beautiful; Lake No.3 is the only yellow lake, where you can take photos of the distant snow mountains, not many tourists; Lake No.4 is the largest green lake, where you can see white cotton-like spherical crystals, few tourists, best photo spot as shown in the picture; Lake No.5 is a heart-shaped lake, requires aerial photography, the water is yellow-green when the weather is good, and dark green when it's cloudy, there's also a more standard heart-shaped lake nearby; Lake No.6 is a stunning blue lake, the salt bridge in the center of the lake is very photogenic, and it's also where the glass boat is located; Lake No.7 is where the long tail and piano are located, many wedding photos are taken here, it's close to the entrance and crowded, during peak season you may need to queue for photos with the long tail; Lake No.8 is mentioned in other guides as a less crowded alternative to the long tail. 💥 Route recommendation D1 Departure → Xining D2 Xining → Qinghai Lake rapeseed flowers / cycling / afternoon tea → Chaka D3 Chaka Salt Lake → Da Qaidam Jade Lake → Da Qaidam D4 Da Qaidam → U-shaped road → Water Yadan → Bicolor Lake → Mars No.1 Highway starting point → Cucumber Ridge Yadan → Mangya D5 Mangya → Aiken Spring Devil's Eye → Mangya Jade Lake → Distant view of Qianfoya Yadan → Gasikule Lake → Mangya D6 Mangya → No.5 Oil Base → Heidushan (distant view) → Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring sunset → Dunhuang D7 Dunhuang → Mogao Caves → Desert party / off-road desert surfing/camping → Dunhuang D8 Dunhuang → Son of the Earth → Unbounded → Wind Whisperer → Jiayuguan → Zhangye D9 Colorful Danxia → Qilian Grassland → Menyuan / Flower Sea → Xining