01 / THE PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY
Go beyond the view.
Qinghai, a treasure trove of China's natural wonders, is a photographer's dream. Shimmering lakes, mysterious yardang landforms, the stark beauty of deserts, and winding roads create breathtaking natural scenes that frequently become social-media highlights. Emerald Lake, a Haixi treasure, is the third-largest man-made wonder left by mining. Its immense surface covers more than twenty-six square kilometers, holding nature's secrets and treasures. Beneath salt beds lie abundant precious elements including potassium, magnesium, and lithium, quietly forming and awaiting discovery. Above them, pale cyan, emerald green, and deep blue intertwine in dreamlike, crystal-clear colors, like a miraculous palette of breathtaking beauty.
Qinghai lakes and desert landscapes
Chaka Town | Dachaidan | Emerald Lake Dongtai Jinel Lake | Water Yardang | Eboliang Lenghu | Heidu Mountain | Mangya | Delingha Qinghai, a treasure trove of China's natural wonders, is a photographer's dream. Shimmering lakes, mysterious yardang landforms, the stark beauty of deserts, and winding roads create breathtaking natural scenes that frequently become social-media highlights.
Emerald Lake
Emerald Lake, a Haixi treasure, is the third-largest man-made wonder left by mining. Its immense surface covers more than twenty-six square kilometers, holding nature's secrets and treasures. Beneath salt beds lie abundant precious elements including potassium, magnesium, and lithium, quietly forming and awaiting discovery. Above them, pale cyan, emerald green, and deep blue intertwine in dreamlike, crystal-clear colors, like a miraculous palette of breathtaking beauty.
Dachaidan
Dachaidan, a brilliant jewel on the Qaidam Basin's northern edge, offers distinctive scenery amid high mountains and pristine water. If Qinghai Lake is the plateau's sapphire, Emerald Lake is a hidden jade paradise left upon the earth. Emerald Lake in Dachaidan, Qinghai, is a natural salt lake shaped by mining. Mineral colors transform it into soothing blue amid barren Gobi desert. Its water is clear as a mirror: transparent blue, romantic Tiffany blue from afar and deep emerald up close. Every glance takes your breath away, an irreplaceable enhanced version of the Mirror of the Sky for photographers. Geological wonders unfold here, especially the striking Nanbaxian yardangs, resembling Emperor's Tombs and Thousand-Army Camps carved by nature itself. Their stark grandeur takes you on a visual and spiritual adventure.
Water Yardang
Water Yardang is a brilliant jewel in the Qaidam Basin's heart, where countless yardang forms combine spectacularly with blue lake water. Crossing the Gobi, a sudden expanse of azure feels like a foreign coast: a hidden wonder deep in the basin, telling an extraordinary story.
Eboliang
Eboliang, celebrated as the place on Earth most like Mars, draws countless photographers and travelers. Like ancient European castles left in the wilderness, its formations rise at varying heights among winding sand slopes. Every play of light tells of time's passage and nature's craftsmanship. Here you seem to cross time and space and unexpectedly encounter Martian grandeur.
Heidu Mountain
Heidu Mountain reveals another side of Chinese landscapes, its unique terrain conveying distinctive power and grandeur. Undulating mountains in deep colors resemble a richly inked landscape painting, inspiring admiration and renewed awe for nature's artistry.
Yanzhi Mountain
Mangya's Yanzhi Mountain offers rare pink mineral terrain and a feast of light. Rich in iron oxides and other minerals, the mountains have weathered and oxidized over hundreds of millions of years into dreamlike pink, ocher-red, orange-yellow, and pale purple. Soft pink light in sunrise mist and rose-gold sunset glow create cinematic images without filters. From above, clear folded strata and flowing lines are especially striking.
Qinghai starry skies
Deep in the plateau, Qinghai's high elevation, thin air, excellent transparency, and distance from city lights create some of China's finest dark skies. No professional equipment is needed: look up to see countless stars, the Milky Way clearly spanning the sky, stars glittering like scattered diamonds, and even faint nebular textures. Every upward glance is a moving visual feast.
The journey in pictures
Leading photographers: Weixi Lin →
Destination illustrations · select a photo to explore
02 / IN GOOD COMPANY
A different way of seeing.
Leading photographers
Weixi Lin · View photographer profile →
Weixi Lin
Has led photography trips to Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Russia, Indonesia, Semporna, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Niubei Mountain in western Sichuan, Nyingchi, the Qiantang River, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou, Wuxi, Yongfu in Fujian, Dongying, Zhongwei, the Yuanyang rice terraces, Xianggong Mountain and Zhangjiajie.
03 / THE DAYS AHEAD
A rhythm shaped by light.
Shooting locations, accommodation and transport are subject to confirmation before departure and may change with the weather.
Photography may change with weather and road conditions. The Mars Road segment, return route and whether Yuzhu Peak, Red Cliffs, Rainbow Valley and volcanic rock columns form part of this departure are pending confirmation with the operator.
Itinerary dates and text times without their own zone use: Beijing · Asia/Shanghai。Exact times use your selected timezone; dates alone and descriptions such as “morning” are not converted.
DAY 01Sep 10 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiHome cities–Xining Airport–Qinghai Lake–Chaka (sunset)
Home cities–Xining Airport–Qinghai Lake–Chaka (sunset)
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 02Sep 11 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiChaka (sunrise)–Baishu Mountain–Delingha
Chaka (sunrise)–Baishu Mountain–Delingha
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 03Sep 12 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDelingha–Aimunike Mountain–Xingluo Valley (sunrise)–Five-Colored Mountain–Dachaidan–Emerald Lake (sunset)–Dachaidan
Delingha–Aimunike Mountain–Xingluo Valley (sunrise)–Five-Colored Mountain–Dachaidan–Emerald Lake (sunset)–Dachaidan
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 04Sep 13 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDachaidan–Nanbaxian–Water Yardang (sunset, starry sky)
Dachaidan–Nanbaxian–Water Yardang (sunset, starry sky)
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 05Sep 14 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiWater Yadan, Xitai Jinaier Lake, Eboliang and Lenghu
Water Yadan, Xitai Jinaier Lake, Eboliang Yadan and Lenghu. The Mars Road segment and access arrangements are pending confirmation with the operator.
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 06Sep 15 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiLenghu–Heidu Mountain–Yanzhi Mountain–Oil Town–Lenghu
Lenghu–Heidu Mountain–Yanzhi Mountain–Oil Town–Lenghu
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 07Sep 16 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiLenghu–Ruyi Lake–Saturn's Rings–Aiken Spring–Mangya
Lenghu–Ruyi Lake–Saturn's Rings–Aiken Spring–Mangya
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 08Sep 17 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiMangya City–Mangya Emerald Lake–Fantasy Color Mountain–Eye of the Desert–Golmud
Mangya City–Mangya Emerald Lake–Fantasy Color Mountain–Eye of the Desert–Golmud
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 09Sep 18 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiGolmud–Qarhan Salt Lake–Toson Lake–Delingha
Golmud–Qarhan Salt Lake–Toson Lake–Delingha
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 10Sep 19 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDelingha, Tianjun Stone Forest and Xining: intermediate route to be confirmed
Depart Delingha and return to Xining via Tianjun Stone Forest. Intermediate stops including Chaka and Qinghai Lake, and their order, are pending confirmation with the operator.
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 11Sep 20 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiTransfer to Xining Airport–home cities
Transfer to Xining Airport–home cities
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefWhere we stay
Specific hotels and any accommodation arrangements not listed here are pending confirmation with the operator.
Getting there
The services below are the tour leader's reference travel options. They are neither mandatory for participants nor confirmed group transport arrangements. Participants may choose suitable services that fit the meeting and departure times. [Departing Guangzhou] Outbound: September 10: Guangzhou–Xining CZ3249/07:00/10:15 Return: September 20: Xining–Guangzhou CZ3250/11:05/14:25 [Departing Shenzhen] Outbound: September 10: Shenzhen–Xining ZH9235/07:25/10:50 Return: September 20: Xining–Shenzhen ZH9236/11:40/15:10 Before booking transport, please confirm the departure and travel arrangements through this website.
04 / A CLEAR PICTURE
Know what is included.
Platform service fee to be confirmed
Included
Photography instruction and services throughout the trip.
Before the course: The logistics team books hotels in advance and organizes and plans the itinerary, giving everyone an overall understanding of the trip's photography;
During the course: on-location guidance from the instructor to help participants achieve their photographs;
During the course: a series of themed post-processing sessions integrating theory and practice;
After the course: participants share and review their photographs, learn from one another and develop work they are happy with.
Not included
Round-trip transport between your departure city and the destination;
Local vehicle expenses throughout the trip;
Accommodation throughout the trip;
Meals during the itinerary;
Insurance for the entire journey;
Admission tickets listed in the itinerary;
Personal expenses;
Attractions or activities added outside the itinerary.
Service fees, supplements, taxes and the final total are subject to written confirmation.
05 / BEFORE YOU GO
Clarity before departure.
Availability and registration
This website accepts expressions of interest in this trip and does not synchronize the operator's remaining places in real time. Please contact us to confirm group departure, availability, the final quotation and booking conditions.
Cancellation and breach provisions
Participants and the organizing team may give written notice before departure to terminate the trip agreement. If notice is given more than 7 days before departure, calculated as the difference in calendar days between departure and receipt of the termination notice, neither party is liable for breach provided no actual expenses have been incurred, such as flight or high-speed rail tickets booked with both parties' knowledge. For later termination, the party terminating the agreement bears liability for breach. [Liability of the organizing team] If we notify participants within 7 days of departure that the group cannot operate, we will refund all fees and pay compensation. For notice given 7 to 4 days before departure, including day 7, compensation is 10% of the total trip fee; for 3 to 1 days before departure, 15%; and on the departure date, 20%. [Participant liability] Participants cancelling within 7 to 4 days before departure, including day 7, must pay us a business-loss charge under the following schedule: 50% of the total trip fee for cancellation 7 to 4 days before departure; 60% for 3 to 1 days before departure; and 80% on the departure date. If these percentages do not cover our actual losses, the participant must compensate the actual losses, up to the total trip fee.
Trip information
[Registration] Registration for this trip is confirmed upon receipt of the deposit. [Transport] 1. Flights booked by the organizing team are economy-class group tickets. Once issued, they cannot be endorsed to another carrier or refunded. 2. Actual flight, driving and boat travel times on the day apply. 3. Airlines and flight schedules above are for reference only. Changes to flight times may require minor itinerary adjustments; the departure notice takes precedence. [Accommodation] Accommodation is based on 2 people sharing 1 room. We will try to pair solo participants with another participant of the same gender. Participants who do not wish to share, or cannot be matched, must pay the single supplement for a room of their own. [Group meals] We try to choose meals suited to Chinese tastes and ensure that every guest receives an adequate portion. [Photography] 1. Photography activities follow the itinerary. In exceptional circumstances, time spent photographing each location will depend on the actual conditions that day. 2. Please read this itinerary carefully and choose a photography trip suited to your circumstances. If you give up part of the itinerary for personal reasons, including health, or request to forgo accommodation or transport, this is considered voluntary withdrawal. expenses already incurred are non-refundable. You are responsible for your personal safety while not participating in the itinerary. 3. Participants may not leave the group without permission during group photography activities, except during free time. Leaving partway through the trip is considered a breach by the participant. Unused photography activities, meals, accommodation and vehicle services are non-refundable, and the organizing team is not responsible for accidents occurring while the participant is away from the group. 4. If force majeure events such as typhoons or blizzards prevent travel according to the agreed itinerary, additional or reduced expenses following changes will be settled according to the travel agency's actual group operating expenses. [Payment adjustments] the organizing team reserves the right to adjust the amount payable if major fluctuations in international oil benchmarks cause substantial increases in fuel surcharges. If the increase is within what we can absorb, the trip fee will not be adjusted. [Departure notice] 1. The departure notice will be sent no later than 1 day before departure. If arrangements are confirmed earlier, we will notify you as soon as possible. 2. If the online itinerary differs from the departure notice, the departure notice takes precedence. [Optional activities at your own expense] Under the Tourism Law provisions prohibiting travel agencies from organizing or arranging optional activities at additional expense, guests wishing to join such activities should contact the service provider themselves for information, payment details and participation. If language difficulties lead you to ask a guide or tour leader for additional assistance, any paid or unpaid help is provided solely in that person's individual capacity, not on behalf of the organizing team or the local receiving agency. the organizing team has no involvement in the expenses, transaction amounts or service standards of free-time activities; guests bear the outcomes themselves.
Shared expenses and service scope
Travel expenses are shared among participants, including meals, accommodation, vehicles, guides, staged photography and supplies. All participants contribute to the instructor's meals and accommodation whether or not they join those meals or overnight stays; The displayed amount covers photography instruction, service, and logistics planning for the trip, excluding the shared travel expenses above.
Fitness, equipment and conditions
Equipment and fitness requirements will be provided by the operator.
