Delingha & Keluke Lake Complete Guide: The Gobi Oasis in Haizi's Poetry

Delingha & Keluke Lake Complete Guide: The Gobi Oasis in Haizi's Poetry

"Sister, tonight I am in Delingha, shrouded in night. Sister, tonight I have only the Gobi."

In 1988, Chinese poet Haizi wrote these words while passing through Delingha on a train. At the time, Delingha was just an obscure station stop on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway—platforms made of dirt, barely a dot on the map. That poem transformed this small Gobi town into a literary symbol. Every year, young people ride trains for dozens of hours just to pin handwritten poems on the wall of the Haizi Poetry Memorial.

But Delingha is more than Haizi. About 50 kilometers northwest, hidden deep in the Qaidam Basin, lies one of the most remarkable natural phenomena in China—Keluke Lake and Tosu Lake. One is freshwater, rippling with reeds and teeming with migratory birds. The other is saline, its shores a white crust of salt. The two lakes sit just 5 kilometers apart, connected by a single narrow stream. A freshwater lake and a saltwater lake joined by a river—this hydrological rarity is almost unheard of anywhere else on Earth.

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🌊 Keluke Lake (Freshwater): Jiangnan in the Heart of the Gobi

Drive west from downtown Delingha along the Dexiao Expressway for about 40 kilometers. On both sides, an endless Gobi desert—gravel, scree, scattered camel thorn shrubs. After half an hour, a patch of green appears on the horizon. It's not a mirage. It's Keluke Lake.

Keluke Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the Qaidam Basin, covering about 57 square kilometers. In a desert where annual rainfall barely reaches 200 millimeters, the lake's very existence is a miracle. Its water comes from the Bayin Gol River, fed by glacial melt from the Qilian Mountains. The shoreline is thick with reeds taller than a person. In summer, migratory birds flock here—bar-headed geese, ruddy shelducks, and black-necked cranes.

Lakeside Experience:

• Boardwalk: Stretches about 300 meters from the entrance to the water's edge, flanked by reeds taller than you. When the wind blows through, they rustle like ocean waves in the middle of the Gobi
• Bird Observatory: At the boardwalk's end, equipped with free binoculars. In July-August, you can spot black-necked cranes foraging with their chicks in the shallows
• Boat Ride: 30 RMB per person, about 30 minutes to circle the lake center. Looking back from the boat—emerald water, golden reeds, distant snow-capped Qilian peaks—three colors in perfect layers

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🏜️ Tosu Lake (Saltwater): Alien Ruins and White Salt Flats

From Keluke Lake, follow the dirt road about 5 kilometers southwest to reach Tosu Lake. Though only a narrow stream separates them, these two lakes couldn't be more different—Keluke is green vitality, Tosu is white desolation.

Tosu is a hypersaline lake. Its shores are pure white salt-alkali flats stretching toward the horizon. On the southern shore is a triangular rock cave the locals call the "Alien Ruins." Embedded in the rock walls are several rust-colored iron pipes. Testing revealed 8% unknown elements in the metal composition. Some say it's a prehistoric relic; others say it's a natural formation. Whatever the truth, stumbling upon this in the middle of the Gobi feels uncanny.

⚠️ Tosu Lake is completely undeveloped—no boardwalks, no restrooms, no shops. If driving yourself, stick to existing tire tracks. The Gobi looks identical in every direction; getting lost is frighteningly easy.

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📖 Haizi Poetry Memorial: The Literary Soul of a City

Back in downtown Delingha, the Haizi Poetry Memorial on the banks of the Bayin River deserves a dedicated visit.

Address: Bayin River East Road, Delingha (riverside) Admission: Free Hours: 9:00-17:00 (closed Mondays)

The museum displays Haizi's biography, photographs, manuscript copies, and a facsimile of the original "Diary" poem he wrote on July 25, 1988, while passing through Delingha. But none of these are what hits you hardest.

What hits you is the wall—an entire wall covered with poems written to Haizi by young people from across China. Some are written on pages torn from Haizi's own poetry collections. Some on the backs of train tickets. Some on hotel notepads. People have traveled for days by train just to pin a poem on this wall. This kind of pure, uncommercialized literary spirit is something you won't find in any tourist attraction.

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🗺️ Delingha 2-Day In-Depth Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival + City Exploration

Day 2: Keluke Lake + Tosu Lake Day Trip

💡 If you're doing the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop: Delingha is the perfect midpoint between Dachaidan and Chaka. See Emerald Lake in the morning at Dachaidan, drive to Delingha by noon, visit Keluke Lake in the afternoon, stay overnight in Delingha, head to Chaka the next morning. No rush, perfect pacing.

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🚗 Transportation

Delingha has both a train station and an airport (limited flights). The city is compact; taxis start at 6 RMB and can take you anywhere. To reach Keluke Lake, you'll need to drive yourself or hire a car (round-trip ~200-300 RMB from the city).

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🏨 Accommodation

Book 2-3 days ahead during peak season (July-August). Delingha has limited hotel inventory.

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⚠️ Important Tips

1. Altitude: City center 2,980m, Keluke Lake ~2,800m. About 700m higher than Xining—you might feel slightly breathless at first. Half a day of acclimatization helps
2. Sun Protection: UV in the Gobi is brutal. SPF50+ sunscreen reapplied every 2 hours
3. Wind: Gobi winds arrive without warning. Bring a windbreaker, even in summer
4. Supplies: Buy water and snacks in town before heading to the lakes. Zero shops at the lakeside
5. Mosquitoes: Keluke Lake has aggressive mosquitoes in abundance. Bring repellent
6. Tosu Road: Last 5km is unpaved. Sedans can manage if driven slowly. Don't go after rain—dirt turns to mud

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💬 What Our Travelers Say

"I sat by Keluke Lake for an entire afternoon. The Gobi wind rustling through the reeds, the distant snow peaks shimmering in the heat haze, waterbirds flying across the lake's surface. The contrast is overwhelming—one moment you're surrounded by endless yellow sand, the next there's this vast expanse of emerald green. I posted a photo and friends asked if it was Photoshopped." — Alan, Xi'an ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"I pinned a poem I wrote on the wall at the Haizi Memorial. Before coming, I thought it would feel cheesy. But when you're standing in front of that wall covered with hundreds of handwritten poems, not leaving one feels like the strange choice. Delingha is that kind of place—it makes you want to write something in the middle of the Gobi." — Xiao Wang, Chengdu ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Delingha Isn't a "Pass-Through"—It's a Reason to Stop in the Gobi

Too many people doing the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop treat Delingha as nothing more than a gas stop. They don't know this small Gobi city holds Haizi's poetry, a green oasis deep in the desert, a freshwater-saltwater twin lake system, and an entire wall of handwritten poems by the Bayin River.

Give Delingha one day. Not to check a box—but to find a reason to be still in the middle of the Gobi.

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Last updated: July 2026 Author: RoamFun Senior Travel Consultant Questions? Contact: vip@roamfun.com