Best Time To Visit

Qinghai belongs to a climate that is characterized by fairly warm summers and freezing winters. Days in spring and autumn, albeit not so cold, are frequently dominated by strong winds that make hiking and camping a hardy pursuit. Throughout the year, especially upon the Tibetan-Qinghai Plateau, nights are always cold, making warm weather gear an essential packing item. The province is probably best visited in summer, when not only is this the time when the climate is most hospitable but also it is when the road to Tibet, via Golmud, is open.

The climates of the province's three main attractions, the capital Xining, the cold, salty Qinghai Lake and the remote outpost Golmud, are all fairly similar, although Xining is a little less inhospitable, located as it is upon the edge of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.

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