Maduo Travel Guide

Basic information Telephone area code: 0975 Travel complaint: 0975-8345816 Time difference: -1 hour Travel tips The average altitude of Maduo County is above 4,200 meters. Travelers who have just entered are easy to have altitude sickness and hypoxia. There are […]

Basic information

Telephone area code: 0975
Travel complaint: 0975-8345816
Time difference: -1 hour

Travel tips

The average altitude of Maduo County is above 4,200 meters. Travelers who have just entered are easy to have altitude sickness and hypoxia.

There are many Tibetans in Qinghai who live in the area and pay attention to respecting local religious and cultural habits.

Medical treatment

Maduo County People’s Hospital, Qinghai Province
Address: 1 East Street, Maduo County
Tel: 0975-8345043

Destination overview

Destination sketch

Maduo is a town high on the Tibetan Plateau. It is primarily Tibetan but rapid development is bringing many tourists and changes. Maduo means the begining of yellow river.

Beliefs and taboos

Tibetans make up nearly ninety-one percent of the total population of Guoluo Prefecture, a pastoral area with strong Tibetan flavor.

Best travel season

The place enjoys a continental plateau climate, characterized by high altitude, cold weather, thin air, strong ultraviolet radiation and great temperature variation between day and night. It only has obvious cold and warm seasons. The cold season of Guoluo weather begins from October with Starting in June, the warm season lasts only three or four months, during which the weather is moderate with the warmest average monthly being being 9°C (48.2°F) The warm season (June to October) is the most favorable period to visit Guoluo, weather-wise. Tourists who love mountain climbing should go to holy Mt. Anyemaqen during late April to June or September to October.

Consumption level

Although Maduo is a small county, tourism consumption is not low. The price of the accommodation is about 200-300 yuan per night for a room. The ticket for the two lakes and one monument is 80 yuan. In general, the daily cost of Maduo should be between 350-450 yuan.

Practical information

Maduo County Tourism Bureau
Address: No. 18 West Street, Maduo County, Qinghai Province
Phone: 0975-8345816
Www.hhyly.cn

Maduo County Post Office
Address: 19 South Street

Maduo County Post Office Huashixia Agency Point
Address: Near 214 National Road

Intercity traffic

Aircraft

Xining Caojiapu Airport,XNN
Address: Within the territory of Gaozhai Township, Huzhu County
How to get there: Take the airport bus from Xining Airport to the city, then transfer to a long-distance bus or charter to Mado.
Phone: 0971-8133333
Www.qhaport.com

Batang Yushu Airport, YUS
Address: Shangbatang Village, Batang Township, Yushu County, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province
Arrival method: From Yushu Batang Airport to the urban area, then transfer to a long-distance bus or chartered bus to Maduo

Train

Xining Railway Station
Address: Jianguo Road, Chengdong District
Arrival method: Bus 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 16, 20, 27, 28, 31, etc.
Train Station Information Office: 0971-7192222
Xining Railway Switchboard: 0971-7191114
Railway station ticket office: 0971-7192262

Long-distance bus

Maduo Bus Station
Address: 50 South Street

Car rental

Travelers can charter from Xining or Maduo County to various attractions. The price of chartered cars depends on the model, usually between 500-700 yuan.

Attractions

The source of the yellow River

The lakes are now or are being turned into a national park with the intent to develop tourism in the area. There are two lakes about 50 km north of town that can be visited. The lakes are sacred to the Tibetans. Near the lakes there are Ruins and a temple. There is no rafting on the lakes.

To get to the “source” of the Yellow River Park you can hire a private car to take you about ~40 km up a road that locals warn is “very dangerous”. Many hotels and shops will have a card with a number on it To call to hire the driver. Just ask the front desk. The cost usually quoted is ¥900-1,000. This may be out of the backpackers budget, so an alternative would be to hitchhike or trek to the lakes. It may be a nice Trek to hike up the Tibetan plateau along the bank of the Yellow River and spend a night or two camping at the lakes. Not sure on the legality of this but the police station in town is very friendly and may be able to help. Estimate a 4 – 5 night trek.

Star sea

Near the Maduo County, large and small lakes gather together to form the star sea.
Address: Southwest of Maduo County
Arrival method: can be driven by car or chartered

Gyaring Lake

It is a large freshwater lake in the Yellow River catchment in China, it is in the southeast of Qinghai Province. The name of lake means “Long Grey Lake” in Tibetan language. Gyaring Lake is 526 km2, with a drainage area of 8161 km2 , an elevation of 4292 m, length 35 km and mean width 15 km (max 21.6 m)
Address: Maduo County, Guoluo Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (about 20 kilometers from Niutou Monument)
Arrival method: by car or chartered

Ngoring Lake

Is a large freshwater lake in the Yellow River catchment, it is in the southeast of Qinghai Province. The name of lake means “Long Blue Lake” in Tibetan language. Ngoring Lake is 610.7 km 2, with a drainage area of 18,188 km 2, An elevation of 4268 m, length 32.3 km and mean width 18.9 km (max 31.6 m).
Address: Sister Lake, the source of the Yellow River, Maduo County, Guoluo Prefecture
Arrival method: chartered from Maduo County to about 700 yuan, although the road is repaired, but the local driver generally has a higher price.
Tickets: 80 yuan

Bayan Har Mountains

It is formerly known as the Bayen-káras, are a mountain range in Qinghai Province, China. It can be viewed as one of the branches of the Kunlun Mountains. It separates the drainage areas of the Yellow River and the Yangtze rivers. The source Of the Yellow River is in the basin of Yueguzonglie, which is located in the northern part of the range.
Address: Bayan Kala Mountain, Guoluo, Qinghai Province
Arrival method: The bus from Maduo County to Yushu can pass, and the bus from Xining to Yushu passes. You can also drive by car or chartered.

Donggeicuona lake

The Dongeicuona lake is also known as the Black Sea. It is located in the northwest of Huashixia in Maduo County. It is 4117 meters above sea level. The lake is 45 kilometers long from east to west, 10 kilometers wide from north to south, with an area of 253 square kilometers. The average water depth is 10 meters and the water storage capacity is 12.93 billion cubic meters. . The lake is dark blue and is a freshwater lake.
Address: Northeastern County, Maduo County
Arrival method: can be driven by car or chartered

Itinerary

Day trip to the source of the Yellow River
The First Bridge of the Yellow River -Ngoring Lake-  Niutou Monument – Tu Ri Zha Tekoka Temple – Star Sea

Food

Qinghai momo

Accommodation

There are not many hotels in Mado, and the conditions are generally not very good. In addition to star hotels, there are many family hotels. It should be noted that some hotels do not have a separate bathroom in the room, so travelers with higher requirements should choose accommodation carefully. The price of Maduo is more expensive, and the price of a room is around 200-300 yuan.

Shopping

Tibetan herbs, such as Chinese caterpillar fungus; Ginseng Fruit (Potentilla anserina), Chang, Yak jerky, crab apples, black lamb skins