Qinghai Lake, Qinghai

Located in the northeast of Qinghai Province, Qinghai Lake is a unique upland lake which is perfect for a cycling trip, with its landscape consisting of yellow rape flowers, white snow mountains and Tibetan customs.

Many Chinese tourists like to ride along the lake in spring and bicycle clubs can often be seen in Xihai Township next to the lake.

An ideal route is to ride from Xihai to Hudong, Heima River, Quanji, Niaodao, Gangcha and return to Xihai. The total length is about 360 kilometers and can be finished in about four days. You can also stop at Niaodao Island to have a short trip.

It is not very difficult to ride, but riders, particularly those with heart disease and high blood pressure, are encouraged to take a rest when tired.

Bicycle repair workshops can be found easily and delicious Tibetan food is served at many small restaurants run by locals.

Transport: Fly to Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, from Shenzhen airport via Xi’an, capital of Shaanxi Province and take a coach to the lake.

Sayram Lake, Xinjiang

Sayram Lake, located in the Bortala Prefecture near Tianshan Mountain in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, is another upland lake which is ideal for a spring ride.

It is the largest alpine lake and also the highest in Xinjiang and is known as the “clean sea in the west” by locals. “Sayram” means “blessing.”

When riding along Sayram Lake, you can behold vast grassland with tents, cows and sheep.

The round-the-lake ride is about 90 kilometers and there are numerous small hostels and restaurants along the lake. The route is very suitable for a relaxing ride and necessary medicines are needed to avoid illness.

However, there are no cycling facilities around the lake, so you should prepare your bike and repairing equipment when you are in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang.

Sayram Lake is 650km from Urumqi. A bus ride may take around 12 hours.

Transport: Fly to Urumqi from Shenzhen airport and take a long-distance coach to the lake.

Hainan

Hainan Province may be the best province for cyclists in China as most of its land is conducive to cycling.

Besides perfect cycling tracks, there are sandy beaches with coconut trees and a salty breeze.

There are also tourism attractions such as Lingshui, Bo’ao, Xinglong, Sanya and Wuzhi Mountain.

It takes about eight days to ride across the island.

If that is too daunting, a trip across the east of the province from Haikou to Sanya via Wenchang, Qionghai and Lingshui is also a good choice.

Dragon Tower in Wenchang, the spa in Xinglong and Monkey Island in Lingshui are must-go places. The west route from Haikou to Sanya is more quiet with fewer cars and tourists.

Bikes can be rented easily in Haikou and measures have to be taken to avoid sunburn.

Transportation: Fly to Haikou, capital of Hainan Province, from Shenzhen airport.

(Wang Yuanyuan)