Sand Lake (Shahu) Scenic Resort

Fifty six kilometers from Yinchuan, near the Helan mountain, is the little oasis of Shahu set amid the sand dunes. The clumpy reed marshes that dot the clear waters of Shahu Lake are home to tens of thousands of birds and one of Ningxia’s most popular tourist attractions. If you love both the desert and the world of water, Sand Lake is an ideal choice. Sand Lake (Shahu) Scenic Resort is more than 80 square kilometers (about 31 square miles) in area, including 45 square kilometers (about 17 square miles) of lakes and over 22 square kilometers (about 8 square miles) of desert. This unique, natural scenery attracts millions of visitors from China and abroad.

Sand Lake is a paradise for birds in China. Every year during spring and autumn, over one million migratory birds stay at Sand Lake. Among them there are many rare species including white cranes, black cranes, red-crowned cranes, swans, wild ducks and mandarin ducks. At the same time, Sand Lake is also a good place for birdwatchers.

Sand Lake also has several species of fishes. Not just the common carp, silver carp, grass carp and crucian carp but also the blunt-snout bream, which is rarely found in North China. You can find giant salamanders here as well. Because of the abundance of fish, the reeds and the lotuses seem to be endless at Sand Lake.

Meanwhile, the resort also offers some on-land activities, the scariest one being the bungee-jump ride that straps you into a two-seater ball and catapults you way up into the sky within a fraction of the second. This one’s not for the faint-hearted. While riding the motorboats, the breeze in your face and the scenery rushing by will give you an exhilarating feeling. The blue sky, green lake water, yellow sand dunes, green reeds, lotus and beautiful birds create a pure and peaceful picture of nature.

Besides natural beauty, Sand Lake also offers you more than thirty recreational opportunities. Some are only for the adventurous but less strenuous activities are also available, such as water-motorcycling, wind surfing, and sliding down the dunes.

For more information, please visit www.top-chinatour.com