Park of China
Overview
| Designation | AAAAA tourist attraction (2007, “Sand Lake Tourist Area”) |
| Province | Ningxia |
| Location | Pingluo County, Shizuishan, Ningxia; north of Yinchuan, between the Helan Mountains and the Yellow River |
| Latitude, longitude | 38.81, 106.35 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Lake, sand dunes, reed beds, birds |
| Top sights | The reed beds, the dunes on the south shore |
| Nearby cities | Yinchuan |
| Nearby sites | Western Xia Imperial Tombs 52km, Xumishan Grottoes 284km, Mount Kongtong 363km, Badain Jaran Desert - Towers of Sand and Lakes 369km Search nearby |
| Themes | Lake, Desert, Sand Dune, Wetland, Bird, Rafting & boat trips |
About
Sand Lake lies in the north of the Yinchuan Plain in Ningxia. Sand dunes line its south shore and large reed beds grow in the water, so lake, dunes and reeds are seen together. Water birds nest in the reeds.
Travel tips
Getting there: about an hour by car or bus from Yinchuan; the Beijing–Lhasa Expressway has a Shahu exit.
What to do: take a boat through the reed beds to the dunes on the south shore, where you can ride a camel or slide down the sand.
Season: May to October; the reeds are thickest in summer, and the lake freezes in winter.
Time: half a day to a day.
Where to stay: most visitors stay in Yinchuan.
Stamps
In 2016 China Post issued the definitive series R32 “Beautiful China (II)”, four stamps: the Snow Village (Mudanjiang), Wanfenglin (Xingyi), Sand Lake (Shizuishan) and Xixi Wetland (Hangzhou).
Map
Photo credits: Boat among the reeds of Sand Lake, with sand in the distance: Liuxingy (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons)
Nearby
| World Heritage | Western Xia Imperial Tombs 52km |
| AAAAA attractions | Zhenbeibu Western Film Studio 33km, Lingwu Shuidonggou Tourist Area 58km, Yellow River Grand Canyon Tourist Area 109km, Shapotou 191km |
| AAAA attractions | Helan Mountain Rock Carvings 30km, Huangsha Ancient Ferry 33km, Miaomiao Lake 37km, Fuyin Temple (North Temple) 45km |
| UNESCO Global Geoparks | Alxa Desert UNESCO Global Geopark 166km |
| Historic cities | Yinchuan 39km |
| Cities | Yinchuan 35km |
| Historical sites | Tianzhou Pagoda 13km, Pingluo Yuhuang Pavilion 20km, Hongfo Pagoda 27km |
| National geoparks | Lingwu National Geopark 94km |
| Nature reserves | Helanshan National Nature Reserve 35km, Haba Lake National Nature Reserve 136km, West Ordos National Nature Reserve 144km |