Red cliffs
Above the reservoir.
Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jonashtand — CC BY-SA 4.0
A mountain landscape of red sandstone carved by nature into Danxia peaks and pillars, rising above the Lijiaxia reservoir on the Yellow River in Jainca County, south of Xining, with forest on its slopes, bringing together red rock, green woods and blue water. Kanbula was Qinghai's first national geopark, and in April 2025 UNESCO added it to the Global Geoparks Network, the province's second after the Kunlun Mountains; the geopark covers more than 3,000 square kilometres. Visitors move between viewpoints on the park bus and take boat trips on the reservoir beneath the red cliffs, while small Tibetan villages dot the valleys. Entry costs about CNY 50, with the park bus and the boat trip about CNY 100 each, per visitor guides. Food inside the park is limited, so bring snacks.
Above the reservoir.
Among the rocks.
On the slopes.
Jainca County, Huangnan, Qinghai, more than 100 km by road south of Xining
A tour or a car with a driver is easiest, as the park lies more than 100 km by road south of Xining and public transport there is sparse, per visitor guides.
Choices inside the park are few, so bring food from Xining, where restaurants run by Hui Muslims under the halal sign are everywhere.