Golmud is situated in the central-south of the Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and occupies an area of 124,500 square kilometers, or half the size of Britain. 27 square kilometers of which is considered urban area of the city proper, home to its 200,000 residents of the Han as well as the Mongolian, Hui and 23 other ethnic groups.
Golmud is a Mongolian word meaning "a place concentrated with rivers". Apart from a large number of lakes, there are 20 rivers running crisscross on the hinterland, with a gross of 2.385 hundred million cubic meters of water, a huge potential of hydropower. Water is also sufficient for humans, livestock as well as wild life.
Mt. Kunlun and Mt. Tanggula traverse the entire region with a large number of snow-capped mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes. Among the lakes, alkali flats, swamps, oasis and rolling dunes in the flat basin, Cha’erhan Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the world, with an area of 5,658 square kilometers, giving Golmud its nickname "Salt Lake City".

Attractions: the Mouth of Kunlun Mountain, Budong Spring on Nachi Terrace, Cha’erhan Salt Lake, Golmud Power Plant

The Mouth of Kunlun Mountain
Extending about 2,500 km and with an average elevation of 5,000 meters, the Kunlun Mountain range has, since the ancient times, been known as the “forefather of all mountains”.
The mouth of Kunlun Mountain, some 160 km south of Golmud city, is 4,767 meters above sea level, and is besieged by snow-covered peaks. A dozen years ago, there was only one highway - the Qinghai-Tibet Highway - zigzagging through the desolate area. Today, however, such an arid scene has made way for a thriving atmosphere, with steles erected to form a forest, dotted with sculptures and holy stones.  
Standing at the mountain mouth of the Kunlun, one can get a complete view of the Kunlun from its east to west. Looking far towards the east, the Yuxu Peak stands upright among its companion peaks. Not far from the Yuxu Peak in the icy world, the snow-covered Yuzhu Peak looks lofty and grand.

Budong Spring
Budong Spring, also known as Kunlun Spring and Crystal Spring on Nachi Terrace, lies in Ke Ke Xi Li area of Qinghai province, is located 94km southwest of Golmud City. With an altitude of 3540 meters, Budong Spring is under the climate of perennial frost and storm, the temperature of the water is low, however, it is the biggest ice-free spring in Mt. Kunlun of which fountain is a 24 years’ undercurrent containing plenty of healthful microelements and minerals.

Cha’erhan Salt Lake and Wanzhang Salt Bridge
There are more than 30 salt lakes in the Qaidam Basin, which literally means salt pond in Mongolian. The overall salt reserves exceed 100 billion tons. The biggest is the Cha'erhan Salt Lake, which occupies 5848 square kilometers. It is said to have a deposit of 50 billion tons of rock salt that can feed the people all over the world for 1000 years.
Cha'erhan Lake is about 60 kilometers south of Golmud. Due to the hot and dry weather conditions, the region's evaporation rate is 140 times more than its precipitation. As a result, salt from the lake's surface is gradually crystallized, having so far formed an extremely hard and heavy salt cover between 1-4 meters thick. The vast and flat geological conditions have contributed to the area's unique and spectacular landscape. The lake's surface looks like arable land that has just been ploughed. On a sunny day, the lake emits a light steam, resembling an ocean. A mirage can appear on some occasions, adding glamour to the natural wonder. The bridge looks like a normal asphalt road although it is much easier to repair: It only takes some water diluted with a large amount of salt to fill small holes or smooth out bumps.
Wanzhang Salt Bridge is actually part of dried Cha’erhan Salt Lake. The entire foundation of the highway at this section is laid on crystallized salt in the middle of the lake, the thickness of which varies from 2 to 20 meters. Wanzhang Salt Bridge is almost unbelievable for people and trucks to go across a 32,000-meter-long bridge made of salt.