A hundred kilometres east of Golmud the desert opens out onto an immense salt pan, white to the horizon. Qarhan is best seen by driving the G3011 toward Da Qaidam, where the road crosses thirty kilometres of unbroken salt. Pull over at any of the maintenance laybys to walk on it.
There is a small visitor centre and an "ten-thousand zhang salt bridge" tourist area at the eastern end of the lake, run by the potash company, with mock saltboats and viewing platforms. It is touristy and avoidable; the real spectacle is the empty road itself, the railway running parallel on its own causeway, and the bright sky reflected off white salt at midday.