The water was cool, but not too cold. It didn't take too long to get accustomed to it and begin to launch out into the current for a brisk swim. The Tao River begins in the eastern Qinghai (far southeast of Xining) county of Henan (河南蒙古族自治县), which is home to a large Mongolian population.
From there, the river flows directly into Luqu County in southwestern Gansu Province, which is where we took our swim. There are only a couple small Tibetan communities located up-river from this location, so the water is very clear and clean. The grassy riverbank provides an awesome place to lay out in the sun and dry off or warm up after a swim.
To get to this particular location, which is the best we found, you can come from either of two directions:
First, you can hire a taxi from Xiahe to the town of Kecai (科才), and then have the taxi continue another 15 km past town to where you see the valley open up and the large, blue river flowing on the right side of the highway. You have arrived. A round-trip in a taxi (with a few hours to swim) will cost you at least 150 RMB up to 250 RMB, depending on how long you stay. The distance from Xiahe to the river is just over 100 km.
Second, you can take a bus to Luqu (碌曲) from Langmusi, Hezuo, Linxia, or Xiahe. From Luqu, hire a taxi or even a tractor to take you up the road heading to Kecai. The distance from Luqu is only about 15 km to the part of the river where you can enjoy a great swim. This would be a much cheaper way to go.
If you wanted, you could even take a swim in the river as it flows just next to Luqu. The scenery is not as gorgeous, and you might have an audience watching you, but you can walk there from town.
(NOTICE: This trip is not recommended at this time! Both Xiahe and Luqu are currently closed for tourists. I am posting this article primarily to wet your appetite for next summer!)
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