Surface moisture, solutes and pollutants infiltrate into deep soil or groundwater in the form of preferential flow, which will lead to soil nutrient loss and groundwater pollution. Therefore, the soil preferential flow study may provide a theoretical basis for the process of moisture transport and salt accumulation in the desert oasis wetland in arid areas. In this paper, Tamarix chinensis, Saline-alkali grassland and Poplar forest were selected as the study area in desert oasis wetland, and path were taken as control. The characteristics of soil preferential flow and moisture infiltration were studied by outdoor dyeing tracer method. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the infiltration depth of the soil between different vegetation types. The tamarix chinensis and saline-alkaline grassland were almost twice as large as that of poplar forest and path. The staining area ratio fluctuated with the increase of depth. The staining area in 0-20 cm soil layer accounted for 54.42%-89.27% of the total staining area. The dyeing path width was mainly 20-250 mm and > 250 mm. The preferential flow types is dominated by highly interacted macropore flow and heterogeneous figure flow. In desert oasis wetland, gravel promoted the occurrence of soil preferential flow and increased lateral flow. At the same time, the decrease of coarse roots inhibited the occurrence of preferential flow. In addition, soil salinity affects the process of water infiltration by affecting the distribution of soil macropores. Therefore, the difference between soil preferential flow and water infiltration in desert oasis wetland is the result of soil texture, root distribution and salt segregation.