Self-driving Tour of Southern and Northern Xinjiang (19): Nalati, the "Aerial Grassland"

Self-driving Tour of Southern and Northern Xinjiang (19): Nalati, the "Aerial Grassland" Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture - Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture June 12, 2023 Weather: Sunny to cloudy, 29-18 degrees Celsius. June is the best time to see the grasslands of Xinjiang, and the best grasslands in Xinjiang are in Ili. We set off from Bayingolin in the morning, taking National Highway 218 to Nalati. The scenery along the way was beautiful, but we also encountered washboard roads and temporary road closures due to construction. The 160 km journey took nearly 5 hours, and we arrived in Nalati Town after 2 pm. The sun was scorching. After a short rest at the hotel, we set off for the Nalati Scenic Area at 3 pm. We knew in advance that we could enter with our car if we purchased tickets, so we made reservations beforehand. Nalati Scenic Area (5A), located in Xinyuan County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, is one of the four largest alpine valley grasslands in the world. It is also where the Kazakh ethnic group is most concentrated. The area boasts glaciers, snow-capped peaks, forests, grasslands, canyons, and rivers. Nalati has been a famous pasture since ancient times, with its crisscrossing rivers, flat valleys, towering peaks, and dense forests complementing each other. The Nalati Scenic Area is divided into two parts: the "Aerial Grassland" and the "River Valley Grassland." As the name suggests, the Aerial Grassland is a high-altitude meadow at an altitude of about 2,000 meters. The round trip by car is 45 km. The River Valley Grassland is at the same altitude as the ground level. The scenery is slightly less impressive than the Aerial Grassland, but there are more horses, cattle, and sheep. The round trip by car is 36 km. We visited both, starting with the higher altitude one, and it was worth the trip. The Nalati Grassland is beautiful in June, with lush greenery and various wildflowers blooming across the hills and slopes. Horses, cattle, and sheep graze leisurely on the beautiful grassland, full of life and vitality. This created a stark contrast to the earthy yellow and desolate landscape of the deserts and Gobi we saw earlier. Our decision to drive through southern Xinjiang before northern Xinjiang was partly due to climate considerations and partly due to this contrast. We left the scenic area at 8 pm and checked into our homestay. We plan to see a few more famous grasslands in Ili over the next two days. (9 photos shared)