The Nalati Prairie offers breathtaking scenery at the border of Xinjiang. This vast expanse prairie in the spring offers an ocean of freshness away from the desert. The nomads also settle here and their traditional yurts blend perfectly into the landscape of the Mongolian steppes.
At the borders of Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, Nalati grassland is one of the highest prairies in China and also one of the four largest grasslands in the world. extending over 2000 kilometers long, it offers breathtaking scenery. This pastoral valley is usually inhabited by nomadic Kazakhs half of the year. In this floral carpet, graze sheep and cattle nomads while some are busy training falcons to be used later for hunting. Their camps still arranged as traditional yurts blends perfectly into the lush landscape where rivers meander Nalati amid temporary dwellings. In winter, the prairie is buried under snow, but in the spring, it is viewed as an enchanting landscape. The nomads then offer excursions on horseback in the middle of its immense steppes.
Nalati Scenic Area is famous for its subalpine meadow landscape. It is situated on the northern side of Nalati Mountain. The grasslands were formed by floods during the Tertiary Period and are surrounded by spectacular valleys, towering mountains, gorges, and forest. During the high season, tourists come here for the pleasant summer climate and beautiful green meadows. June is the best time to visit, when farmers bring their livestock and visitors can experience local life.
Transportation
1. From Urumqi Nianzigou Long-distance Bus Station, there are three buses to reach Xinyuan County in about 11 hours. The buses depart at 17:00, 19:00 and 21:00 and arrive the next morning. From Xinyuan to Nalati, frequent buses can be found from 09:00 to 21:00 and the bus takes about 40 minutes to reach the grassland.
2. Or visitors can reach Yining city from Urumqi Nianzigou Long-distance Bus Station first. The buses for Yining, operating from 09:00 to 21:00, runs seven to eight hours on the road. Upon reaching Yining, one can take buses, costing about 2.5 to 3 hours, to Xinyuan County from 09:00 to 21:00. Then you can take buses in Xinyuan for Nalati in about an hour.
3. Besides bus journey, flight is another better choice. One can fly to reach Yining first from Urumqi or reach Nalati airport directly from Urumqi. Flights from Urumqi to Yining are available everyday. From Urumqi to Nalati, the flights can be found on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday all the year around and during the peak season (from around June to early October), flights are available everyday.
Nomandic Life on the Prairie Local Ceremony
Travel Tips
1. The temperature difference is large, so that a long sleeved coat and trousers are necessary during the visiting.
2. It is suggested to prepare several bottles of water if you are first to there. The local water is saline-alkaline water, so visitors may be hard to get accustomed to it.
3. A flashlight is advised to prepare at night, because it is hard for you to tell the directions in the evening.
4. Sun cream, sun umbrellas or hats are necessary of the local strong ultraviolet rays.
5. The safety needs to be paid more attention, because one may easily get lost if you drive or ride a horse out of designated areas.
6. It is hard for visitors to find the starred hotel at the grassland, but the condition of some local good hotels or resort is comparatively well. The price for these hotels or villas is around CNY100 to 300 depending on various environments. Those who want to reduce the cost can live in Youth Hostel and two international youth hostels can be found there, Nalati International Youth Hostel and Nalati Gutuoling International Hostel.
