Reading guide: This is a 100-day self-driving tour of China D54 days, travel route: Yining City - Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture and Gongnaisi Town, Jing County, itinerary: 338 kilometers. From Xinyuan Nalati to Bayinbrook when take the Duku Highway, that is, National Highway 217, but before the road was closed, we could only detour to National Highway 218, and experienced the grassland forest of Gongnaisi Forest Farm, all the way picturesque, worthy of the trip.At the beginning of July, we rested for a week in Yili, and according to the plan of the self-drive tour around China, it was time to set off in the direction of Qinghai, and today's destination is Gongnaisi Town, Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture and Jing County.
Starting from Yining city on a short section of high-speed, after the madunzha transfer to 218 National Highway, two hours of travel to Xinyuan County, the lavender on the side of the road is in full bloom, filled with a faint fragrance. After lunch in Xinyuan County, along National Highway 578, walk through the town of Azheletobe, and take the Nalati Scenic Area.
Known as the "Pearl of the Grassland", Xinyuan County belongs to the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, located at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains in the northwest of Xinjiang and the eastern end of the Ili River Valley.
The 258-kilometer-long Gongnaisi River flows through the whole territory of Xinyuan County, feeding more than 300,000 sons and daughters of Xinyuan, nourishing 1,800 square kilometers of Nalati grassland.
From June to September every year, the Nalati Tourist Scenic Area is green, wildflowers are in full bloom, river valleys, mountain peaks, deep gorges, and forests reflect each other, and the beautiful grassland scenery is combined with the local Kazakh folk customs to form a beautiful scenery.
The Nalati grassland is rich in layers and mountains, the scenery is intoxicating, the tour is divided into three routes: river valley grassland, aerial grassland and Panlong Valley, tourists can take the scenic car at the entrance of the scenic spot, or choose to enter by car.
In particular, the aerial grassland is the most ornamental, the terrain is undulating, the lines are soft and delicate, the snow-capped mountains in the distance are towering, and the green grass is like grass nearby, no matter whether it is sunny or cloudy, the beauty here is fascinating.
In June 2021, the southern section of the Duku Highway - Kuqa to Xinyuan Nalati Road was officially opened to traffic, and when we went before, the G217 to Bayinbrook section of the Nalati section was still closed, so we could only continue to take National Highway 218 and then turn to Provincial Highway 321 to detour, towards Kuqa.
Along the National Highway 218, sandwiched between the canyons, the more steep the mountain becomes, the winding mountain road twists and turns, and the curved slopes are lush with trees, and the beautiful spruce trees seem to welcome us.
Inadvertently, we have entered the edge of Gongnaisi Forest Park in Hejing County, Bayingolin Prefecture, Gongnaisi is the Mongolian "green valley" meaning, here is in the upper reaches of the Gongnaisi River, due to the Ili River valley warm and humid air flow moistened, the forest is dense and green, the sea of flowers is staggered, quiet and poetic, this is the most beautiful section of the scenery of the Duku Highway bypass.
Gongnaisi, the township in this alpine valley is both a forest farm and a pasture, the two slopes are mixed forests of fir, birch and pine, the water of the Gongnaisi River is green and clear, it flows violently from east to west, flows into the Ili River at the confluence of the Kashgar River and the Turks River, flows west to the Khorgos River into Kazakhstan, and flows into Lake Balkhash in Central Asia.
The grass on both sides of the river, herds of cattle and sheep, and white yurts are scattered on the grass, and the large fields of wildflowers are really exciting!Along the way, we saw a lot of vehicles parked by the river, and we couldn't help but stop and take a closer look!
It is inhabited by the most primitive Kazakh herdsmen, who have lived by the water for generations, and are busy with the seasons, grazing cattle and sheep by water and grass.
On the banks of the Gongnaisi River, we chased the waves, admired the wranglers at sunset, talked with the Kazakh herdsmen at close range, ran happily with the cattle and sheep, and did not check in until half past nine in the evening when we checked into a hotel in Gongnaisi town that the children had booked for us, and there were many yurts for tourists to experience along the way.
Although there are no high-rise buildings here, the courtyard is full of green grass and flowers, and it is full of tourists.
Gongnaisi Town is located in the mountain valleys and hills, with an average altitude of 1997 meters, the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, the summer night seems very cold, even the tap water is bitterly cold, is it because the surrounding towering Tianshan Mountains block the dry heat from the Taklamakan Desert and the flames from the Turpan Basin Flame Mountain?
From the Free Genuine Network**.
At more than eleven o'clock in the evening, we came outside to enjoy the starry sky of Gong Naisi, got up at low temperature, surrounded by a layer of cool mist, looking up at the night sky, the moonlight was bright, the stars were shining, the sky was full of stars, dense, as if blinking, Gong Naisi's night was very quiet.
The next morning, just after dawn, we climbed a mountain by the river called the "Cloud Ladder" to enjoy this beautiful picture of the valley in the morning.
The sun has risen, and the clouds have dispersed in the beautiful valley of the Gongnaisi River. The morning light seems to wake up the whole forest farm, climb high and look far away, the beautiful forest scenery of Gongnaisi Forest Farm is in full view, and as far as the eye can see, this picture scroll intertwined with dark green, turquoise and tender green does not look monotonous at all.
To be continued-