Kalajun Grassland 喀拉峻

About Kalajun Grassland

The county page places the area on the northern slopes of the Biyike mountain and gives its extent as running east to Akebulake (also called White Spring), west to the Kuoksu river valley, south to the central Tianshan snow peaks and north to Kafusalang village. It records that the area is made up of five scenic zones — the Kuoksu Grand Canyon, West Kalajun, East Kalajun, the central Tianshan snow peaks and Tianlai Forest — covering a total of 2,848 square kilometres. It records that Kalajun was inscribed as part of the "Xinjiang Tianshan" world natural heritage in 2013 and was rated a national AAAAA-level tourist attraction by the National Tourism Administration in October 2016, and that a company named Xinjiang Kalajun Investment Co. Ltd invests in, builds and develops the area.

The county page describes the heritage area as covering 53,816 hectares with a 28,566-hectare buffer, between 1,820 m and 3,910 m, with gentle ground in the north and great river-cut gorges in the south, and records that it is made up of snow mountains and glaciers, rivers and lakes, alpine forest, five-flower meadow, piebald forest, planation-surface forest and grassland, gorges and wildlife. It records that the grassland carries 104 species of natural quality pasture grass and is a typical "alpine five-flower natural meadow", and that the area is one of the two zones the county has developed for visitors, the other being the Kuoksu canyon. It records that the Kuoksu canyon zone is linked to the Kalajun grassland zone by a reciprocating cable car, forming a touring loop.

What to look for

• The five scenic zones the county page names: the Kuoksu Grand Canyon, West Kalajun, East Kalajun, the central Tianshan snow peaks and Tianlai Forest.
• The Kalajun grassland zone, where the county page lists Shiquan–Camel Post, the Wusun Summer Capital, the World Heritage Exhibition Centre, Xianhua Terrace and Lieying Terrace among the sights.
• The five-flower meadow, which the county page records as blooming in spring and summer, and the 104 species of natural quality pasture grass it says the grassland carries.
• The world heritage area itself — 53,816 hectares with a 28,566-hectare buffer, between 1,820 m and 3,910 m, with snow mountains and glaciers, rivers and lakes, alpine forest and gorges among its components.
• The reciprocating cable car that the county page records links the Kuoksu canyon zone to the Kalajun grassland zone.

Location & getting there

Getting to Kalajun Grassland

Confirm the road and activity operator, weather and return transport. Stay on permitted routes and do not treat open land as unrestricted access.

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