Xinjiang's Nalati, two days of ever-changing beauty 💙

Since we didn't get good weather at Kalajun, Nalati became my husband's greatest expectation 😚

On the first day, we rushed to the visitor center to buy a 48-hour self-driving ticket: 200 RMB per person. Purchasing tickets during the off-season was smooth, but if it's peak season, I recommend starting to grab tickets 7 days in advance. Today's mission was the Cloud Pasture route - distant snow-capped mountains 🏔️, nearby grasslands and flowers 💐, blue skies and white clouds ☁️. The self-drive was very comfortable; we stopped wherever there were fewer people.

On the second day, we took the Panlong Ancient Road, getting closer to horses 🐎, sheep 🐑, cows 🐂, and trees 🌲. After changing into a dress, my photos turned out even better [Cute]

As the last stop of this Ili self-driving trip, let me summarize our 9-day itinerary:
🗓 Itinerary:
D1: Lanzhou ✈️ Yining (3.5 hours). Hotel 🏨 Yining Municipal Government Lizi Huating Hotel was acceptable, but not as good as the nearby Atour Hotel, which was more convenient and comfortable. Right after arrival, we took a taxi to Liuxing Street for our first check-in.

D2: Yining 🚗 Sayram Lake (2 hours). You could spend a whole day at Sayram Lake without getting tired - it's so beautiful and photogenic! Hotel 🏨 Xinmin Yuanshan Yisu Hotel is recommended!

D3: Sayram - Yining - Tekes (4 hours). We skipped the Guozigou Viewing Platform at Sayram Lake because we'd already completed a full loop around the lake the previous day... We wanted to save energy for later parts of the trip, especially to check in at the Yizhao Highway, making the journey 6 hours. In hindsight, it wasn't necessary as the scenery along Yizhao Highway wasn't better than elsewhere. Fortunately, we arrived at the Bagua City of Tekes in the evening - the night view was nice with plenty of delicious food, worth a good feast [Clap] Hotel 🏨 Orange Hotel (Tekes Bagua City Taiji Altar Branch) is recommended!

D4: Tekes 🚗 Kalajun (40 minutes). We started early because it was cloudy that day, and it rained heavily the next day! Continued staying at Orange Hotel 🍊

D5: It rained 🌧️ at Kalajun, so we slept in naturally, had brunch in Tekes, and headed directly to Kuerdening (2 hours). Hotel 🏨 Fuguang Photography Homestay is recommended! Dinner at the hotel is also suggested - the food was good 😌

D6: A full day at Kuerdening. The hotel even included entrance tickets - remember to ask for them!

D7: Kuerdening 🚗 Nalati Grassland (2.5 hours). Hotel 🏨 Nalati Shejing Homestay - the owner was very hospitable, and the peacock 🦚 in the yard loved to call out haha. There were many delicious food options near the scenic area - just pick any!

D8: Another day at Nalati, then back to Yining (3 hours). There were many beautiful views along the way. After arriving at Hotel 🏨 Atour Hotel (Yining Shanghai City Jiefang West Road), we returned the rental car. In the evening, we visited Liuxing Street again - just a short walk away.

D9: The return day, with a layover in Lanzhou.