# Aletai

Aletai (阿勒泰; Ālètài; also known as Altay and Altai City) is a city in Xinjiang Province of China. Go 100 km or so in any direction except south and you hit a border: Mongolia to the east, Russia to the north, Kazakhstan to the west.
What makes Altay special and leading as a tourist city
1. Rich in resources: Altai is located in the "golden latitude" of the world's snow and ice, and is the birthplace of skiing. The main attractions include Hualin Park, Tangba Lake Park, Five finger Spring, Kelan River and so on.
2. Year-round tourism: Altai promotes "Four season tourism", combining winter snow and ice activities with spring and summer attractions to create a diversified and sustainable tourist destination. Visitors can have a different experience in Altai in any season.
3. Global recognition: Known as the "origin of human skiing" and the "snow capital of China", Altay attracts skiers from all over the world. Events such as World Ski Origins Day have raised its international profile

## Understand

Aletai is a county-level city and capital of Altai region. It is in the western part of Altai Krai, the southern foothills of Altai Mountains, at the northern edge of Junggar Basin. Its population is about 200,000 (2020). Altai is a Turkic word meaning "Golden Mountain", which is named for the gold deposits in the mountains. Altai City was in ancient times a herding place for ethnic minorities in China. Successive central governments have set up administrative organs here since the Western Han Dynasty. The city is best known for its skiing, and it has won dozens of awards related to winter sports from the Chinese government.
Altai City, since ancient times, there have been Cypriot species, Huns, Xianbei, Zoran, Turkic, Mongolian, Kazakh and other nomadic peoples since this flourished.

#### History

Altai City is located in the west of Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang, covering an area of 11,500 square kilometers along the southern slope of the Altay Mountains. Its name means "gold mountain" in Turkic language, reflecting its rich gold resources. In ancient times, it was a nomadic center for tribes such as the Huns, Turks and Mongols. In the Han and Tang dynasties, it belonged to the Protectorate of the Western Regions and the Protectorate of the Northern Court. It became part of Xinjiang in 1919. It was renamed several times and officially became Altai City in 1984. Altai City is a key node of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor. In 2023, its GDP reached ¥42.085 billion, a year-on-year increase of 4.9%.
Climate
Altai is located in the hinterland of the Asian continent and belongs to the temperate continental arid climate, temperate subarid climate zone. Because of the Altai Mountains in the north and the Junggar Basin in the south, special climatic conditions are formed, and the climate difference between the north and the south is large. The annual precipitation is large, evaporation is small, winter and spring wind is less than south, frost-free period is short, while the southern plain is less precipitation, evaporation is large, winter and spring wind is large. The average annual temperature is 5.6 degrees Celsius, 4.9 degrees Celsius; the average temperature in January is -12.5 degrees Celsius, the average annual -15.3 degrees Celsius; the average temperature in July is 21.4 degrees Celsius, the average annual 21.7 degrees Celsius.

## Get in
### By plane

The Aletai City airport (AAT) is 17 km from the town center and can be reached by taxi. The only destinations you can fly to are Urumqi, Xi'an, and Lanzhou. The airport only operates 5 months in each year and closes during winter.
* 47.760388.09281 Altai Airport (阿勒泰机场), Altai State Highway 216. Altai Airport is in the southern suburbs of Altai City. It is a civil regional airport, mainly serving Altai Prefecture and surrounding areas. It is about 12 km from Altai city center and mostly hosts domestic flights from Urumqi and other important cities. (updated Dec 2024)

### By train

Overnight trains arrive from Urumqi via Kuytun and Beitun. Allow 9 to 10 hours. Pickup a bus from the Aletai station to town ¥5.
* 47.719188.09062 Altay (Altay City), in the western Altai Territory, at the southern foot of the Altai Mountains and at the northern edge of the Junggar Basin. In June 2017, the Northern (Tun) Altai (LeTai) Railway opened. From the Beitun city station, through the Baribagai station and Altai station 2 stations. In December 2020, the Altai-Fuyun section of Afghanistan Railway opened. (updated Oct 2024)

### By bus

The bus station is at Tuanjie Road.
* Burqin — takes about 1.5–2 hours, a bus every hour, costs ¥21
* Urumqi — takes about 12 hours, sleeper ¥160-170
* Yining — takes about 2 days
* 47.864388.12243 Hualin Park Station (桦林公园站), Hualin Park. Take Altai Altai No. 3 bus, there are 28 stations, respectively, birch forest park, regional Kazakh medical hospital, regional health school, electric university, Jinyuan famous gate. (updated Dec 2024)

## Get around
### By bus

Aletai buses cost ¥1 per person between any two stops within the town. Just put ¥1 in the container.
* 101 — from the bus station will to the city center, People's Square (人民广场) and near the PSB
* 1 — from the bus station to city center
* Altai Qinghe No. 1 bus - the starting station is Qinglong Lake residential area, the terminal is the passenger terminal; operating hours: 08:30-14:00 15:00-21:00; about 5 minutes / trip.

## See

* The snowy scenery of Altay Birch Forest Park47.864388.12211 Birch Forest Park. Prime bird-watching spot as well as amply endowed with wildflowers. (updated Dec 2024)
* 47.78944488.3780562 Five Fingers Spring Scenic Area, Within the territory of Khandega Special Township, about 5 km from the seat of Khandega Special Township Government. The spring water is cool and sweet, and it is worshipped as divine water by the local Mongolian herdsmen. Drinking this spring water can be auspicious and healthy, and bathing with spring water can cure many diseases. The whole area is surrounded by exposed granite, which has been eroded into turtle-like, frog-like, ghost-faced rocks by the icy water wind, which is really strange, thought-provoking, and a good place for scientific exploration and tourism. Altai residents take their families and families to avoid the cold on weekends, holidays and hot summer days. At the top of the fountain, there is a huge rock (commonly known as a probe stone), sticking out more than 3 meters east and looking up, the whole boulder is like a huge left hand palm, palm lines are clearly distinguishable, finger shape is appropriate. (updated Oct 2024)
* 47.63534188.2372223 Lake Tangba Water Park (塘巴湖), Hongdun Township, 32 km from Altai City. The bottom of the lake is flat, shallow to deep, and is a good place to swim. The sand in the lake is quartz sand, but it contains more mica, and under the sun, the golden glow, the sunset, the lake and the sunset reflect, and the water and the sky are one, making people fantasize. Every year, snow and ice melt, and birds flock to the shore to live in grass and flourish. Preliminary research includes yellow geese, hemp geese, cranes, swans, ducks, gulls and so on. The water is rich in a variety of delicious fish, mainly carp, silver carp and other fish. From December to March of the following year, the ice is 0.6 to 0.8 meters thick, when the earth and the lake are covered with snow, mountains are undulating, silver-clad, and a snowy landscape. Foxes and hares often haunt the area, making it a good place for ice cave fishing, hunting, and sports. (updated Oct 2024)
* Nalati steppe. The origin of Nalati: As soon as the sun poked its head, it kissed the grassland with the first rays of sunlight, so the ancestors of the herders gave this land a poetic name - Nalati, which means: the first place to see the sun. April to June is the best season for viewing the flowers in the Nalati grassland, and from July onwards, it is an endless green, quiet and beautiful. (updated Nov 2024)
* 47.868488.13294 Tangba Lake Tourist Scenic Area (塘巴湖旅游景区), Tangba Lake Tourist Scenic Area. Tangba Lake Tourist Scenic Area is a captivating destination where visitors can enjoy picnics, barbecues, and swimming. The swimming experience, in particular, is excellent. While self-service barbecues require an additional fee, overall, this is a highly recommended place to visit. (updated Dec 2024)
* 47.811588.13095 Crane Riverside Scenic Area (克兰河滨河景区), Wanghu Street. The Crane River Valley, between Camel and General Mountains, is lined with silver birch trees, shrubs, and a clear, murmuring river. In summer, lush greenery and fragrant air create a tranquil haven, while autumn brings golden and red leaves under a clear blue sky. Spanning 20 kilometers, it's perfect for photography, painting, and sightseeing. (updated Dec 2024)
* 47.845388.13316 Hump Tourist Attractions (驼峰旅游景区), 35-3 Park Road. Climbing the summit, Altai City has a panoramic view of the city, which is a good place for photography and photography. Camel peak back ditch, can carry out winter sledding, snowboarding and other amusement. Below the Yamashita International Children's Activity Center is a comprehensive large-scale playground. In this way and Riverside Plaza children's recreation park, birch forest park to form Altai City's key amusement park. (updated Dec 2024)

## Do

Difficult to find anything to do here, it takes 1 hour to walk through the town, though doing some shopping is not a bad idea.
* Aobo Festival (古尔邦节). The Aobao Festival is a traditional Mongolian celebration. "Aobao," meaning "heap" in Mongolian, began as markers for roads and boundaries but evolved into sites for worshiping mountain and road gods. Made of stones and sometimes adorned with willows, Aobaos are often dome-shaped and decorated with flags, silk cloth, grains, arrows, or Buddha statues. During the three-day festival, families gather with pre-prepared sheep for sacrifices. Religious leaders lead prayers around the Aobao, seeking good weather and prosperity. After the rituals, participants enjoy traditional Mongolian activities like horse racing, wrestling, archery, and a grand banquet to celebrate. (updated Dec 2024)
* Gulben Festival (敖包节). Qur'an is one of the main festivals in Islam, also known as Sinbad Day, and Muslims in China will also call Qur'an Day "Loyalty and filial piety day". Qur'an, Eid al-Fitr (Mu'izi) and Holy Qur'an are listed as the three major Islamic religious holidays. It is held on December 10th, 70 days after Eid al-Fitr. Festivals are held where Muslims gather at the Grand Mosque or in public places for grand ceremonies and celebrations. (updated Dec 2024)
* 47.8412688.1596241 General Mountain tourist ski resort (将军山旅游滑雪场), 40, Jiangshan Road. General Mountain Tourism Ski Resort was built in 2009, located in the north slope of General Mountain, Altai City, 1600 meters away from the city center, convenient transportation, is the only alpine ski resort connected to the city, is the national and autonomous region alpine ski training base, the autonomous region 5S ski resort. (updated Dec 2024)

## Buy

All kinds of crystals.
* Beef jerky (牛肉干). One of the specialties of Altai, the taste is diverse and the price is reasonable, which is loved by tourists. It tastes good, is cost-effective, and is great to share with friends and family. Some people find the taste on the dry side, but overall it is still welcome. Easy to buy, sufficient market supply, convenient express service. (updated Dec 2024)
* Milk lump (奶疙瘩). One of the special food, taste diverse, sweet and sour moderate, suitable for accompanying hand ceremony. Different forms, rich in species. Rich taste, sweet and sour taste, nutritious, suitable for the elderly and children. A variety of taste options. Some taste is hard, some people may not adapt to, improper preservation is easy to deteriorate. Especially suitable for local minorities, original craftsmanship, suitable for winter purchase or local tasting. (updated Dec 2024)
* Ethnic handicrafts (民族特色手工艺品). For example, Kazakh felt embroidery, Kazakh felt embroidery is the most representative and most popular family crafts in Kazakhstan, the flower felt embroidery process is complex, a wide range of patterns, a large amount of labor, the product is beautiful and generous, strong and durable. These embroideries not only have practical value, but also reflect their aesthetic taste. The most common flower felt specifications are single flower felt, double flower felt and fan flower felt 3 kinds (updated Dec 2024)

## Eat

Lamb shish kebab is called merely kebab locally, or in Chinese, yangrouchuer. Beshbarmak, the traditional dish of the Kazakhs, is a mixture of boiled lamb, potatoes, carrots and noodles, and is usually eaten with the hands.
* Lamb stew. Altay's sheep are notoriously delicious! As Li Juan described in "Winter Pasture", the Kazakh herdsmen in Altay migrate with the pastures every year, going deep into different pastures to find places with abundant water and grass, which are often referred to by the locals as "summer nests" and "winter nests" (pastures where herders graze and live in summer and winter). Therefore, the mutton in the Altay region is different from the cattle and sheep raised, it is super delicious, stewed in a pot, and the soup is delicious with only some salt and peppercorns. Winter is the best time to stew mutton, which not only satisfies the taste buds, but also nourishes and warms up. (updated Nov 2024)
* Grilled cold-water fish. Burzin's unique specialty, grilled pike is definitely the first one! Dogfish (also known as Jortey) is a specialty of the Irtysh River, and the meat is particularly delicious, and the taste is even more tender and delicious after being grilled over a charcoal fire. (updated Nov 2024)
* Clay hot pot. Hemu's clay hot pot is not just a different pot, the thick base of the clay hot pot, the round belly, full of sand meat, meatballs, beef, lamb chops and vegetables, plus the soup base with beef bones for several hours, and local spices, simmer slowly over low heat, fragrant but not greasy. (updated Nov 2024)
* Fish head casserole. The fish wharf in Beitun City is a time-honored restaurant, a favorite of locals, and you can find it with a map search. The head is big and meaty, nutritious, and more delicious than fish. The taste is fragrant and the meat is tender. Fresh but not fishy, the soup is milky white like juice, there is no flavor, the best match is tofu, especially in winter, passing by Beitun to drink a bowl of fish head soup. (updated Nov 2024)
* Air-dried beef. Friends who have come to Altay to eat air-dried meat are full of praise when they mention it again. The local production of air-dried meat is generally in autumn, the fresh beef is marinated with an appropriate amount of garlic and salt for a day or two, and then hung in a cool and ventilated place to dry until it is semi-dry. (updated Nov 2024)

## Drink

* Original Kazakh yoghurt, in Kazakh is called airan. In Chinese it is Suannai.

## Sleep

* Aletai Diqu Hotel (Aletai Diqu Bingguan) (in city center, alone the Kelang River), ☏ +86 906 2122188. Local three star hotel, probably the best you can find, no one speak English there, the hotel restaurant is also decent.
* Bus Station G.H (just beside the bus station). Clean rooms and hot water. Double ¥100.
* Golden Bridge Hotel (in city center), ☏ +86 906 2127566. Local three-star hotel, no one speaks English.
* Postal Hotel (next to the post office). Two star hotel. They do not speak English. Pay no attention to the marked prices and bargain it down to ¥140.
* 47.8221588.121771 Altaicindu Hotel (阿勒泰金都酒店), No. 8 Unity Road, ☏ +86-906-2108888. The 3rd to 6th floors of Altai Kindu Hotel are comfortable and luxurious standard rooms, single rooms and business suites. Rooms are equipped with computers and broadband Internet access. On the first floor, the Orchid Crescent Ballroom, which can accommodate 400 people and dine at the same time, is the ideal place to receive all kinds of banquets. The second floor is decorated in a variety of styles, comfortable and luxurious 24 boxes, mainly swallow abalone, seafood, Cantonese, Sichuan, Hunan and local dishes. Lobby lounge, business center, airline booking, wedding ceremony, large and small meeting rooms are available to meet your business needs at any time. (updated Dec 2024)
* 47.804788.12112 Hotel Alteado (阿尔泰亚朵酒店), Wanchi Plaza, 99 Yingbin Rd, ☏ +86 906 2897777. Altai Yado Hotel is a franchise hotel of Yado brand. The design concept of the hotel follows the traditional humanistic, warm and interesting product philosophy of Yatuo, as well as the two major humanistic themes of Yatuo reading and local photography, and combines the natural scenery and ethnic customs of Xinjiang and Altay region. The hotel has high-quality room product facilities, through the meticulous and warm neighborhood service injected a strong cultural atmosphere, unique natural, quiet, warm, simple product style temperament, for high-end business travelers to create the ideal accommodation experience! (updated Dec 2024)
* 47.831988.13033 Grand Hotel Altai Shin-Tai (阿勒泰新泰大酒店), 11-12 Unity Road. Altai Xintai Hotel is a business, travel, fast and high-end hotel. It is also very close to the Altai City Bus Terminal, and there is a bus stop at the intersection of the hotel. The hotel is luxurious and comfortable, the overall style is Chinese elegant style. Rooms are spacious, bright, warm and stylish, beautifully decorated, reflecting the concept of humanity everywhere. (updated Dec 2024)

## Cope
### Visas

* PSB - visa extensions. M-F 10:00-12:00, 13:00-18:00. Can give you just 7-10 days and will probably send you to Urumqi. Nobody speaks English. ¥160.

## Go next

* Hanas National Nature Reserve — approximately four hours away by bus