Travel tips

Location: Nalati grassland, a national scenic area, sits in the hinterland of Tianshan Mountain on the east end of Yili Valley. Its average altitude is about 1,800 m.

Transportation: Take a bus or flight from Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, to Yining and transfer from there to Xinyuan county. It takes about 10 hours by bus, and an hour and a half by air from Urumqi to Yining. From there, it's two to three hours to Xinyuan.

Food and accommodation: There are plenty of guesthouses and small inns in Nalati, which cost from 60 to 300 yuan ($8-41) per night per room. But if you want to experience real Kazakh living, you can stay at the camp in the Nalati scenic area. Camping costs may run 50 to 150 yuan ($7-21) per night.

Various restaurants in Nalati offer different Han and Muslim food. But food offered in the scenic spots is mainly Kazakh and less diverse.

(China Daily 03/06/2008 page19)