Ranked first among China's top ten most beautiful forests | Xinjiang's niche destination: Kuerdening, a must-visit in Northern Xinjiang

About Kuerdening and Qiaxi, actually, when I first went to Yili, Xinjiang in 2021, these two places were still quite niche. But this year, they suddenly became popular. ✅ First of all, both places are in Gongliu. If you set out early and return late, you can basically visit both in one day. Many people choose between these two places, but I might recommend Kuerdening more. It's more niche, with richer scenery, and it's the most concentrated distribution area of the tallest and densest Tianshan spruce in the world. In 2005, 'China Geographic Magazine' rated it as the foremost of China's top ten most beautiful forests. Kuerdening means 'horizontal ditch' in Kazakh and is located in the Chapu Valley, part of the Western Tianshan Karajun-Kuerdening mountain range. Also, it's the earliest place to enter spring among all the scenic spots in the Yili River Valley. We visited Kuerdening in April when the apricot blossoms were almost gone. We set out from Yili to Gongliu and then continued to Kuerdening. ➡️ Kuerdening left a deep impression on me, not only because of the unique snow-capped hills, grassland valleys of the Yili River Valley but also because of the endless, spectacular spruce forests in the scenic area. Inside the Kuerdening scenic area, you can see the main peak, Kabangbayi Peak, just by looking up. During the season we visited, the snow had not yet melted. This peak, at an altitude of 4257 meters, covered in white snow, with glaciers beneath it, is truly spectacular! 🌈 Recommended spots: Kabangbayi Peak, Ten-mile Gallery, Tikka Kalagan Forest Sea, Ayusai Viewing Platform, Cloud-top Grassland 💰 Ticket: 60, Shuttle bus: 30/person ⏰ Opening hours: 09:30-20:00 📍 Address: Gongliu County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 🚌 Transportation: Yining to Gongliu, early 8:30—19:40, departs every half hour, ticket price: 15.5 yuan/person, takes a little over 2 hours to reach Gongliu County; Gongliu to Kuerdening, about 2 hours. ➡️ It is best recommended to drive yourself, as you can drive into the scenic area.