This paradise in the high mountains north of Urumqi provides a refreshing respite from the rest of Xinjiang's dry desert landscape. Many Kazakh families have tapped into tourism and rent out their yurts for overnight accomodation. They also arrange day trips on horseback. On our long, wet hike to Snow Peak, we crossed endless stretches of lush meadows, sparsely settled by the semi-nomadic Kazakhs.

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