Altay Prefecture is the northernmost part of Xinjiang, pushing up against the borders of Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. It is remote, sparsely populated, and spectacularly beautiful — a landscape of alpine meadows, conifer forests, and glacier-fed rivers that feels more like Switzerland or Siberia than the deserts most people associate with Xinjiang.
The Kanas Lake area in the Altay Mountains is the main draw. Kanas Lake is a long, deep glacier lake surrounded by peaks and forest, home to endemic species and a Tuvan community who have lived here for centuries. The lake area is a national nature reserve and one of the most scenic corners of China. The Ertix River — the only river in China that flows toward the Arctic Ocean — runs through the prefecture.
Fuyun County, the first major stop on National Highway 216 heading north, is one of China's leading gold-producing areas and was the site of a famous Soviet–Chinese geological survey. Rock art scattered across the prefecture records the region's long history of nomadic occupation. This is genuinely off-the-beaten-track China, and the journey here is part of the experience.