Atlas
Altun Mountains
The hyper-enclosed uninhabited zone at the junction of the Kunlun and Qilian ranges — extreme altitudinal isolation creating a forbidden zone of life and the ultimate backup vault for Tibetan antelope and wild yak.
Province: Qinghai
Province: XinjiangA mirror-like salt lake reflects the long snow-capped Altun range, bordered by a pale mineral shoreline and tawny high-altitude steppe.
Natural Wonder4
- Altun Mountain Yixiekepati Sanctuary
At the heart of one of China's largest high-plateau desert wildernesses, Yixiekepati is a haven for Tibetan antelope, wild yaks and Tibetan wild asses.
- Whale Lake Alpine Salt Lake in Altun
Shaped like a giant whale, this ice-free plateau lake is half salty and half fresh, a sacred water where black-necked cranes live.
- Duck Spring High-Altitude Wetland
Year-round springs that never freeze well up from the cold desert at Duck Spring, sustaining tens of thousands of rare plateau hoofed animals.
- Kumkol High-Altitude Desert & Lakes
Among the world's highest deserts, Kumkol pairs sand dunes with lakes that mirror snowy peaks across a remote plateau wilderness.
Han1
- Han Southern Silk Road via RuoqiangHan period
The Han-era Southern Silk Road used Loulan, in present-day Ruoqiang, as a hub and passed through oasis settlements including Milan, Ruoqiang, and Qiemo.