Bayinbuluke

Bayinbuluke is a grassland basin at around 2,500 metres enclosed by the Tian Shan, wet enough to hold extensive marsh, and it is China's main breeding ground for whooper swans, protected as a reserve where hundreds nest and feed in the shallows through the summer. Its other well-known feature is the Kaidu river, which meanders across the flat basin in such tight loops that from the viewing ridge at sunset the low sun is reflected in several bends at once, producing the nine-bend eighteen-suns effect that photographers come for. Mongol herders graze the basin, and horse racing features at summer festivals.

What you actually see

• The whooper swans - China's main breeding population on the marshes.
• The nine bends - the Kaidu river looping across the basin.
• The sunset reflections - the sun repeated in several bends at once.
• The Mongol pastures - herds and camps across the grassland.

When to go

June to September, when swans are present and the grass is green; the sunset effect needs a clear evening, which is not guaranteed. Winter is severe and access difficult.

Honest expectations

Entry and shuttle are expensive and the viewing ridge crowds at sunset. Swans are seen at a distance and binoculars help. The basin is remote and roads in take most of a day.

Nearby

The Duku Highway passes nearby; Narat lies north over the range.