Wucaitan Rainbow Beach

The Irtysh river cuts through soft sedimentary layers north of Burqin, and the northern bank has eroded into low cliffs and mounds banded in red, orange, yellow, purple and grey according to the mineral content of each layer, with wind sculpting them into ridges and hollows. The southern bank, by contrast, is flat green steppe with poplar and willow along the water, so the two sides of the river look like different countries. Boardwalks run along the cliff tops with viewpoints over the bends, and the colours are strongest in low sun, particularly at sunset, which is when most visitors come.

What you actually see

• The banded cliffs - layers of red, yellow, purple and grey clay.
• The river contrast - coloured badlands on one bank, green steppe on the other.
• The wind sculpting - yardang ridges and hollows across the ground.
• The sunset colour - the strongest tones in low light over the bends.

When to go

May to October; the site is at its best in the hour before sunset. Winter is severely cold in the Altai. Summer afternoons are hot with no shade on the boardwalks.

Honest expectations

Colours are far weaker under midday sun than in photographs. Entry is charged and boardwalks crowd at sunset. There is no shade and wind is constant.

Nearby

Burqin lies south; Kanas and Hemu are north.