Dadonggou and Xiaodonggou Forest Scenic Area

Dadonggou and Xiaodonggou Forest Scenic Area

The Dadonggou and Xiaodonggou Forest Scenic Area is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

The Dadonggou and Xiaodonggou Forest Scenic Area is a national 2A-level tourist attraction and a photography creation base for regional photographers. It is a naturally formed forest scenic area located in the upper valley of the Kran River in the northern part of Altay City, approximately 11 kilometers from the city center. Nestled against green mountains and beside clear waters, the area features winding streams encircling the hills, hanging rocks, sheer cliffs, and drifting mist. In the early Yuan Dynasty, when the scholar Yelü Chucai accompanied the army to the Altai Mountains, he left behind the famous verse: “Pine and cypress trees tower into the sky, flowers and grass carpet the valley; peaks compete in beauty, rocks vie in the flow of water”—a true depiction of the Dadonggou and Xiaodonggou area.

Stretching over 30 kilometers, the valley ends in vast grasslands. Within the scenic area stands an upright stone over two meters high and about one meter wide, featuring carved inscriptions. According to research, these are Mongolian words for "Amitabha" written in the Uyghur script, with an estimated history of around 600 years.

Just as beautiful as the Altai Mountains themselves, the Dadonggou and Xiaodonggou area can be described as a stunning silhouette of the Altai range.

Even before its formal development, the Dadonggou and Xiaodonggou Forest Scenic Area attracted many visitors with its naturally beautiful landscapes of mountains, water, and forests. It has especially become one of the primary leisure destinations for residents of all ethnic groups in Altay City.