A place where the temperature drops in a second, the Mustag Glacier Park
After admiring the highest altitude lake in Xinjiang - Karakul Lake, we continue to head west.
Traveling 30 kilometers along National Highway 314, we arrived at the Mustag Glacier Park. Fortunately, the park is open as usual. It's so comfortable to come to Xinjiang at this time, with few tourists. The altitude of the terminal parking lot is 4512 meters. After arriving, there is a 900-meter walk to the glacier viewing platform, with the highest altitude of 4688 meters. Here you can feel the majesty of the glacier and touch the glacier with your own hands.
The park is located in Tashkurgan County, under the skirt of the world-famous 'Father of Icebergs' Mustag Peak. The peak is covered with snow all year round, forming glaciers, composed of several peaks, among which Gongger Peak is 7649 meters above sea level, Gongger Jiubie Peak is 7530 meters high, and Mustag Peak is 7546 meters high.
Mustag Peak blocks the westward route from China, and only by bypassing Mustag Peak from the north and south can you enter Tajikistan and Pakistan respectively. These are also the two routes that Xuanzang took when he went west and returned.
After seeing the glacier, we continue to drive west along National Highway 314. The glacier park is 70 kilometers away from the county town, passing through the port to Tajikistan - Karasu Port. The scenery along the way is beautiful!
【Destination Guide】
Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County, meaning 'Stone City', is an autonomous county under the jurisdiction of Kashgar Region in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and is also a border county located in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau. The Karakoram Corridor of Kashmir is actually governed by this county.
Tashkurgan is located in the southwestern part of Xinjiang, in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau. The world's second highest peak, K2, and the famous snow mountain Mustag Peak with an altitude of 7546 meters are located in the south and north of the county. It borders Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, with a border line of 888.5 kilometers; it is adjacent to Yecheng, Shache and Akto County of Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture. The total area of the county is 25,000 square kilometers. It is the junction of the Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges, with continuous snow peaks and crisscrossing gullies in the territory. The terrain slopes from southwest to northeast, and the mountains extend from southwest to northeast. The main rivers are Tashkurgan River, Taheman River, Wacha River and Kuleqing River, and the river replenishment is mainly based on the melting of high mountain glaciers and snow.
Mount Mustag is located on the Pamir Plateau, where there are not only magnificent glaciers but also the most honest and kind horse team masters of the Kazakh people. I accidentally lost my wallet with various documents here, and I was stunned to know how terrible it was to be undocumented at the border. The staff immediately contacted all the horse team masters and staff to help me find this situation. In less than 10 minutes, I actually got a good news, the wallet found, and I saw the lost and recovered documents. I was very excited. Thank you for not expressing my mood at this moment. The two brothers who found the wallet gave up their business and sat in situ waiting for the owner. What kind people! Promote virtue, spread positive energy, let more tourists know the Kazakh horse team master's good, simple excellent quality, let this virtue carry forward. Thank you to the leaders of the Mustag Peak Service Center, thank you for cultivating and educating such excellent employees, and thank you again for the two masters 🙏🙏
Mount Mustag is located on the Pamir Plateau in the westernmost part of China, and you can see the magnificent glaciers without crossing the sea. The best choice for coming to Mousstag is to drive by car, with a height of more than 7,000 meters above sea level, and crystal clear glaciers stand on the Pamir Plateau.
The "father of icebergs" at 7745 meters above sea level, the ice and snow world of Moustag is a holy place for all climbers to dream of. The snow on the mountain does not melt all year round, and the ice beads are flashing, like a father with white hair, and because it is the earliest peak of the glacier formation, it is called the "father of the iceberg". No equipment is required, tourists can also get close to the glacier, which is a very unique experience. The pure and elegant Moustag is a symbol of pure love in the eyes of young Tajik men and women. Its slightly gaping peak, like a gimmick, will remain permanently in the memory of the traveler. It was also an ideal destination for mountaineers, and it was not until 1956 that Chinese and former Soviet mountaineers joined hands to climb the top. In addition, Moustage and the Karakuri Lake at the foot of the sky are like a combination, the sky is like a wash, the lake is like a mirror, reflecting the series of snow-capped mountains of Moustage, Gonggel Mountain and Gonggel Jiube Mountain, which makes people sigh: this scene should only be in the sky.
It belongs to a temporary increase in a tourist attraction. On the road, I found that the scenery in the distance was too beautiful and spectacular, so I stopped to punch in. On one side is the row of snow-capped mountains and on the other is the Moustag Peak, and the weather is particularly powerful. I can't see enough. Tickets for 45 are a bit expensive, and it feels like 30 is almost the same. But there is also a hidden advantage here that there are some small restaurants like yurts, all run by locals, pilaf, barbecue, stir-fried vegetables, and the price is OK, such as barbecue 8 yuan a bunch, milk tea 30 pots, beef pilaf seems to be 32. If you leave from Kashgar, pass here from noon to afternoon and intend to go to the Mustag glacier, you can take a break here to eat something to replenish your strength.
Yesterday I went to the scenic spot and the scenery was beautiful. When I went down the mountain, I left my umbrella on the small supermarket on the glacier because of the rain. I didn't have any hope. I thought about trying to call the scenic spot. I didn't expect that the eldest brother who answered the phone was very responsible to help ask, and finally found it and brought it down the mountain to me. It really makes people feel very touched, adding more warmth to the journey.
The first time I watched the snow-capped mountains up close, the weather was great, and I was lucky. I took a bus to the scenic spot and took a bottle of oxygen. I chose to ride a horse because of a foot injury. The little brother was very good. I said that I didn’t want to go up. He put his coat on me and took me up to 4688 altitude. The wind was really cold. After the oxygen was sucked, the scene of the glacier melting was taken. I couldn’t stand it and went down the mountain, but it was really shocking. It was amazing to have the sun on the road before I went up to the mountainside. I was still very happy and satisfied. I experienced the mountain and river snow scene.