海北州阿咪东索景区Ami Dongsuo Scenic Area, Haibei

海北州阿咪东索景区

阿咪东索景区位于海北藏族自治州祁连县境内，距祁连县城9公里，总面积12.47平方公里，海拔高度在2800米至3500米之间。景区集雪山、峡谷、丹霞、石林、草原、林海、田园、村庄等于一体，是典型的高原生态旅游目的地。

在藏语中，“阿咪东索”的意思是“千兵哨卡”。根据西藏的地形文化，阿咪东索山周围的地形象征着吉祥。祁连县信奉藏传佛教的藏族、蒙古族、裕固族等民族敬奉阿咪东索山为祁连的众山之王。

阿咪东索山海拔4667米，四季景色宜人。春天，山脚下是连绵起伏的麦海，伴随着油菜花的清香；在夏天，牧场的青草看起来像一块绿色的地毯，自古以来就被誉为山脚下的优良牧场；秋天，在山的中央，郁郁葱葱的灌木丛就像森林的海洋；冬天，山上的植被变得稀疏，山顶的积雪从不融化。

阿咪东索景区坐落在一个巨大的山谷中，拥有保存完好的原始生态景观，如潺潺流水、云雾和各种野生植物等。其景点有高原花海、露营基地、盆景湾、万佛崖观景台和祈祷台。作为中国西部最美丽的观光平台，阿咪东索景区拥有一条环绕祁连山的完整垂直自然景观带，该景观带由卓尔山红色悬崖、阿咪东索山雪景、中国最好的草原以及祁连周边水域的美景与和谐生态构成。

露营基地林木葱茏，溪流婉转，清风如洗，是户外露营者静心洗肺、拍照留影的胜地。由大片沙棘形成的巨大天然盆景被称为“盆景湾”。沙棘树形奇特矮小，千姿百态，树枝遒劲有力，自成立体盆景。盆景湾对侧的木栈道通向祈祷台，这里可以观赏阿咪东索景区全貌。沿木栈道继续前行，可达万佛崖观景台，这是一处石林地貌景观。成群的石林石芽天然构成形象的佛像，惟妙惟肖，栩栩如生，神态各异，绝无雷同。

Ami Dongsuo Scenic Area, Haibei 

The Ami Dongsuo Scenic Area is located in Qilian County, Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 9 kilometers away from the Qilian County seat. Itcovers a total area of 12.47 square kilometers,with an altitude of 2,800 meters to 3,500 meters. The scenic area is a typical plateau eco-tourism destination, integratingthesnow mountains, canyons, Danxia, stone forests, grasslands, forest seas, rural areas and villages into a whole.

In the Tibetan language, Amin Dongsuo means the "post guarded by a thousand soldiers". According to the Tibetan topographical culture, the terrain around the Ami Dongsuo Mountain symbolizes auspiciousness. And the Tibetan, Mongolian, and Yugur people in Qilian county who believe in Tibetan Buddhism worship the Ami Dongsuo Mountain as a king among the sacred mountains in the Qilian region.

With an altitude of 4,667 meters, the Ami Dongsuo Mountain boasts stunning views in all four seasons. In the spring, there is a rolling sea of wheat at the foot of the mountain, together with the fragrance of canola flowers; in the summer, the grasses of the pasture look like a green carpet, and have been known as an excellent pasture at the foot of the mountain since the ancient times; in the autumn, at the middle of the mountain, lush bushes resemble a sea of forests; In the winter, the vegetation on the mountain becomes sparse, and the snow at the top of the mountain never melts.

The Ami Dongsuo Scenic Area lies in a huge valley that features the well-preserved primitive ecological scenes such as the babbling flowing water, clouds and mists and various wild plants. The scenic attractions include the Flower Sea of Plateau, the Camping Base, the Bonsai Bay, the Wanfo Cliff Viewing Platform and the Platform for Prayers. As the most beautiful sightseeing platform in the western China, the Ami Dongsuo Scenic Area is home to a whole vertical natural landscape belt around the Qilian Mountains, consisting of the red cliffs on the Zhuo’er Mountain, snowy scenery on the Ami Dongsuo Mountain, the best grassland in China, and the beauty and ecological harmony of the surrounding waters in Qilian.

The Camping Base is lush with trees, gentle streams, and refreshing breeze, making it a popular destination for outdoor campers to meditate, wash their lungs and take photos. The huge natural bonsai formed by the large areas of sea-buckthorn is called the Bonsai Bay. The sea-buckthorn trees are unique and short, with various shapes and powerful branches, forming the three-dimensional bonsai. The wooden plank path on the opposite side ofthe Bonsai Bay leads to thePlatform for Prayers, where you can enjoy the full view of the Ami Dongso Scenic Area. Further along the wooden plank road, you can reach the Wanfo Cliff Viewing Platform, which is a stone forest landscape. The clusters of stone clints form the natural images of Buddha statues, which are vivid, lifelike, with different expressions and no similaritieswhatsoever.