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Zhalong Natural Reserve is one of China’s well-known natural reserves for rare waterfowls, especially red-crowned cranes and other rare wild birds, and hence the name of “The Paradise for Waterfowls and Birds”. It covers an area of 40000 square kilometers, boasting numerous lakes, pools and well-preserved ecological wetlands. The natural reserve is well-known in the world for its large number of cranes. At present, there are 15species of cranes in the world, and Zhalong Nature Reserve has six species, such as red-crowned, white, gray and white-headed cranes. Of them the red-crowned crane is the most precious, and hence the name of “Fairy Crane”. The number of them is over 500, about a quarter of the total number of the world. Thus, Qiqihar is entitled as Crane City by Chinese Joint Crane Protect Commission. Besides, other rare birds , such as big swan, small swan, big egrets, and grass egrets can also be found here, and hence it’s worthy of the fame of “The Kingdom of Rare Birds”.
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Opening Time:
8:00 to 16:00
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How to get there:
There are three-shift roundtrip buses (morning, afternoon, and evening shifts) from Qiqihar First Department Store to Zhalong Natural Reserve. It takes a one hour drive. Return ticket is 10 yuan per person. Besides, in tourist season, railway station will offer through passenger trains. If you rent a taxi, it will take less than an hour drive and cost 150 yuan half day.
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Tips:
Tips:
(1)The best months for traveling are April, May, August, and September, in which about 200 or 300 kinds of wild rare birds will swarm here, creating a splendid sight. Except January and February, you will never feel disappointed, and you can see cranes even when lakes ice up.
(2)Since the natural zone covers a large area, you can not visit it thoroughly and just need look around the sighting aggregation areas—the surrounding areas of Administration Office. There is the Crane Viewing Tower, on which tourists can get a bird’s eye view of the natural zone. Cranes here are not afraid of strangers, so you can contact them in a short distance. In fall, you can find that many photographers swarm here to take photos of beautiful red-crowned cranes, and other weed cranes.
(3)In choosing photography equipment, large format cameras are necessary. The 6×7 Cameras and 360 degree panoramic cameras, which have a wide view angle, are the best choice. For those who want to photograph wild animals, the 135 camera with over 400 mm lens is a must and the cameras with mechanical shutter, such as Nikon FM-2, are the best choice in winter. Since the outdoor temperature is low in winter, when finished using, cameras should be put in the bosom to keep warm, otherwise the shutter may fail to work.
(4)Transportation Reference (2003):
Except July and August in the hot tourist season, there are no direct buses or trains to the natural reserve. You can take Bus Number 7 or 9 from urban district or railway station to Dgangzi at the east end of urban district. It’s also called Tiedong, the crossroad of East Zhonghua Road and Qizha Road. You can take minibus form Wangza Town, which costs 3 yuan per person and takes a 20 km drive to Zhalong Town. It’s still 5 km away from natural reserve, but no public transportation tools are available. If you pay another 7 yuan, the minibus can bring you to the destination. Fare can be bargained if there are one more people.
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