Introduction

Zha Da Tu Lin (Zhada Soil Forest) is situated in Zhada county in the Ali prefecture standing at height of between 3700 to 4500 meters above sea level and covering a total area of at least 2464 square kilometers. Zhada, is a local word which means “the place where there is grass in the lower reaches of river", in Tibetan language. Zhada is a county under the govern-ship of Nagri Prefecture. The forest was formed by the distribution of the largest tertiary weathered soil. According to statistics, the forest was established in the first half of the 10th century which is over one million years ago at a time when the forest was covering over 500 kilometers wide. Over time, the Great Lakes of the Himalayan orogeny made its bed sink because its bed was weakened over time because of wind and soil erosion. This eventually led to the formation of a sculpture of what is the current magnificent natural soil forest.

Things to see and do on Zha Da Tu Lin

The first thing visitors see when they arrive in Zhada County is the clay forest towering along the sides of a 5 kilometer Elephant Spring River. The clay forest bears different shapes, some look like galloping horses, others like warriors defending a mountain and some look like devoted followers standing patiently.