Xinjiang chartered travel: 0991-8585456 1813962-2229 (same as WeChat)
In the golden autumn of October in Xinjiang, besides the Kanas Lake in Northern Xinjiang, Southern Xinjiang not only boasts rich cultural landscapes but also has unique natural beauty. So, how should one travel in Southern Xinjiang? Which attractions should be emphasized?
Day 1: Urumqi to Yuli (approximately 590 km in total, approximately 8.5 hours by car)
Day 2: Yuli to Kuqa (approximately 480 km in total, approximately 7 hours by car)
Day 3: Kuqa to Aksu (approximately 420 km by car, approximately 6.5 hours)
Day 4: Aksu to Kashgar (approximately 500 km, approximately 5 hours)
Day 5: Kashgar to Tajikistan County (approximately 300 km in total, approximately 6 hours)
Day 6: Tajikistan County to Kashgar (approximately 300 km in total, approximately 6 hours by car)
Day 7: Kashgar to Hotan (approximately 500 km in total, approximately 7 hours by car)
Day 8: Hotan to Alar (440 km, approximately 5.5 hours by car)
Day 9: Alar to Luntai (350 km, approximately 5 hours by car)
Day 10: Luntai to Bohu County (250 km, approximately 5 hours by car)
Day 11: Bohu County to Urumqi
Recommended Southern Xinjiang Attractions
1. Lop Nur Village
The Lop Nur Village is a hidden paradise that has been inaccessible and forgotten for many years. In the Lop Nur Village scenic area, you can wade through rivers, walk through forests, ride camels to view the desert, go hunting, slide down sand dunes, fish in boats, listen to Lop Nur people sing folk songs, watch Lop Nur dances around a campfire, and sleep in huts to enjoy the fun of returning to nature.
2. Mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon
The Mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon is located beside the Duku Highway, about 70 kilometers away from Kuqa County. It is a canyon in the Keziliya Mountains, a branch of the Tianshan Mountains. It was selected as one of China’s ‘Top Ten Beautiful Canyons’ in 2003.
3. Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves
Kizil Grottoes are large grotto groups that were excavated early and located in the west of China. They share the reputation of China’s ‘Four Great Grottoes’ with Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes. They were probably excavated in the 3rd century AD and gradually ceased construction in the 8th to 9th centuries AD. Their long duration of excavation is unique in the world.
4. Kuqa王府
The full name of Kuqa王府 is ‘Kuqa Hereditary Uyghur王府’. It was built by mainland Chinese Han craftsmen in 1759 by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty to commend the Uyghur leader E for his contributions in helping to quell the rebellion of the Great and Small Hoja.
5. Wensu Tomur Grand Canyon
It is China’s largest halite karst geological attraction and the most beautiful danxia geological wonder in western China. It is known as the ‘living geological evolution history museum’ of Xinjiang.
6. Kashgar Old Town
It is the only one in China with crisscross streets and alleys leading to secluded places, flexible and varied layout, and most of the dwellings are earth-wood and brick-wood structures. Many traditional dwellings are even over a hundred years old.
8. Karakul Lake
It is an alpine glacier-eroded and glacier-deposited lake at an altitude of 3,600 meters. It is surrounded by the majestic and mysterious Muztagh Ata, with snow-capped peaks and mountains and water sharing the same color, creating a very charming scenery. The Subashi Grassland by the lake is lush with water and grass, and there are flocks of sheep and cattle.
9. Stone Castle
In Uyghur, it means ‘Stone Castle’. It is a remnant of a Tang Dynasty fortress. It was once the royal city of the Buli Kingdom, one of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions. It is the intersection of the middle and southern routes of the ancient Silk Road. Multiple passages connecting Yingjisha, Yarkand, Kashgar, and Yecheng to the Pamir Plateau converge here.
10. Yulongkashi River
Originating from the Kunlun Mountains, it flows through the Tarim Basin and converges with the Karakash River to form the Hotan River. The river is rich in jade, including green jade, black jade, and white jade. It has been the main river for jade production in Hotan since ancient times. It is also known as the White Jade River and is a river in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang, China.
11. The 359th Brigade Memorial Hall
Located in the First Division of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in Alar City, it has been rated as a regional patriotism education base and the third batch of national classic red tourism scenic spots. It has become a red tourism base for visitors from both inside and outside the region to receive revolutionary traditional education and an important window for understanding the division, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and their construction achievements.
12. Tarim Hu Yanglin Forest Park
Tarim Hu Yanglin National Forest Park is located in the middle reaches of the Tarim River on the northeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert, 70 kilometers away from the southern desert highway of Luntai County in Bazhou Prefecture. It is the largest primitive Hu Yanglin (Populus euphratica) forest park in Xinjiang and also the area with the most concentrated primitive Hu Yanglin forests in the entire Tarim River basin.
13. Bosten Lake
Bosten Lake is a large inland freshwater lake in China, anciently known as the West Sea. Its main water source is the Kaidu River, and it is also the source of the Kongque River. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction.
Xinjiang chartered travel: 0991-8585456 1813962-2229 (same as WeChat)