Complete Xinjiang Travel Guide – A Must-Read Guide for Traveling to Xinjiang
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For first-time travelers to Xinjiang, facing its vast territory and diverse cultures, they are often at a loss. If you want to have a great and fulfilling time in Xinjiang, read this guide first!!
About Xinjiang
Xinjiang is located in the northwest border of China, occupying one-sixth of the country’s land area and being the largest province in China. It can be divided into northern and southern Xinjiang, with the Tianshan Mountains as the boundary, and there are obvious differences between the two regions.
Major film and variety shooting locations. Xinjiang’s beauty is well-known, with its vast territory, numerous ethnic groups, and diverse cultures… All these make it a favorite destination for film and variety shoots.
The wind-eroded landforms and the weird-shaped Ghost City in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’; Hami with highways leading to various places in ‘No Man’s Land’; The grayish-yellow walls and the exotic Central Asian flavor of Kashgar in ‘The Kite Runner’; Kanas, known as ‘God’s Palette’ and ‘Eastern Switzerland’ in ‘Dad, Where Are We Going?’; The picturesque forest and snowy mountains of Ili in ‘Legend of Hai Shang Mu Yun Ji’…
In short, coming to Xinjiang allows you to appreciate the unique flavors of two different countries without leaving the country.
Travel Preparations
Be psychologically prepared for long car rides. The distance between attractions in Xinjiang is measured in hundreds of kilometers. It often takes more than ten hours to travel from one attraction to another, and some attractions are so large that you need to take a sightseeing bus inside.
But the scenery along the way will definitely amaze you. Ps: You can bring a neck pillow.
Stay hydrated and moisturized. Besides being vast, Xinjiang is also a bit dry. Xinjiang is located in the central part of the continent, where ocean moisture is hard to reach, resulting in low air humidity.
So be sure to bring hydrating and moisturizing products when coming to Xinjiang. Ps: Sunscreen should be prepared in summer.
Females should prepare brightly colored dresses. If you want to take great photos at attractions, bright and fresh dresses are essential.
There are many photo-worthy spots in Xinjiang, such as Sayram Lake, Princess Jieyou’s Lavender Field, Xiate Ancient Road… Every snap is a masterpiece.
Itinerary Recommendation
D1
Urumqi Gathering
D2
Urumqi – Sayram Lake – Qingshuihe (627KM)
D3
Qingshuihe – Lavender Planting Base – Zhaosu (304KM)
D4
Zhaosu – Xiate Ancient Road – Tekes (109KM)
D5
Tekes – Karakun Grassland – Tekes/Gongliu (77KM)
D6
Tekes / Gongliu – Nine-Bend and Eighteen-Turn – Bayanbulak Town (257KM)
D7
Bayanbulak Town – Turpan (522KM)
D8
Turpan – Flaming Mountain / Karez – Urumqi Group Dispersal (200KM)
Attraction Introduction
|| Sayram Lake – The last tear of the Atlantic
Most people’s impression of Xinjiang stops at the vast Gobi Desert or the solitary smoke rising straight into the sky over the desert. However, they don’t know that there is such a Sayram Lake in Xinjiang, known as ‘the last tear of the Atlantic’.
In summer, the forests and streams by Sayram Lake are lush and clear, and the grass and flowers are abundant. Orange-yellow golden lotuses spread down from the mountain top, with sunflowers dotted among the green grass.
On the vast grassland, herds of cattle and sheep graze, and smoke curls up from chimneys, creating a moving pastoral landscape painting.
In winter, Sayram Lake is covered with snow and ice. The oval-shaped lake sits amidst the icy mountains and snowfields, like a piece of emerald placed on white and soft silk cotton.
After coming to Xinjiang, go to Sayram Lake to watch the sunrise and sunset, and feel the ‘your宝石兰 (sapphire-like) lake water, which captures one’s heart at first sight’.
|| Huocheng Lavender Plantation Base – The world’s third-largest lavender base
Similarly famous for lavender, Xinjiang’s Huocheng is not inferior to Provence in any way.
Huocheng is located in the open area in the northwest of Yili, and it is a border county that focuses on agriculture and combines farming and herding.
Lavender, also known as perfume plant or sacred basil. Its leaf shape and flower color are elegant and graceful, with long and beautiful blue-purple inflorescences. It is a new type of perennial cold-resistant flower. Flower language: Waiting for love.
Huocheng is covered with lavender, like a sea of purple. It stretches as far as the eye can see. Standing by the field with arms outstretched, it feels like the entire sky is yours.
Whenever the lavender blooms collectively, the vast fields of purple-blue flowers, the blooming flower stamens, and the strong fragrance make people willingly drunk in the embrace of lavender.
In June, Huocheng’s hundreds of acres of lavender bloom in competition. Come to Huocheng to have a sweet romance and feel the romantic atmosphere of the flower language together.
|| Xiate Ancient Path – High-risk hiking and exploration route
The Xiate Ancient Path connects the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, with a total length of 120 kilometers. It is one of the most perilous and high-risk famous ancient passes on the Silk Road, also known as the Tang Monk’s Ancient Path.
The Xiate Ancient Path is very suitable for explorers. After ascending the North and South Tianshan Mountains, it seems like entering a world of ice and snow. Majestic snow-capped mountains appear and disappear amidst the clouds and fog, while the endless glaciers at your feet wind up like a jade belt, disappearing into the sea of snow and clouds.
To climb up to Mount Tianshan, the fragmented glaciers, ice crevasses, and ice rivers along the way will all pose great threats.
Therefore, to walk the Xiate Ancient Path, one must be mentally prepared and physically fit. Only explorers who meet these criteria can feel the insignificance of nature and experience the vicissitudes of the ancient path.
Best travel time: early May – early June or late September – early October
|| Kalajun Grassland – The Most Beautiful ‘Three-Dimensional Grassland’
My impression of grasslands has always been the vast Hulunbeir Grassland, with the magnificent richness of ‘the vast sky, the boundless wilderness, and livestock visible when the wind blows through the grass’.
After seeing the Kalajun Grassland, I believe you will be amazed by it.
The Kalajun Grassland is located in Tekes County, Yili Prefecture, Xinjiang, and is the transitional zone between the Western Tianshan Mountains and the Yili River Valley.
A vast undulating erosion plane with beautiful curves, it is also known as the ‘Human Body Grassland’. The undulating and gully-filled landform, with curved shadows, is a favorite subject for photographers.
Come to the Kalajun Grassland to see the wonders of nature and feel the ‘three-dimensional grassland’ of different times and spaces.
|| Bayinbrook Grassland – Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns
Bayinbrook Grassland, located in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, is the second largest grassland in China and the largest alpine grassland in China.
It is a high mountain basin surrounded by the Tianshan Mountains, with flat grasslands surrounded by snowy mountains. There is a paradise surrounded by snowy mountains; there is the Kaidu River with its ‘Nine Bends and Eighteen Turns’; and there is the elegant and charming Swan Lake.
|| Flaming Mountains Grand Canyon – Valley-Filled Gorge Scenery
In ‘Journey to the West’, Sun Wukong passes through the Flaming Mountains and borrows the Bamboo Fan three times, a story well-known to all. The Flaming Mountains Grand Canyon, located in the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang, is a mysterious place.
The mountains run east-west, barren and lifeless. In summer, the ground surface boils under the sun’s rays, resembling a soaring fire dragon, which is very spectacular.
A rugged and valley-filled gorge; the Tuyugou Thousand Buddha Caves, excavated during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties… This place can be called a treasure trove of culture and art.
|| Karez – Ancient Horizontal Water-Collecting Structure
Karez, meaning ‘well hole’, is commonly found in the Turpan region of Xinjiang. It is an ancient horizontal water-collecting structure for the development and utilization of groundwater, suitable for the foot of mountains and alluvial fan areas, mainly used for intercepting underground water for farmland irrigation and domestic water use.
Travel Time
The best tourist season in Xinjiang is generally from July to October
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March – April
It is windy, with cold waves invading, prone to gale winds and wind-blown floating soil, and increased precipitation.
It is suitable to visit southern Xinjiang at this time, where peach blossoms and apricot blossoms bloom in competition, along with the newly revived grasslands.
Wild apricot blossoms can be seen in Turpan and other places.
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June
In the Yili region, you can enjoy the flower sea covering the mountains and the most beautiful lavender (the most beautiful in mid-June), when fruits and melons are not yet ripe.
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July – August
You can also see flowers covering the mountains and lush grasslands with abundant water plants. This is a good period to escape the summer heat. Lavender has already been harvested, and fruits and melons begin to ripen by mid-August.
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September – October
The most beautiful harvest season in Xinjiang, with pleasant weather, is truly the golden autumn season, with fruits and melons fragrant.
Autumn in Xinjiang can be considered the most beautiful autumn in China. The poplar forests in southern Xinjiang are dyed with the colors of gold autumn, but these two months are the peak tourist season, with ticket prices and consumption increasing.
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