Visiting Xinjiang during the National Day holiday is an excellent choice. Xinjiang boasts rich natural landscapes and unique ethnic cultures, making it suitable for tourists to experience in depth. Here is a detailed travel guide:
1. Best Travel Time
During the National Day holiday (around October 1st), Xinjiang enters autumn with cool weather and pleasant scenery. Especially in the Altay region of northern Xinjiang, the red, yellow, and green colors intertwine, creating a picturesque scene. The temperature in southern Xinjiang also gradually decreases, making it a good time to visit, although the Populus euphratica forest may not yet be at its best viewing period. However, the whole of Xinjiang has its unique scenery in autumn, and visitors can choose according to their own schedule and preferences.
2. Must-visit Attractions
Kanas: Rated as one of the top ten most beautiful autumn landscapes by Chinese National Geography, its lakes and mountains are picturesque and are one of the landmark attractions of Xinjiang tourism.
Hemo: The quaint village, sunrise, and morning fog make it feel like a fairy tale world, giving people a sense of tranquility and relaxation.
Sayram Lake: Known as the "Last Tear of the Atlantic Ocean", it is a breathtaking sight with white swans, blue lakes, snow-capped mountains, forests, and wetlands all complementing each other.
Tianshan Heavenly Lake: Known anciently as the Jade Pool and the legendary residence of the Queen Mother of the West, it is a typical alpine glacial lake with high ornamental value.
Tarim Populus euphratica Forest: The most beautiful and primitive Populus euphratica forest reserve in the world. The yellow leaves of Populus euphratica in autumn make it a paradise for photographers.
In addition, attractions such as Colorful Beach, World Devil City, Baihaba Village, and Kashgar Old Town are also worth visiting.
3. Dressing Suggestions
The temperature in Xinjiang varies greatly in autumn, so visitors are advised to bring multiple types of clothing. For example, shirts, dresses, skirts, trousers, etc., can be freely mixed and matched. At the same time, prepare windbreakers, down jackets, and other warm clothing. For shoes, flip-flops, white sneakers, Martin boots, etc., are both practical and suitable for photo-taking. In addition, you can also pair sunglasses, sunscreen clothes, masks, and other sunscreen items, as well as ethnic-style shawls, straw hats, etc., to add charm to your journey.
4. Travel Itinerary Planning
Below is an example of a 6-day travel itinerary planning:
Day 1: Urumqi – Pass through the S21 online celebrity desert highway, sunset at Colorful Beach – Stay in Burqin
Day 2: Burqin – Scenic drive of Altay landforms, self-drive to Baihaba Village, Kanas – Stay in Jiadenyu
Day 3: Jiadenyu – Hemo – Stay in a cabin in the Hemo scenic area
Day 4: Hemo -乌尔禾Devil City, Populus euphratica Forest – Stay in Karamay/Huyanghe City
Day 5: Karamay/Huyanghe City – Sayram Lake – Stay at a detached apartment/hotel/homestay by Sayram Lake
Day 6: Second visit to Sayram Lake (playing by the lake + complimentary sailboat experience) – Return to Urumqi
Of course, visitors can also adjust their route according to their own schedule and preferences.
5. Precautions
The climate in Xinjiang is dry, so remember to drink plenty of water to replenish moisture.
In autumn, the diurnal temperature variation in Xinjiang is large, so visitors need to stay warm and avoid catching a cold.
When visiting scenic areas, please abide by the regulations, protect the environment, and do not litter.
Some attractions in Xinjiang may be relatively remote, so visitors need to plan their itinerary and transportation in advance.
In summary, traveling to Xinjiang during the National Day holiday is a recommended choice. Visitors can enjoy Xinjiang’s unique natural scenery and ethnic culture during this period, experiencing different travel joys.