The December travel guide for Northern Xinjiang mainly includes attraction recommendations, clothing preparation, food experience, and itinerary planning.
Recommended Attractions:
Kanas: Appreciate the mysterious Kanas Lake and the beautiful scenery of the Three Bays shrouded in winter fog. You can also experience activities such as horse-drawn sledges and snowmobiles.
Hemu Village: It feels like being in a fairy tale world. You can enjoy the scenery, play with snow, experience skiing, and feel the Tuva culture.
Sayram Lake: View unique landscapes such as blue ice and bubble ice. You can drive around the lake to admire swans playing in the water.
Tian Chi Lake in Tianshan Mountains: One of Xinjiang’s essence attractions, with particularly enchanting winter snowscapes.
Clothing Preparation:
Top wear: Thermal underwear, sweaters or woolen sweaters, down jackets or thick cotton jackets, windbreakers with linings, etc. In some areas of Northern Xinjiang, temperatures can reach around -30℃, so comprehensive warmth measures are needed.
Bottom wear: Woolen pants or thermal pants, it is recommended to wear thick pants lined with fleece.
Head: Woolen hats, Lei Feng hats, earmuffs, masks, etc., made of wool or fleece.
Hands and feet: Leather gloves, down gloves, long woolen socks, anti-slip waterproof snow boots, etc.
Others: Sunglasses (to prevent the glare from snow-reflected sunlight), sunscreen, moisturizing cream, lip balm, and other skincare products should also be prepared.
Food Experience:
Mutton soup: Rich in flavor, warming the stomach and heart.
Large plate chicken: Generous portions and delicious taste, definitely satisfying.
Spicy pepper chicken: Spicy and delicious, an excellent choice for winter.
Skewers of meat on sticks, meat kebabs in the tanghulu oven: Xinjiang’s specialty grilled dishes that are memorable.
Hand-grabbed rice, yogurt, Kazak milk tea: Unique Xinjiang cuisine worth trying.
Itinerary Planning:
You can choose a classic five-day itinerary including Urumqi, Burqin, Hemu, Kanas, Sayram Lake, or make appropriate adjustments according to personal preferences and schedules.
You can also try a six-day in-depth tour starting from Altay/Beitun, passing through Hemu and Kanas, to fully experience the icy fairy tale world of Northern Xinjiang.
When planning your itinerary, please note that the distances between attractions in Xinjiang are relatively far, and the terrain is rugged. Be cautious when driving and plan your route and accommodation in advance.
. Hope this guide can help you have an unforgettable December in Northern Xinjiang!