Chartered bus for travel in Xinjiang: (same)
Xinjiang
Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is located in the northwest of China, with a vast territory covering a total area of 1.66 million square kilometers, accounting for one-sixth of China’s land area. It’s equivalent to the size of 3 Frances, 4 Japans, 7 United Kingdoms, 11 Shangdongs, 16 South Koreas, 40 Taiwans, or 99 Beijings.
Xinjiang consists of ‘three mountains sandwiching two basins’. The ‘three mountains’ refer to the Altay Mountains in the north, the Tianshan Mountains in the middle, and the Kunlun Mountains in the south. The ‘two basins’ are the Junggar Basin in the north and the Tarim Basin in the south. Among them, the central part of the Tarim Basin has the world’s second-largest mobile desert, which is also China’s largest desert—the Taklamakan Desert.
Taklamakan Desert
Xinjiang borders on eight countries and has a border line of more than 5,600 kilometers. The main ethnic groups residing here are Han, Uyghur, Tajik, Hui, Mongolian, Manchu, Kirgiz, etc.霍尔果斯口岸 (Horgos Port)
Xinjiang has a temperate continental climate with an early autumn and late summer. The temperature difference between day and night is large, hence the saying ‘eating watermelon by the fireplace’. Overall, Northern Xinjiang is relatively cooler than Southern Xinjiang.
Currently, there are 12 5A-level tourist attractions, 72 4A-level tourist attractions, and 135 3A-level tourist attractions in Xinjiang. The tourism resources are abundant but greatly affected by seasons. The best travel time is from June to October each year.
What to note
1. No matter when you drive to Xinjiang, you need to bring thick clothes, even in summer. Long-sleeved shirts, long pants, sun hats, sunglasses, and ice sleeves are essential. This is even more true in winter; bring the thickest clothes in your wardrobe, along with gloves, hats, and masks. In short, Xinjiang’s summer is like inland autumn, its autumn is like inland winter, and its winter is like Siberia in Russia. It’s a bit exaggerated, but the principle is correct.
2. Always keep essential medicines, including cold medicine, diarrhea prevention medicine, and band-aids. Other medicines should be determined based on your physical condition, such as altitude sickness prevention medication. Besides Pamir Plateau which has a higher altitude, other places are very accessible. Bring sunscreen and lip balm in summer. In winter, prepare some high-fat skincare products to prevent skin from drying and cracking.
Regarding scenic spots, here’s a tip. You can skip Huoyan Mountain and Grape Valley. If you’ve played in the desert before, Kumtag Desert can also be skipped. Between Beizikelike Thousand Buddha Caves and Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, choose the latter. Between Gaochang Ancient City and Jiaohe Ancient City, choose the latter. At Urumqi International Bazaar, don’t waste money on climbing the tower. Tianshan Grand Canyon and Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon are not the same place; the latter is also known as Kuche Grand Canyon. Xinjiang travel advice: