Where are the best places to play in Xinjiang in autumn – the top ten must-visit attractions for autumn tourism in Xinjiang
When is Xinjiang’s autumn scenery the most beautiful? The most beautiful time in Xinjiang is undoubtedly September and October. During the golden autumn season, Xinjiang is a picture of beauty everywhere, with colorful forests, clear lakes, golden poplar forests, as if they are paintings of autumn. So, where are the best places to travel in Xinjiang in autumn? Atu has compiled a list of the top ten destinations for autumn tourism in Xinjiang, including Kanas, Luntai Poplar Forest, Keketohai, Putaogou, Kalajun, Zepu Golden Lake Poplar, Bayinbuluke Grassland, Sayram Lake, Baisha Lake, Nalati Grassland, and Wucaitan, etc. If you want to travel to Xinjiang, come and take a look at these autumn tourist attractions in Xinjiang!
1. Kanas
Kanas was named one of "China’s Top Ten Autumn Sceneries" by Chinese National Geography, representing the autumn beauty of northern Xinjiang and being the most beautiful place in Xinjiang during autumn. Autumn is the most beautiful season in Kanas, colorful and misty, picturesque, and captivating! Each September, golden yellow, crimson, and dark green hues blend together, with the weather changing daily and bringing different tones. The romantic birch forest, the primitive Tuwa village, Kanas Lake resembling a painter’s palette, the fairy-tale-like Hemu Village, golden birch forests, and intoxicating autumn scenery with mountains ablaze in red—everywhere is enchanting. The best time to appreciate autumn scenery is from September to October, when you can visit Kanas Lake (China’s most beautiful autumn scenery), Kanas’s Three Bays (Shenxian Bay, Wolong Bay, and Moon Bay), Hemu Village, and Yaze Lake.
2. Nalati Grassland
While most people are still wandering through the mountains enjoying the lush greens, autumn’s Nalati quietly presents a pristine beauty of snowy peaks, blue skies, and drifting clouds. It is also one of the most beautiful autumn destinations in Xinjiang. Nalati Grassland, with its valleys, peaks, deep gorges, and forests, offers a unique autumn scenery. Against the backdrop of blue skies and snowy mountains, the stunning grassland and colorful forests dress every山沟 (mountain gully) and mountain range in vibrant hues. Broad valleys, undulating hills, and endless golden grasslands are dotted with pearl-like yurts. To the south are snow-capped peaks that gleam year-round, while fir trees stand tall and green in the valleys, and poplars in secondary forests have turned golden.
3. Karakun
The grasslands of Karakun are known as the "Aerial Garden," and autumn in Karakun Grassland is a must-see, as it is one of the most beautiful autumn destinations in Xinjiang. After autumn sets in, the endless flat green grasslands are dyed golden by the autumn hues. White sheep flocks and yurts are scattered like stars in the sea of gold, while tree leaves display a colorful mosaic of red, yellow, and green. A sapphire river winds through golden gorges, and patches of white clouds drift across the blue sky. In the distance, snow-capped mountains stand majestic. The entire grassland is colorful. At night in Karakun, you can often see the Milky Way streaking across the sky, adding to its enchantment.
4. Bayanbulak
Bayanbulak Grassland boasts herds of cattle and sheep, surrounded by mountains and crisscrossed by rivers. The landscape is vast and undulating, with each mountain and slope offering a unique and picturesque view. Especially in autumn, the majestic snow-capped mountains meet the golden meadows, and the rivers wind through the grassland, drawing beautiful curves. Herds of cattle and sheep graze on the golden grasslands, resembling embroidered patterns scattered on a golden carpet, making the scene exceptionally beautiful. Bayanbulak Grassland also hosts a Swan Nature Reserve. In the morning, as smoke curls up from distant yurts, swans of all sizes begin to rest, forage, or soar out of the lake, flying over horsebacks, flocks, and yurts, circling in distant valleys. The scene of the lake, sky, cloud shadows, and swans creates a picturesque view of "water blending seamlessly with the azure sky, mountains and water forming a natural painting." In mid-October, as temperatures drop, swans gather in families and migrate south for the winter, creating a spectacular sight.
5. Sayram Lake
Sayram Lake, anciently known as the "Pure Lake", has clear and blue water and a wide lake surface. It is a beautiful alpine lake with the highest altitude and largest area in Xinjiang and is known as the "Last Tear of the Atlantic Ocean". Coming here in autumn, you can encounter a stunning view composed of white snow-capped mountains, golden grasslands, and blue lake water. In autumn, Sayram Lake has a sea-like blue lake surface, gray gravel along the lake, golden grassland by the lake, snow-covered Tianshan Mountains, a light blue and deep sky, distant dark blue mountains, dots of cattle and sheep, spruce trees connected to the grassland, distant mountains reflecting in the lake water, creating a beautiful scene where heaven and water merge into one.
6. Koktokay
Starting from late September, autumn in Koktokay is the most colorful season of the year, with mountains and fields painted in rich hues. The blue Irtysh River, the "golden" birch forest, and the homes of herdsmen with curling smoke make you feel like you have entered a fairy tale world. Here, there is a charming birch forest. When you look up, you see a splash of golden and shining colors spread out before your eyes. The mountains and valleys illuminated by autumn sunshine are magnificent, and the colorful hues make the entire valley look like it has been painted with colored pencils – jade green, dark green, light yellow, golden yellow, orange, fiery red… Looking around, the forests are painted in layers of colors, like a poem or a painting. The scenery of Koktokay is mainly distributed on both sides of the Irtysh River Gorge. The mountains, forests, and rivers complement each other. It is recommended to hike Zhongshan Gorge, where you can capture the autumn scenery.
7. Luntai Populus euphratica Forest
Luntai Populus euphratica Forest is one of the domestic places to appreciate Populus euphratica forests. It is the world’s oldest, largest, best-preserved, and most primitive Populus euphratica forest reserve, covering 100 square kilometers and selected by Chinese National Geography as one of the "Top Ten Beautiful Autumn Sceneries in China", making it one of the most beautiful places in autumn in China. From October to mid-November each year, it is the best time to appreciate the Populus euphratica Forest. The golden Populus euphratica forests decorate both banks of the Tarim River like a picturesque and splendid scene. The blue sky matches the golden Populus euphratica, reflecting another colorful world in the water. In the Luntai Populus euphratica Forest, you cannot miss the best time to appreciate the Populus euphratica forests, which are full of golden hues; there is also the Max Train, a 13-kilometer-long sightseeing railway. The scenery along the way is like a fairyland, as if you have traveled through a fairy tale of autumn.
8. Zepu Golden Populus euphratica
Zepu Golden Populus euphratica covers an area of 40,000 mu, with a natural Populus euphratica forest covering as much as 20,000 mu. In the distance are the majestic Kunlun Mountains, and at its feet, the tributaries of the Yarkant River rush ceaselessly, passing through the park. The snowy Kunlun Mountains and the Yarkant River jointly nurtured this magical land. Desert, Gobi, snow-capped mountains, clear water, and Populus euphratica constitute a uniquely beautiful scene of the northwest border region. The park has a 4.6-square-kilometer natural Populus euphratica forest, and the overall landscape is quite spectacular. Especially in autumn, it turns into a golden sea. The vigorous Populus euphratica forest eagerly offers countless gold coins to autumn. One Populus euphratica tree after another becomes a burning flame, golden and brilliant, reflecting beautifully with the lake water, creating a breathtaking beauty.
9. Baisha Lake
In autumn, Baisha Lake welcomes its best season of the year, with clear rippling waves and colorful reflections of the lake and mountains. Within 50 meters around the lake, there is a tall and dense forest belt of silver-grey poplars, white poplars, and birches growing together. Every autumn, after being baptized by low temperatures and autumn frost in late autumn, the leaves of European aspen and silver-grey poplar turn from green to red, dyed entirely red, and they complement the surrounding vegetation. It is like a flame burning from the desert sand mountains, spreading red over a hundred miles around. In the desert, it resembles red clouds winding around, full of charm, earning it the reputation of the ‘Desert Flame’. On the nearby dunes, poplars, hawthorns, wild chrysanthemums, and other plants form a natural barrier. When autumn comes, red, yellow, and green trees are reflected in the green lake water, and reeds sway with the wind. The colorful vegetation is reflected in the green lake, as if all the colors of nature have been secretly hidden in the lake. In the distance, blue skies and white clouds set off the continuous dunes, captivating the heart.
10. Grape Valley
Recommended autumn tourist attractions in Xinjiang: Grape Valley. Grape Valley is a gorge under Mount Huoyan, with the Buyiluke River flowing through it. The main water source is snowmelt from high mountains, and it is named for its abundant grapes. On the west bank of the gorge, cliffs stand face to face, steep and like a screen. Inside the gorge, streams flow around with pure water. The grapes in Turpan, Xinjiang, are famous, and Grape Valley is filled with vineyards. The grapes in Turpan Grape Valley ripen from August to September each year, and the picking season is from mid-to-late August to September. You can come here to pick grapes in early autumn. Here, you can also enjoy the enthusiastic dances of Uyghur young men in Grape Valley, thrilling Dawazi performances, lively and festive scenes of girls picking grapes, etc., which are dazzling.
【If you come to Xinjiang in autumn, be sure to pay attention to these small things】
【Before the trip】
What kind of clothing should I bring? There is a large temperature difference between day and night in Xinjiang. We Xinjiang people often describe the weather like this: ‘Wear a fur coat in the morning and a light dress in the afternoon, eating watermelon around the fireplace.’ Therefore, if you come to Xinjiang in autumn, you should bring both beautiful dresses and thicker coats in your suitcase.
② About the time difference
Yes, you read it right. Xinjiang is located in the East 6th Time Zone, so our time is 2 hours later than everyone else’s. Meals are 2 hours later, and work schedules are also 2 hours later.
【During the trip】
What are the delicacies in Xinjiang? Nang (a type of flatbread), thin-skinned steamed buns, big plate chicken, pilaf, grilled mutton kebabs…
There are too many delicious foods in Xinjiang~
②What issues should be noted during the trip?
Xinjiang has a dry climate, with some areas at high altitudes and strong UV radiation. It is recommended to bring a vacuum flask with you, drink plenty of water, and keep a lip balm handy to prevent chapped lips.
③What local specialties in Xinjiang are worth buying?
Nuts are a good choice and are also convenient for check-in luggage. However, items sold in Xinjiang are measured in kilograms. Please keep this in mind.
Xinjiang travel inquiry hotline: 0991-8585456