2021 Xinjiang Chartered Tour Guide – Xinjiang Chartered Tour Itineraries
Xinjiang Customized Travel Planner Guo Jing 1813962-2229 0991-8585456
Are you as yearning for Xinjiang as I am? Yearning for the endless prairies, the desert Gobi, wanting to gallop on the prairies, chase sunsets and sunrises, and experience the exotic flavor here…
About Xinjiang
Xinjiang is located in the northwest border of China, occupying one-sixth of the country’s land area. It is a province of China. It can be divided into North Xinjiang and South Xinjiang, with the Tianshan Mountains as the boundary, and there are obvious differences between the two.
Filming Locations for Major Movies and Variety Shows. The beauty of Xinjiang is well-known, with its vast territory, numerous ethnic groups, and diverse cultures… all of which are favorite filming locations for major movies and variety shows. The wind-eroded landforms and strangely shaped Devil City in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’; Hami with roads leading to various places in ‘No Man’s Land’; The grayish-yellow walls and Central Asian exotic charm of Kashgar in ‘The Kite Runner’; Kanas, known as the ‘God’s Palette’ and ‘Oriental Switzerland’ in ‘Dad, Where Are We Going?’; The picturesque forest, sea, and snow-capped mountains of Ili in ‘Legend of Martial Arts’; The breathtaking Bayinbuluke racetrack in the hit Chinese New Year movie ‘Pegasus’ this year… In short, coming to Xinjiang will definitely allow you to appreciate the different flavors of two countries without leaving the country.
Travel Preparations
Prepare mentally for long car rides. The distances between attractions in Xinjiang are measured in hundreds of kilometers. It often takes several hours to travel from one attraction to another, and some attractions are so large that you need to take a shuttle bus. But the scenery along the way will definitely amaze you. Besides being vast, Xinjiang is also dry. Xinjiang is located in the center 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. Sunscreen should be prepared for summer. Girls should bring brightly colored dresses. If you want to take great photos at attractions, bright and fresh dresses are essential. There are many photo spots in Xinjiang, such as Sayram Lake, Princess Jieyou’s Lavender Field, Xiate Ancient Road… Every photo you take will be a masterpiece. You can prepare sunglasses, straw hats, sun umbrellas, and various other photo props as appropriate.
For first-time travelers to Xinjiang, facing the vast and culturally diverse Xinjiang, they are often at a loss. How to enjoy yourself thoroughly in Xinjiang and provide a travel guide for friends at the same time!!
Route Itinerary: Northern Xinjiang Panoramic Loop Route, featuring Tianchi Lake, Koktokay, Colorful Beach, Kanas, Hemu Village, World’s Devil City, Sayram Lake, Nalati Grasslands, Bayinbuluke Grasslands, and Duku Highway.
D1 Urumqi – Tianchi – Fuyun or Koktokay (approx. 480 km, journey time about 8 hours)
D2 Koktokay – Colorful Beach – Burqin (approx. 370 km, journey time about 7 hours)
D3 Burqin – Kanas (approx. 150 km, journey time about 3.5 hours)
D4 Kanas – Hemu (about 60 kilometers, approximately 1.5 hours of travel)
D5 Hemu – World Devil’s City – Wuhe (about 400 kilometers, approximately 7 hours of travel).
D6 Wuhe – Sayram Lake (about 530 kilometers, approximately 7 hours of travel)
D7 Sayram Lake – Horgos – Lavender Base – Yining (about 200 kilometers, approximately 3 hours of travel)
D8 Yining – Nalati (about 350 kilometers, approximately 6 hours of travel)
D9 Nalati – Bayinbrook (about 100 kilometers, approximately 2 hours of travel)
D10 Bayinbrook – Dushanzi (northern section of the Duku Highway) – Urumqi (approximately 570 kilometers in total, about 10 hours of travel)
Introductions to some attractions in Xinjiang
Sayram Lake. Most people’s impression of Xinjiang stays on the vast Gobi Desert or the lonely smoke rising straight in the desert. Yet, they don’t know about Sayram Lake in Xinjiang.
Sayram Lake was anciently called "Clear Sea", located in the Northern Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang. It is a scenic, high-altitude, and large alpine cold-water lake.
In summer, the forest around Sayram Lake is lush, the streams are clear, and the grass and flowers are abundant. The orange-yellow golden lotus slowly spreads from the top of the mountain, with stars-like flowers dotting the green grass. On the vast grassland, herds of cattle and sheep graze, and cooking smoke rises thinly, creating a moving pastoral landscape painting.
In winter, Sayram Lake is covered with snow and ice. The oval lake surface, nestled among ice mountains and snowfields, resembles a piece of emerald placed on white and soft silk cotton. Come to Xinjiang and visit Sayram Lake to watch the sunrise and sunset, and feel the charm of "your sapphire-blue lake, which captivates people at first sight".
Huocheng Lavender Plantation Base – The third largest lavender base in the world. It is also famous for lavender, and Xinjiang’s Huocheng is not inferior to Provence at all. Huocheng is located in the northwest of Yili, a border county combining agriculture and animal husbandry. Lavender, also known as perfume plant and fragrant herb, has elegant leaf shapes and flower colors. Its blue-purple inflorescences are tall and beautiful, making it a new kind of perennial cold-resistant flower. Flower language: Waiting for love.
Huocheng is covered with lavender, like a vast purple sea. When standing at the edge of the field with arms open, it feels like the whole sky belongs to you. Whenever the lavender blooms collectively, the purple-blue flower sea, the blooming flower stamens, and the strong fragrance make people willingly drunk in the embrace of lavender.
In June, Huocheng is filled with hundreds of acres of lavender blossoms. Come to Huocheng to have a sweet romance and feel the romantic atmosphere of flower language together.
Xiate Ancient Path – A high-risk hiking and exploration route. The Xiate Ancient Path connects the southern and northern parts of the Tianshan Mountains, with a total length of 120 kilometers. It is a famous and perilous ancient pass on the Silk Road, also known as the Tang Monk’s Ancient Path.
The Xiate Ancient Path is very suitable for explorers. After climbing over the Southern and Northern Tianshan Mountains, it seems like entering a world of ice and snow. The majestic snow-capped mountains appear and disappear in the clouds, and the boundless glacier at your feet winds up like a jade belt, disappearing into the sea of snow and clouds. If you want to climb up to the Tianshan Mountains, the fragmented glaciers, ice crevasses, and glaciers along the way will be great threats.
Therefore, to walk the Xiate Ancient Path, you must be a mentally prepared and physically fit explorer to feel the insignificance of nature and the vicissitudes of the ancient path.
Best Travel Time: Early May – Early June or Late September – Early October
Karakul Grassland – Beautiful "Human Body Grassland"
My impression of grasslands has always been the vast grasslands of Hulunbeir, with the magnificent and fertile scenery of "the vast sky, the boundless wilderness, and wind blowing through the grass to reveal cattle and sheep". After seeing Karakul Grassland, I believe you will be amazed by it.
Karakul Grassland is located in Tekes County, Yili, Xinjiang, and is the transitional zone from the West Tianshan Mountains to the Yili River Valley.
Chinese National Geography described it as: It overthrows the aesthetic "fatigue" brought by the monotonous colors and single landscape of ordinary grasslands, and is defined as a three-dimensional grassland landscape that blends different time and space and colors, and is easy to view.
Due to differences in elevation, Karakul Grassland has formed a unique landscape with distinct layers and a well-organized layout. In addition, various types of forage grasses enrich the grassland colors, as if presenting a breathtaking landscape painting in front of you. A vast undulating erosion plane with beautiful curves is also known as the "Human Body Grassland". The undulating and gully-ridden landform and the curved lines of shade and light are favorite subjects for photographers.
Come to Karakul Grassland to see the magnificent works of nature and experience the "Human Body Grassland" across different time and space.
Transportation: Rent a car from Urumqi to Yili
Bayan布鲁克 Grassland – Nine-Bend and Eighteen-Turn River
Bayan布鲁克 Grassland, located in Bayingol Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang, is the second-largest grassland in China and a high-mountain grassland. It is a high-mountain basin surrounded by the Tianshan Mountains, with a flat terrain. There is an idyllic paradise surrounded by snow-capped mountains; the Kaidu River with "Nine-Bend and Eighteen-Turn"; and the elegant and charming Swan Lake.
The most beautiful scene of the "Nine-Bend and Eighteen-Turn River" is the reflection of the evening sky in the river bend. As the sunset gradually descends, half of the sky is illuminated in red, with a colorful sky full of red clouds reflecting shimmeringly on the river surface, adding a great charm.
Bayan布鲁克 Grassland offers a breathtaking view of the "Nine-Bend and Eighteen-Turn River" and the exceptionally charming Swan Lake filled with red flowers.
Huoyan Mountain Grand Canyon – Valley scenery with crisscross gullies
In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong passes through Huoyan Mountain and borrows the Bamboo Leaf Fan three times, a story well-known to all. Huoyan Mountain Grand Canyon is located in the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang and is a mysterious place. The mountain range runs east-west and is barren. During summer, the ground surface steams under the sunshine, resembling a soaring fire dragon, which is very spectacular.
The Huoyan Mountain scenic area is located at a spectacular position of Huoyan Mountain, featuring many sculptures of characters from Journey to the West and exhibitions on the history and culture of the Huoyan Mountain area. The valley with jagged rocks and crisscross gullies; the Tuyugou Thousand Buddha Caves excavated during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Western and Eastern Jin dynasties… This place can be called an art and culture treasure trove.
Karez – Ancient Horizontal Water-Collecting Structure
Karez means ‘well cave’. It is commonly found in the Turpan region of Xinjiang and is an ancient horizontal water-collecting structure for the development and utilization of groundwater. It is suitable for use in the foothills and alluvial fan areas, mainly for intercepting underground water for farmland irrigation and domestic water use.
Karez consists of vertical wells, underground channels, open channels, and flood basins. It retains underground water and uses gravity to transport the accumulated water from underground to irrigate farmland or for domestic use. The sweet grapes are irrigated through water diverted from Karez.
Best travel time
The tourist season in Xinjiang is generally from May to October.
March to April
It is windy, with cold waves intruding, which can easily lead to strong winds and dusty floating soil, and increased precipitation.
This is a suitable time to visit southern Xinjiang, where peach blossoms and apricot blossoms bloom competitively, along with the newly revived grasslands.
You can admire wild apricot blossoms in places like Turpan.
June
In the Yili region, you can admire fields of flowers and the beautiful lavender (most beautiful in mid-June), although the fruits and melons have not yet ripened.
July to August
You can also see flowers covering the mountains and lush grasslands with abundant water plants. This is a good time to escape the summer heat. Lavender has already been harvested, and fruits and melons start to ripen by mid-August.
September to October
Xinjiang’s harvest season, with comfortable weather, is the true golden autumn season, with fragrant fruits and melons.
Xinjiang’s autumn can be considered the most beautiful autumn in the country. The poplar forests in southern Xinjiang are dyed with the colors of autumn, but these two months are the peak tourist season.
Winter
Winter: The temperature has dropped to minus 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. Many places have closed off mountains and roads, and many scenic areas are also closed. Tickets at this time will be discounted, and some are even free.
Equipment
1, Bring a suitcase and you can also prepare a small waist bag for lightweight travel throughout the trip.
2, The temperature difference between morning and night is large, so please prepare a thick coat; pay attention to cold prevention and warmth retention according to weather changes.
3, Sunglasses, brimmed hat, insulated water bottle, magic scarf.
4. Travel shoes, hiking shoes, or mountaineering shoes are all fine (waterproof).
5, Cold medicine, stomach medicine, motion sickness medicine, vitamins, band-aids, essential oil, and you can prepare some glucose oral solution to replenish energy.
6, Sunscreen + moisturizing lotion + hand cream + lip balm.
7, Flashlight or headlamp, various digital products (and their chargers, power banks).
8, ID card, student ID, instructor ID, and other various documents.
9, Prepare some water, dry food, fruits, and snacks.
10, Toiletries and clothes for changing.
You may also want to learn more about Xinjiang tourism information, Xinjiang travel guides, Xinjiang travel car rentals, Xinjiang travel itineraries, Xinjiang airport transfers, Xinjiang tourist attraction ticket prices, Xinjiang business travel接待, Xinjiang self-guided tours, and where to have fun in Xinjiang. Contact Guo Jing, the Xinjiang customized tour planner at 1813962-2229 or 0991-8585456.