10 must-visit attractions in Xinjiang in winter, you will regret it if you don’t go
Winter tour chartered bus in Xinjiang, inquiry number: 0991-8585456 (same)
Different seasons bring different beautiful scenery to Xinjiang tourism, and winter Xinjiang tourist routes are no exception. Many people know that in Xinjiang, the most beautiful place in spring is the Yili Grassland, the most beautiful place in summer is Kanas, and the most beautiful place in autumn is the Tarim Poplar Forest, but they are not very familiar with where the most beautiful scenery in Xinjiang is during the cold winter. This article will take you to see which scenic spots in Xinjiang are the most beautiful and worth visiting in winter, let’s take a look!
1. Altay Kanas (Birch Forest Rime, Snow Appreciation, Hemu Ice and Snow Park) (5A Scenic Area)
Kanas is located in the middle section of the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang, and is a national AAAAA tourist attraction. In winter, the Kanas scenic area is dressed in white, with snow covering it for six months. The magnificent and vast snowfields, the crystal-clear birch forest rime, the snow-covered ice lakes, the ink-wash painting-like Hemu village, and the Baihaba village with curling smoke create unique and breathtaking scenery unique to Kanas. Every winter, Kanas Lake presents a spectacular sight of snow mushrooms on the snowy fields, which is extremely beautiful. The Tuwa village, wooden houses in the snow, and curling smoke, dotted with tall birches, make tourists who are seeking scenery in the snow get off their cars and use their cameras to capture this beautiful scene. The Hemingway Resort in the scenic area boasts idyllic rural scenery, which is beautiful in winter and surrounded by glaciers, snow-capped mountains, primitive forests, and grassland flower seas. Hemu Ice and Snow Park, located in the magnificent snowy mountains, incorporates all elements of ice and snow entertainment, and offers a total of 36 winter ice and snow entertainment items.
2. Tianchi Lake in Tianshan (Snow Appreciation, Icefalls, Hot Spring Soaking, Skiing) (World Heritage, 5A Scenic Area, Scenic Spot, National Geological and Water Conservancy Scenic Area)
Tianchi Lake in Tianshan centers around Tianchi Lake, with snow-capped mountains, glaciers, alpine lakes, and snowy grasslands as the scenic features. It is a national AAAAA tourist attraction. The winter snowfall period lasts for 6-7 months, and the freezing period reaches 5 months, with the lake ice thickness exceeding 1 meter, making it a natural skating rink. Starting in December, Tianchi Lake turns into a shiny large mirror, giving it a sense of "the world’s lakes are drunk, but I alone am sober". Every winter, especially after snowfall, Tianchi Lake in Tianshan, with icefalls, snow-covered pine trees, a celestial mirror, and footpaths, resembles ink paintings, dressing up winter’s Tianshan in extraordinary beauty. In addition to snow and icefall landscapes, the International Ice and Snow Park at Tianchi Lake in Tianshan is also a major feature of winter tourism. The 1 million square meter International Ice and Snow Park at Tianchi Lake in Tianshan includes the Xinjiang Ice and Snow World, the Ice Age-themed Tianchi Ice and Snow Fairy Tale Park, the Tianchi Lake International Ski Resort, and the Wujiang Jurassic Sea Hot Spring. It is open from late December to March, where visitors can enjoy ice and snow sculptures, ice and snow entertainment, ice and snow sports, and soaking in hot springs, making it a great…
3. Sayram Lake (Snow Appreciation, Ice and Snow Sports, Ice and Snow Festival)
Sayram Lake is a high-altitude lake in Xinjiang with a high altitude, large area, and beautiful scenery. It is a national AAAA tourist attraction and a national scenic area. Winter Sayram Lake appears particularly serene. The turquoise lake, surrounded by snowy mountains, is fantastically beautiful like a fairyland. In the depths of winter, Sayram Lake in Xinjiang is covered in snow, with the frozen lake surface and continuous snow-capped mountains forming a beautiful picture scroll. Every winter, the Sayram Lake scenic area offers exciting winter sports such as snowmobiles, skiing, ice skating, and horse-drawn sleigh rides. From February to March each year, the annual Sayram Lake Ice and Snow Festival is held at the Moon Bay Ice and Snow Park within the scenic area, where visitors can enjoy ice and snow landscapes such as blue ice, ice flowers, ice bubbles, ice eyes, snowy forests, ice sculptures, and snow sculptures by circling the lake.
4. Silk Road International Resort (Skiing, Hot Spring Soaking, Enjoying Tianshan Snowy Scenery, Ice and Snow Festival)
Urumqi Silk Road International Resort is located in the Tianshan Mountains. It is a comprehensive resort integrating alpine skiing, hot spring wellness, sightseeing tourism, leisure, and vacationing. It is a national AAAA tourist attraction. The Silk Road Hot Spring within the resort is a Japanese-style hot spring pavilion in the alpine snowfield that integrates hot spring baths, entertainment, snow saunas, and Chinese-style physiotherapy. The Silk Road International Ski Resort covers an area of 12 square kilometers. It is one of the three largest ski resorts in China and an SSSSS-level ski resort. It was once one of the competition venues for the 2016 National Winter Games and was awarded the title of "China’s Best Skiing Tourism Resort". It is equipped with 8 beginner, intermediate, and advanced ski runs, 3 mountain cable cars, ski teaching areas for children and adults, and entertainment areas such as snow tubing. From early January to March each year, the Silk Road Ice and Snow Festival is held, featuring exciting activities such as ice and snow sightseeing, ice and snow sports, ice and snow entertainment, and ice and snow cuisine. In addition to skiing and soaking in hot springs, you can also take the forest cable car to the primitive forest of the Tianshan Mountains to enjoy the enchanting snowy scenery of Tianshan.
5. Gongnais (Snow Appreciation, Rime Viewing, Hot Spring Soaking)
Gongnais National Forest Park features six major characteristics: high, cool, wild, peculiar, unique, and beautiful. It encompasses scenic areas such as Golden River, Silver River, Stone Beach, and Hot Spring Spa, with main attractions including Banchan Gully, Aerxian Hot Springs, Yikaijieleng Gully, Hongjalike Falls, Xiannu Lake, and Temusitai Gully. It is a national AAAA tourist attraction and national forest park. In winter, Gongnais is outlined against the boundless white world, with snow-capped mountains, forests, green meadows, and hills. The banks of the Gongnais River offer a spectacular scene of rime. The rime in Gongnais lasts long and is beautiful. From Gongnais Forest Farm to the Yili River, trees of different heights and sizes along the Gongnais River are covered in silver, forming a dreamlike rime landscape. Within the scenic area, Aerxian Hot Springs has 12 hot springs. After enjoying the snow and rime, visitors can soak in the hot springs.
6. Ulungur Lake (Winter Fishing Festival, mid-January to February)
Ulungur Lake is located in Fuhai County, Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, and is a national AAAA tourist attraction. In winter, Ulungur Lake is wrapped in a silver sea of snow, and the frozen deep blue ice surface offers a unique charm and atmosphere. The endless whiteness appears holy and elegant. Only the "thudding" sound of fishermen chipping ice, the primitive chants of the fishing leader, and the roaring sound of the net winding cart fill this silent snowy field with extremely诱人的 charm and mystery. Since the onset of winter, the fishing production at Ulungur Lake in Xinjiang has attracted numerous tourists from both inside and outside Xinjiang with its unique ice fishing method, becoming a major brand of ice and snow tourism in Altay Prefecture. Every winter, from mid-January to February, Ulungur Lake hosts a grand "Ulungur Lake Winter Fishing Festival", where tourists can watch the sacred fire collection, lake sacrifice, net awakening, enjoy a full-fish banquet, and experience local folk customs. Every winter, an ice cover about 1 meter thick forms, resembling undulating mountains and creating a landscape of wind-deposited icebergs.
7. Yili Guozigou (Snow Appreciation, Winter Folk Custom Experience) (Forest Park)
Guozigou is a famous canyon passage northbound to Sayram Lake and southbound to the Yili River Valley, approved as a national forest park. Due to its abundant forest resources, every winter, the mountains are covered with snow, creating a scene of a snowy forest. The distant snow-capped peaks and the nearby white-covered pine trees complement each other, forming a unique winter landscape of northern Xinjiang. When visiting here, tourists can also witness the winter migration of herdsmen in Guozigou. The Kazakh herdsmen who live here hold a horse-riding competition and a sheep-catching activity every weekend after winter sets in. It is a way to exercise in winter, and the final winner can enjoy a delicious dinner.
8. Yili Swan Lake (Admiring Rime Ice and Watching Swans)
Yili Swan Lake is located in the Swan Habitat Reserve in Xiaheleke Village, Yingtamu Township, Yining County, Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It is a national AAA tourist attraction. Rime ice and swans are the two major features of Yili Swan Lake in winter tourism. Swans swim gracefully in groups in the natural lake formed by underground hot springs. The snow-covered ice and snow by the lake, the mist formed by the hot springs, and the ice-clear rime contrast beautifully with the swans in the lake, resembling a fairyland in a fairy tale. The lake does not freeze throughout the winter, creating conditions for the swans to habitat. From early October each year to April of the next year, a large number of beautiful swans migrate here from the Bayanbulak Grasslands, especially hundreds of mute swans. Every year when the swans fly here for the winter, they attract a large number of photographers and tourists from all over the country to stop and observe.
9. Holy Spring Scenic Area (Soaking in Hot Springs)
The Holy Spring Scenic Area is located in Bogdal Town, Wenquan County. It is named after being the top of the three springs in Wenquan (Holy Spring, Heavenly Spring, and Fairy Spring) and having bathing and recuperation effects. It is a national AAAA tourist attraction. Bogdal Hot Springs contain iodine, sulfur, phosphorus, and other minerals, with smooth water quality and water temperatures ranging from 42 to 61°C. Besides soaking in the hot springs, the scenic area boasts a rich variety of landscapes with distinct layers, ranging from glacial relics at an altitude of 3,000 meters to secondary forests in the Bortala River valley; from the famous Holy Spring to the warm wetland; from the majestic Alatau Mountains and Bezhentau Mountains to gentle and lush alluvial platforms; from the sacred Arshan Obo to the ancient and mysterious species of Xinjiang northern newt. Magnificent, vast, and spectacular landscapes are everywhere.
10. General Ski Resort Altay
General Ski Resort Altay is located on the hillside of General Mountain in Altay City. The ski resort covers an area of 600,000 square meters, with an altitude of 1,300 meters and a vertical drop of 300 meters. The slope ranges from 12 to 50 degrees, and the mountain conditions are superior, making it an SSSSS-level ski resort. The snow season here lasts for 150 days (from November to March of the next year), with a rare powdery snow texture in China, and the annual average snowfall thickness reaches 1.5 meters. The main ski trails are divided into snowboard trails, snow tube trails, and ski jump trails. There are 27 trails from beginner to advanced levels, including the 3-kilometer-long Golden Avenue, an ultra-long intermediate trail. Trails No. 1 and No. 2 have been certified by the International Ski Federation as international competition venues for giant slalom and slalom. The ski resort has 2 chairlifts, 3 tow lifts, and 4 magic carpets, with a transportation capacity of 6,500 people per hour.
Winter tour chartered bus in Xinjiang, inquiry number: 0991-8585456 (same)