Due to Xinjiang’s vast territory, beautiful scenery tends to be scattered, which increases our travel time on the road. Therefore, when visiting Xinjiang, I recommend traveling around the beautiful scenery of Xinjiang by chartered car. This can save time and avoid the hassle of finding and boarding vehicles, planning itineraries, etc. It also allows for better enjoyment of the scenery along the way and intimate contact with beautiful views! There is a scenic area in Xinjiang named the Miraculous Tianshan Grand Canyon. One would not know the uniqueness of nature without visiting the Tianshan Grand Canyon. The Miraculous Tianshan Grand Canyon is sufficiently fascinating with just the word "miraculous". After millions of years of erosion and scouring by wind, frost, rain, and snow, as well as relentless refining by time, nature inadvertently carved and polished the grandeur and majesty of the Miraculous Tianshan Grand Canyon. It combines majesty, danger, tranquility, seclusion, and mystery. The canyon winds, cliffs surge, and peaks tower. The reddish-brown mountain bodies are even more awe-inspiring, leaving those who experience it in awe and admiring its beauty!
The Kanas Natural Landscape Reserve is located in the northwest of Burqin, deep in the mountains and dense forests at the northwestern end of China’s Altai Mountains. It is a standout among the scenic and tourism resources of Altay and can be called the "Pearl of Altai Tourism". This scenic area is a comprehensive forest nature reserve and the only "enclave" of European-Siberian taiga forests in China. The Kanas River is the main river within the reserve, running from northeast to southwest across the entire area and flowing into the Burqin River. Due to intense glacial erosion, the Aksukol Lake and Kanas Lake, formed by the widening and deepening of alpine rivers, resemble two giant mirrors inlaid in a beaded pattern in the central zone of the Kanas Nature Reserve. They are alpine freshwater lakes. Kanas Lake is crescent-shaped, 24 kilometers long from north to south and 1.6 to 2.9 kilometers wide from east to west, with an area of 44.78 square kilometers, which is ten times larger than the famous Bogda Heavenly Lake. With a maximum depth of 188.5 meters, it is the deepest inland lake in China, except for the Baekdu Mountain Heavenly Lake (312.7 meters deep) on the China-North Korea border. Kanas Lake is surrounded by mountains and peaks, with snow-capped peaks and dense forests and meadows. The hillsides are lush and green, while the lake surface shimmers with waves, reflecting the mountains, creating a breathtaking blend of blue sky, white clouds, snowy peaks, green mountains, and clear water.
In people’s impression, most of Xinjiang’s mountainous areas are mainly arid deserts with little rain and water scarcity. But as the saying goes, ‘Where there is a valley, there must be a stream.’ Every summer, when other places are unbearably hot, the valleys are unusually cool. Perhaps all this is related to their mysterious streams. In the valleys, you can often see streams as thin as paper flowing quietly but disappearing at your feet in a moment. Some say it’s groundwater overflowing onto the ground and forming streams, but no one knows why they disappear silently and suddenly.
In general, the tourist season in Xinjiang is from May to October each year, with the best travel season being July, August, and September. If you want to pursue the beautiful scenery of Xinjiang, choose to visit in September. At the end of September, Kanas, Hemu, Baihaba, Baishahu, and Koktokay will showcase golden birch trees, red European aspens, and tall, sturdy pine trees still retaining their green color, creating extremely rich colors. From May to June is a good time to photograph the grasslands, flowers, swans, and herdsmen’s migrations. From June to July, the Ili Grassland is colorful, with large fields of lavender and rapeseed flowers visible. From July to August is the time for mountain climbing activities and visiting the Pamir Plateau. In mid-August, grapes in Turpan ripen, making it a good time to eat fruits. Taklamakan Desert and Daheyan are suitable for exploration from mid-March to May and from September to November (the surface temperature can still reach 55 degrees Celsius). October is suitable for exploration in Lop Nur and Loulan. From June to August is also suitable for traveling and photography in Kanas. At the beginning of October, the herdsmen’s migration is spectacular. Around National Day, the mature autumn colors of Northern Xinjiang, especially the Altay region, and the golden胡杨林(Populus euphratica) in the desert in mid-to-late October are beautiful, and the photos taken are colorful and seductive. In winter, it’s a great choice to come to Urumqi to play in the snow or go to Fuyun and Ili regions to take winter scenery.
Bayanbulak Grassland in Xinjiang tourism covers an area of 22,000 square kilometers, making it the second largest grassland in China. The scenery is beautiful and magnificent. Swan Lake in the depths of the grassland is a famous wild swan reserve in China. The blue sky, green grass, yaks, yurts, lakes, sheep, swans, and snow-capped mountains here constitute a beautiful landscape painting. To experience Xinjiang tourism, one must see the desert scenery. Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang is the world’s second-largest shifting sand desert. ‘Taklamakan’ is a Uyghur term meaning ‘go in and you won’t come out’. China’s longest desert highway crosses it. Taklamakan Desert is the preferred destination for adventure tourism. Xinjiang tourism also involves understanding Hetian jade. When traveling in Xinjiang, buy Hetian jade. Hetian in Xinjiang is rich in beautiful jade, with white nephrite, also known as sheep fat jade, being the most precious. Currently, only Hetian in Xinjiang produces this variety, which has historically been used exclusively by the imperial court.
Xinjiang Photography Routes
Li Tang Photography Route – 11-day Kanas Photography Tour – Click to Book
Xinjiang Tourism Consultation: (Same) 0991-8585456