The following is a 3-day travel itinerary for Xinjiang:?
Day 1: Urumqi and Surroundings?
Upon arrival in Urumqi in the morning, you can first head for Hongshan Park to enjoy the scenery of Urumqi city, feel the folk customs, and take photos at attractions such as Hongshan Tower and Yuanchao Tower.?
In the afternoon, visit the International Bazaar to experience the rich Islamic architectural style, buy Xinjiang specialties and handicrafts, and taste authentic Xinjiang cuisine such as mutton skewers. In the evening, you can also watch wonderful singing and dancing performances.?
If time permits, you can choose to free roam around Urumqi city or head for Tianshan Tianchi to admire the magnificent scenery of the alpine lake. The lake water is clear to the bottom, surrounded by snow-capped mountains. You can choose to hike, ride a horse, or take a shuttle bus to tour around.?
Day 2: Kanas Lake?
In the morning, depart from Urumqi and head for Kanas by plane or coach. Kanas is known as the "God’s Own Land", and autumn Kanas is even more breathtakingly beautiful, with golden birch forests, azure lakes, and distant snow-capped mountains forming a natural oil painting.?
Upon arrival, you can take a walk along the plank road by the lake or climb up the Fish Viewing Terrace to overlook the panoramic view of Kanas Lake. In the evening, you can choose to stay in the small wooden huts of the Tuwa people, taste the local specialty of hand-grabbed mutton and milk tea, and feel the unique charm of this land.?
Day 3: Turpan?
In the morning, drive to Turpan, the hottest place in Xinjiang and an important post on the ancient Silk Road. You can visit Flaming Mountain to feel the amazing workmanship of nature, where the red mountain seems like burning flames under the sunshine.?
Next, you can explore Karez, an ancient underground water conservancy project, to understand how ancients created the miracle of the oasis with their wisdom and hard work. Finally, taste the local grapes and other special local foods in Turpan, drawing a perfect conclusion to this trip to Xinjiang.?
The above itinerary combines multiple famous attractions and special local foods in Xinjiang, hoping to provide a useful reference for your 3-day trip to Xinjiang.?