Tourism in southern Xinjiang, Travel routes and costs of scenic spots in southern Xinjiang
Speaking of Xinjiang, everyone is familiar with scenic spots such as Tianchi Lake, Kanas Lake, Yili Grassland, Sayram Lake, and Turpan. They also seem to have become the labels and business cards of Xinjiang. But in fact, they only represent half of Xinjiang’s characteristics, and that half is northern Xinjiang. The other half of Xinjiang – southern Xinjiang
In fact, these well-known scenic spots in northern Xinjiang are only part of the beautiful natural scenery of Xinjiang, while southern Xinjiang is a place where natural scenery and cultural customs are perfectly combined. Going to southern Xinjiang is the correct way to travel in Xinjiang.
I. What do we go to southern Xinjiang to see?
Different from the picturesque green mountains and rivers of northern Xinjiang, the natural scenery of southern Xinjiang is more magnificent and rugged.
1. Go to southern Xinjiang to see the desert poplars
Two desert highways cross the southern Xinjiang, bringing the Taklamakan Desert, known as the ‘Sea of Death’, into the eyes of the world.
Crossing through it, feel the ruggedness and heroism of traversing the desert in the no man’s land. If you happen to be there during the golden autumn, the golden desert poplars by your side will add a unique vitality to this desert. Main attractions:
1. The First Desert Highway: Qiemo-Luntai, with a total length of 730 kilometers and a driving time of 14 hours;
2. The Second Desert Highway: Hotan-Aksu, with a total length of 600 kilometers and a driving time of 12 hours;
3. Luntai County Poplar Forest: Poplar forest at the edge of the desert;
4. Zepu Golden Poplar Forest: Famous for its unique scenery of water poplars.
2. Visit Southern Xinjiang to See Plateau Scenery
Tibet and Xinjiang are separated by a mountain, and that mountain is Kunlun Mountain. The south of Kunlun Mountain is Tibet, and its northern foot is Xinjiang. Thus, it has given birth to the same plateau scenery as Tibet – the scenery of the Pamirs Plateau. Main attractions:
1. Karakul Lake: Located at the foot of Muztagh Ata, the Father of Glaciers, 191 kilometers away from Kashgar, the China-Pakistan Highway passes by the lakeside. It is not far from here to the base camp for climbing Muztagh Ata (a 5-hour walk or camel ride away). "Karakul" means "black sea", and it is an alpine glacial lake. The water surface reflects the majestic and mysterious Muztagh Ata, with snow-covered peaks and the same color for the mountains and water, creating a very enchanting scenery.
2. Hongqilafu Port: Located in the southwest of Kashgar Prefecture, Xinjiang, within the Tajik Autonomous County of Tashkurgan on the Pamirs Plateau, adjacent to northern Pakistan. The port is at an altitude of 4,500 meters. Along the way, you can admire Kongur Tag, a permanently snow-capped mountain at an altitude of 7,649 meters on the eastern edge of the plateau, Kongur Jobe at an altitude of 7,530 meters, and Muztagh Ata at an altitude of 7,509 meters.
3. Tashkurgan Stone City: It is the intersection of the middle and southern routes of the ancient Silk Road. Several passages connecting Kashgar, Yarkand, Yingjisha, and Yecheng to the Pamirs converge here. The castle is built on a high hill, with an extremely steep terrain. Multiple layers of continuous or discontinuous city walls are built outside the city, with stone hills overlapping and rocks piled up between the walls, forming a unique stone city landscape.
3. Visit Southern Xinjiang to Explore Silk Road Civilization
Southern Xinjiang was a necessary stop on the ancient Silk Road. The prosperity of the Silk Road at that time can be seen from the scattered ancient cities, Buddhist temples, and beacon towers in various parts of southern Xinjiang today. Main attractions:
1. Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves: The murals in the Kizil Grottoes show both the influence of Han culture and the clever and selective acceptance of foreign cultural art. They are also a testament to the extraordinary wisdom of ancient Kizil painters. With bold and vigorous lines, they outlined sturdy bones with a single stroke, used ochre hues to render rich and round flesh, lightly sketched evenly arranged folds in the clothing, and with the aid of a flowing ribbon, created an artistic conception of soaring freely in the air, giving people the impression of "floating sky clothes, wind rustling through the walls" upon seeing those "flying apostles". Compared to the ancient European "flying gods – angels" with wings on their backs, the "flying apostles" of the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves appear more mature and romantic artistically.
2. Kizilgaha Beacon Tower: Located on the east side of Yanshuigou in the northwest of Kuqa County, Kizilgaha Beacon Tower means "red-beaked crow" or "red outpost" in Uyghur. This majestic ancient military building…
2. Original Bazaar: The bazaars in Kashgar have been specialized since ancient times, such as firewood bazaars, carpet bazaars, cloth bazaars, livestock bazaars, production material bazaars, knife bazaars, and dried fruit bazaars, etc. Especially the livestock bazaars are generally only held on Sundays. On this day, people come here from all directions with livestock for sale. Here, you can experience the ancient trade forms on the ancient Silk Road, and see barter trades, especially sleeve transactions. Seeing is believing. Let’s join the crowd and experience the joy of wandering around the Kashgar bazaar.
3. Dolan Dance and Song: Among the Uyghur people, there is an art form that is deeply loved by the people and deeply ingrained in their lives
II. When to Go to Southern Xinjiang?
The climate in Southern Xinjiang is basically unaffected by ice and snow. Spring comes early and winter comes late. The tourist season is about 4 months longer than that of Northern Xinjiang. Every year, except for January to March, which are not suitable for tourism, the rest of the time is very suitable. From April to May, you can go to Southern Xinjiang to see apricot and peach blossoms; June, July, August, and September are the fruit ripening seasons in Southern Xinjiang; after October, you can go to Southern Xinjiang to see the golden autumn Populus euphratica… Therefore, it is suitable to travel to Southern Xinjiang at any time of the year.
III. What Methods Can Be Used to Travel to Southern Xinjiang?
1. Entire Journey by Car
Starting from Urumqi to Kashgar, the entire route is now expressway. Therefore, a great Southern Xinjiang auto tour without backtracking will be very exhilarating. There are basically no mountain roads, and the straight expressways and smooth provincial roads provide a solid guarantee for auto travel in Southern Xinjiang.
2. Train Travel
If you’re worried about the distance, traveling by train is also a good choice. There are several train options available from Urumqi to Kashgar. The train stops in Korla, Kuqa, and Aksu along the way, where you can disembark to explore before continuing your journey on the next train.
3. Airplane Crossing
Currently, several larger cities in Southern Xinjiang have airports, including Kashgar, Korla, Kuqa, Aksu, and Hotan. Each destination has more than one flight per day, especially Kashgar, which has at least 10 flights to choose from every day.
1. 10-Day Great Southern Xinjiang Auto Tour
Day 1: Urumqi – Korla Attractions: Lop Nur Village;
Day 2: Korla – Kuqa Attractions: Mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon;
Day 3: Kuqa – Aksu Attractions: Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves;
Day 4: Aksu – Kashgar Attractions: Kashgar Old Town;
Day 5: Kashgar – Tajik Autonomous County Attractions: Stone City, Khunjerab Pass;
Day 6: Tajik Autonomous County – Kashgar Attractions: Karakul Lake;
Day 7: Kashgar – Hotan Attractions: Juglone Tree Scenic Area;
Day 8: Hotan – Qiemo Attractions: Kashgar-Hotan River;
Day 9: Qiemo – Korla Attractions: Desert Highway;
Day 10: Korla – Urumqi
Xinjiang Tourism Consultation: (Same) 0991-8585456