I. Introduction
As temperatures gradually decrease, we welcome another small peak in tourism in Xinjiang. In the golden autumn of October, in addition to Kanas Lake in Northern Xinjiang, Southern Xinjiang not only boasts rich cultural landscapes but also unique natural beauty. So, how should one travel in Southern Xinjiang and which scenic spots should be prioritized? I have compiled some beautiful routes and scenic spots for traveling in Southern Xinjiang in the golden autumn of October for your reference.
II. Recommended Travel Routes in Southern Xinjiang in October
Day 1: Urumqi to Yuli (approximately 590 km, approximately 8.5 hours by car)
Day 2: Yuli to Kuqa (approximately 480 km, approximately 7 hours by car)
Day 3: Kuqa to Aksu (approximately 420 km, approximately 6.5 hours by car)
Day 4: Aksu to Kashgar (approximately 500 km, approximately 5 hours)
Day 5: Kashgar to Taxkorgan (approximately 300 km, approximately 6 hours)
Day 6: Taxkorgan to Kashgar (approximately 300 km, approximately 6 hours by car)
Day 7: Kashgar to Hotan (approximately 500 km, approximately 7 hours by car)
Day 8: Hotan to Aral (440 km, approximately 5.5 hours by car)
Day 9: Aral to Luntai (350 km, approximately 5 hours by car)
Day 10: Luntai to Bohu County (250 km, approximately 5 hours by car)
Day 11: Bohu County to Urumqi
III. Recommended Scenic Spots in Southern Xinjiang
1. Lop Nur Village
The Lop Nur Village is a haven of tranquility, inaccessible for many years and long forgotten. In the Lop Nur Village scenic area, you can wade through rivers, stroll through forests, ride camels to view the desert, go hunting, slide down sand dunes, fish in boats, listen to Lop Nur people sing folk songs, watch Lop Nur dances around a bonfire, sleep in huts, experience the ancient customs of the Lop people, and enjoy the fun of returning to nature.
2. Mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon
The Mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon is located beside the Duku Highway, about 70 kilometers from Kuqa County. It is a canyon in the Kiziliya Mountains, a branch of the Tianshan Mountains. In 2003, it was selected as one of ‘China’s Ten Most Beautiful Canyons’.
3. Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves
Kizil Grottoes are among the earliest and most westernly located large-scale grotto groups in China. Along with Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, they share the reputation of being among China’s ‘Four Great Grottoes’. They were probably excavated in the 3rd century AD and gradually ceased construction in the 8th to 9th centuries AD.
4. Kuqa王府
The Kuqa王府 is officially known as the ‘Hereditary王府 of the Uyghur Tribe in Kuqa’. It was built in 1759 by Han Chinese craftsmen specially dispatched by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty to commend the Uyghur chief E’erdu for his assistance in quelling the rebellion of the Great and Little Khojas.
5. Wensu Tomur Grand Canyon
It is a very large geological attraction of rock salt karst in China and also a very beautiful geological wonder of red cliffs (Danxia) in western China. It is known as Xinjiang’s ‘Living Geological Evolution Museum’.
8. Karakul Lake
It is an alpine glacially eroded and moraine lake at an altitude of 3,600 meters. It is surrounded by the majestic and mysterious Muztagh Ata, with snow-capped mountains and water sharing the same color, creating a very charming scenery. The Subashi Grassland by the lake is lush with water and grass, and flocks of cattle and sheep graze there.
9. Stone Castle
In Uyghur, it means ‘Stone Castle’. It is a former city ruins from the Tang Dynasty. It was once the royal city of the Puli Kingdom, one of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions. It is the intersection of the middle and southern routes of the ancient Silk Road. Multiple passages connecting Yingjisha, Yarkant, Kashgar, and Yecheng to the Pamir Plateau converge here.
10. Yulongkashi River
Originating from the Kunlun Mountains, it flows through the Tarim Basin and converges with the Karakash River to form the Hotan River. The river is rich in jade, including blue jade, black jade, and white jade. It has been the main river for jade production in Hotan since ancient times. Also known as White Jade River due to its production of Hotan jade, it is a river in the Hotan Prefecture of Xinjiang, China.
11. 359th Brigade Memorial Hall
Located in Alar City, the First Division of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, it has successively been awarded titles such as Regional Patriotic Education Base and the Third Batch of National Red Tourism Classic Scenic Areas. It has become a red tourism base for tourists from both inside and outside the region to receive revolutionary tradition education and an important window for understanding the Division, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and their construction achievements.
12. Tarim Huyanglin Park
Tarim Huyanglin National Forest Park is located 70 kilometers along the desert highway south of Luntai County in Bayingolin Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture, in the middle reaches of the Tarim River on the northeastern edge of the Taklamakan Desert. It is a very large primitive huyang (poplar) forest park in Xinjiang and also the area with the most concentrated primitive huyang forests in the entire Tarim River basin.
13. Bosten Lake
Bosten Lake is a very large inland freshwater lake in China, anciently known as West Sea. Its main water source is the Kaidu River, and it is also the source of the Kongque River. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction.
Xinjiang Tourism Consultation: (Same) 0991-8585456