Is the scenery in Xinjiang beautiful in April?
In April, Xinjiang is a great place to visit Yili to see apricot blossoms
Xinjiang Tourism Inquiry Hotline: 0991-8585456 (Same)
Huocheng Daxigou Wild Fruit Forest—Apricot Blossoms in Daxigou
The famous essay "Scenes of the Tianshan Mountains" describes such a scene: "Flowers bloom all over the valley in spring, and fruits fill the mountainside in autumn. When flowers bloom and fruits ripen, it becomes a paradise for birds and animals." This describes Daxigou in Huocheng, where wild cherry plum trees are widely distributed and has been named "Hometown of Wild Cherry Plums in China" by the country. In April every year, apricot, cherry, plum, and apple blossoms bloom successively here, coupled with colorful wildflowers and verdant hillsides covering the entire mountain slope, like a colorful flower blanket. You can’t help but lift your camera to capture this fairyland on earth in the blink of an eye.
IV. Enjoy the Surrounding Highlights
The last tear of the Atlantic—Sayram Lake
In April, Sayram Lake is basically half water and half ice, with piles of snow still lining the shore. The distant mountains are mostly covered with snow. On a good day, the sunshine reflects on the half-frozen lake, with verdant spruce trees by the lake, creating a delicate ink painting-like scenery.
Anjihai Grand Canyon, also known as Red Mountain Grand Canyon, is a steep and precipitous valley formed by the Anjihai River eroding and cutting through the flat land over millions of years. The cliff walls are almost vertical, making it a river and canyon flowing out of a "modern abstract painting" with exceptionally rich colors. The river cuts through the earth, eroding and dissolving rock layers of different colors, forming a colorful abstract landscape of the earth.
When entering the Kazanqi Folk Culture Area, you will unconsciously fall in love with this place. It is like an aerial garden in the bustling city, beautiful, vivid, and unsophisticated, making you can’t help but want to integrate and explore from the heart. Wandering on this land, you can truly feel a strong "Yili flavor". This land still retains the authentic traditional lifestyle of the Uyghurs, with antique folk houses, picturesque waterside households, rugged winding alleys, and simple yet mottled old walls. Strolling through the ancient and clean alleys of the old street, it feels like time has gone backwards.
Xinjiang’s Highest Bridge – Guozigou Bridge
The Guozigou Bridge is China’s first highway steel truss cable-stayed bridge and also the highest bridge in Xinjiang. With a total length of 700 meters and a main bridge span of 360 meters, and main towers with heights of 209 meters and 215.5 meters respectively, it is the first domestic double-tower, double-cable steel truss highway cable-stayed bridge and also an extremely high highway bridge in Xinjiang. Its grandeur and steepness are awe-inspiring, making one marvel at the wonders of human wisdom. The only feeling on the bridge is: "I can’t see Mount Lu’s true face because I am in the midst of the mountains myself".
As the first cable-stayed bridge and the highest bridge in Xinjiang, as well as the first highway steel truss cable-stayed bridge in China, the Guozigou Bridge integrates new technology, new structures, new processes, and new equipment, marking a significant breakthrough in Xinjiang’s highway construction history. Leading domestic technologies such as temperature control technology for mass concrete, asynchronous tower-beam construction technology, hydraulic climbing formwork, and self-propelled mobile scaffolding were used in Xinjiang for the first time, accumulating valuable experience for highway construction in mountainous areas. After the completion and opening of this project, it will solve the travel difficulties in the Yili Valley, enabling Yili Prefecture to have all-weather access to Urumqi, which is of great significance to the stability and economic development of the border areas. While overcoming the impact of frequent geological disasters on traffic during design and construction, environmental restoration work was carried out simultaneously. The completed bridge body integrates seamlessly with the beautiful scenery of Guozigou, adding another beautiful scenic spot to the national-level Guozigou scenic area.
5. Preferred itinerary for Yili Apricot Blossom Valley, Xinjiang
Itinerary: 5-day customized tour of spring exploration and apricot blossom appreciation at Yili Apricot Blossom Valley, Xinjiang
Recommendation reason: In the spring, Yili, known as the "south of the Great Wall beyond the border", presents a fresh and charming scenery. In the wild fruit forest areas of the lower valleys and the gentle slopes of high mountains, the brilliant wild fruit flowers cover the mountains and hills, dressing up the barren mountains and wild lands that have slept through the winter in an exceptionally enchanting beauty. At this time, the wild fruit forests in the Yili Valley are covered with green grass, and colorful butterflies flutter among the flowers densely adorned on the branches. Looking ahead, it is an endless sea of flower clusters.
VI. Appreciating Apricot Blossoms in Xinjiang: What You Need to Know
Clothing Guide:
In early April, the snow and ice on Mount Tianshan have not yet melted. The local temperature varies by about several to more than ten degrees during the day. It is recommended to bring a coat, thick jacket, sweater, and other clothing. The diurnal temperature variation is large, about 10-15 degrees, so pay attention to adding or subtracting clothing appropriately. You may still feel cold wearing a windbreaker in the morning and evening.
It often rains in the Yili region in March and April, so photography enthusiasts should pay attention to bringing complete rain gear and camera waterproof equipment. The UV rays in the Apricot Blossom Valley are strong, so try to wear long-sleeved clothes or apply sunscreen.
In April, the night temperature in the Xinyuan Apricot Blossom Valley is still low, so you should wear a windbreaker and thermal underwear.
It often rains in the Yili region, so it is necessary to carry necessary rainproof tools. If you plan a multi-day camping trip, you should also fully consider the rainproof performance of your tent and clothing.
It will be very hot during the day, so ladies who love beauty can bring dresses to take beautiful photos!~
The wind and UV rays are strong during the day, so please wear sunglasses, hats, scarves, etc., and apply sunscreen.
Photography Guide:
The best photography theme is the charming light and shadow lines on the hillsides of the Apricot Blossom Valley. Sunrise occurs at 8:00, and the light and shadow are most enchanting from 8:00 to 9:00, and you can take photos until around 10:30 before the light becomes too strong. It takes 30 minutes to reach the middle hillside from the yurt area and 50 minutes to reach the higher areas, depending on individual physical fitness. You should arrive early and are advised to arrive at the hillside at 7:15 to find a good spot and prepare for photography. Best spots: the hillsides in the main scenic area or on the left and right hillsides. At this time, it is backlight and sidelight, so please adjust your metering, and spot metering is recommended.
The best spot for capturing sunset and evening glow is to keep walking forward on the hillside to the right from the ticket booth at the entrance of the Apricot Blossom Valley until you reach an open hillside, which takes about 30 minutes. Sunset occurs around 21:00, and the light is good after 19:00. The best light for sunset is at 20:30, with golden hues that are mesmerizing. It is recommended to use a soft-edge GND 0.9 filter. It gets completely dark at 22:00.
In the midday and afternoon, you can walk up the ridge on the right side of the Apricot Blossom Valley to capture panoramic photos of the grassland and herding scenes. Along the way, you may encounter herdsmen riding horses and playing Kazak children, which are great opportunities for capturing humanistic photos.
VIII. Conclusion
If Tibet is the place closest to heaven, then Xinjiang is the last pure land that heaven has left on earth. Every April, in the Yili region, large patches of pinkish-white apricot blossoms are scattered on the green, undulating hillsides like pink cotton candy decorating the mountains; Kazak herdsmen’s sheep and horses fill the hilltops. This is probably what a haven on earth looks like.
Xinjiang Tourism Inquiry Hotline: 0991-8585456 (Same)