The recommended 14-day travel route in Xinjiang is as follows:
Day 1 to Day 2: Urumqi and Surroundings
Day 1: Arrive in Urumqi, feel the nightlife of Xinjiang, visit Bazaar, and eat at the night market.
Day 2: Visit Flaming Mountain and Kumtag Desert to experience the unique landforms of Xinjiang.
Day 3 to Day 4: Highlights of Northern Xinjiang
Day 3: Cross the Gurbantunggut Desert, experience China’s first desert highway, and visit the colorful beach at sunset.
Day 4: Climb Kanas, search for lake monsters, hike the Three Bays, and take photos of the Kanas Lake scenery under the sunset.
Day 5 to Day 6: Hemu and Sayram Lake
Day 5: Stay in a Hemu cabin, experience morning mist and cooking smoke, and taste authentic Kazakh milk tea.
Day 6: Visit Sayram Lake, admire the clouds, water, swans, and distant snow-capped mountains, and feel the beauty of the four seasons.
Day 7 to Day 8: Guozigou and Karajun
Day 7: Visit Guozigou, go to the observation deck and wooden栈道, and feel the Six-Star Street with blue houses and the Teqiong Highway under the sunset.
Day 8: Experience horseback riding across Karajun and be a grassland master on horseback for a day.
Day 9 to Day 11: Duku Highway and Nalati Grassland
Day 9: Take the Duku Highway, encounter multiple beautiful scenery, and feel the beauty of the Tianshan Mountains that amazes the four seasons.
Day 10: Visit the Nalati Grassland and experience its vastness and beauty.
Day 11: Continue to traverse the Duku Highway and deeply experience its magnificent scenery.
Day 12 to Day 14: Customs of Southern Xinjiang and Return Trip
Day 12: Visit Highway 101, admire the red Yadan landforms, and enter the Kumtag Desert.
Day 13: Visit the winery and Turpan Frog Alley to experience a world of colorful gates that are yellow but not just yellow.
Day 14: End the trip and return home with wonderful memories.
This route covers many of Xinjiang’s essential attractions, including grasslands, lakes, gobis, forests, and the Silk Road customs of southern Xinjiang, allowing you to fully experience the beauty and uniqueness of Xinjiang within 14 days. During the trip, please note that Xinjiang has a large diurnal temperature variation, so prepare thick clothing; some scenic areas have poor signals, so it is recommended to carry a small amount of cash; at the same time, respect the customs and beliefs of the local ethnic minorities; Xinjiang is vast, and driving times are long, so prepare anti-motion sickness medicine and other common medications in advance.