Kanas Photography Tour – Encounter the Dreamy Eastern Swiss of Kanas
If you love someone, take them to Kanas, and let them become utterly enchanted with happiness in life; if you hate someone, bring them to Kanas, and let the dazzling colors scorch their distant memories. If you must visit Kanas once in your lifetime, you must go there in late September to be thoroughly captivated.
It is so beautifully overwhelming that God has kept it for himself. These are the only words that can praise Kanas. Generally, when people talk about Kanas, they refer to the Kanas Lake scenic area. However, what will be discussed in this article is the greater Kanas area, including the Kanas River valley, Hemu River valley, Jiadengyu Township, Hemu Township, Baihaba Village, and other areas. The autumn scenery here is mesmerizing and is known as the "Swiss scenery of China". With its beautiful natural scenery, this place has become one of the must-visit photography destinations for photographers.
Recommended Photo Shooting Locations in Kanas
1 Wolong Bay
Locally known as Kazan Lake or Pot-Bottom Lake, it is named after its pot-bottom shape. Wolong Bay is located on the way from Burqin County to Kanas, 140 kilometers from the county town and 10 kilometers from Kanas. The forest around the lake is dense, with flowers blooming and green grass. The small island in the lake has a beautiful scenery. At the lake inlet, huge rocks block the middle of the stream, with waves slapping against them and jade-like droplets flying. There is a wooden bridge spanning east and west at the outlet of the lake. Standing on the bridge, you can see the mirror-like Wolong Bay to the north and the roaring Kanas River to the south.
2 Moon Bay
Moon Bay is a landmark attraction of Kanas, and the blue "S"-shaped river of Kanas often seen in pictures was taken here. About 1 kilometer north of Wolong Bay along the Kanas River, you will see a blue crescent-shaped lake bay in the gorge, which is Moon Bay. Moon Bay changes with the Kanas Lake water and is a pearl set in the Kanas River.
3 Shenxian Bay
Shenxian Bay is a shallow beach formed by Kanas Lake in a low and gentle mountain stream. When viewed from the opposite side of the sunlight, the lake surface shines with fine light, as if countless pearls are scattered at will. Hence, it is also called the "Pearl Beach". Coupled with the frequent mist, the mountain scenery, lake, and trees complement each other, creating an otherworldly atmosphere, hence the name Shenxian Bay.
4 Fish Viewing Pavilion
If you want to capture a panoramic view of Kanas Lake or try to search for the lake monster, you can go to the Fish Viewing Pavilion. Standing on the Fish Viewing Pavilion, three-quarters of the lake can be seen at a glance. The lake surface is smooth and silky, with a fairy-tale-like color. Looking downstream, you can faintly see the meanders such as Shenxian Bay and Wolong Bay, with the colors of grass, trees, and water constantly changing in backlight.
5 Visit to a Tuvan Village
Here, you can take some humanistic photos. For example, the life of the Tuvans, their houses, or portraits of the Tuvans. The Tuvans are an ancient ethnic group in China, who once lived by nomadic herding and hunting. For nearly 400 years, they have settled by Kanas Lake and now basically maintain a relatively primitive lifestyle. Log cabins scattered throughout the village, small bridges over flowing streams, curling smoke, and the aroma of mare’s milk wine. The quaint village scenery is as mysterious as Kanas Lake. A visit to a Tuvan family costs 30 yuan per person.
6 Baihaba Village
Baihaba Village boasts scenery as beautiful as Switzerland. Nestled in a small, northeast-to-southwest trending valley, Baihaba has a border post on a terrace about 20 meters high on the southwest side. Small wooden cabins, imbued with a Siberian charm, are casually yet orderly arranged along both sides of the valley. This is Baihaba, known as the First Village of the Northwest and the First Post of the Northwest.
Bahaba Village is mainly inhabited by Tuvas, located on the valley plain of the Altai Mountains, overlooking the mountains of Kazakhstan in the distance. The dense golden pine forests on the Altai Mountains extend into Bahaba Village. The wooden houses where villagers live and the fences for livestock are scattered among the pine and birch forests in an orderly manner, creating a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere. The village is located in a valley, with villagers living in simple pointed wooden houses. These wooden houses are scattered throughout the valley bottom, interspersed with golden birch and poplar trees. Two clear rivers wind around the village. In autumn, the mountain village is painted in a riot of colors – red, yellow, green, and brown, with the forests dyed in layers of colors, resembling a palette. Coupled with the snowy peaks of the Altai Mountains in the background, it forms a perfect oil painting throughout the year.
7 Hemu Village
The autumn scenery in the Kanas area is best seen in Hemu, where the forests are dyed in layers of colors, creating a splendid and colorful scene. It is a typical primitive natural ecological landscape.
Upon arriving in Hemu Village, the first thing that comes into view is the small wooden cabins, flocks of livestock, snowy peaks, forests, meadows, blue skies, and white clouds, forming a unique natural and cultural landscape. These wooden cabins have become the symbol of the Tuvas, with most of them buried in the soil to withstand the severe cold during the nearly half-year-long snow-blocked period. They are particularly primitive and rustic, with traditional characteristics of nomadic peoples. The small hills surrounding Hemu Village offer a panoramic view of the village and the Hemu River. From here, you can watch the sunrise, snowy peaks, and trickling streams in the distance, and take a closer look at the Tuvas’ homes. It is an excellent location for capturing sunrises, morning mist, wooden cabins, and the Hemu River.
Hemu Village has already become a gathering place for photographers. Here, you won’t worry about not finding a subject to shoot or a place to shoot. There are fixed photography platforms where you can capture the view of Hemu Village. For example, the sunrise over Hemu Village, the smoke rising from the chimneys, the golden birch forest, and the scene of livestock returning from grazing.
8 Jiadengyu Township
Jiadengyu is a broad and beautiful valley located in the north of Burqin County, Xinjiang, surrounded by vast grasslands and forests. Our hike starts here. The route from Jiadengyu to Hemu is known as a paradise for photographers. It is about 40 kilometers away from Kanas Lake and borders Mongolia, Russia, and Kazakhstan. It is surrounded by mountains, with lush birch forests growing on the hillsides, and the dark green Hemu River flows gently in front of the village.
The scenery from Jiadengyu to Hemu is breathtaking, with alpine vegetation ranging from grasslands to broad-leaved forests, coniferous forests, subalpine meadows, permafrost zones, and above them, glaciers and snowy mountains, forming several landscape zones. Below is the calcareous soil meadow zone, where on the vast meadow, countless red and golden unknown wildflowers are scattered among the verdant and glossy grass. Flocks of cows and sheep leisurely graze in the sunshine, and everything is so serene and peaceful.
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