The recommended travel routes in Xinjiang in May mainly include the following:
6-day small loop tour of Yili:
D1: Departing from Urumqi, circle Sayram Lake, cross the Guozigou Bridge, and arrive in Qingshuihe.
D2: Departing from Qingshuihe, visit the Lavender Garden (best in June) and Koksu Grand Canyon, and stay in Tekes (Eight Trigrams City) at night.
D3: Departing from Tekes, visit the popular Qiongkushitai Village and stay in Gongliu at night.
D4: Departing from Gongliu, visit the ‘Hundred-Mile Gallery’ of Tangbula Grassland and arrive in Nalati Town at night.
D5: Departing from Nalati, visit the ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Nine-Bend Eighteen Turns’ of Bayanbulak, and return to Nalati Town at night.
D6: Departing from Nalati, take the popular Duku Highway, visit Dushanzi Grand Canyon, and return to Urumqi.
9-day in-depth loop tour of Yili:
Fly from your departure location to Urumqi (airport pickup).
Departing from Urumqi, visit Sayram Lake and Guozigou, and arrive in Qingshuihe.
Departing from Qingshuihe, visit Xiata and Zhaosu.
Departing from Zhaosu, visit Qiongkushitai.
Departing from Qiongkushitai, visit the Qiaxi Scenic Area and arrive in Gongliu.
Departing from Gongliu, visit the Nalati Aerial Grassland and stay in Nalati Town at night.
Departing from Nalati, take the northern section of the Duku Highway, and subsequent itinerary can be arranged according to personal preferences.
Short trips in Urumqi and its surroundings:
D1: Free activities in Urumqi, such as visiting the Grand Bazaar, tasting Xinjiang cuisine, and going to Hongshan Park to watch the sunset in the evening.
D2: You can choose to cross the Duku Highway and experience the night in Nalati.
Subsequently, you can choose to visit places like Kurdining Secret Spot, horseback riding in Qiongkushitai, Tekes Eight Trigrams City, and the blue house in Kanzaqi, Yining, based on your time and interests.
In addition, there are travel routes in southern Xinjiang, such as departing from Urumqi and passing through罗布人村寨 (Lop Nur Village), Korla, Wensu Grand Canyon, Aksu, Kashgar Old Town, Muji Volcano, Baisha Lake, and other places, to experience the unique customs of the Western Regions and the tranquility and beauty of plateau lakes.
When planning your itinerary, please be sure to consider the geographical and climatic conditions of Xinjiang, and arrange your schedule reasonably to ensure a pleasant journey. Meanwhile, due to the large diurnal temperature variation in Xinjiang, it is recommended to bring summer and autumn clothing and take sunscreen measures.