I. Pre-trip Information
Xinjiang, located in the northwest of China, occupies one-sixth of the country’s total land area and borders eight countries including Russia, Mongolia, India, and Kazakhstan. Its strategic location is very important, and it mainly has a temperate continental climate. Simply put, Xinjiang can be summarized with the words “large” and “dry”.
① “Large”: Friends who have visited Xinjiang will not deny one point: traveling in Xinjiang is really tiring because Xinjiang is extremely large! (How large is Xinjiang? Roughly calculated, Beijing + Shanghai + Jiangsu + Zhejiang + Guangdong = Xinjiang’s area ÷ 4). Therefore, almost more than 1/3 of each day spent traveling in Xinjiang is on the road. Friends who want to visit Xinjiang should be psychologically prepared to sit in a car for long periods. It is worth mentioning that the scenery along Xinjiang’s highways is indeed beautiful, sometimes the most scenic views are on the way.
② “Dry”: Xinjiang is located in the middle of the Eurasian continent. This geographical location determines that marine moisture is difficult to reach. Therefore, Xinjiang’s climate is generally dry with low air humidity. So, make sure to hydrate and moisturize well when traveling to Xinjiang. If you plan to visit Hotan and the Taklamakan Desert, you should also take measures to protect against wind and sand.
Panoramic View of Tourism in Xinjiang
II. Travel Time
Tourist Season in Xinjiang: July, August, September, October
① March to April: It is windy with cold waves, prone to gale and floating dust storms, and precipitation increases. At this time, southern Xinjiang is a good choice, with peach and apricot blossoms blooming, as well as newly revived grasslands. Turpan and Shanshan offer wild apricot blossoms to admire.
② June: The Yili region offers fields of flowers and beautiful lavender (mid-June), but fruits are not yet ripe at this time.
③ July to August: You can still see fields of flowers and vast, lush grasslands, making the mountainous regions a great summer resort. At this time, the grasslands welcome the Naadam Festival and the Heavenly Horse Festival. However, lavender has already been harvested, and fruits start to ripen from mid-August.
④ September to October: It is the harvest season in Xinjiang with comfortable weather, a true golden autumn season with fruits and flowers. Autumn’s Kanas has recognized panoramic autumn scenery, and the Populus euphratica forests in southern Xinjiang are also tinged with the colors of golden autumn. Fruits are also in their harvest season. However, these two months are also the peak tourist season in Xinjiang, with a corresponding increase in prices and entrance fees of scenic spots.
III. Consumption Level
Before coming to Xinjiang, make sure you have enough travel funds. Traveling in Xinjiang may be costly. In terms of saving money, joining a tour group is indeed a better choice. After all, the prices for attraction tickets, hotels, and lunches that travel agencies can obtain are much cheaper than what you can get individually.
IV. Tourism Routes
The classic tourist routes in Xinjiang are generally divided into East Route, West Route, North Route, and South Route.
If you want to travel the Grand Circle Route of Xinjiang, the general order is: North Route → West Route → South Route → East Route
Below are four classic routes listed for you, each route includes famous and beautiful scenic spots, which you can choose from based on personal preferences, budget, and time:
① North Route (Mainly in Altay Region): 7-8 days
a. Urumqi – Koktokay – Burqin – Jiadengyu – Hemu – Kanas Lake – Baihaba – Habahe County – Colorful Beach – Burqin
b. Urumqi – Koktokay – Burqin – Colorful Beach – Habahe County – Baihaba – Kanas Lake – Hemu – Jiadengyu – Burqin
PS: Hiking Routes in Altay Region:
a. East Route Hiking: 3-4 days
Jiadengyu – Halfway Inn – Hemu Village – Black Lake – Kanas
b. West Route Hiking: 4 days
Kanas – Tubiek – Shuanghu Lake – Naren Pasture – Baihaba
② West Route Tourism (Mainly in Ili Region): 8-9 days
Burqin – Urho (Ghost City) – Sayram Lake – Guozigou Bridge –霍尔果斯 Port – Yining – Zhaosu – Tekes – Karajun – Qiongkushitai – Nalati – Bayinbrok
PS: Qiongkushitai – Karajun Hiking Route: 2-3 days
Qiongkushitai Village – Camping Platform – Flower Platform – West Karajun
③ Southern Route Tour (Southern Xinjiang Folk Custom Route): 9-10 days
Bayinbrook – Duku Highway – Kuqa – Kashgar – Hongqilapu Port – Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County – Tashkurgan – Kashgar – Hotan – Minfeng – Desert Highway – Korla – Urumqi
④ Eastern Route Tour: 4-5 days
Urumqi – Mount Tianshan and Tian Chi Lake – Urumqi – Turpan – Shanshan – Hami
☆ VII. Travel Precautions:
1. Weather: As the saying goes, ‘Wear cotton-padded clothes in the morning and gauze in the afternoon, and eat watermelon around the stove.’ The weather in Xinjiang is changeable, and you can experience the four seasons in one day. Please be sure to prepare sunscreen, cold-proof, and rain-proof equipment;
2. Clothing: Xinjiang has a large temperature difference between day and night. Even in July and August, it is relatively cold at night. Clothing should be breathable and warm. Moreover, pants should be loose and made of cotton. If you want to ride a horse, avoid wearing sandals without socks, as the stirrups will rub your feet raw in no time.
3. Sunscreen and heatstroke prevention: Some areas in Xinjiang have high altitudes and strong UV radiation, so please bring sunscreen items (such as high-SPF sunscreen and sunglasses) and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants. Otherwise, you will definitely get sunburned by the end of the day. Additionally, in the Turpan area, summer temperatures can reach above 40 degrees Celsius, so you should carry medicine or granules for clearing heat and preventing heatstroke;
5. Car rental: When renting a car, it’s better to have multiple drivers because Xinjiang is vast, and it’s normal for scenic spots to be separated by 500 to 600 kilometers. Driving alone would be very tiring. At the same time, due to the fewer cars on Xinjiang’s highways, many people tend to speed, so be sure to pay attention to safety.
6. Shopping: In Xinjiang, items are sold by kilograms. One kilogram equals two jins.
7. Accommodation: Generally speaking, cities like Urumqi and Karamay have modern hotels, while remote areas have more modest accommodation conditions. We must have these basic understandings before going. Of course, some scenic areas also have luxuriously decorated modern hotels.
9. Time difference: There is a two-hour time difference between Xinjiang and the mainland. The working hours of most service institutions and government departments are different from those in the mainland. The morning working hours are generally at 10 am, with a longer lunch break, and work resumes generally after 3 pm.
10. Water and soil adjustment: The water in Xinjiang is alkaline and hard, so people who are not accustomed to it may suffer from constipation. People from the east may easily get diarrhea after eating various mutton products and dairy products in Xinjiang, and freshness also has its drawbacks.
12. Due to Xinjiang’s dry climate, special reminder: do not wear contact lenses.
13. Desert crossing, ancient trail hiking, etc. Even if you’re physically fit and agile, it’s recommended to have relevant insurance before traveling.
15. If you have the chance, I recommend horse riding. Prices starting at around ¥50 (per hour) are negotiable.
VIII. Gourmet food
Prices are for reference only, and may vary depending on location and season
1. Da Pan Ji (chicken with noodles, depending on the number of people, a medium-sized dish can feed at least three people, adding some wide noodles to the sauce after eating is even better) ranging from ¥70-150
2. Mutton kebabs (remember, Xinjiang’s mutton doesn’t have a strong smell!) ¥3-10 per skewer
3. Roast stuffed bun (with mutton filling), thin-skinned stuffed bun ¥3-5 per piece
4. Nang (essential dry food for long-distance travel) under ¥5
5. Roast whole sheep around ¥160 per kilogram
6. Hand-grabbed rice (with mutton) starting at ¥20-25
7. Oil-fried meat with noodles (highly recommended! Delicious noodles!) starting at ¥20-25
8. Qiegao (a very sweet type of nougat)
9. Handmade ice cream from Yili (just a few yuan but I think it compares to Haagen-Dazs, highly recommended!!) ¥3-8
10. Kavas/Kvass from Yili (Kavas goes perfectly with mutton kebabs! ～) ¥4-8 per cup
11. Yogurt, yogurt knots (so sour it could knock out your teeth, add some sugar)
12. Na Ren (a type of dish with noodles and meat)
13. Grilled dogfish from Burqin starting at ¥25
14. Cold fish from Altay region (I personally think steaming is better) starting at ¥25
15. Pot noodles
16. Ghee
17. Oil tower buns, fried rice cakes
18. Noodles in soup ¥10-20
19. Jelly ¥5-10
20. Milk, mare’s milk (negotiable price around ¥20-30 per kilogram), camel milk
21. Blood sausage
22. Stewed fish
23. Lagoutiao (a type of pulled noodles)
24. Sheep offal
25. Soup noodles starting at ¥15
26. Rice intestines, flour lungs, and sheep offal
27. Wusu beer (more intoxicating than mainland beer, perfect with roast meat!)
28. Sanzi (a type of fried dough)
29. Cold noodles (also called yellow noodles, not as good as Xi’an’s, in my opinion), flour skin noodles starting at ¥15
30. Horse sausage and smoked horse meat from Yili
31. Dou Dou Noodles
32. Milk tea (very distinctive)
IX. Fruits and dried fruits (priced by kilogram)
In Xinjiang, there’s a well-known nursery rhyme: ‘Grapes from Turpan, melons from Hami, fragrant pears from Korla praised by everyone, top-notch pomegranates from Yecheng.’ This place is renowned as the hometown of fruits and vegetables, with fresh and dried fruits available throughout the year in the market.
1. Walnuts and figs from Cele, Hotan
2. Grapes and raisins from Turpan
3. Badam from Kashi Shache
4. Mulberry from southern Xinjiang
5. ‘Bingtangxin’ apple from Aksu region
6. Watermelon
7. Hami melon from Hami
8. Pomegranate from Yecheng
9. Fragrant pear from Korla (ripe in October)
10. Red dates from Aksu and Hotan
11. Xiaobaixing apricot from Kuqa