The comprehensive Xinjiang travel guide, it’s worth having!!!
You won’t know the vastness of the region until you come to Xinjiang; you won’t know the beauty of Xinjiang until you come here. But a must-have tool for traveling in Xinjiang – a travel map, do you have it ready? I’ll help you collect and organize Xinjiang travel maps…
Xinjiang, located in the northwest of China, accounts for one-sixth of the country’s total land area and borders eight countries including Russia, Mongolia, India, and Kazakhstan, making it strategically significant. It mainly has a temperate continental climate. Simply put, Xinjiang can be summarized with the words “big” and “dry”.
① “Big”: Friends who have traveled to Xinjiang will not deny one point, which is: traveling in Xinjiang is really tiring because Xinjiang is extremely large! (How big is Xinjiang? I roughly calculated that Beijing + Shanghai + Jiangsu + Zhejiang + Guangdong = Xinjiang’s area ÷ 4). Therefore, almost more than one-third of the time spent traveling in Xinjiang each day is on the road. Friends who want to travel to Xinjiang should be psychologically prepared to sit in a car for a long time. It’s worth mentioning that the scenery along the highways in Xinjiang is indeed beautiful, and sometimes the breathtaking views are on the road.
② “Dry”: Xinjiang is located in the middle of the Eurasian continent, and this geographical location determines that oceanic moisture is difficult to reach. Therefore, the climate in Xinjiang is generally relatively dry with low air humidity. So, when traveling to Xinjiang, be sure to do a good job of hydrating and moisturizing. If you plan to visit Hotan Prefecture and the Taklamakan Desert, you should also take measures to protect against wind and sand.
Tourist season in Xinjiang: July, August, September, October
① March-April: It’s windy, with cold waves invading, and prone to gale winds and dust storms. Precipitation increases. At this time, going to southern Xinjiang is a good choice, with peach and apricot blossoms blooming, as well as newly revived grasslands. You can enjoy wild apricot blossoms in places like Turpan and Shanshan.
② June: In the Ili Prefecture, you can enjoy seas of flowers and lavender (mid-June), but at this time fruits are not yet ripe.
③ July-August: You can still see seas of flowers everywhere and vast, lush grasslands, making mountainous areas a great summer resort. At this time, the Naadam Festival and Tianma Festival take place in the grasslands. However, lavender has already been harvested, and fruits begin to ripen in mid-August.
④ September-October: It’s the harvest season in Xinjiang with pleasant weather, truly a golden autumn season with fragrant fruits. Autumn in Kanas is recognized as one of the most beautiful autumn scenes in China, and the Populus euphratica forests in southern Xinjiang are also tinged with golden autumn colors, while fruits are also in their harvest season. However, these two months are also the peak tourist season in Xinjiang, with corresponding increases in prices and ticket prices at scenic spots.
If you’re not going to southern Xinjiang but want to buy specialties, dried fruits, and souvenirs, I still recommend going to the Ili Prefecture in northern Xinjiang as it’s cheaper.
The classic tourist routes in Xinjiang are generally divided into the Eastern Route, Western Route, Northern Route, and Southern Route.
If you want to travel the Grand Circuit of Xinjiang, the usual order is: Northern Route → Western Route → Southern Route → Eastern Route
Below are four classic itineraries listed for you, each containing famous and beautiful scenic spots. You can choose based on personal preferences, budget, and time:
① Northern Route (mainly the Altay Prefecture): 7-8 days
a. Urumqi – Koktokay – Burqin – Jiadenyu – Hemu – Kanas Lake – Baihaba – Habahe County – Colorful Beach – Burqin
b. Urumqi – Koktokay – Burqin – Colorful Beach – Habahe County – Baihaba – Kanas Lake – Hemu – Jiadenyu – Burqin
PS: Trekking Routes in Altay Region:
a. East Route Trekking: 3-4 days
Jiadenyu – Halfway Inn – Hemu Village – Black Lake – Kanas
b. West Route Trekking: 4 days
Kanas – Tubieke – Shuanghu – Naren Ranch – Baihaba
② West Route Tour (Mainly Yili Region): 8-9 days
Burqin – Urho (Devil’s City) – Sayram Lake – Guozigou Bridge – Khorgos Port – Yining – Zhaosu – Tekes – Karajun – Qiongkushitai – Nalati – Bayinbuluke
PS: Qiongkushitai – Karajun Trekking Route: 2-3 days
Qiongkushitai Village – Camping Platform – Flower Platform – West Karajun
③ South Route Tour (Southern Xinjiang Folk Custom Route): 9-10 days
Bayinbuluke – Duku Highway – Kucha – Kashgar – Hongqilafu Port – Tashikuergan County – Tashikuergan (abbreviation for Tashikuergan County) – Kashgar – Hotan – Minfeng – Desert Highway – Korla – Urumqi
④ East Route Tour: 4-5 days
Urumqi – Tianshan Tianchi – Urumqi – Turpan – Shanshan – Hami
1. Weather: As the saying goes, ‘Wear cotton-padded clothes in the morning and silk in the afternoon, eat watermelon by the fireplace.’ The weather in Xinjiang is changeable, and you can experience the four seasons in one day. Please be sure to prepare sunscreen, cold protection, and rain gear;
2. Clothing: Xinjiang has a large temperature difference between day and night. Even in July and August, it is relatively cold at night. Wear clothing that is breathable and warm. Also, try to wear loose-fitting, cotton pants. 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 parts of Xinjiang have high altitudes and strong UV radiation, so please bring sunscreen items (such as high SPF sunscreen, sunglasses), long-sleeved shirts and pants. Otherwise, you will definitely get sunburned after a day. Additionally, the summer temperature in Turpan can reach over 40 degrees Celsius, so bring medication or instant drinks for clearing heat and preventing heatstroke;
5. Car Rental: When renting a car, it’s good to have multiple drivers because Xinjiang is vast, and it’s normal for scenic areas to be 500-600 kilometers apart. Driving alone would be very tiring. Usually, three or four people rent an off-road jeep together for 15 days at ¥500-600 per day. The cost of renting a car to travel throughout Xinjiang is about ¥7500-9000, averaging ¥1875-2250 per person. Additionally, because there are fewer cars on Xinjiang’s highways, many people speed, so please be careful and stay safe.
VIII. Food
1. Big Plate Chicken (order based on the number of people, even the medium-sized plate is enough for at least three people, adding some belt noodles to mix with the sauce after eating is better) ranging from ¥70-150
2. Grilled Lamb Skewers (remember, Xinjiang’s lamb meat is not smelly!) ¥3-10 per skewer
3. Grilled Stuffed Buns (lamb filling), Thin-Skinned Stuffed Buns ¥3-5 per piece
4. Nang (essential dry food for long-distance travel) under ¥5
5. Roast Whole Lamb around ¥160 per kilogram
6. Hand-Grabbed Rice (with lamb meat) starting at ¥20-25
7. Fried Pork Noodles (highly recommended!!) starting at ¥20-25
9. Yili’s Handmade Ice Cream (only a few yuan but I think it compares to Haagen-Dazs, highly recommended!!) ¥3-8
10. Yili’s Kvas/Kvass (Kvas goes well with lamb skewers~) ¥4-8 per cup
11. Yogurt, Yogurt Lumps (so sour it can make your teeth fall out, add some sugar)
12. Na Ren (a type of Kazakh noodles)
13. Grilled Dogfish from Burqin starting at ¥25
14. Cold Fish from Altay Region (personally think steamed is better) starting at ¥25
15. Pot Noodles
16. Ghee
17. Oil Tower Buns, Fried Cake
18. Noodles in Soup ¥10-20
19. Jelly Noodles (Yili) ¥5-10
20. Cow Milk, Horse Milk (negotiated price around ¥20-30 per kilogram), Camel Milk
21. Blood Sausage
22. Stewed Fish
23. Hand-Pulled Noodles
24. Lamb Offal
25. Soup Noodles starting at ¥15
26. Rice Intestines, Flour Lungs, Lamb Offal
27. Wusu Beer (Easier to get drunk than mainland beer, perfect with grilled meat!)
28. Sanzi (a fried dough snack)
29. Cold Noodles (Also called Yellow Noodles, not as good as Xi’an’s), Noodles with Sauce starting at ¥15
30. Yili’s Horse Sausage and Smoked Horse Meat
31. Bean Noodles
32. Milk Tea (Very distinctive)
Xinjiang Tourism Consultation: (Same) 0991-8585456