14-Day North Xinjiang Scenery Tour

Travel Route
Daily Tour 5 day
Starting from Urumqi
    Visit the most beautiful lakes and grasslands in China, learn about the local culture of the Uyghur, Kazakh, and Tuva ethnic groups; Driving along the most adventurous highway
Day 1, Arrive in Urumqi

Activities: Warmly welcome you at Urumqi airport and transfer to your hotel
Details:Our guide will pick you up from Urumqi airport and accompany you to your Hotel. For the first day in Xinjiang you are free to explore on you own as you will.
Urumqi is the capital city of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region of the people’s republic of China. It is located in the north – west of the country. Urumqi was a major hub on the Silk Road during China’s Tang dynasty and developed its reputation as a leading cultural and commercial center during the Qing dynasty. Literal translation of Urumqi means “beautiful pasture” in Mongolian language. It is the largest city in China’s western region. Since 1990s Urumqi has developed economically and now serves as a regional transport hub, educational,cultural and commercial center.

Day 2, Urumqi to Fuyun

Activities: Drive to Fuyun and visit Heavenly Lake on the way
Details:After breakfast, you’ll meet your tour guide and driver to begin driving to Heavenly lake for about 1.30 hours and visit heavenly lake for a few hours. Heavenly lake offers some great hiking routes through the valleys on wooden pathways or up to the mountains as you like.
When you done here, start driving to Fuyun county through Kurbantongut desert and en-route, to enjoy the vast second largest desert steppes in China.
Arrive in Fuyun county and stay overnight
Fuyun night market is a good choice at night

Day 3, Fuyun-Koktokay-Burqin

Activities: Visit Koktokay National park and then drive to Burjin county
Details:Leave for Koktokay after breakfast and arrive after about an hour (58Kms). Once arrive Koktokay town visit the National Park which is a well-known high rock stone mountain peaks in different shapes and surrounded by forests and Irtysh River.
Nicknamed “China’s Little Yosemite” after the famous U.S. national park, Koktokay Geological National Park has been used by the nomadic Kazakh people to sustain their cattle, sheep and other animals for centuries.
During the tour visit Irtish River valley, Shenzhong Mountain which means “holly Bell Mountain”, it is named as the shape of this mountain which looks like a bell, you’ll also visit camel peak and Elephant Peak mountains, shape of the peaks are similar to these animals.
You will be chauffeured around on a golfcart and enjoy the beauty of the National Park or you can hike around.
Then if you life you can also visit Earthquake Museum and No.3 Mine
After lunch leave for Burqin which is 320kms (about 5 hours driving)
Upon your arrival, check into your hotel . We also suggest you to go to Burjin night market to taste local fish, the night market is quite busy and interesting

Day 4, Burjin to Kanas Lake

Activities: Drive to Kanas Lake and visit Wusaitan on the way
Details:After breakfast, a short drive to Wucaitan which is also known as “Rainbow Beach” and “Five-Colored Hills”, about 24 km from the hotel. Here we’ll stop for an hour to enjoy the beautiful, dramatic scenery of this beach along the bank of the Irtysh River – the only river in China to flow into the Arctic Ocean.
From Wucaitan, we drive on to Kanas Lake passing through lush grasslands lazing at the feet of pine filled mountain valleys over lording above.
Once arrive Jiadengyu which is an entrance of the Kanas lake at about lunch time, we have lunch either at local family in the yurt or at the restaurant, then take a shuttle bus up to the lake which takes about 40 minutes.
Kanas lake is a great place for outdoor activities, after lunch you will have chance to hike around lake, boating, horseback riding, river rafting as you like. (on your own expenses)
End of the day, leave from the Lake come to Jadengyu village and spend the night there.

Day 5, Kanas Lake to Hemu Village

Activities: Get up Guanyutai (Guanyu Pavilion) watch tower for some incredible panoramic view of the lake and then set out for Hemu village
Details:After breakfast, take a shuttle bus to Guan Yu Tai (Watching fish Pavilion ) which is the highest and the best place to take a bird-eye view of whole lake landscape. The Kanas Lake is famous for its changing colors. The color of the water changes several times in a day, from dark green to sky blue, then gray to white. The higher you climb up, the more colors you will see.
Kanas lake is a great place for outdoor activities, after lunch you will have chance to hike around the lake, boating, horseback riding, river rafting as you like.
Whenever you are ready, take the shuttle bus out of the lake and then drive to Hemu village which has been ranked by China National Geography as one of the six most beautiful villages in China.
You can rent a horse for riding or simply hiking around the village as you like.
Spend the night at local Tuwa wooden guesthouse.

Day 6, Hemu Village to Burjin

Activities: Spend whole morning around Hemu village and then set out for Burjin after lunch
Details:Get up early in the morning and hike up to Meilifeng which is a nearby hill provides a great opportunity to take spectacular photos and enjoy panoramic view of the small village at Sunrise.
After breakfast, you will have chance for hiking around or horseback riding.
Whenever you are ready, drive to Burjin and stay overnight.

Day 7, Burjin to Kuitun

Activities: whole day drive to Kuitun, visit Ghost city and oil zone on the way
Details:After breakfast at your hotel set out for Kuitun. First stop at Wurghu town and visit Ghost City where you’ll also have an opportunity to stretch your legs have a short walk and back in time.
The Ghost Town is the nickname for Feng Cheng (the Windy Town) and it is named as such for just the wind rather than its appearance. After millennia of erosion by the wind and the rain, the present strange sight of Yardang landform was formed. This is not only a good place in which to travel but it also attracts a great deal of attention and interest of those who appreciate its scientific value.
You’ll also visit the Oil zone of Karamay along the way. Arrive at the hotel by dinner time and stay overnight.

Day 8, Kuitun to Yining

Activities: Drive to Yining after breakfast and visit Sayram lake on the way
Details:whole day driving to Yining and stop at the Sayram Lake which is a great place for hiking or horse riding.
You could spend your time to explore the hills on horseback, take photos or simply trek around the lake, when you are ready, keep driving to Yining and stay overnight

Day 9, Yining to Zhaosu

Activities: Drive along the beautiful Yizhao Highway and visit Xiata Ancient Road Scenic spot in the afternoon
Details:After breakfast, drive to Zhaosu (Mongol Kore) Town. Today, we drive to one of the most beautiful highways, called Yizhao Highway, which was once part of the Silk Road connecting northern and southern Xinjiang. Stop along the way to take photos and arrive at Zhaosu during lunch time. In the afternoon, visit the Xiata Ancient Road Scenic Area located approximately 70 kilometers southwest of Zhaosu County. The meaning of Xiata in the local language is “ladder”, which was a main road from Ili to Aksu in ancient times.
Today, it is a unique ancient cultural tourism area composed of mountain passes, ancient roads, ancient ruins, folk customs and natural landscape at the foot of the Hangtangri Peak in Tianshan
Stay in Zhaosu overnight

Day 10, Zhaosu to Tekas county

Activities: Visit Karajun grassland
Details:After breakfast, first visit the Karajun Grassland, which is one of the most beautiful grasslands in China. It is in the shape of rolling hills and backed by towering snow capped mountains. There are also forests and flower beds on the grassland, with vast and beautiful scenery, making it a popular tourist photography destination.
Then drive to Tekas county which is only Bagua city (the Eight Diagrams city) in China.

Day 11, Tekas to Narat Grassland

Activities: Drive to Narat and spend whole afternoon around Narat grassland
Details:Leave from Tekas county after breakfast, drive through some villages, grasslands and farming lands, arrive in Narat Grassland at about noon and have lunch here. locals from Xinjiang boasts the beauty of Xinjiang with Narat Grasland as it is one of the most beautiful parts of our region.
After lunch you can walk around the Kazak villages, experience horse riding across the grasslands or simply trekking through the incredible scenery around.
There are more exciting grasslands on the top of the mountain, shuttle bus up to the grassland is included .

Day 12, Narat to Kucha

Activities: Drive to Kucha and visit Swan lake; big dragon lake, small dragon lake and Tianshan mystery Grand Canyon on the way.
Details:Set out for Kucha after breakfast and drive through Bayinbulak grassland and Tushuk Tagh which is another adventure driving day for you. First we drive through The Bayanbulak Grassland which is the second largest grassland in China and one of the most important pasture lands in Xinjiang. Striding out across the grasslands provide a unique chance to enjoy vast green grasslands that spill over the horizon in every direction. We drive across pasturelands covered with stands of pine trees and the roving herds of Kazak and Mongol people. We stop several times at holy Mongol sites on route to learn more about their religion and way of life.
We also visit swan lake which is made of a group of small lakes and ponds as opposed to one massive body of water.
Then drive on a long zigzagged road up to the top of the mountain which gives better opportunities for taking photos of the mountain scenery from different location.
We arrive at the big dragon lake by a village with some nomad people and surrounded with a really beautiful grassland, pine trees, sheep, cows, horses, goats and snowcapped mountains.
Then drive till small dragon lake which is not far from the big dragon lake, it is sparkling like a gem.
Before arrive Kucha you’ll enjoy a glorious Grand Canyon and take the opportunity to hike or walk around this dramatic, mysterious formation of the mountain which is very attractive not only by its colors but also the strange shapes of the mountains.
Kucha Grand Canyon was voted by the Chinese National Geography magazine (2005) as one of the ten most beautiful Canyons in China.
Arrive Kucha in the evening and check into the hotel before dinner

Day 13, Kucha to Urumqi

Activities: Visit Kizil Thousand Buddha caves; Kucha grand mosque; old city; Bazaars, Subash Ancient Ruins and Kizil Kagha Beacon. Take late afternoon or evening flight to Urumqi
Details:Whole day sight-seeing in Kucha, drive to the famous Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves (5th and 6th century AD), which lies 75km (46miles)away from Kucha and formed one of the earliest treasure troves of Buddhist art in China as well as one of the four largest cave systems in China. The caves were once hewn high on the cliffs of the Northern Bank of the Muzat River during the early 3rd to 8th Centuries. There are presently 236 coded caves, divided into west and inner valley and rear mountain areas extending over 3 kilometers (1.86 miles). It takes about 2 hours to visit the caves and learn about local Buddhist culture.
Lunch will be followed by a visit to the ancient city of Subash (2nd-3rd century A.D.) as well as the Ancient Kizil Kagha Beacon tower which is an ancient military outpost.
Before dinner we return to Kucha visit the old town area , local bazaars and  Kucha grand mosque which was built in 17th century and roof of the mosque was constructed with 300,000 eggs, cement and bricks.
Finally take evening flight to Urumqi and different driver will pick up you from Urumqi airport and transfer to your hotel

Day 14, Urumqi To Your Destination

Activities: See you off at Urumqi airport
Details:Today is the last day of your tour with us, so we hope this tour shouldn’t be the last. We strive to make every day of your time with us the one that you’ll always remember and if you’d like to book some other tours please Contact us for more information.

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