Tours to North Xinjiang
North Xinjiang Travels
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A 12-day journey through Xinjiang’s most iconic landscapes and cultural treasures. Traverse deserts, alpine lakes, and UNESCO-listed grasslands while immersing in Uyghur, Kazakh, and Tuvan traditions. From the turquoise waters of Kanas Lake to the Martian-like Wuerhe Ghost City, this tour blends Silk Road history with awe-inspiring natural beauty.
What's included
Destination
Xinjiang Discover Xinjiang
Departure Location
Urumqi
Return Location
Urumqi
Additional Information
What is Special About This Tour?: No Backtracking: A seamless route exploring North Xinjiang’s highlights without retracing paths. UNESCO & Geoparks: Discover Kanas Biosphere Reserve, Kalajun Grassland, and surreal Colorful Bay (Wucaiwan). Ethnic Immersion: Sip kumis (fermented mare’s milk) with Kazakh nomads, meet eagle-keeping Tuvans in Hemu Village, and haggle with Uyghur artisans on Kazanqi Street. Silk Road Legacy: Walk the 2,300-year-old Jiaohe Ruins and descend into Turpan’s Karez Wells, an ancient engineering marvel. Geological Wonders: Marvel at Dushanzi Canyon’s striped cliffs and Flaming Mountain’s blazing dunes.
What to Prepare? : Clothing: Lightweight layers (desert heat exceeds 45°C). Warm jacket (mornings in Kalajun dip below 10°C). Sturdy hiking shoes (for Kanas trails and Dushanzi Canyon). Documents: Passport, China travel permit (arranged for Hejing area). Health: Motion sickness pills (winding roads), rehydration salts (Turpan’s dryness). Gear: Sunscreen (SPF 50+), UV sunglasses, power bank, camera. Cash: Small bills for rural markets (no card facilities).
Best Time to Visit: May–September: Lush grasslands, wildflowers, and nomadic festivals. September–October: Golden autumn foliage in Kanas, fewer crowds. Avoid November–April: Snow-blocked roads, limited services.
Price includes
- Accommodation （Breakfast included）
- Licensed English-speaking tour guide
- Private air-conditioned vehicle/bus
- Train tickets
Price does not include
- Entrance fees to monuments/attractions(can be arranged if needed)
- International/domestic flights(can be arranged if needed)
- Meals (can be arranged if needed)
- Optional excursions not listed in the itinerary
- Personal expenses (e.g., souvenirs, laundry)
- Tips for guide/driver
- Day 1: Arrive in Urumqi
- Day 2: Urumqi → Fuyun (500 km, 6–7 hrs)
- Day 3: Fuyun → Koktokay → Burqin (300 km, 5 hrs)
- Day 4: Burqin → Hemu → Jiadengyu (180 km, 4 hrs)
- Day 5: Jiadengyu → Burqin (180 km, 4 hrs)
- Day 6: Burqin → Jinghe (400 km, 5–6 hrs)
- Day 7: Jinghe → Yining (350 km, 5 hrs)
- Day 8: Yining → Kalajun → Narat (250 km, 5 hrs)
- Day 9: Narat → Hejing (200 km, 4 hrs)
- Day 10: Hejing → Turpan (300 km, 5–6 hrs)
- Day 11: Turpan → Urumqi (200 km, 3 hrs)
- Day 12
Day 1: Arrive in Urumqi
Highlights: Urumqi Grand Bazaar
After settling into your hotel, visit the Urumqi Grand Bazaar, Asia’s largest market, where vibrant stalls overflow with handwoven carpets, intricate brassware, and fragrant spices like saffron and cumin. Savor Uyghur street food staples such as samsa (meat-stuffed pastries baked in clay ovens) and laghman (hand-pulled noodles tossed with peppers and mutton). The bazaar’s central square often hosts traditional music and dance, offering a lively introduction to Xinjiang’s multicultural tapestry.
Overnight: Urumqi
Day 2: Urumqi → Fuyun (500 km, 6–7 hrs)
Highlights: Xinjiang Museum, Colorful Bay (Wucaiwan)
Explore the Xinjiang Museum, home to over 40,000 artifacts spanning 4,000 years of regional history. Key exhibits include the Loulan Beauty (a 3,800-year-old mummy with Caucasian features, preserved in the Tarim Basin’s arid climate) and Silk Road textiles dyed with ancient techniques. Afternoon drive to Colorful Bay (Wucaiwan), a geological wonder where erosion has exposed striped layers of red, yellow, and green sandstone formed during the Jurassic period. Walk boardwalks to admire the surreal "rainbow mountains," glowing fiery red at sunset.
Day 3: Fuyun → Koktokay → Burqin (300 km, 5 hrs)
Highlights: Koktokay National Geopark, Burqin Night Market
Hike through Koktokay National Geopark, a valley in the Altai Mountains famed for its cobalt-blue river, pine forests, and rare mineral deposits like beryl and tourmaline. Trails lead to hidden waterfalls and Kazakh herder camps where families ferment kumis (mare’s milk). Evening stroll through Burqin Night Market, a lively strip along the Irtysh River. Try kawap (cumin-spiced lamb skewers grilled over charcoal) and naren (horse meat served with handmade noodles), while browsing stalls selling Kazakh honey and felt crafts.
Overnight: Burqin
Day 4: Burqin → Hemu → Jiadengyu (180 km, 4 hrs)
Highlights: Hemu Village (Kanas Reserve)
Travel to Hemu Village, a Tuvan settlement nestled in the Kanas Biosphere Reserve. The village’s log cabins, surrounded by birch forests and snow-capped peaks, resemble a Siberian landscape. Climb the Hemu Observatory for panoramic views of the Kanas River snaking through golden meadows. The Tuvan people—descendants of Siberian nomads—maintain traditions like eagle hunting (using golden eagles to hunt foxes) and throat singing, a UNESCO-listed intangible heritage.
Overnight: Jiadengyu
Day 5: Jiadengyu → Burqin (180 km, 4 hrs)
Highlights: Kanas Lake, Colorful Beach (Wucaitan)
Cruise Kanas Lake, nicknamed “China’s Switzerland” for its turquoise waters fed by glacial melt. Local legends claim the lake harbors a giant “monster” (likely the hucho taimen, a 2-meter-long trout species). Hike to Fish Viewing Pavilion for photos of the lake framed by larch forests. Afternoon visit to Colorful Beach (Wucaitan), where the Irtysh River carves through cliffs of red, purple, and ochre sandstone—formed by iron oxide deposits over 200 million years. Sunset transforms the cliffs into a golden spectacle.
Overnight: Burqin
Day 6: Burqin → Jinghe (400 km, 5–6 hrs)
Highlights: Wuerhe Ghost City, Dushanzi Canyon
Explore Wuerhe Ghost City, a desertscape of wind-sculpted rock pillars resembling ancient castles and mythical beasts. These “yardangs” formed over millennia due to erosion from the Dzungarian Basin’s harsh winds—geologists compare the process to “nature’s sandblasting.” Afternoon trek through Dushanzi Canyon, known as the “Grand Canyon of Xinjiang.” Its red cliffs, striped with mineral layers (green from copper, gray from shale), drop 200 meters to a riverbed dotted with fossilized sea creatures—evidence of the region’s prehistoric ocean past.
Overnight: Jinghe
Day 7: Jinghe → Yining (350 km, 5 hrs)
Highlights: Sayram Lake, Guozigou Bridge, Kazanqi Street
Morning stop at Sayram Lake, Xinjiang’s largest alpine lake. Its crystal-clear waters reflect the surrounding Tianshan peaks, while Kazakh herders graze horses along shores blanketed with wildflowers (June–July). Cross the Guozigou Bridge, China’s tallest highway bridge (200m high), spanning a gorge between snow-capped mountains. Evening stroll down Kazanqi Street, Yining’s historic core, where Uyghur artisans hammer copper teapots and bakeries sell gosh nan (meat-stuffed bread).
Overnight: Yining
Day 8: Yining → Kalajun → Narat (250 km, 5 hrs)
Highlights: Kalajun Grassland
Spend the day in Kalajun Grassland, a UNESCO-listed summer pasture where Kazakh nomads pitch yurts. Ride horses across rolling hills dotted with wild poppies (May–June), or hike to Cloud Catcher Ridge for views of the Tianshan range. Share a meal of beshbarmak (boiled lamb with noodles) inside a yurt, learning how families craft felt rugs using wool and rainwater.
Overnight: Narat
Day 9: Narat → Hejing (200 km, 4 hrs)
Highlights: Narat Grassland
Wake early to photograph the Narat Grassland at sunrise, when mist rises from meadows and sheep herds move like clouds. Visit a Kazakh family to watch felt-making demonstrations (wool is soaked, rolled, and stamped into dense mats) and sip kumis (fermented mare’s milk with a tangy, effervescent taste). The grassland’s biodiversity includes rare birds like the black stork and cinereous vulture.
Overnight: Hejing
Day 10: Hejing → Turpan (300 km, 5–6 hrs)
Highlights: Jiaohe Ruins, Karez Wells, Emin Minaret
Wander Jiaohe Ruins, a 2,300-year-old adobe city carved into a river island by the Cheshi people. Its crumbling temples and homes—arranged in a strict grid—reveal advanced urban planning for fire prevention and defense. Descend into Karez Wells, a 2,000-year-old underground irrigation system that channels meltwater from the Tianshan to Turpan’s vineyards via gravity. End at the Emin Minaret, a 44m-tall Qing Dynasty tower adorned with 14 geometric patterns symbolizing Quranic chapters.
Overnight: Turpan
Day 11: Turpan → Urumqi (200 km, 3 hrs)
Highlights: Tuyuq Village, Flaming Mountain, Bezeklik Caves, Grape Valley
Visit Tuyuq Village, a 1,700-year-old Uyghur oasis with mud-brick homes and cliffside Buddhist caves adorned with faded murals. Stop at Flaming Mountain, where summer temperatures hit 50°C (122°F)—the heat radiating from its red sandstone ridges inspired Journey to the West’s mythical fire mountains. Explore Bezeklik Caves, a Tang Dynasty Buddhist site with murals blending Indian Gandhara and Chinese art styles. Conclude in Grape Valley, strolling under vine trellises while sampling Turpan’s famed Munage (green raisins) and honeydew melons.
Overnight: Urumqi
Day 12
Urumqi Departure
Transfer to Urumqi International Airport. Optional last-minute shopping for Xinjiang dried fruits (apricots, figs) or jade souvenirs at the bazaar.
More about Xinjiang
A 12-day journey through Xinjiang’s most iconic landscapes and cultural treasures. Traverse deserts, alpine lakes, and UNESCO-listed grasslands while immersing in Uyghur, Kazakh, and Tuvan traditions. From the turquoise waters of Kanas Lake to the Martian-like Wuerhe Ghost City, this tour blends Silk Road history with awe-inspiring natural beauty.
More about this tour
Customizable Itineraries
Your Journey, Your Way
Craft the perfect adventure with our fully flexible tours! Add or remove days, swap activities, or request unique experiences—we’ll tailor every detail to match your interests. Simply share your vision via email, and our experts will design a bespoke itinerary just for you.
Accommodation Options
Stay Your Way
Choose from a curated selection of lodgings to suit your style:
Luxury: 5-star international hotels in major cities.
Comfort: 4-star hotels with modern amenities.
Authentic: Charming 3-star stays for a local vibe.
All bookings include daily breakfast.
Private Transportation
Travel in Comfort and Style
Enjoy seamless journeys with our private vehicle fleet, tailored to your group size and route:
SUVs (1–2 guests)
MPVs (2–4 guests)
Vans (4–8 guests)
Coaches (9+ guests)
Need special requests? Just ask—we prioritize your safety and comfort.
Dining Flexibility
Savor Local Flavors, Your Way
Included: Daily breakfast at your hotel.
Lunch & Dinner: Explore freely! Our guides will recommend top restaurants based on your preferences
Let us know dietary needs or must-try dishes—we’ll ensure every meal delights.
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