Northern Xinjiang Scenery | Xinjiang Urumqi + Tianshan Tianchi + Hemu Village + Kanas + Burqin + Karamay World Devil's City Essential 7-Day Tour

Welcome to Urumqi~! Our guide will meet you at the exit of Urumqi Airport and take you to a hotel in downtown Urumqi for check-in. After that, you can rest at the hotel or explore the surrounding area. Urumqi is the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the city farthest from the ocean in the world, about 2,500 kilometers from the nearest coastline. It is also a necessary route of the new northern branch of the world-famous ancient Silk Road, which promoted trade and cultural exchanges between China and Western countries and formed a unique ethnic cultural atmosphere in western China. Urumqi is located at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains in northwestern China, surrounded by mountains and water, with vast fertile fields. People who have lived here for generations affectionately call it "Urumqi," meaning "beautiful pasture." It lies in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, adjacent to Central Asian countries, and is known as the "Capital of Asia's Heart." Suggested Ways to Arrive 1. By plane: Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (URC) is the main airport of Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. It has many direct domestic routes, such as Beijing (about 4 hours), Xi'an (about 3.5 hours), Shanghai (about 5.5 hours), Guangzhou (about 5 hours), Shenzhen (about 5.5 hours), Chengdu (about 3.5 hours), Chongqing (about 4 hours), Lanzhou (about 2.5 hours), Kunming (about 4.5 hours), Zhengzhou (about 5 hours), and more, as well as direct routes to Central Asia, such as Islamabad, Almaty, Astana (now Nur-Sultan), and Tehran. Suggestions for Things to Do in Free Time 1. Xinjiang Museum: The Xinjiang Museum is the largest comprehensive museum in the Xinjiang region. Here you can admire rich cultural relic collections, including precious relics from the ancient Silk Road, traditional clothing of various ethnic groups in Xinjiang, folk handicrafts, and more. The museum also has temporary exhibitions displaying artworks and historical relics on various themes. In addition, famous national treasure-level cultural relics such as the ancient corpse of the "Loulan Beauty" and the Han Dynasty brocade "Five Stars Rising in the East" can also be seen here. 2. Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar: The Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar is the place with the strongest ethnic flavor in Urumqi and the world's largest castle-style bazaar. The architecture here is elegant and beautiful, with a strong Islamic style. Here, you can browse shops with strong local ethnic minority characteristics, such as Uyghur clothing, carpets, spices, ornaments, handicrafts, and more, and also taste various Xinjiang fruits, pilaf, mutton, and other local foods.

After breakfast, you will drive about 70 kilometers (about 1-1.5 hours) to visit Tianshan Tianchi. 【Tianshan Tianchi】, anciently called "Yaochi," is a crescent-shaped lake on the northern side of Bogda Peak in the Tianshan Mountains and a famous tourist destination in Xinjiang. The lake surface is at an altitude of 1,910 meters, with the deepest point reaching 105 meters. The lake reflects Bogda Peak, surrounded by spruce trees, with scenery like a fairyland. The scenic area includes natural landscapes such as alpine lakes, wetland meadows, and forest canyons. As the light changes, the lake water appears emerald green up close and blue in the distance, very beautiful. After arriving, you will first take a 40-minute sightseeing bus through the steep and magnificent mountains, then walk for 10 minutes to enjoy the stunning lake and mountain scenery and various interesting plants and animals. Optional Activities at Tianshan Tianchi (at your own expense) 1. Lake cruise: Take a boat tour around Tianchi and immerse yourself in the beautiful scenery of Yaochi 2. Mayashan Cableway: Take the cableway to the summit at an altitude of 3,056 meters, overlook the panoramic view of Tianchi, and gaze at the magnificent Bogda Peak in the distance. After the tour, you will travel along the S21 Highway through the desert to Beitun, known as the "City of a Hundred Lakes," for rest. The total drive takes about 4.5-5 hours, allowing you to enjoy the stunning scenery of Tianshan Tianchi again from a different perspective.

After breakfast, you will drive about 215 kilometers (about 3.5 to 4 hours) from Beitun to Hemu. Along the way, you will cross the vast Gobi Desert, with particularly magnificent scenery. After entering the Hemu area, the lush alpine meadows and quaint villages, dotted with patches of bright wildflowers and cattle and horses grazing leisurely, make the scenery even more tranquil and beautiful. [Hemu Village] is a small village located in the Altay region of Xinjiang, inhabited jointly by Kazakhs and Tuvans, and is one of China's most charming leisure villages. The houses here are all built of logs, very primitive and rustic. Wisps of cooking smoke rise from the tranquil village, the Hemu River flows quietly amid the birch forest, and various colors of gesang flowers bloom on the fences in front of the houses, especially charming against the blue sky and white clouds. After arriving at Hemu, you will take a sightseeing bus into Hemu Village. You can leisurely stroll along the country paths and explore this poetic village to your heart's content. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the surrounding snow mountains, forests, and village, visit the wooden houses of the Tuvans, and chat with the local Kazakhs and Tuvans to learn about their lifestyle and customs. Especially at sunset, Hemu Village is bathed in golden light, making the scenery particularly beautiful. You can find a spot to enjoy it and relax. Best Photography Times in Hemu Village 1. Summer: In summer, Hemu Village is full of vitality. Flowers bloom around the village and the trees are lush, making it especially beautiful. Especially in the evening, when cooking smoke rises from the wooden houses and the entire village is shrouded in mist, it feels like entering a fairy-tale world. 2. Autumn: Autumn is the most beautiful season in Hemu Village. The entire village is covered with golden, orange, and red leaves, and the birch forests across the mountains and plains shine with golden light in the glow of the setting sun, like a colorful oil painting, extremely dreamy.

If the weather permits, you can get up early this morning and walk to the Hemu Village viewing platform to enjoy the stunning sunrise. Here, you can also take panoramic photos of Hemu Village shrouded in mist and clouds. At this time, the light is soft, and the whole village is especially peaceful and beautiful. After breakfast, you will drive about 35 km (about 1 hour) to visit one of China's most beautiful lakes—[Kanas]. In Mongolian, Kanas means "beautiful and rich, mysterious and unfathomable" or "lake in the canyon." It is a tourist destination integrating glaciers, snowfields, high mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, and grasslands, and has long been praised as a "fairyland on earth." After arriving at Kanas, you will take a sightseeing bus from the Jiadengyu Visitor Center to the Kanas Scenic Area. First, go to the Fish Watching Platform, where you can stand at the highest point of Kanas and take in the panoramic view of the entire Kanas Lake and the distant mountains (the shuttle bus only goes to the mountainside, and you need to walk up 1,068 steps). Afterward, stroll along the lakeside boardwalk and enjoy the beauty of the surrounding lakes and mountains. Optional activity (at your own expense): You can take a Kanas Lake cruise to immersively enjoy the landscape of Kanas and enjoy the wonderful experience of traveling within a painting. Then continue to visit the Three Bays: Immortal Bay, Moon Bay, and Dragon Bay. First, take the sightseeing bus to Immortal Bay to enjoy the beautiful scenery often shrouded in mist and clouds, with mountain views, lake water, and trees complementing one another, as if in a fairyland. Then come to Moon Bay, where after a short walk you can enjoy the panoramic view of the crescent-shaped river bend. After that, take the sightseeing bus or hike along the shaded path to Dragon Bay, named because the outline of the small island in the middle of the river resembles a lying stegosaurus. The scenery here is even more superb, especially in autumn, when the trees along the lake shore in full color and the emerald-green lake complement each other, making it breathtakingly beautiful. After the visit, you will drive to Jiadengyu to check in at the hotel and rest.

After breakfast, you will drive about 125 kilometers (2-2.5 hours) to Burqin and continue to explore [Wucai Beach], known as the "Number One Beach Under Heaven." Wucai Beach has one river and two banks, with different scenery in the north and south. On the south bank, there are oases and deserts blending with the blue sky, offering a panoramic view. On the north bank is cliff-style Yardang landform, with undulating mountain shapes and changeable colors. The colors of the rocks here are mainly red, interspersed with green, yellow, white, black, and transitional colors. Especially under the setting sun in the evening, the colors are gorgeous and charming, and you can admire Xinjiang's most beautiful Yardang landform. Wucai Beach Tips: The best time to visit Wucai Beach is in the evening, especially at sunset, when the colors of the rocks are more vivid. It is recommended to arrive 1-2 hours before sunset to enjoy the most beautiful scenery of Wucai Beach. After the visit, drive about 230 kilometers (about 2.5-3 hours) from Burqin to Urho for check-in and rest.

After breakfast, you will visit Karamay World Devil City, once rated by Chinese National Geography as the top of China's three most beautiful Yardang landforms. 【Karamay World Devil City】, also known as Urho Wind City, is famous for its stunning Yardang landforms and the shrill sounds made by wind blowing through the valleys. It was once a filming location for the Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. You can take the scenic area shuttle bus and admire naturally formed structures resembling ancient city walls, fortresses, and palaces, as well as vivid geological landscapes of plants and animals. After the tour, you will drive about 432 kilometers (about 5 hours) to Urumqi for accommodation and rest.

After the tour ends, this wonderful and unforgettable 7-day Northern Xinjiang Highlights Tour will come to an end. Our guide will take you to the airport for your flight to the next destination. If you wish to extend this trip and explore more destinations in China, such as Beijing, Harbin, Shanghai, Yunnan, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Chengdu, Tibet, Guilin, etc., you can also contact our customer service to arrange it for you.