Itinerary
- Day 1
Urumqi
You arrive in Urumqi after your journey and have the day to settle in. The city brings together different ethnic cultures in interesting ways. If you've got some free time, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum covers local history and culture well, or you can walk through Erdaoqiao International Bazaar to check out local goods. By 6:00 p.m., meet at your hotel to head to Xinjiang Grand Theater for 'A Thousand Returns to the West', or try the Lovely Xinjiang Silk Road Banquet with live ethnic performances instead.
Included Activities
- Xinjiang Grand Theater performance 'A Thousand Returns to the West' (or Lovely Xinjiang Silk Road Banquet if no performance)
- Ethnic minority song and dance performance at banquet
Optional Activities
- Visit Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum (Free admission, closed Mondays, open 10:00-17:00)
- Browse Erdaoqiao International Bazaar for local specialties
Landmarks Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum Erdaoqiao International Bazaar Xinjiang Grand Theater - Day 2
Urumqi to Yining
After breakfast, your driver picks you up for an 8-hour drive covering 600 kilometers to Sayram Lake. You'll spend three hours at this alpine lake before heading to Lucaogou Town for lunch. Later, drive about 70 kilometers (roughly 1 hour) to the 65th Regiment Lavender base where you'll walk through blooming lavender fields for an hour. From there, continue to Yining City, arriving around 8:00 p.m. Check into your ethnic-style four-star hotel on the ethnic street, then head to dinner with ethnic minority performances.
Included Activities
- Sayram Lake scenic viewing (approximately 3 hours)
- Stop at Guozigou viewing platform
- 65th Regiment Lavender base tour (approximately 1 hour)
- Ethnic minority singing and dancing performance at hotel
Landmarks Sayram Lake Guozigou 65th Regiment Lavender Base - Day 3
Yining to Zhaosu County
Meet at 9:00 a.m. after breakfast to enter the Yizhao Highway, one of the ancient Silk Road routes (open early June to early October). The road climbs over Angliet Daban mountain pass at 3,000 meters elevation with dramatic cliff views. You'll see Shata Grassland and explore ancient Chata ruins near the river, a famous route that Xuanzang and Zhang Qian traveled centuries ago. After spending about two hours in this area, drive to your hotel in Zhaosu County for dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Shata Grassland exploration (approximately 2 hours)
Optional Activities
- Visit Chata Ancient Road and Chata ruins
Landmarks Yizhao Highway Angliet Daban Shata Grassland Chata Ancient Road Chata ruins - Day 4
Zhaosu County to Tekes
Meet at the hotel gate at 8:45 a.m., then drive 20 minutes to Grassland Stone Figure scenic area. Here you can enter to learn about these thousand-year-old stone figures or enjoy the surrounding area with views of Zhaosu's famous rapeseed flowers (peak bloom late June to mid-July). Later, drive 90 kilometers (about 2 hours) to Kalajun Scenic Spot with wildflowers and rolling mountains. Then drive 30 kilometers (roughly 1 hour) to Tekes, the world's largest Bagua City. Wander the radial streets, visit Eight Trigrams Cultural Square, explore the 1200-meter main streets, try local food, and catch the sunset from the prairie at the city's edge.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Kalajun Scenic Spot tour
Optional Activities
- Grassland Stone Figure scenic area entrance and guided tour
- Enjoy Zhaosu rapeseed flowers around scenic area
Landmarks Grassland Stone Figure Scenic Spot Kalajun Scenic Spot Tekes Bagua City Eight Trigrams Cultural Square - Day 5
Tekes to Bayanbulak
Travel the Duku Highway from Tekes, a road more dramatic than the Sichuan-Tibet Route. The 250-kilometer drive takes about 5 hours to Bayanbulak Town as you cross the Tianshan Mountains where one-third of the road is cliff and one-fifth sits in alpine permafrost. You'll pass nearly ten major rivers and four snow-covered mountain passes. The landscape shifts constantly from vast grasslands to towering snow mountains to the Ili River valley. In Bayanbulak, see the second largest grassland in China and Swan Lake where whooper swans migrate each spring, plus the Nine Curves and Eighteen Bays where the Kaidu River winds through.
Included Activities
- Bayanbulak Grassland exploration
- Swan Lake viewing
Landmarks Duku Highway Bayanbulak Grassland Swan Lake Nine Curves and Eighteen Bays - Day 6
Bayanbulak to Nilerik
Leave early from Bayanbulak heading north toward the summit with increasingly striking Tianshan Mountain views covered in year-round snow. You'll pass through tall spruce forests and see Kazak herder yurts on the grassland. Travel west along the Kashgar River through Tangbula Grassland's 'Hundred-Mile Gallery', a scenic area with grassland, hot springs, snow peaks, and pristine rivers. The forest landscape shows green spruce and fresh mountain air throughout. After roughly 7 hours and 280 kilometers of driving through this picturesque terrain, arrive at your hotel in Nilerik County.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Landmarks Tangbula Grassland Hundred-Mile Gallery Kashgar River - Day 7
Nilerik to Kuitun
After breakfast, drive to the northern Duku Highway section to visit Cholma Martyrs Cemetery and pay respects to 168 officers and soldiers who died building this highway. Continue over Hasilegen Daban mountain pass near Sky Falls with dramatic scenery of jagged mountains and rushing rivers. The road winds like a dragon through the Tianshan Mountains. Near the Duku Highway exit, explore Dushanzi Grand Canyon, a striking red landscape with a 20-kilometer-long north-south run featuring vertical walls and dramatic cliff views. Arrive in Kuitun City by evening.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Dushanzi Grand Canyon tour
Optional Activities
- Visit Cholma Martyrs Cemetery
Landmarks Cholma Martyrs Cemetery Hasilegen Daban Sky Falls Dushanzi Grand Canyon - Day 8
Kuitun to Urumqi
After breakfast, depart around 10:00 a.m. for the 230-kilometer return drive to Urumqi, finishing your 8-day exploration of Xinjiang. Make stops along the way to rest and reflect on what you've seen. When you arrive, if you're not leaving right away, continue exploring Urumqi (your tour leader can help store luggage at the Wanda office in Doufeng) and watch ethnic performances in the evening with help from your tour leader for booking.
Optional Activities
- Evening Xinjiang ethnic customs performance in Urumqi (booking assistance available from tour leader)
