Northern Xinjiang · Route
Kanas Sayram Nalati 11-Day Northern Xinjiang Loop
The full ring - the Altai lakes, the Sayram mirror, the Yili valley and the grasslands of Nalati and Bayanbulak.
Northern Xinjiang · Route
The full ring - the Altai lakes, the Sayram mirror, the Yili valley and the grasslands of Nalati and Bayanbulak.
Urumqi to Burqin (flight, train+coach, or the direct coach) and an evening by the Ertix river.
Wucaitan at dusk, then on to Jiadenyu and the first Kanas afternoon.
The full Kanas day - boardwalks, boat, Guanyu Pavilion, Tuva visit or bonfire.
Morning viewpoints, then across to Hemu - the village and the Dawn Platform.
Hemu dawn, then the long road west through Karamay and the Wuerhe 'Devil City' of wind-carved rock to Kuitun.
Sayram Lake day - the ring road, the lakeside walk and a night by the alpine water (ticket RMB 40, ring road RMB 80, shuttle RMB 50).
Over the Guozigou Bridge and down to the Yili valley - Qingshuihe, the Khorgos border gate (RMB 30) and Huiyuan ancient town, then on to Yining.
South over the Tianshan to Nalati - the grassland afternoon of horses and yurts (tickets RMB 60-75, three shuttle lines RMB 40-70).
The full Nalati morning - the air meadow line - then the road to Bayanbulak for the sunset over the nine bends.
Swan Lake and the wetland birds of Bayanbulak, then the long drive north toward Urumqi.
The drive back to Urumqi - the Dushanzi road and the desert light - and the evening in the capital.
