12 Days Best Xinjiang Tour to Kanas,Kashgar, Turpan and Urumqi

Please arrange for your international flight to Urumqi, your guide will accompany you to your accomodations. Have a good rest!

Morning begins with a sceneric driving to Burqin, our first stop there willl be Colorful Beach, Walking into the colorful Beach, you will feel as if in a dream world. The unique lava landscape consisted of purplish red, vandyke red, yellow and light green mudstone, sandstone and gravel. Bizarre colors coming from all directions, gorgeous color, brilliant colorful beach stones, and waves of Irtysh Rive. this is the most beautiful colorful Beach, masterpiece of nature, and miracle of Burqin.

Enjoying the sunrise of Erqis river and then head to Kanas Lake , and enjoy the boating. Kanas Lake is the latest lake open to all tourists in China and has attained a reputation as “the tourism pearl of Mountain Altai”.There are six bays along the Kanas Lake and each of them holds a marvelous tale. A 'roche moutonnee', bedrock corroded by glaciers, can be found in the first bay. It looks like a sleeping sheep appreciating the beautiful lake and welcoming visitors from outside world. The second bay is the deepest point of the lake and also the place where monsters are often 'spotted'. It is said that some local livestock have been dragged into water by these monsters! The third bay is a nature platform for enjoying the marvelous lake, the fourth bay holds a lovely isle covered by trees, and a hill of magpies exists in the fifth bay.

Morning breakfast and today we will head to a peaceful and beautiful village, Hemu --a fairy-land of Xinjiang China, also called the last pure land in the world. and experience the folklore of local Tuwa People. and take the photo of the beautiful view of the sunset, enjoy the trekking around. what a fresh world !! Besides, we can arrange the horses riding for you.
Hemu,a small village within the Kanas Lake area in the north of Xinjiang province, China, enjoy the untraversed snow mountain, icy lake, grassland and primitive Tuwa minority village whom lived there for thousand years.
The Tuwa Tribe: A Mongolian tribe called Tuwa lives on the south bank of the Kanas Lake. Believing in Lamaism, it is a valiant ethic minority with a long history. Tuwa people speak Turkish, resembling the language of Kazakh, and live on hunting and graze. They also have a special folk custom.

We are getting back to Urumqi in the morning, on the way, we will stop and visit Ghost City, the most beautiful Yardan landform in this region.The movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” has left you a deep impression of the multi-colored bay where the heroine Ziyi was hidden, this special desert scene shot in the movie is located at the Gobi desert. Later on, we will take the flight to Kashgar upon arrival Urumqi.

Morning with a delightful drive on the China and Pakistan highway to visit Karakul Lake. Karakorum high way is 1200 kilometers long built in 1976, it is known as Sino Pakistan—Chinese friendship highway. Ancient Silk Road Merchants often run Via over Karakorum, Wahan corridor with Hindi Kush Mountain to India, Pakistan until Iran. On the road, enjoy the scenery of the Mt. Muztag, Taxkorgan, Persian language that means, stone castle. Our destination Karakul Lake is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau at an altitude of 3,600 m. It located near the junction of the Pamir, Tianshan and Kunlun Mountain ranges. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztag Ata (7546m), Kongur Tagh (7,649m) and Kongur Tiube (7,530 m). The lake is popular among travelers for its beautiful scenery and the clarity of its reflection in the water, whose color ranges from a dark green to azure and light blue. There are two Kirgiz settlements along the shore of Karakul Lake, a number of yurts about 1km east of the bus drop-off point and a village with stone houses located on the western shores.

We will spend our day with a city tour. The sights we are going to visit are classicc and representative buildings in Kashgar. Firstly, we will visit Id Kah Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and most famous one in Xinjiang. It was established in the mid of fifteenth century, and has gradually developed to the present size. Id K ah Mosque, with about 16800 square meters in area, consisting of Pray Hall, the Koran teaching Hall, The Corridor, the Arches and other buildings attaching to it. The Pray Hall of the mosque can hold 4000 prayers is supported by 140 carved wooden pillars.The buildings of Id Kah Mosque look magnificent and solemn , and display the artistic styles of Islamic mosque architectures.

Then we will continue our tour to Old Town and Handicraft Street, walking in the streets of its Old Town, will provide a sense of what this legendary Central Asian hub was like in the days when the Silk Road was at its zenith. 500-year old remnants of the city wall, narrow lanes and colorful multi-ethnic crowds combine to make Kashgar's historic district a highlight of any visit to the city. Then we are heading to the last destination of the day. Apak Hoja Tomb is the holiest place in Xinjiang and an architectural treasure Built in 1640 ， it is reminiscent of the Central Asian artistic style of Samarkand or Isfahan. A handsome blue-and-white tiled gate leads into the compound, which includes a small religious school and the Abakh Khoja family tomb. The latter is domed and faced with multi - colored tiles. I t most complete Islamic tomb of the Qing Dynasty up-to-now in China. 

Morning breakfast and we will hang around Sunday Bazaar, it is like a livestock Market with farmers and buyers arriving by donkey cart, truck, bicycle, horseback, motorbike or on foot, with their animals. It's loud, lively and cheerful as they arrive, eat breakfast, set up their animals and check out the action. After that, we will visit and then after dinner take the soft sleeper train to Turpan, K9788 (19:02-12:44).

Full day tour in Turpan. you will not only know about the history but also be amazed by the views of the flaming mountain. Firstly we will begin at visiting Astana Tombs, the Flaming Mountain, Bezklik Grottoes and Local Uyger Family in the Vineyard. At next, with a small distance of driving, we will arrive at Bezklik Grottoes. "Bezklik" means "a place with beautiful decoration". These caves are first excavated in Qu`s Gaochang period. The excising caves were reconstructed by Uighur people. Then we are driving back to downtown Turpan and visit Astana Tombs, which are the graveyard of the residents lived in the Gaochang City in the Jin-Tang times. Between 1959 and 1975, a great number of cultural relics have been unearthed, including Chinese documents, textiles, epitaphs, coins, clay sculptures, pottery, wooden wares, silk-paintings, crops and foods ,etc., Known as “the Underground Museum".

Continue our Turpan sightseeing by visiting Karez Well, a unique irrigation system in Turpan, which, taking advantage of the slopes, draws the underground water to flow by itself to irrigate farmland. It consists of four parts: vertical wells, underground channels, ground canals and small reservoirs. After that, we are going to Sugong Minaret, it is located in Mura Village 2 kilometers to the east of the city of Turpan, the Tower was built in the 41st year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty,It is an embodiment of the ancient architectural arts of the Uygur nationality. The tower is 37 meters high and 10 meters in diameter at the base. The body of the tower is cylindroid in shape, built with bricks arranged in various symmetrical patterns on the outer wall. The tower has 14 windows and a spiral stairs inside it leading to the top. And finally, we are heading to our last stop in Turpan, Jiaohe Ruines, which located on a mesa in willow leaf shape between the Yarnaz River valleys 10 kilometers to the west of Turpan City. running from northwest to southeast, 1760 meters long and 300 meters across at the widest part. The city includes city gates, streets and lanes, government office, temples, domestic houses, cave houses, wells, and an underground temple.

we will be back to Urumqi at afternoon and visit the Erdaoqiao Market & Inetrnatinal Bazaar upon arrival, it is the largest bazaar in Urumqi. You'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and almost anything that you can imagine.

After fun days strolling around the ancient city Kashgar and Turpan, we are back to Urumqi, the trip is nearly ending. Today we will go and visit Xinjiang Regional Museum where over 50,000 items in the collection about the Niya Ruins,Loulan Ruins. Then we will drive about 1.5hr(120km)to the Heavenly Lake to experience the lifestyle of the local Kazaks in the deep of Tianshan Mountain.back to Urumqi and visit the International Bazaar. And after that, we will get on the bus to "Swiss of China", which is Heavenly Lake, a long and narrow gourd-shaped moraine lake, 3400 meters long, about 1500 meters wide, 105 meters at the deepest point, with an average depth of 40 meters, covering an area of about 5.9 square kilometers. There are eight beautiful scenic spots in the lake scenic area, they are “A Ray of Stone Gate”, “Dragon's Pool and Green Moon”, “Magic Needle for Guarding the See”, “Three Stones Bearing the Sky”, “the Snowcapped Southern Mountain”, “Pine Billows in Western Mountain”, “the Hanging Waterfall”, and the “Sea Peak's Sunrise”. Enjoy the experience of the lifestyle of the local Kazaks in the deep of Tianshan Mountain. 

After breakfast be transferred to the airport for your flight.