11 Days Xinjiang Ultimate Trekking Tour to Kanas

Welcome to the beautiful Xinjiang! Upon arrival, you will be met at the airport and then be transferred to the hotel to have check-in. Have a good rest or stroll around the exotic city by yourself!

Today after enjoying your breakfast, we will start our wonderful northern Xinjiang tour by driving to the first destination -- Burqin. On the way we will pass through the second largest desert Gurbantonggut Desert via the first Desert Highway in China -- S12 Altay-Urumqi Highway. Gurbantonggut means the haunt of wild boar in Mongolian. That indicated that the desert has been the residential place of various animals and planets since the ancient time. Interlaced distribution of oasis and desert is the feature of the this vast land. You will see the unique scenery of wild poplar forest and Haloxylon ammodendron forest on the one side and the modern oasis civilization on the other side of the highway.

Before arriving in Burqin, there is an incredibly beautiful lake that should not be missed out. We will enjoy the stunning views of Ulungur Lake, it is an ideal home of migratory birds, famous for its abundance of fish. This wetland park is vast in territory, rich in aquatic products, with the valuable wetland resources, the ecological system is typical, uniqueness and diversity. 

In the morning, enjoy your breakfast at the hotel. Then we will travel to Hemu Village,  which is the one of the famous Tuvas village. Arrive at the entrance of Hemu, we still have to change the shuttle bus to the village. Here we would like to suggest you leave your big luggage in our coach and take your must stuff.

Tranquil village, herds of cattle and sheep, warm and hospitable locals, What a beautiful and mysterious place! if you want to learn the life style of Tuva people, they will very welcome you to visit their family.

Be embraced by the gentle breath of Hemu and appreciate the stunning sunrise! Today is an exciting day as we will start our trekking tour from this fairy land! Along the way, you will enjoy the land of idyllic beauty surrounded by the snow-capped mountains, lush forest and grassland.The trail is quite narrow, just like a long black thread running through the vast green canvas. You will feel like there is no one else in the world except you and your friends! The only “strangers” are the occasionally passing horses, goats and cattle.

After about 7 hours' trekking, we will arrive in our final destination today -- Hongmeimei's House where is an ideal place for relaxing yourself. The hospitable local herdsmen will treat you with the best food they have. Enjoy your night in the lovely guesthouse!

You must have had a wonderful night in Hongmeimei's house! Today we will continue to walk to our next destination -- Black Lake. It is an alpine lake mounted in Altay Mountain Ranges and the source of water are the melted water from the snow mountains. Although looked black even in the sunny days, you will find it's very clear when scoop up the water. When you can see the dotted yurts like pearls on the grassland afar off, that means you have arrived in the destination! We will have a night in the yurt to experience the authentic life style of local herdsmen.

Say goodbye with the Black Lake! We will continue to trek to Kanas. As usual, you will not feel bored on the way as the breathtaking scenes are enough to fill your eyes and mind with happiness and pleasure. After about 8 hours' trekking, we will reach the Kanas Nature Reserve. It is the largest 5A national scenic area in China, where the photographers consider it as the holy place. Kanas means “a land of beauty and mystery” in Mongolian and it is the only habitation of Tuvans in China. Legends had that there are monsters living in Kanas Lake and several tourists said they witnessed the appearance of them. We will walk into the Fish Pavilion where you will have a bird's eye view of Kanas lake and its surroundings to try to find the trace of the monsters!

Wake up in the arms of Kanas is one of the happiest things in the world. Today we will have a full day to explore this wonderland. Appreciate the stunning sunrise and then you can enjoy your breakfast by the lakeside. Kanas lake is shaped like a crescent moon and is a masterpiece of the fourth glacial period from about 200,000 years ago. It is also the deepest inland alpine lake in China with a maximum depth of 188 meters. The wonder of the lake is that it changes colors with the change of seasons and weather. Sometimes it's crystal blue, sometimes it's dark green or even gray. In August and September, the color transforms to a “Tiffany blue tinted with milky white” as the upstream flow in. You will witness the beauty of Kanas Lake in the Three Bays -- Fairy Bay, Dragon Bay and Moon Bay.

Later in the day, drive about half an hour to Jiadengyu to stay overnight.

Today is the most challenging day of our trekking tour! You will trek about 15 kilometers from Jiadengyu to Halfway Guesthouse! Freshen up yourself with the fresh morning air and have a good breakfast with some high-calorie food. We will trek along Kanas Lake and pass by the Kanas primary forest. Be careful! There may be some little animals like squirrels and foxes running quickly passing you! The birch forest in Kanas is also well-known for its beauty. Pick up a leave of birch tree and bring it back as the souvenir given by Kanas.

Stay one night in Halfway Guesthouse is one of the must-dos in Kanas trekking tour. It will be one of the most unforgettable experiences in your lifetime. When you wake up, you will find that the owner has already prepared breakfast for you with a cup of hot milk that just milked from cows. Then leave for Hemu to end this enjoyable trekking tour. You will soon come to a delta where Kanas River and Hemu River meet and split. Then no need for map or compass, Hemu River will guide your to the destination.

After arriving in Hemu, have a break and then you will be transferred to Burqin by car to stay overnight.

After breakfast, we will continue our trip to Urho, where to visit the magnificent Urho Ghost City. It is also known as “Wuerhe Wind City”, one of the most famous Yadan landform in China, formed by the strong howling wind and erosion. When we arrive at the entrance, we will take the shuttle bus to visit the entire city, which is shaped like a small train. The various strange shaped rocks formed by the wind erosion looked like pagodas, temples mushrooms, animals, etc. When the wind blows, sounds like ghost grouls, and that's the origin of its name! We will stay in Urho tonight.

Today is the last day of your tour. Have a breakfast and then we will drive about 5 hours back to Urumqi, enjoying the beautiful scenery along the road. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the airport to catch your flight. Wish you a pleasant journey home and hope to see you again in your next China trip!