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16 Days Grand Circle Tour of North & South Xinjiang

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Itinerary
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Trip Notes

Information

Tour Overview

Explore Xinjiang’s diverse landscapes, from deserts and grasslands to alpine lakes and Silk Road relics. Discover Uyghur culture, ancient ruins, and breathtaking natural wonders on this epic journey across China’s northwestern frontier.

What Makes This Tour Special?

Traverse both North Xinjiang (pristine lakes, Kazakh villages) and South Xinjiang (Silk Road history, Pamir Mountains). Visit UNESCO sites, nomadic villages, and vibrant bazaars. Experience overnight train travel and scenic drives along iconic routes like the Duku Highway.

What to Prepare

Comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing (temperature extremes). Sunscreen, hat, and reusable water bottle. Cash (local markets may not accept cards). Passport/ID for travel permits in border areas (e.g., Tashkorgan).

Best Time to Visit

May–October (ideal for grasslands and lakes). Avoid July–August crowds; September–October for autumn foliage.

Destinations

Tour Price

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Tour Start and End

Urumqi, Kashgar

Price Includes

Accommodation
Licensed English-speaking tour guide
Private air-conditioned vehicle/bus
Guide & driver accommodation + meals
Train tickets

Price Excludes

International/domestic flights
Meals (can arranged if need)
Entrance fees to monuments/attractions(can arranged if need)
Optional excursions not listed in the itinerary
Personal expenses (e.g., souvenirs, laundry)
Tips for guide/driver

Itinerary

Tour Overview

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Urumqi

Highlights: Urumqi Grand Bazaar

Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel.After freshening up, explore the Urumqi Grand Bazaar, a bustling hub of Uyghur crafts, spices, and cuisine. Overnight: Urumqi

Day 2: Urumqi → Turpan (200 km, 3 hrs)

Highlights: Xinjiang Museum, Flaming Mountain, Tuyuq Village, Bezeklik Caves

After breakfast, visit the Xinjiang Museum to glimpse Silk Road artifacts. Drive to Turpan, stopping at the Flaming Mountain’s crimson ridges,Named for its fiery-red ridges that inspired Journey to the West folklore. Summer temperatures here can hit 50°C (122°F)!, Explore the ancient Tuyuq Village,A 1,700-year-old adobe oasis famed for its grapevine-shaded alleys and sacred “Holy Tree” (a 600-year-old mulberry). then visit the Buddhist art of Bezeklik Caves,Explore 7th-century Buddhist grottoes with fading murals depicting merchants and monks. Overnight: Turpan

Day 3: Turpan → Urumqi (200 km, 3 hrs)

Highlights: Jiaohe Ruins, Karez Wells, Emin Minaret

Discover the 2,000-year-old Jiaohe Ruins, an ancient city carved into cliffs.Walk through this 2,000-year-old earthen city, once a Silk Road fortress carved between two rivers. Its Buddhist temple ruins and residential quarters reveal ancient urban planning. Visit the ingenious underground Karez Wells irrigation system. Marvel at this 2,000-year-old underground irrigation system, a UNESCO candidate, which channels snowmelt from the Tianshan to Turpan’s vineyards. At the end visit the Emin Minaret, Admire Xinjiang’s tallest Islamic minaret (44m), built in 1777 with intricate geometric brickwork, Return to Urumqi. Overnight: Urumqi

Day 4: Urumqi → Burqin via S21 Desert Highway (500 km, 6 hrs)

Highlights: Ulungur Lake, Colorful Beach

Drive along the S21 Desert Highway to Ulungur Lake for serene views, it is A serene freshwater lake where herons nest and fishermen haul in cold-water fish like huangyu. Optional boat ride to Bird Island (spring/summer).. Continue to Colorful Beach at sunset, where the Irtysh River paints the cliffs in vivid hues. End the day at Burqin’s lively Night Market. Overnight: Burqin

Day 5: Burqin → Hemu → Jiadengyu (120 km, 3 hrs)

Highlights: Hemu Village

Journey to Hemu Village, a picturesque Tuvan settlement surrounded by forests and snow-capped peaks. Stroll wooden bridges and hike to a viewpoint for panoramic vistas. Overnight: Jiadengyu

Day 6: Jiadengyu → Burqin (120 km, 3 hrs)

Highlights: Kanas Lake

Explore Kanas Lake, famed for its turquoise waters and legends of the “Lake Monster.” Known as “China’s Switzerland”, this glacial lake’s turquoise waters are guarded by Tuvan legends of a giant creature.Walk along the lakeside or take a boat ride. Return to Burqin. Overnight: Burqin

Day 7: Burqin → Jinghe (350 km, 5 hrs)

Highlights: Ghost City, Dushanzi Grand Canyon

Drive south to the Ghost City, a wind-sculpted desert landscape,Wind-sculpted sandstone pillars create a “city” of eerie shapes—some resemble animals or warriors. Best visited at dusk for dramatic shadows. Continue to the dramatic cliffs of Dushanzi Grand Canyon, Striped red cliffs carved by the Ili River, with viewpoints overlooking vertigo-inducing drops. Overnight: Jinghe

Day 8: Jinghe → Yining (400 km, 6 hrs)

Highlights: Sayram Lake, Fruit Valley Bridge, Kazanqi Street

Cross the Tianshan Mountains to Sayram Lake, Xinjiang’s “Pearl of the Highlands.” , Xinjiang’s highest alpine lake (2,070m), surrounded by wildflowers (June-July). Kazakh herders camp here in summer—try kurt (dried cheese balls). Stop at the Fruit Valley Bridge for photos. In Yining, explore Kazanqi Street’s Russian-inspired architecture. Overnight: Yining

Day 9: Yining → Narat (250 km, 4 hrs)

Highlights: Narat Grassland

Drive to the Narat Grassland, a summer pasture for Kazakh herders. Ride horses across rolling hills, watch eagle hunting demos (seasonal), and feast on beshbarmak (hand-ripped noodles with lamb). Overnight: Narat

Day 10: Narat → Bayinbulak (150 km, 3 hrs)

Highlights: Bayinbulak Grassland

Traverse the Bayinbulak Grassland, home to the “Nine Bends” of the Kaidu River. China’s second-largest grassland, where the Kaidu River forms Nine Bends, a serpentine waterway. Visit the Swan Lake Reserve (May-June) to see migrating swans. Overnight: Bayinbulak

Day 11: Bayinbulak → Kuqa (400 km, 7 hrs)

Highlights: Duku Highway, Kuqa Bazaar, Kuqa Old Town

Drive the Duku Highway, a scenic mountain route,Traverse this “road of extremes” through Tianshan’s snow peaks, meadows, and hairpin turns (open May-Oct).Arrive in Kuqa to explore its lively bazaar,A hub for Kuqa knives and fragrant nang bread baked in clay ovens. Visit Kuqa Old Town, Mud-brick homes and mosques echo its past as a Buddhist kingdom (Kucha). Overnight: Kuqa

Day 12: Kuqa → Kashgar (Overnight Train/Flight)

Highlights: Tianshan Grand Canyon, Kezil Caves

Tour the red sandstone Tianshan Grand Canyon, Hike through red sandstone cliffs that narrow to a slit of sky. Look for ancient petroglyphs of ibex. and the Buddhist Kezil Caves, Among China’s oldest Buddhist grottoes (4th century), with vibrant murals of apsaras (celestial musicians). Evening transfer to Kashgar by train/flight. Overnight: Train/Kashgar

Day 13: Kashgar City Tour

Highlights: Livestock Market, Apak Hoja Tomb, Kashgar Old Town, Idkah Mosque

Start at the chaotic Livestock Market (Sunday only), A cacophony of sheep, camels, and haggling traders—experience Silk Road commerce alive today.Visit the ornate Apak Hoja Tomb,A 17th-century mausoleum adorned with blue tiles, final resting place of a Sufi saint and Xiang Fei (Fragrant Concubine). then visit Old Town, Wander alleys of apricot-hued homes, woodcarving workshops, and hidden courtyards.. End at the Idkah Mosque, China’s largest Mosque. Overnight: Kashgar

Day 14: Kashgar → Tashkorgan (300 km, 6 hrs)

Highlights: Opal Village, Oytagh Valley, Karakul Lake, Muztagh Ata

Drive the Karakoram Highway. Stop at Opal Village local Bazaar culture, Oytagh Valley’s Mars-like terrain, and Karakul Lake with views of Muztagh Ata (7,546m). Overnight: Tashkorgan

Day 15: Tashkorgan → Kashgar (290 km, 6 hrs)

Highlights: Golden Grassland, Stone City

Visit Stone City, an ancient Silk Road fortress, Ruins of a 2,000-year-old Silk Road garrison, with panoramic views of the China-Pakistan border.and the Golden Grassland, Autumn transforms this Pamir plateau into a golden sea, dotted with yaks. Overnight: Kashgar