One Week Northern Xinjiang Tour

Today, we will set off from Urumqi and start this 7 days Xinjiang tour. After driving southwards for around 544 kilometers (338 miles), about 6 hours, we will arrive at the Sayram Lake, which is known as the "last tear of the Atlantic ocean". The lake, clear and blue, backed by snowy mountains and surrounded by vast grasslands, has long been one of Xinjiang's most famous scenic spots for its stunning sceneries. The best view is from the east of the lake, where you can see the amazing scene of the lake beneath the snowy mountains.

Afterwards, we will drive southwest for around 86 kilometers (53 miles) to the Qingshuihe Town, which takes about 1.5 hours. On the way, we will pass the Guozigou Bridge, which is the first cable-stayed bridge, the highest, the largest and the most important bridge in Xinjiang. It is also a major breakthrough in the history of highway construction in Xinjiang, with great significance to the stability and economic development of the border areas.

Today, we will first drive for around half an hour to the Khorgos Border, which is the closest and most convenient port facing central Asia, west Asia and even Europe. It is also a shopping paradise. The duty-free shops are everywhere and the goods are about 30 percent cheaper than that in the shopping malls. You will have some free time to shop here.

In the afternoon, we will drive for another half an hour to the Lavender Garden, which is reputed as the "hometown of Lavender in China". It is also the third largest lavender planting base in the world after Provence, France and Furano, Japan. After finishing the visit here, we will drive for around 1.5 hours to Yining, where you will stay for 1 night.

After breakfast today, we will drive eastwards for around 3.5 hours to the Nalati Grassland, which is 255 kilometers (158 miles) east of Yining. The poetic name of "Nalati" was given by the herders, which means the first place to see the sun. The Nalati grassland is one of the four great alpine valley grasslands in the world, which combines the landscapes of blue sky and white clouds, glaciers and snowy mountains, forests and grasslands as well as canyons and rivers. From April to June is the best season for flower appreciation, which brings the Nalati Grassland the name of "Garden in the air" during this period. In addition, there are also many entertainments including the horseback riding, rafting, helicopter taking, local home visiting and etc. You will spend the whole day here and enjoy the scenery and fun of grassland. At the end of the day, we will drive westwards for around 1.5 hours to Xinyuan County for one night.

Today, we will first drive westwards for around 3 hours to the Tekes County to visit the Kalajun Grassland, which is a wonderful place for sightseeing and photography. The Kalajun Grassland is backed by the towering snowy mountains, and the scenery is vast and beautiful.

Afterwards, we will continue to drive westwards for around 1.5 hours to the Zhaosu County, where we will spend tonight. The rest time will be free for you. If you're energetic, you can wander around freely to appreciate the stunning sceneries here.

In the morning, we will drive for around 1.5 hours to the Xiata Scenic Area, which is a tourist resort full of magical colors. On the way, we'll pass the alluvial plains formed by the Xiata River and will see the grassland stone men, the large-scale Wusun ancient tombs and the Xiata ancient city ruins. We will also see the Xiata Canyon, which is a charming and unique ancient culture scenery line together with the mountain pass, ancient road, ancient ruins, folk customs and natural landscape. The Tangseng Ancient Road here is the most dangerous passage on the Silk Road.

In the afternoon, we will drive northwards for around 265 kilometers (165 miles) back to Yining, which takes around 4 hours on the way.

Today, we will head to visit the Kazanqi Folk Custom village, which is the window of Yili city. It is also the only large-scale original ecological cultural scenic spot in northern Xinjiang that reflects the Uygur customs.

In the afternoon, we will drive westwards for around 50 minutes to the Huiyuan Ancient City, a famous historical city in Xinjiang. It was once the political, military, economic and cultural center of Xinjiang. Here, you will visit the Yili General Office, the Huiyuan Bell and Drum Tower, as well as the Huiyuan Confucian Temple. Inside the General Office, there are 4 towering old trees, which are living witnesses of history and on the Bell and Drum Tower, you can have a panoramic view of the city.

Today, we will drive back to Urumqi, which takes around 8 hours on the way. Your 7 days Xinjiang tour will end here.