12-Day Northern Xinjiang Panorama Tour Guide

♦️ Northern Xinjiang is known for its natural scenery: ancient nomadic culture, alpine grasslands
♦️ Southern Xinjiang is known for its cultural landscapes: a perfect blend of deserts and gobi, diverse and simple human civilizations
♦️ With the arrival of spring, beautiful Xinjiang welcomes the blooming apricot flowers. The vast grasslands are sprouting new green buds, and the wildflowers are slowly budding. Nature's gifts are always the most beautiful.

Northern Xinjiang Grand Loop 12-Day Tour
D1: Various Cities - Urumqi
D2: Urumqi - S21 Desert Highway - Ulungur Lake - Beitun
D3: Beitun - Hemu (God's Private Land) - Stay in Hemu
D4: Hemu - Kanas Lake - Stay in Kanas
D5: Kanas - Hike Three Bays - Colorful Beach - Burqin
D6: Burqin - Devil City - Kuitun/Dushanzi
D7: Kuitun/Dushanzi - Sayram Lake - Lavender - Yining
D8: Yining - Xiate Ancient Trail - Tekesi
D9: Tekesi - Kalajun - Nalati Town
D10: Nalati Town - Nalati Air Grassland - Bayinbuluke
D11: Bayinbuluke - Duku Highway - Urumqi
D12: Urumqi - Various Cities

Northern Xinjiang (Mainly Natural Scenery)
1. **Kanas Lake (Altay Region)**
- Known as a "paradise on earth," the lake's water changes color with the seasons, and the autumn foliage is as beautiful as a painting.
- Recommended spots: Moon Bay, Fish Watching Pavilion (legendary site of the "water monster"), Hemu Village (Tuva village).

2. **Hemu Village**
- One of the most beautiful villages in China, with primitive wooden houses, misty river valleys, starry skies, and snow-capped mountains creating a fairy-tale scene.

3. **Sayram Lake (Bortala Prefecture)**
- The highest alpine lake in Xinjiang, with crystal blue waters and wildflowers blooming in summer, known as the "last tear of the Atlantic."

4. **Nalati Grassland (Ili Prefecture)**
- One of the world's four largest alpine grasslands, with lush green grass and herds of cattle and sheep in summer, offering a chance to experience Kazakh nomadic culture.

5. **Duku Highway**
- Known as "China's most beautiful highway," it traverses the Tianshan Mountains, offering views of snow-capped mountains, canyons, grasslands, and lakes (open only from June to October).

6. **Bayinbuluke Grassland (Bayingolin Prefecture)**
- The sunset over the winding Nine Bends is a spectacular sight in the heart of the Tianshan Mountains, and Swan Lake is an ecological paradise.