The Entire Duku Highway + New Southern Xinjiang Style | The Ultimate Xinjiang Road Trip

This is China’s wildest road, experiencing all four seasons in one day! Driving the Duku Highway in June left me speechless from the beauty.

Have you ever driven a road where—
You wear short sleeves in the morning, add a windbreaker at noon, and see snow in the afternoon?

It’s not crossing latitudes,
You’re on China’s most legendary road: the Duku Highway.

It stretches 561 kilometers,
Closed for half the year, wildly open for the other half;
Built at the cost of 168 soldiers’ lives, known as the “Hero Road”;
It connects snow-capped mountains, grasslands, canyons, and deserts…
Some say: “Driving the Duku once is like seeing half of Xinjiang.”

This time, we’re not rushing, we’re feeling the road.
Starting from Urumqi, crossing the Tianshan Mountains north to south,
Cycling through the Narati flower sea,
Waiting for sunset at Bayinbuluke’s winding rivers,
Entering the red labyrinth of Kuqa Grand Canyon—
This is a road epic dedicated to free spirits.

📍 Route Overview
Urumqi → Dushanzi → Qiaoerma → Narati → Bayinbuluke → Daxiaolongchi & Xiaoxiaolongchi → Kuqa → Kuqa Grand Canyon → Korla → Return to Urumqi
🗓 Recommended Duration: 8-9 days｜🚗 Best for self-driving or carpooling｜💰 Budget: 5000–6500 RMB per person
🌤 Best Season: June–September (full route open, peak scenery)

🛣️【Day 1】Urumqi → Dushanzi → Qiaoerma｜Start of the “Hero Road”
✅ Morning: Arrive at Dushanzi G217 Kilometer Zero Monument
Pay tribute to the 168 road builders who sacrificed their lives
Every kilometer has a story, every cliff once bled

✅ Afternoon: Cross the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, visit Qiaoerma Martyrs’ Cemetery
Here lie young people who gave their lives building the road
Guides often say: “You can pass safely today because someone stayed here forever.”

🏨 Stay in Qiaoerma or head directly to Narati｜About 260 RMB

💡 Reminder: The Duku Highway is only open for 5 months each year, fully open starting early June!

🌿【Day 2-3】Qiaoerma → Narati Grassland｜Enter the “Sky Garden”
✅ Visit one of China’s most beautiful grasslands
Optional light hiking routes deep into the river valley grasslands
Horseback ride through flower seas, snow mountains reflecting in streams afar

📸 Must-shoot spots:
Cattle and sheep in the morning mist of the valley
Golden waves of grass bathed in sunrise light on the hills

🏨 Stay in a guesthouse in Narati Town｜Stable prices in peak season｜About 300 RMB

📌 Fun fact: Narati means “place with sunshine,” a sacred place for Kazakh herders.

🌊【Day 4】Narati → Bayinbuluke｜Sunset legend of the winding rivers
✅ Afternoon arrival at Bayinbuluke Grassland (altitude 2500m)
China’s second largest grassland, a natural swan reserve
Main highlights: Kadu River’s nine bends + the “nine suns” sunset phenomenon

🔥 Photo tips:
Arrive 2 hours early, bring a tripod for time-lapse
On clear days, the sunset falls into the river, light and shadow like a miracle

🏨 Stay near Bayinbuluke Scenic Area in a yurt or hotel｜About 350 RMB

⚠️ Note: Weak signal in the scenic area, prepare offline maps

🏞️【Day 5】Bayinbuluke → Daxiaolongchi & Xiaoxiaolongchi → Kuqa｜From alpine blue to desert edge
✅ Pass by Daxiaolongchi and Xiaoxiaolongchi
High mountain lakes as green as jade, backed by snowy peaks, like hidden gems
Stop for photos for 15 minutes, enough to flood your social media

✅ Arrive in Kuqa by evening (ancient Kucha Kingdom)
A millennium-old Buddhist cultural center, even Xuanzang passed through
Night stroll on Hetian Road, colorful lights in the old Uyghur town

🏨 Stay in a star-rated hotel in Kuqa｜About 280 RMB

🔥【Day 6】Kuqa → Kuqa Grand Canyon｜Enter the Gate of Fire
✅ Full day highlight: Explore the mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon
Red rock walls soar thousands of feet, narrow passages fit only one person
Light and shadow change with time, at noon sunlight shoots in, the whole canyon looks like it’s burning

📷 Photo tips: Wear bright clothes for better shots, wear slip-resistant shoes

🏨 Stay another night in Kuqa

🚘【Day 7-8】Kuqa → Korla → Urumqi｜Complete the journey
✅ Optionally visit the Lop Nur Village or Bosten Lake on the way
✅ Or take the highway directly back to Urumqi, ending this visual feast

✅ Budget breakdown (per person):
Item Cost
------ ------
Flight/train tickets to/from Urumqi ¥1500–2500
Car rental + fuel + tolls (8 days) ¥2000
Accommodation (8 nights avg ¥300) ¥2400
Tickets + shuttle buses (Narati, Bayinbuluke, Grand Canyon, etc.) ¥600
Food + snacks + souvenirs ¥800
Total ¥5000–6500

🌟 Why is the Duku Highway a “must-drive in a lifetime”?
Because it’s not just a road,
It’s a 3D geography textbook:
You experience spring, summer, autumn, and winter in one day,
See the cycle of seasons at a glance.

It’s a blood road paved by soldiers’ youth,
And a poem measured by travelers’ footsteps.

When you stand before the Qiaoerma monument,
You truly understand:
Some landscapes are magnificent
Because someone gave their life for them.

📌 Action tip:
Check your annual leave now!
The Duku Highway is only open about 150 days a year,
Miss June, and you’ll have to wait another year.