Ili + Duku Highway Full Route Self-Driving Guide

6,500 RMB to Explore Ili + the Entire Duku Highway! This "Tianshan Epic Route," hailed as legendary by travelers, has made countless people cry out: I have finally come back to life.

Have you ever had a moment like this?
— Sitting in a cubicle, the air conditioner humming, flipping to slide 23 of a PPT,
Suddenly recalling a photo from last year’s social media:
Someone standing by a lake reflecting snow-capped mountains, behind them a wildflower-covered meadow, captioned with just two words: "Freedom."

At that moment, your heart felt like it was hit hard by something.

Recently, a route crossing the spine of the Tianshan Mountains has gone viral:
"Ili + Full Duku Highway Grand Loop"
📍 Urumqi → Sayram Lake → Yining → Kalajun → Tekes → Nalati → Bayinbuluke → Entire Duku Highway → Kuqa → Korla → Return to Urumqi
💰 6,500-8,500 RMB per person｜⏰ Limited to June-September｜🚗 7 days crossing four seasons, 10 cities showcasing China’s most beautiful landscapes

This is not a travel guide; it’s an escape invitation written for weary souls.

Why is this route called the "Chinese version of The Lord of the Rings filming location"?

Because it truly uses scenery to shoot a blockbuster!

Imagine your every day:

🌊 Day 2: Sayram Lake
Known as "the last tear of the Atlantic," its blue is like liquid gemstone. When the morning mist rises, you’ll doubt you’ve stepped into another world.

🏡 Day 4: Kalajun Human-Shaped Grassland
From above, the rolling grass slopes curve like a young woman’s waistline, wildflowers forming a colorful carpet. Locals say, "This is not a grassland, it’s the earth’s breath."

🐎 Day 6: Nalati Aerial Grassland
Ride horses through streams and pine forests, local herders’ children wave at you, and flocks of sheep roll over hills like clouds—turns out the saying "where the wind blows the grass low, you see cattle and sheep" is truly visible.

🔥 Day 8: Entire Duku Highway Opened
Experience "spring, summer, autumn, and winter" in one day: short sleeves in the morning, hail at noon, snow on your shoulders crossing mountain passes in the afternoon. This road is a "hero’s road" earned by 10,000 PLA soldiers’ decade of youth.

🏜️ Day 10: Kuqa Grand Canyon
Red rocks burn like flames, wind erosion marks resemble ancient scripts. Walking here, you can almost hear the camel bells of the Silk Road crossing millennia.

Is this travel?
It’s like tearing pages from a geography textbook and pasting them into your eyes.

Even more intense are those moments "only understood on the road":

👉 Getting lost in Tekes’ Bagua City, accidentally stumbling upon a late-night roasted bun stall, where the owner sprinkles cumin and teaches you how to say "friend" in Kazakh;
👉 Watching the sunset at Bayinbuluke’s winding river bends, a group of strangers squatting by the river shouting in unison: "Sun, don’t set! Stay one more minute!";
👉 Encountering a sudden snowstorm on the Duku Highway at night, the convoy stops, everyone wrapped in jackets breaks into an impromptu square dance—laughing until tears fall.

One netizen said:
"I worked overtime in the CBD for three years without crying, but in a field of rapeseed flowers in Xinjiang, I squatted down and cried for ten minutes."
"Not because the scenery was too beautiful, but because—I finally remembered I was once someone who could be moved by beauty."

Stop saying "no time, no money, no one to go with."

Do the math and you’ll understand:
✅ All-terrain vehicle + professional guide + tickets and accommodation all included
✅ Small group travel (6-10 people), zero social pressure, easy to join even if single
✅ June to September is Ili’s golden season: grasslands shine green, lavender blooms to the horizon, and the Milky Way is clearly visible at night

Less than 400 RMB a day lets you sleep under the stars and wake before snow-capped mountains.
Compared to a trendy exhibition plus dinner in a first-tier city costing over a thousand,
This isn’t spending money; it’s investing in your spiritual account.

And—
🔸 Xinjiang’s security checks are strict, but safety is better than your neighborhood
🔸 Good signal coverage, with gas stations, hot water stops, and care stations along the way
🔸 Drivers are all seasoned Xinjiang locals who can tell history, sing folk songs, and bake excellent naan

So, if you’re experiencing:
Waking up every day just to clock in, attend meetings, reply to messages, living like a programmed routine
Wanting to set off but fearing trouble, loneliness, or a boss saying "this project can’t be reassigned"
Only in your thirties but feeling your heart has already aged

I want to tell you:
True healing isn’t in a counseling room, but on a road without navigation.

Just like the girl who lay on the Kalajun grassland for two hours said:
"I took annual leave, left the dating group, not to escape life, but to confirm I’m still alive, my heartbeat still follows the wind."

This trip isn’t for check-ins or showing off.
It’s to shout once on a snowy mountain peak, laugh once deep in the grassland,
Let your body remember:
You’re not anyone’s employee; you’re a child of this land.

Go now, while the sun is just right, while the grass is green, while you’re still willing to stop for a wildflower.