Across South Xinjiang in 8 days
For my second long trip to China this year, my sister, myself and 2 friends joined an 8-day organised tour by Wing On Travel in mid October.
We flew from Hong Kong to Urumqi on an overnight flight, followed by a domestic flight to Kashgar the next day. Urumqi and Kashgar are being covered in separate blogs, so this one concerns the spectacular sights seen on a rather gruelling round trip of over 1,000 kilometres to travel overland back to Urumqi in 5 days!
My overall impression of South Xinjiang is that of a land of blue sky and majestic mountains! Although we were lucky with the blue sky, there’s no disputing the majesty of the snow-capped mountains that seemed to follow us around!
Kizilsu Glacier Park (克州冰川公園)
On the first day from Kashgar back to Urumqi, we had travelled about 150 kilometres when we stopped at Kizilsu Glacier Park. We were supposed to be there for 30 minutes to stretch other legs. However, how could I pass off the opportunity to take a few snaps? After all, there’s the first glimpse of the natural beauty of Xinjiang outside Urumqi and Kashgar!
Karakul Lake 喀拉庫勒湖
Karakul Lake is about 200 km southwest of Kashgar. It’s one of the world's rare high-altitude lakes, located at the foot of Muztagh Ata, the "Father of Glaciers”. The surrounding Muztagh Ata peaks add to its magical and mesmerising charm. Under a bright blue sky, the reflection of the snow-capped peaks on the lake's turquoise water were a joyous sight to behold.
Bulukou White Sand Lake 布倫口白沙湖
Bulunkou White Sand Lake in Akto County is about 40 km from Karakul Lake. Needless to say there’s an unbroken view of mountains travelling between the two lakes. Bulunkou White Sand Lake is a stunning high-altitude turquoise lake surrounded by pure white silver sand dunes on the Pamir Plateau at 3,300 metres above sea level. The fine white sand mountains were formed by millions of years of wind erosion. They contrast sharply with clear blue and emerald-green waters.
Red Sea Poplar Forest Park 紅海胡楊林公園
After visiting the sights in the vicinity of Kashgar, we had to travel around 500 km to Aksu. Our only major stop was Red Sea Poplar Forest Park. It’s a massive ecological reserve located Bachu County.
The amazing mountains of South Xinjiang
The next day we had to to negotiate a driving distance of about 310 km from Aksu to Kuqa. The motivation was of course the visit to Wensu Grand Canyon, one of the highlights of the tour. Driving through the wilderness, it’s the layers of colours of the mountains a long the way that kept me riveted to the window!
Wensu Grand Canyon (Tianshan Tomur Grand Canyon) 温宿大峽谷
Wensu Grand Canyon is a massive red-rock geological wonderland located in the foothills of the Tianshan Mountains in Aksu Prefecture.
Kucha Alley 龜茲小巷
After Wensu Grand Canyon, we stopped at Kucha Alley on our way to Kuqa.
Kucha Alley is part of a "living" neighbourhood where over 4,000 local residents still reside in authentic earthen and timber homes dating back to the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic periods.
Lop Nur Village 羅布人村寨
The next day our target was to travel from Kuqa to Korla, a driving distance of approximately 300 kilometres on our way back to Urumqi. The highlight of the day was a stop to visit Lop Nur Village, the final major sight on our round trip.
Lop Nur village was originally one of the largest villages that has been transformed into a large cultural tourism area showcasing the unique desert-and-river lifestyle of the ancient Lop Nur people, one of the oldest ethnic groups in Xinjiang.
The scenic area is vast. The landscapes range from sand dunes and Gobi desert to Tarim River and Goddess Lake. The spectacular scenery fittingly brought our round trip across South Xinjiang to an end. There’re a lot of travelling but I wouldn’t miss it for the world!
Here are my personal souvenirs of the mountains and lakes of South Xinjiang
