Xinjiang In Depth: Why You Must Choose North or South, Kanas & Hemu, and Cultural Kashgar

Xinjiang occupies an unusual place in travel through China: it covers roughly one sixth of the country — larger than France, Germany and Spain combined. That means two things. First, you cannot "do Xinjiang in one trip". Second, in Xinjiang, flying is not a luxury, it is a necessity. Treating it like an ordinary province is the first mistake everyone makes.

Start with the geography: Xinjiang is three regions, not one

The Tianshan range splits Xinjiang into north and south, and the Turpan–Hami basin adds a third region to the east. The three have completely different characters:

• Northern Xinjiang (Altay, Ili): snow mountains, grasslands, lakes and birch forest. Kanas, Hemu, Sayram Lake and Nalati are all here. The scenery reads as "Swiss", and it is the most popular region.
• Southern Xinjiang (Kashgar, Pamir): desert, oases, old cities and Uyghur culture. The Kashgar old town, the Taklamakan and the Pamir plateau are the core. The cultural weight far exceeds the natural.
• Eastern Xinjiang (Turpan, Hami): basin, gobi, karez irrigation channels and Grape Valley. Closest to Urumqi, and usually combined with it.

The key call: the entire Tianshan range lies between north and south — Urumqi to Kashgar is about 1,400 km. Choose one region per trip; forcing both means seventy percent of your time on the road.

When to go

• May to mid-June: Ili's grasslands turn green and flower, with snow peaks behind them. Fewer visitors — the best value window.
• Mid-June to early July: lavender season around Huocheng, fields of purple.
• July to August: the north at its best — Kanas, Hemu and Nalati are greenest and coolest. Also the summer peak.
• Mid-September to early October: autumn colour in the north. Golden birch against the lakes at Kanas and Hemu — the most spectacular stretch of the year, and it lasts only two or three weeks.
• March–May and September–November (Turpan): Turpan's summer surface temperatures are extreme; spring and autumn are the sane seasons.
• December to February: ski season in Altay. Koktokay and Jiangjunshan are top-tier Chinese ski areas, with fewer people and lower prices.
• Avoid: National Day week. Kanas and Hemu have limited capacity, and both prices and crowding peak then.

The north: how to structure Kanas and Hemu

Kanas is the core of the north, usually combined with Hemu and Baihaba. Three judgements:

• Stay a night in Hemu. Hemu's value is dawn smoke and morning mist — impossible on a day trip. A daytime-only visit wastes it.
• Shuttle buses are a hard constraint. Outside vehicles are banned from the core areas of both Kanas and Hemu; you transfer to park shuttles, and transfer points and timetables directly shape your day.
• Fish-viewing Terrace and the Three Bays. The terrace above Kanas Lake needs about a thousand steps and gives the best overview; the Three Bays — Wolong, Moon and Immortal — unfold along the main road and are usually taken on the way back.

Getting there: flying Urumqi to Kanas (Burqin) takes about 90 minutes and is the most efficient option. By road it is over ten hours each way, consuming a whole day.

Ili: grasslands and lakes

• Sayram Lake: known as "the last tear of the Atlantic". The ring road around the lake is itself the attraction, and the water colour shifts most at dawn and dusk.
• Nalati Grassland: both "sky grassland" and river valley forms — the archetype of Ili.
• Guozigou Bridge: a viaduct spanning a valley, the most photogenic stretch of the Lianhuo expressway.
• Duku Highway: linking Dushanzi and Kuqa, cutting straight through the Tianshan — the road drivers dream about. It only opens roughly June to October; confirm the current year's announcement, as it is closed the rest of the year.

The south: Kashgar and cultural Xinjiang

If the north is scenery, the south is life. The Kashgar old town is the only maze-like old city in China shaped by Islamic culture, and its raised dwellings, craft workshops and century-old teahouses form a complete urban fabric.

• Kashgar old town: do not just walk the main street. The value is in the lanes — carved lintels, coppersmiths, naan ovens — and it needs slow walking.
• Id Kah Mosque: the largest mosque in Xinjiang and the geographic and cultural centre of Kashgar.
• Xiangfei Garden and the Apak Hoja Mausoleum: Islamic tomb architecture combined with gardens.
• The Pamir and the Karakoram Highway: heading toward Tashkurgan on the China–Pakistan Friendship Highway, Baisha Lake, Karakul Lake and Muztagh Ata appear in sequence. A border permit is required for Tashkurgan — arrange it in advance.

Everyday rules in Xinjiang: brief your guests in advance

• Security checks and documents: checks are strict — malls, metro, petrol stations and scenic areas all require screening. Carry your passport or ID at all times; do not leave it in the hotel.
• Time: Xinjiang runs on Beijing time administratively, but locally it feels about two hours later — in summer it is still light at 10 p.m. Schedule meals to local rhythm, not to Beijing clock.
• Food and custom: halal restaurants serve no pork and no alcohol. Respect local dietary rules and do not bring your own alcohol into a halal restaurant.
• Photography: ask before photographing local people, especially older people and women. This is the single most important courtesy in the south.
• Climate: big day–night temperature swings, strong UV and very dry air. Bring sun protection, lip balm, moisturiser and a warm layer.
• Connectivity: signal is weak in some areas; download offline maps before long drives.

How to structure the trip: 7 days north, 7 days south

Northern Xinjiang, 7 days (nature)

• Days 1–2: arrive Urumqi → Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) → fly to Altay / Kanas.
• Days 3–4: Kanas (Fish-viewing Terrace, Three Bays) → Hemu, overnight in the village.
• Day 5: Hemu at dawn → back to Burqin.
• Days 6–7: fly to Yining → Sayram Lake → Nalati → departure.

Southern Xinjiang, 7 days (culture)

Urumqi → fly to Kashgar → old town and Id Kah → Pamir and Karakul Lake → Tashkurgan → back to Kashgar, extending to Kuqa or Hotan. We already run both the northern nature route and the southern culture route as fixed itineraries — see the related tours section.

Common misconceptions

• "Do Xinjiang in one trip." It is the size of four Frances. Pick north or south, firmly.
• "Overland is better value than flying." In Xinjiang the money you save on a flight is usually a day of your trip.
• "Hemu does not need an overnight." Hemu's best hour is at dawn; a day trip means you never saw it.
• "Xinjiang is only scenery." The south's culture matches the north's nature — they are entirely different journeys.