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Planning: Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery, delicious food, warm people, and lots of money
Hotels丨Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery/delicious food/friendly people, and a lot of money
Scenic Spots丨Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery/delicious food/friendly people, and a lot of money
Self-driving food article丨Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery/delicious food/friendly people, and a lot of money
In northern Xinjiang, the scenery along the way is worth stopping to appreciate at any time. Therefore, although the self-driving experience is tiring, it is very worthwhile.
In addition, it is strongly recommended to prepare a drone when you come to Xinjiang. Xinjiang's vast and magnificent scenery is worth taking aerial photos.
1. Wucai Beach Scenic Area
Burqin County is usually the transfer station from Urumqi to Kanas Scenic Area. Wucai Beach Scenic Area is about 25 minutes away from Burqin County. Its scenery is famous for the sunset Danxia landform and. In August, the sunset time of Wucai Beach is around 20:30 to 21:00. So, starting from Urumqi, plan the time to arrive in Burqin, and you can go to Wucai Beach to watch the sunset.
The ban on entry to the Wucai Beach Scenic Area is 19:10. I basically entered at the appointed time. But there were still many people entering later. So even if it’s a little later, you can still come in.
In my opinion, this is an attraction that you can visit along the way, but you don't have to miss it.
The Wucaitan Scenic Area is very small, with only a viewing platform and a few plank roads, and a depth of only about 1 to 2 kilometers. Many people go there in the evening to watch the colorful Danxia landform at sunset. The most beautiful scenery is the poplar forest across the Irtysh River, but only local herdsmen can pass through the trestle. Therefore, it is a "come here" scenic spot.
If you don’t have a drone or a pair of eyes with built-in filters, there are actually just a few rocks of different colors and a river that is nothing in Xinjiang. What accompanies you are the high temperature and scorching sun, as well as sunscreen and a gradually darkening skin color.
Therefore, when you come to Burqin, Wucai Beach is just a piece of "chicken ribs". It is far less impressive than the Ulungur Lake, the second largest freshwater lake in Xinjiang, which we passed by that day.
2. Kanas Scenic Area
We took a free bus from the Jiadengyu Visitor Center at around 13:00 and returned at around 20:30. We climbed the Fish Viewing Platform and hiked to the three bays (Shenxian Bay, Moon Bay and Wolong Bay). Since I ran from the plank road to the river alone in Shenxian Bay and walked along the river for a long time before returning to the plank road, I barely caught the last bus to the scenic area at 20:00 in Wolong Bay.
The overall itinerary is quite tight. If you do not live in Kanas Scenic Area and want to visit Kanas Scenic Area in one day, try to enter the scenic area in the morning. If you also want to take a yacht tour of the lake, you need to set aside another 2 hours.
(Source: Internet image)
(1) Fish-watching platform
Tickets to the Fish Viewing Terrace are free, but cannot be purchased online.
When you take the bus at the Jiadengyu Tourist Service Center, there is a clear reservation process and QR code in the lobby. For full-time reservations, you can only make reservations for the time period after 90 minutes at the service center. This is the time left for you to travel from the Jiadengyu Tourist Service Center to the Kanas Tourist Center (30 minutes) and from the Kanas Service Center to the Guanyutai (30 minutes).
We were lucky to get tickets for 15:30, and there were a lot of tickets at that time. However, on the bus and when passing the steps to Guanyu, I heard many people say that it was difficult to get tickets. This is a bit mysterious. As long as you don't conflict with the tour group, it should be easier.
There are two paths to Guanyutai, one for hiking and one for horseback riding. For someone like me who lacks exercise, the round trip of more than 1,000 steps is really a bit tiring. The scenery along the way is actually a view of Kanas Lake and the surrounding alpine grasslands. It's nice but not necessary.
Friends who only have one day and average physical strength can save their energy for Sanwan. Don't regret not getting a ticket, as long as you go to Sailimu Lake, other lakes are just to add luster.
The same applies to visiting Kanas Lake. If you want to save money, you can stay in Sailimu Lake.
(2) Hiking in Sanwan
The three bays refer to Shenxian Bay, Moon Bay and Wolong Bay.
After returning to Kanas Visitor Center from the Fish-Watching Terrace, if you want to leave the scenic area on the same day like me, you can take a bus to Shenxian Bay and start hiking; if you want to stay in the scenic area on the same day, you can consider starting from Wolong Bay.
It is 2.9 kilometers from Shenxian Bay to Moon Bay, and 1.7 kilometers from Moon Bay to Wolong Bay. Not counting the time for taking photos, it takes about 3 hours to hike. If you consider taking photos, leave at least 2 hours, which will be more leisurely.
In my opinion, the most worthwhile section of the three bays is from Moon Bay to Wolong Bay, where there are grasslands, rivers, woods, and sandbanks. The scenery from Shenxian Bay to Moon Bay is relatively monotonous. Of course, this is only for reference to other scenery in Kanas. It is also worthwhile in other parts of the country.
So, after you climb up the Fish Viewing Platform breathlessly, you can check in at the Shenxian Bay Station, then take a bus to Moon Bay, and then hike to Wolong Bay. While not missing out on the beautiful scenery of Kanas, you can also have a relatively relaxing tour experience.
3. Hemu Village Scenic Area
Due to time constraints, I gave up on Baihaba Village. In Hemu Village, I heard some friends who drove by themselves complain that Baihaba Village was ordinary and commercialized. But when going to a strange place, everyone's demands are different. If I have the opportunity, I still hope to drive by myself in the off-season to see the first post in the northwest.
As for Hemu Village, it truly represents a typical feature of the Kanas Scenic Area: beautiful scenery is all about money.
If you want to see the misty wonderland of the village sunrise and sunset, in August it means a B&B for around 2,000 yuan;
If you want to see the prairie cabins and winding rivers of Meilifeng, it means a horse ride that costs at least 120 yuan per person;
If you want to enjoy the four-country scenery at the peak, that means taking the Sky Coaster for 188 yuan per person;
…
(1) Parking and Charging
It takes about an hour to drive from Jiadengyu to Hemu Village parking lot.
There are about 10 charging stations in the Hemu Village parking lot, next to the ticket office. There are usually spaces before 12 noon. But the entrance is often blocked by tourist buses, so you can try to go around from another parking area. Friends who want to charge can pay attention.
(2) Transfer situation
It takes about 50 minutes to take the free bus from the Hemu Village parking lot to the transfer point of Hemu Village, where you can then transfer to the bus loop line to tour Hemu Village.
As for the crowded bus loop line that has been complained about, I just want to say that if you have experienced Beijing's bus and subway, you will definitely be able to find a comfortable seat in the crowded carriage. In addition, I found that the buses in Urumqi during the evening rush hour are also very crowded. So, since you are here, just be calm.
(3) Free attractions
If you don’t want to take the bus, you can also rent an electric car in the village and ride freely.
In the entire Hemu Village, in addition to the paid attractions I mentioned above, you can also see the Hemu Bridge and the Harden Viewing Platform.
Hemu Bridge is a wooden bridge about 20 to 30 meters long. I don’t know why it is so popular and there are people everywhere. If you want to take photos, you can consider going to the end of the bridge where there will be fewer people.
The riverside under the bridge is a play spot. Although it is blocked by ropes, you can play by the river by crawling through the fence.
The Harden Viewing Platform overlooks Hemu Village. This should be the place to watch the sunrise and sunset in the morning and evening. The scenery during the day is only average, especially under strong sunlight.
The other attractions are unremarkable. I personally think that Hemu Village may be more suitable for self-driving in winter, and the scenery will be more fascinating.
In addition, it was a wise move not to choose a B&B in Hemu during the peak season.
4. World Devil City Scenic Area
I didn't go into this scenic spot, I just checked in at the gate.
A friend who has been there commented: If you don’t have any imagination for stones, just give up.
5. Baiyang River Grand Canyon
If the Devil City is crowded with people, then the Baiyang River Grand Canyon, which is only 15 minutes away, is deserted. You can drive in the scenic area, with 8 wading areas on the route, and you can also drive to a relatively rugged mountain road to experience "crossing the no-man's land".
It is said that the first pterosaur fossil in Asia was discovered in Karamay. Therefore, there are many dinosaur fossil elements in Baiyanghe Grand Canyon. There is a huge dinosaur fossil at the entrance to the park. There are also dinosaur fossils and folk museums in the scenic area, which is also a youth education base.
After experiencing the crowds of people at Wucai Beach and Kanas, Baiyang River Grand Canyon made me experience the pleasure of traveling in Xinjiang for the first time. Of course, the scenic spot itself is a bit monotonous. But after the high-intensity "training" in the scenic spot for the first three days, the whole family was quite tired, and driving in the scenic spot became a good way to relax.
6. Sailimu Lake
Of all the scenic spots, I would like to give all the praise to Sailimu Lake.
It gathers together almost all the characteristics of Xinjiang's scenery: the sky is high and the clouds are light, the air is clear and the wind is gentle, the water is like ice and jade, and the grass is endless; looking from afar, the mountains are white-capped and there is no trace of human habitation anywhere.
(Source: Internet image)
(1) Self-driving tickets
The Sailimu Lake Scenic Area charges a self-driving fee based on the number of people rather than the number of cars, which is as amazing as its scenery. Before going there, Douyin had many ways to evade the ticket, where the driver drove by himself and others bought tickets and walked in.
It seemed that they entered from the same location before, which made it easier to get on the bus. But when I went there on August 19, there should have been an entrance for self-driving cars. Of course, you can also pick up people by locating them after entering, but it should be a lot more troublesome.
(It should be) When entering from the East Gate, the staff checked tickets very casually; when exiting from the South Gate, the staff checked tickets randomly, but if there were too many cars in the queue, they would just let them go.
As a person who bought a full-price ticket, I was very disappointed that I did not receive the ticket checking service.
(2) Self-driving route
There are two self-driving routes to Sayram Lake. Taking the East Gate and South Gate as examples, each has its own advantages and disadvantages:
Clockwise (left hand, inner circle): Stop at any time and repeat the walk from the south gate;
Counterclockwise (right hand, outer circle): many classic views, but parking is inconvenient on the outer circle;
The Internet always recommends parking in a clockwise direction because there are extra lanes in the inner circle where you can stop at any time.
But as someone who has toured clockwise, parking at any time is not an advantage. Because, as long as it is a popular attraction or a good-looking area, such as the upper part of the scenic spots around the lake, most of them have designated parking spaces, and they are all in the outer circle. Even if there are spaces in the inner circle, there are staff to manage them and random parking is prohibited. On the contrary, parking in the counterclockwise outer circle is more convenient.
As for scenic spots in the lower half of the lake, since there are relatively fewer people, you can park in the inner circle even if you are in the outer circle.
In addition, the road around Sayram Lake is about 90 kilometers long, and the counterclockwise attractions on the east side are much more beautiful than the clockwise ones. Because we put more energy into the first half, we didn't spend more time on the second half, even though the scenery was better. It's a bit of a pity.
(3) Cruise
The price of a boat trip on Sailimu Lake is more than 120 yuan per person, and the price varies slightly depending on the type of boat. The trip takes about 30 minutes.
If your budget and time permit, it is recommended to take a boat to experience the reflection of the sun on the lake up close. It looks like a glacier, like a jade pot, and is so clear that it is beyond description.
(4)stay
I don't quite accept the price of the B&B. If I have another chance, I hope to spend the night in the car at Sailimu Lake.
Depending on the route, you can choose to live in Yining or Bole City, both of which are more than an hour's drive away.
7. Guozigou Bridge
Go out from the south gate of Sailimu Lake, and you can reach the Guozigou Bridge viewing platform in about a few hundred meters. Before reaching the viewing platform, you will see a dirt slope, so there is no need to rush to park. Of course, the angle of the bridge you see from the dirt slope is different from that from the viewing platform.
I accidentally took the Guozigou Bridge, which took me more than an hour to get back to Bole City. If you want to go directly back to Bole City, you can turn around at the viewing platform and save yourself the trouble of going back.
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Planning: Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery, delicious food, warm people, and lots of money
Hotels丨Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery/delicious food/friendly people, and a lot of money
Scenic Spots丨Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery/delicious food/friendly people, and a lot of money
Self-driving food article丨Self-driving tour in Xinjiang: 9 days and 8 nights, 2600 kilometers, beautiful scenery/delicious food/friendly people, and a lot of money
