Altai Lakes And Desert Roads Of Northern Xinjiang – 7 Days

Drive east into the Tianshan to Heavenly Lake, a clear alpine lake ringed by spruce forest beneath the snows of Bogda Peak. The Tianshan range is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Walk along the shore and take in the reflections of the mountains in the water.

After lunch, set off west by private car to Dushanzi and the Dushanzi Grand Canyon, where meltwater from the Tianshan has cut a deep, sheer-sided gorge through layered rock. Walk along the rim and look down into the steep folds and gullies far below.

Check in to your hotel in Dushanzi for the night.

Drive north into the Karamay area to Black Oil Mountain, a low hill where natural crude oil has seeped to the surface for thousands of years, forming dark pools and tar. It is the reason the city of Karamay exists, and its name means black oil in the Uyghur language.

Continue to Urho Ghost City, a wind-eroded landscape of sandstone mesas, towers and ridges that look like ruined castles. When the wind moans through the formations, you will understand where the name comes from.

Your last stop is the Colourful Beach, where eroded hills in bands of red, yellow and purple rise beside the Irtysh River, best seen in the late light. Then drive on to Burqin, a long day of travel of around 470 kilometres in all.

Drive from Burqin into the Altai mountains to Kanas Lake, a long glacial lake in a valley of larch and birch forest near the borders with Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. Walk along the river trails that lead to the lake, past viewpoints such as the bends of the river known as Moon Bay and Fairy Bay, where the water glows a milky turquoise.

Continue by road to Hemu Village, a small settlement of wooden log houses in a wide mountain valley. Many of its families are Tuvan, and life here follows the seasons of herding.

Settle into your guesthouse and enjoy the evening quiet, with woodsmoke rising over the meadows.

Rise early and climb to a viewing point above Hemu as the mist lifts off the valley, revealing the log houses, birch woods and grasslands below. Walk down through the meadows and along the river, where horses and cattle graze.

After lunch, drive the Ahe Highway towards Altay, a scenic mountain road that winds through forest, river valleys and open pasture. Herders’ felt tents and log cabins dot the slopes, and your driver will stop whenever the view calls for it.

Arrive in Altay and check in to your hotel.

Set off south on the S21 Desert Highway, a modern road that crosses the Gurbantunggut Desert, the second largest desert in China. Watch the land change from grassland to rolling dunes and scrub, with wide skies all around. Hardy saxaul shrubs and tamarisk anchor the sand, and in spring the desert floor can be touched with green.

Stop along the way for lunch and short breaks to stretch your legs and take in the open landscape.

Arrive back in Urumqi and enjoy the evening at leisure.

After breakfast, your driver takes you to Urumqi airport for your onward flight.