9-day self-driving tour guide in northern Xinjiang

9-day self-driving tour guide in northern Xinjiang

1 Introduction

I have always wanted to go to Xinjiang for a while. This year, my child graduated from primary school, and finally it is easier. I plan to go on a self-driving tour of northern Xinjiang with my wife and children. I will take a week of annual leave plus weekends before and after. It is estimated that it will take 9 days to fly from Chengdu to Urumqi and rent a car. self-driving. Hurry up to check the strategy online, plan the itinerary, and ask the travel agency to make an 11-day plan, saying that it is impossible to visit so many attractions in 9 days. 90% of the guides on the Internet are advertisements, not to mention liars. There are a lot of falsehoods, few useful ones, and vague words. It is difficult to have a comprehensive reference, and then various summaries, combined with the fragmented information on the Internet, the planning of travel agencies, and the use of Gaode map to plan routes Based on the length and driving time, I made a itinerary plan as follows. The results seem to be basically going according to plan. I hope this guide can give you some useful references. I randomly put some photos taken by mobile phones at random. Through the photos, you can roughly know the general situation of the scenic spot.

Itinerary: Chengdu-Urumqi-Northern Xinjiang Ring Road-Urumqi-Chengdu

2 strokes

time itinerary

7/27 Chengdu-Urumqi-Changji (124 kilometers, 2 hours)

Morning 4:45-8:25 (Shuangliu T2-Diwopu T3)

Ehi Car Rental: 20190727-20190804 (8 days), Volkswagen Jetta (1.5L automatic). (No restrictions on August 4th), pick up the car at the airport store, make a phone call at the departure gate on the upper floor of T3, and the service staff will go to the airport to pick up the car at the store. If you go to T1, just walk over and forget it.

9:30 After renting a car, drive to the Urumqi Uyghur Museum (2 hours tour). There is a parking lot opposite the museum, and foreign cars cannot be parked in the museum parking lot. The ethnic customs and history halls downstairs in the museum can learn about the customs and history of Xinjiang , there are clothing, mummy exhibitions, etc. upstairs. Of course, a shopping mall selling jade is indispensable. It takes a little faster to visit in 2 hours. Then go to the Grand Bazaar (3 hours). The parking lot on Jiefang Road in the Grand Bazaar is very tight. It is best to go to the parking lot on the pedestrian street. There are usually parking spaces, and then 50 meters away is the pedestrian street where you can eat skewers. There is also the Romance performance hall. Next to it is a place for eating, drinking and shopping. There are still a lot of handicrafts and Xinjiang specialty products, enough for 3 hours of shopping. Then go to Changji to visit relatives at 4:00 p.m., and refuel the car in Changji at night. The first time I encounter refueling, I have to go through security checks. It’s Xinjiang’s special feature. Only the driver can be on the car, and other people can’t enter the gas station. You have to swipe your ID card on the gas dispenser once, and you can pay with WeChat, Alipay, or cash. Just a reminder, if you encounter an idle gas station on the road, go in and fill it up quickly, otherwise you will be troublesome if you go to the scenic spot to refuel, and you may have to wait for an hour, which is annoying.

In my heart, I still wanted to see the No. 2 bus parked on the 8th floor. Thinking about Dao Lang's old age, forget it.

Late stay: Jinjiang Inn (Changji Administration Center store), 188 yuan, the price is reasonable, and the conditions are also good.

7/28 Changji - Duku - Nalati (520km about 8.5h)

Tour Duku Highway. Departing from Changji, the expressway is quite smooth, there are many security checks, please bring your ID card, the security check is also fast, good people should have no problems, the expressway is being renovated and widened, it is very good, and the feeling of the North China Plain along the way. All tolls are 60 yuan.

The Duku Highway is average. It may be at the end of July. The north of Tianshan Mountain is yellow and yellow. I am a little disappointed. At the highest point, there is snow, and the scenery is not bad. To the south of Tianshan Mountain, it is green. It feels like spring. It is better, there are snow-capped mountains, grasslands, streams, you can stop at any time, look, play, there are many cars, it is not easy to park in popular places, but you can stop in places with few people, and you can also stop and have a look. The scenery is similar, not shocking I personally feel that it is not as good as National Highway 318. Arrived at Nalati at 7:00, lived in Lanwo, a folk house, clean, with a hammock and a pavilion, very romantic, the boss is also kind, the cost performance of this accommodation in peak season is 550 compared with the city’s 150 room, it’s so cool , even a little cold, drink some kavas, eat some barbecue, it is enough feelings!

Live in Nalati Town: Nalati Lanwo Shiguang Inn (No. 001 Nalati Street), there are many homestays, and the conditions should not be good!

7/29 Nalati-Salimu Lake Scenic Area (395 kilometers, 6 hours and 10 minutes)

Morning trip to the grassland in the air: Nalati drives in, 300 per person, and the sale starts with three people per car, but it’s a bit tricky, you can also go to the grassland in the air, Snow Lotus Valley, River Valley grassland, and stop all the Volta Jiaota you want to go Don't let go, it's nonsense. I drove directly to the snow lotus valley in the innermost part of the scenic spot, and then went back and slowly looked at the grassland in the air, the grassland in the river valley, and the forest park. The grassland in the air can still be seen. The other half of the grassland in the sky can’t be walked on the map. The development is still lagging behind. The tour time is about 4.5 hours. There are not many tourists, and the fun is more pleasant. If you go in late, not only the sun is too hot, but also there are crowds. Come out from the National Forest Park, go to Sailimu Lake, and pass the Guozigou Bridge. The whole journey takes more than 6 hours. See The highway next to it seems to be open, and it should be much faster in the future. The scenery along the way is not bad, but the speed limit is very high. The Yining River Valley beside the highway is still very beautiful! If the trees are all yellow, it should be worth going down to the valley for a stroll. We arrived at Sailimu Lake before 8 o'clock in the evening. The lake in the sunset is very beautiful.

Overnight stay: Sailimu Lake Dongmen Bole Seaview Hotel. Let me make a joke, don’t talk about the price/performance ratio of this hotel, dare to ask for 1,000 for 150, don’t be dissatisfied, peak season, love to live. The restaurant is a bit expensive, but the taste is ok. For 3 people, more than 200 can still eat enough!

7/30 Sailimu Lake - Karamay (459 kilometers, 5 hours and 16 minutes)

Sailimu Lake ticket is 70 yuan (half price for student ID card, but you can only buy it at the artificial window, you can’t buy it on the self-service machine, I lost 35😂), you can’t go in by car, but there are people with great powers who can get it The ID card of the residents inside can get in. I didn’t find a way to rent an electric car. I rented a car for the morning last night. It costs 500 for 4 hours. You must return the car before 4 and a half hours, otherwise the price will increase. There is a 24-kilometer expressway around Sailimu Lake. There is no toll, and the total length is 90 kilometers. It takes 4 hours to go around the lake and play. In the morning, you can start from the east gate and go to the south gate to watch the sunrise. The outing is indeed very beautiful. It is completely boring to visit Sailimu Lake without watching the sunrise and sunset. I went to Sailimu Lake at night, and I also saw the beautiful sunset. The next morning, I picked up the car at 6 o'clock and set off at 6:15. I went to the south gate to watch the sunrise. The sky was bright and the sunrise was around 7:20, which was very beautiful. ! After reading it, I felt that the 500 car rental fee was worth it, and then I walked around the lake from the south gate, and played while watching. Due to the early time, the tourist bus in the scenic spot only opened at 10 o'clock, so there were few people. The most attractive, the taste will be much less by noon, it is still hot, and the car will be returned at 10:20, the time is still very tight, and each scenic spot must hurry up.

After 11 o'clock, set off to Karamay, all the way on the highway, the toll fee is more than 150. In the evening, friends from my hometown here treated guests to dinner, had a drink, and visited the night view of the city. Karamay is a clean and hygienic city, and you can go around more when you have time.

Overnight: Karamay, Jinjiang Inn (Karamay Administration Center)

7/31 Karamay-Devil City-Hemu (496 kilometers, 7 hours and 25 minutes)

Depart from Karamay at 9 am, arrive at Devil City at 10:30, security check, even a small fruit knife can't pass the security check, wait in line for the tour bus, 5 scenic spots, make up various stories, heat, ride a camel, stay Two stations, the rest just slip by, check in, it depends on personal hobbies, I am not very cold!

All the way to Hemu, the highway is more than 200 kilometers, more than 90 tolls, and other national highways. Use Gaode for navigation, Baidu can make you laugh to death. There are still 30 kilometers to Hemu, so you have to go to the parking lot to buy a ticket, take the scenic bus to get in, and it’s not over yet, the bus arrives at the transfer center, and you have to take the bus to where you want to go. There are 9 stops in total, you have to know At which station do you live, there are all kinds of folk hotels to live in, and the hotels in scenic spots are still cost-effective. 100 or 200 yuan is not enough to live in, 300 to 400 yuan is enough, and 700 to 800 yuan is considered a business hotel condition. The food is average, but the scenic area still feels chaotic. When you arrive late, you can watch the sunset, and there are also stars at night. You can stop and go in the scenic area at night, and there are a lot of crows.

I went to Hemu first, and then went to Kanas, mainly because there seems to be no accommodation in the Kanas scenic area, but if you live in Hemu, you can see the sunset and sunrise of Hemu, and see the sunset. How can you see the scenery? It still needs luck. Hemu in the morning light has no sunrise because of the cloudy sky.

Late stay: Hemu Guihui Cottage (Get off at Meilifeng Station in Hemu Village, booked online, around 900, the conditions of a business hotel, with two double beds)

8/1 Hemu - Jiadengyu - Kanas - Jiadengyu - Colorful Beach - Burqin (210 kilometers, 4 hours and 30 minutes)

Get up at 6:30 and want to see the Hemu in the morning mist at sunrise. The weather is not beautiful and cloudy, so I don’t feel it at all. I went to the viewing platform and the village for a circle, and took the village bus before 9 o’clock for breakfast. In the transfer center, there are a lot of people waiting in line for the shuttle bus to the Hemu Visitor Center at about 10:30. If you come out of Hemu late, the queue time will be longer. It is better to get out of Hemu sooner rather than later. Drive to Jiadengyu, the entrance of Kanas, after buying the ticket, it’s already 12 o’clock when you go in, the ticket is very expensive, 2 adults 1 student ticket 612, take the bus directly to the transfer center, go to Guanyutai, you have to buy a ticket at TMD Take a car, 20 yuan, pass by Kanas New Village, go to Guanyutai with about 1600 steps, the color of Kanas Lake is very beautiful, and it turns around under the scorching sun, it feels like it should be in the morning and evening of autumn or winter It will be the most beautiful. After getting down from Guanyutai, it was almost 3:00, waiting in line for the bus to the transfer center. If time is not tight, the transfer center can also go to Kanas Lake, which takes only a few minutes, and you can go for a walk by the lake. Take the bus back to Jiadengyu at the transfer center, along the way there are Shenxian Bay, Moon Bay, Wolong Bay, and what else, alas, in a hurry, just Moon Bay and Wolong Bay have a look. Arrive at Jiadengyu at 5:15, drive to the colorful beach, want to arrive at 8 o'clock, 😂, traffic police lead the way and speed up, overtaking is strictly prohibited, arrive around 40 after 8 o'clock, buy tickets, go in before 9 o'clock, just right, the colorful sunset You can only see it on the beach. When it is the most beautiful, you can finish it around 10:30. You cannot enter the colorful beach after 9:30.

Stay in Burqin at 11 o'clock in the evening, a folk custom, quiet time, the conditions are not bad, or the same sentence, very expensive! Let's go to the food street for dinner. It's imposing and expensive, but it can satisfy the vanity of travel and food. Check in!

There is no good weather in Hemu, there are too many people in Kanas, it is too hot at noon, and the colorful beach is still sloppy (it is worse than Zhangye), so, the three scenic spots, count as a check-in!

8/2 Burqin - Fukang City (Tianchi) (681 kilometers, 10 hours and 21 minutes)

I basically drove on this road. I slept late last night and started at 9 am. I rested twice along the way. There is really nothing to see on the road. There are some sunflower planting areas where you can stop and check in. The endless Gobi Desert is endless. The highways reflect the vastness and desolation of Xinjiang. At 7 o'clock in the evening, we arrived at Tianshan Wujiang Hot Spring International Resort Hotel. This time I have to praise the accommodation. This is a 5-star hotel. The room and bathroom are very large and luxurious. It’s only a little over 500. I booked it with Ctrip. You can also have a hot spring bath for 88. In summer, I still don’t go Yes, you can walk to the entrance of Tianchi Scenic Area in ten minutes. This is the most cost-effective accommodation for this trip. There are also farmhouses around for dinner. We ate directly in the hotel. On the first floor, the barbecue and cooking are not bad, and the price is very reasonable compared to five-star hotels.

Overnight: Tianshan Wujiang Hot Spring International Resort Hotel.

8/3 Tianchi - Turpan (320 kilometers, 5 hours and 28 minutes)

Walk to the entrance of the scenic spot at 8:30, the same process, buy tickets, transfer to the shuttle bus to the core scenic spot of Tianchi, and visit the Tianchi landscape such as Shimen Line, Longtan Biyue, Dinghaishenzhen, East Xiaotianchi, West Xiaotianchi, Xuanquan Waterfall along the way , Of course, the narrator is bragging in the car, believe it or not, it’s up to you, don’t stop along the way, just watch it in the car, it takes 2 hours to get in and out. After getting off the bus, go straight up, and you will arrive at the scenic spot in 10 minutes. You don't need to squeeze the car in the scenic spot, and you have to buy a ticket. It's troublesome. To my surprise, Tianchi is very small. The best tour is to go around the scenic spot. Then spend 100 per capita to take a cruise ship around the lake. According to the photo, you can get off the boat at the West Queen Mother Temple, climb up to have fun, and continue to take the boat back. The West Queen Mother Temple actually has to buy a ticket. Whether you walk clockwise or counterclockwise, you can't have time to turn around, you must go back, and no matter how you turn, the scenery is not as good as entering the area of ​​the scenic spot. As a result, I came out before 12 o'clock, and then set off to Grape Valley, and arrived around 4:30. Turpan in summer is extremely hot. Compared with the big stoves on the Yangtze River, they are all rubbish hot. The entrance of the Grape Valley is 43 degrees. Now the Grape Valley is not allowed to drive in. It is better to buy a ticket and take a scenic car to go in. First, go straight to the end. The core scenic spot is the Grape Valley Amusement Park. The strange thing is that it is actually cool inside. Sit around, cool and comfortable, there is also a Uighur performance inside, take a group photo on the stage, 100 yuan, buy some raisins, fresh grapes, and then go out by the scenic spot car, there are four attractions along the way, the more you go out, the hotter it is, and it is easier to get off the bus It's hard to drive. I didn't get off in that car. I went out directly. It's cool and I can still go down for a walk. It was still early to go out, it was only 7:00, the original plan was to go to the hotel, so I went directly to the last scenic spot in the check-in plan, the Flame Mountain Scenic Area, about 30 kilometers away, arrived at the Flame Mountain at 7:30, the shocking temperature came, 45 degrees, children You must go in and check in. I didn’t go in. It really takes courage. The content on the outside of the road is the same as that on the inside, haha. We came out at 20 minutes after 8 o'clock. It was brave to stay on the road for 20 minutes. The surface temperature was as high as 60 degrees. Fortunately, there was an underground room inside to cool off.

Staying at the Hanting Hotel in Turpan late is not bad! The temperature in Gaochang District, Turpan is also 31 degrees at night. There is a halal restaurant on the first floor next to the Hanting Hotel. The food is good, and the mutton skewers are the most authentic. In the evening, I went to the fruit stand and bought a few boxes of fruit to take back.

8/4 Turpan-Urumqi Airport (238 kilometers, 4 hours and 16 minutes)

Urumqi-Chengdu (Diwopu T3-Shuangliu T2)

Depart for the airport at 9 am. Filled up the car in the city and bought some fresh grapes by the side of the road. After returning the car at the airport hotel at 2 o'clock, the waiter sent it to the T3 terminal. I arrived home safely at 11:30 p.m. and completed the entire trip as planned.

3 fees

Three-person cost statistics:

Item Fee Remarks

Air ticket 9897 Chengdu Urumqi round-trip air ticket for three people

Car rental 3002 eHi Jetta, the cheapest

Fuel cost 1150 for a total of 3431 kilometers

Toll 658

Ticket 3941 includes entrance fee, shuttle bus fare, car rental, cruise, etc.

eat 2014

Live 4375

Total 25037

4 Epilogue

A little bit of emotion, travel is all about cost, time, and freedom. Poor travel doesn’t care about time, it cares about cost, and freedom can also be controlled by yourself, but public transportation and scenic area buses sometimes make you collapse. Self-driving travel cares about time and cost, and you can control your freedom by yourself. Expenses, time, and freedom are no longer a problem for local tyrants, the problem is how you feel. During the trip, I also encountered riding a motorcycle, and some took the train with a relaxed companion. Everyone’s travel has a different feeling. I just think it’s good to be young.

Yihi rented a car, and it was done online. The pick-up and return of the car were smooth and straightforward. The only thing I complained about was that the interior of the rented car was too dirty. Alas, it would be a big deal to wash it and then rent it out to customers. Same, maybe it’s the cheap car I rented. The new Jetta has mediocre power, but no problems. Less than 1200.

This time, in order to visit more scenic spots and save less time, I stayed in the scenic spot if I could. The price is expensive and the conditions are average. It is 2-3 times the price of living in the urban area, but it is worthwhile to be able to see the morning and evening scenery of the scenic spot.

The scenic spots in Xinjiang are a bit regretful, they are less tasteful than expected, probably because of summer, only green, big, distant, and desolate. Autumn or winter is the best place in Xinjiang. Tickets to scenic spots are also expensive, and there are countless shuttle bus fees in scenic spots. It feels like earning taxi fares. I really don't agree with such services.

If I have a chance, I will still travel to Xinjiang, but I will choose late autumn or early spring. I think it is more beautiful when the colors are bright or when it is snowy!

August 19, 2019