Disrupted plans, early departure
Masks in Wuxi at the end of June, the original plan to fly to Xi’an on July 5, and then to Urumqi on July 6 were all disrupted. 4 companies finally made a trip and 2 companies. On July 1, I decisively took a 7-seater Senna and drove directly to Xi'an overnight. As soon as he landed in Xi'an, Xi'an put out a mask again. Wuxi and Xi'an are included in the itinerary code. If you follow the policy in March and April, you will definitely not be able to go to Xinjiang. This time, the country's overall policy has been very humane, giving a lot of space, and the 6th landed smoothly in Urumqi, Xinjiang.
Why choose S101 + Duku Highway?
Xinjiang is very big. Some people say that there is not a month that they can't play, but how many people have a month?
This line runs through the northern and southern Xinjiang, all year round, from the Danxia landform, to the snow-capped mountains, to the Tangbula grassland full of flowers, canyons, rivers, and desert lakes. You can see flocks of sheep all over the grassland, and horses grazing with their heads down; there are majestic snow-capped mountains and pine forest grasslands with gurgling streams.
This route can be said to be the entire condensed version of Xinjiang. If you don’t have enough time, you don’t need to go to Kanas, Sailimu Lake, or Zhaosu to watch the galloping horses. Duku Highway, all the way, all the way scenery.
Duku Highway + A101 complete aerial photography
In the 4 days in Xi'an, the regular Datang Everbright City, Huimin Street, Huaqing Palace + Song of Everlasting Sorrow, and the ancient city wall, because I have been to Xi'an three times, I have the opportunity to make a travel note alone.
Time + route + accommodation (list)
When traveling to Xinjiang, many people will tell you, don’t make plans, Xinjiang is so big, take a trip as soon as you say it.
Make key points, go to Xinjiang, make strategies and plans in advance, book planes and hotels in advance, unless you bypass the summer vacation in July-August.
Luggage preparation: summer clothes, a thin down or jacket, sun protection clothing, necessary medicines for travel, etc. Fruit knife (difficult to buy locally)
Vehicle preparation: Ctrip rented a new business GL8 within 2 years. Although XHI and XUZHOU are both company cars, they are scarce and expensive!
Remember, when picking up the car, you must take video records inside and outside the car, as well as detailed photos. Return the car to avoid disputes.
Route preparation: use the map in advance for each day's itinerary, navigate from point to point, and continuously optimize the route.
Airport parking: Vehicles parked at Xi'an Airport. There are many private parking lots near the airport (Xiaoqiang parking), 180 after 8 days, pick up and drop off at the airport.
S101 (Small Duku) + Duku Highway
Route planning: Urumqi - Kuitun - Duku the whole journey - Kuqa - Korla - Yanqi - Turpan - Urumqi, 8 days of closed-loop self-driving.
Duku refueling: It is OK when the gas station is full.
Attached itinerary + accommodation and timetable:
Day 1: Xi'an-Urumqi (airplane) Xi'an Hotel (Airport Degang Wanda Branch) Pomegranate Red (Dinner)
Day 2: Urumqi-Kuitun (Full S101 420km, 10 hours preparation time, no high speed) Lavande Hotel (Kuitun Central Park)
Day 3: Kuitun - Qiaoerma - Tangbula Grassland (about 230 kilometers, preparation time 8 hours) Nilek Tanggu Miyuan B&B
Day 4: Tangbula Grassland - Qiaoerma - Nalati - Bayinbulak (8 hours preparation time) Muxin Hotel
Day 5: Bayinbulak-Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon-Inventory (about 250 kilometers, preparation time 6 hours) Yicheng Hotel (Kuqa Tianshan Middle Road)
Day 6: Kuqa - Korla - Bosten Lake - Yanqi (380 kilometers, 8 hours preparation time) Yanqi Gajir Hotel
Day 7: Yanqi-Turpan-Urumqi (the whole journey is 560 kilometers, the preparation time is 10 hours) Urumqi Baishichang Longquan Hotel
Day 8: Return
Remarks: The above itinerary is relatively compact. If you have enough time, you can add one day to S101, 2 days to Nalati, and 1 day to Bayinbulak and Turpan.
The detailed guide is attached below:
Arrived in Urumqi on July 6
Because the C code has Wuxi, Jiangsu, and Xi'an, Shaanxi, I am very worried about landing in Urumqi. The actual situation is, get off the plane, do the accounting, get out of the airport, and pick up the vehicle without queuing, all in one go.
Before the daughter boarded the plane, she suddenly had a stomachache. After landing, she went directly to the hospital for an examination. Except that the examination took a little longer, she was free to pass.
I stayed at Xi'an Hotel (Airport Degang Wanda Branch), which is close to the airport. You can go directly to S101 the next day, or you can choose to live next to the International Grand Bazaar. It is convenient to eat, drink and play. I chose to live near the International Grand Bazaar on the last day.
Dinner: The pomegranate is red, and the Internet celebrity restaurant is generally average. I wanted to choose Loulan Roast, because the children are uncomfortable, so the principle is the closest. Compared with Silk Road, there is a difference, but there is a gap.
S101 for the whole journey on July 7
Provincial Highway S101 starts from Urumqi in the east and ends in Wusubayingou in the west. If you don’t want to take 101, you can also take the parallel Lianhuo Expressway above, passing through Changji City, Hutubi County, Manas County, Shihezi City, Shawan City, Wusu City, and all the way to Kuitun City.
The provincial road S101 is known as Xiaoduku, and it can also be said to be a simplified and condensed version of Duku Highway. The whole journey is about 300 kilometers. This year, the entire road has been covered with asphalt, ordinary vehicles can drive themselves, and the road conditions are very good.
Navigation: direct Urumqi-Kuitun high-speed route; correct navigation route: Sulphurgou Town-Shimenzi Reservoir-Kenswat Reservoir-Shawan Tianci Hot Spring-Antler Bay-Anjihai Grand Canyon, through this navigation route, the whole S101 is exported.
The entire provincial road, stretching for 100 kilometers, passes through Shimenzi Reservoir, Kenswater Reservoir, real hot springs, grasslands, Bayingou Canyon, Lujiao Bay Scenic Area, and Anjihai Grand Canyon.
S101 To check the road conditions at any time, the easiest way is to use a certain German navigation to see if there is a road closure. From the starting point of Liushuanggou Town to Shimen Reservoir (Shimen Reservoir and Shimenzi Reservoir are two different), and then to the direction of Quergou, the road is often closed in rainy days. If there is a road closure, you can only bypass the highway and go to Hutu Bypass the road closure and enter S101 from the county road.
If you finish the whole journey of S101, if you take photos, eat, and wash in the hot springs, the time is still quite long, and you have plenty of time. You can spend one night at the Tianci Hot Spring Hotel in Shawan (hotel check-in should include a hot spring ticket, and a separate purchase includes a buffet, but it is similar to breakfast) , soaking in the real sulfur hot springs, the rushing river next to the canyon, the outdoor hot spring pool and its comfort.
Regarding meals on S101: There is almost no food in the first half. If you leave late, it is recommended to bring some snacks. There are many parking belts on the road. S101 is not yet fully mature, so commercialization is relatively weak, but it is estimated that in a year or two, there will be It will become blocked and cry like Duku. When parking on the road, you will meet "Little Ma" grilling in the parking lot, sheep running on the mountain, and meat skewers grilling on the side. You can eat a few skewers before setting off.
3:30 p.m.: After passing Shimenzi Reservoir, arrive at Qingshuihe Township on the edge of S101, farmhouse (Gajun Tianranju Farm, Manas County), the big plate chicken is really big, 120 servings, very delicious. If there is a watermelon seller on the roadside in the village, you can buy one. It is big and round, and the key is cheap.
Passing by the Manas River, you can come down to play in the water and freeze the big watermelon you bought on the road.
Because we started late, we had a long delay in eating and soaking in hot springs on the way, and it was too late to go to Antler Bay and Anjihai Grand Canyon. These two places can be published separately.
After passing through the Anjihai Grand Canyon, it was already dark, so we could only take the Buhong section, and go directly to Kuitun on the Lianhuo Expressway. It was already past 12 o'clock in the morning when we arrived in Kuitun.
Therefore, to play S101 well, it is recommended to set aside two days to play, slow travel, eating skewers, soaking in soup, farming, and playing in water!
July 8th Duku Departure
On the night of the 7th, I stayed at the Lavande Hotel in Kuitun (more than 200 per night when I booked, which is very cost-effective). I went downstairs and passed a lavender field to the night market.
If you take the Duku Highway, the requirements for moving in are not particularly high. It is recommended not to live in Kuitun, but to live directly in Dushanzi District. Dushanzi District is actually next to Kuitun City, but it does not belong to Kuitun City. Departure cancellation time the next day.
Main itinerary No. 8: Kuitun enters Dushanzi - the starting point of Duku Highway - Qiaoerma - Provincial Highway 315 - Fairy Lake - Tangbula Grassland
Depart at 11:00 a.m.: From the starting point of Duku to Qiaoerma, the road section is relatively steep, so it is recommended to drive slowly.
Around 3:00 p.m.: Arrive at Tianpu and Mihailegen, where you can come down and play in the snow. There are many people and vehicles in the parking area for playing in the snow, but there are traffic police commanding them. Be cautious when shopping in the parking area.
Around 4:00 p.m.: Arrive at Qiaoerma, where you can refuel, have a meal and rest, but it is necessary to queue up for refueling, and it is inevitable that meals are expensive. A bowl of noodles is 40, and a bowl of hand-picked rice is 40 even though it is not delicious. , It is also understandable, after all, it is open for three or four months a year. If you have enough time, you can go and see the Qiaoerma Martyrs Cemetery. This road is a hero road.
Around 5:00 p.m.: Go directly to National Highway 315, which leads directly to Yining to Horgos, and then leads to Zhaosu to watch the galloping horses. Many travel routes may take this section of the Duku Highway, and then choose 315 to Yining and so on. The choice to enter 315 from Duku is for the Tangbula Grassland. Tangbula Grassland, Nalati Grassland, and Bayinbulak Grassland are the three major grassland scenic spots on the Duku Highway, and the three have different styles. The most important thing is the Tangbula Baili Gallery, there is no scenic spot ticket.
Around 5:30 p.m.: enter National Highway 315, drive 20 kilometers, and arrive at the Fairy Lake Folk Culture Tourism Scenic Spot. It is said to be a scenic spot, but in fact there is no ticket. Many yurts have been built along the river, where you can eat and stay. Of course, coming here is mainly Or go to Fairy Lake on horseback. There are also tents and yurts on the side of Fairy Lake to choose accommodation. Watching the stars at night is very beautiful, but the conditions are public toilets.
Fairy Lake: I personally think that Fairy Lake is the entire Duku road trip, a better experience, 200 per person, go on horseback, and ride back. You can stay in Fairy Lake for half an hour to one hour in the middle, and you can spend more time if you want. . You can experience horse riding across the grasslands, horses crossing streams, and of course, if the horses are not happy, your ass will be bald.
Fairy Lake is a favorite spot for many girls, and it is very suitable for taking pictures. If you are lucky, you can interact with groundhogs.
8:00 p.m.: End Fairy Lake. I wanted to stay at the Black Bee Manor Hotel in Nilek Tianshan, but I couldn’t get it. It’s too hot. However, the B&B has the benefits of a B&B. The boss gave us a meal of farm firewood mutton and barbecue.
On the way from Fairy Lake to the B&B, you will pass through a large area of Tangbula Grassland. There are many parking spots where you can come down and take pictures. The flowers on both sides are full, and the river and alpine pine trees in the distance are very beautiful.
Tangbula Grassland has time to suggest staying for one more night: two more places to visit, one is Bulong Hot Spring (hotel hot spring), and the other is Mengkete Ancient Road (Ario Hot Spring). If you have experienced the hot springs in Shawan, you will not It is necessary to go to Bron. The Monkt Ancient Road is 19 kilometers from 315, but vehicles with low chassis proceed cautiously. It is said that the scenery is first-class. This ancient road is more suitable for light hiking.
9:00 PM: Arrive at the B&B and eat mutton over firewood.
The B&B is located in Bee Town, which is rich in honey. The owner of the B&B is very enthusiastic, and the room facilities are average, but for the grassland area, it is already considered very clean. The main thing is to have a washing machine, which is convenient for washing clothes. Dinner and accommodation are relatively inexpensive.
Go straight to Bayinbulak on July 9
The sky in Xinjiang basically does not start to get dark until after 10:30 in the evening, so I get up very late in the morning.
7:00 am: Get up, the grasslands and river valleys in the morning are refreshing, it is slightly cooler, change clothes, add a windbreaker, and run. Along the asphalt road of the village, the parallel river valley and National Highway 315, I ran for 4 kilometers easily, and suddenly I looked up and saw a big rainbow, which was very shocking. But before I had time to be excited for a few minutes, I was caught off guard by a heavy rain, bypassed the iron bridge, entered 315, and went straight to Bee Town, in a panic.
9 a.m.: Back at the B&B, they haven’t woken up yet, dragged them up one by one, had breakfast in the town, and officially entered the Duku.
11 a.m.: Return to Qiaoerma along the original road 315, continue to enter the Duku highway section, pass by the free viewing point of Tangbula Baili Gallery on the way back, and fly the drone specially.
12:30 noon: Walk along the Duku Kilometer, take a break halfway, and play in the stream.
Around 4:00 p.m.: Arrive at the fork in the direction of Duku and Nalati. I didn’t plan to go to the Nalati Grassland. Everyone was very excited and said that even if you don’t enter the scenic spot, you can go to the entrance to check in and take pictures. After all, it is only 20 kilometers away. There are many places to eat along the road. I found a small restaurant, and the big plate chicken is worth a bite. The location of the scenic spot is not cheap.
Around 5:00 p.m.: Arrive at the entrance of the Nalati Scenic Area, ready to fly a drone, take pictures and check in. I didn't expect heavy rain, so I hurried back. It is recommended that if you do not enter the Nalati scenic spot, it is not recommended to check in at the entrance of the scenic spot, as there are many people in the car. If you have to punch in a card, it is recommended that after turning the corner from Duku, you can drive a few kilometers to the east gate of the Nalati Park Scenic Area. You can punch in and take pictures to show that you have visited here.
6:00 p.m.: Enter the Duku section again, the weather begins to change, heavy fog, clouds and mist, high mountains, visible distance of tens of meters, driving is still relatively dangerous. And the temperature dropped so badly, the spare down jacket came in handy.
8:00 pm: Entering the Bayinbulak prairie, the sky is clear, the sheep on the prairie no longer climb the mountains, and they are all black-headed sheep, which are very eye-catching.
Bayinbulak Scenic Area, you must enter the scenic area before 7 pm to watch the sunset, with nine bends and eighteen bends. We arrived late, and the sun sometimes disappears, which is not the best time to watch the sunset, so we gave up entering the scenic spot and went directly to the hotel to rest.
Stay at Muxin Hotel: Muxin Hotel has not been open for a long time, and the hardware facilities are okay, but there are too many people and messy, and the service can no longer keep up. There should be several other hotels of the same level. If you want to experience a yurt, it is recommended to be a few kilometers away from the town, with few people, and a yurt with a bathroom is more suitable.
10:00 pm: Dinner, I found a restaurant (Hei Niu), and ordered Dapan Chicken, Yak Meat, Nang Pit Meat, etc. Of course, lamb skewers are indispensable. The taste is okay, the portion is large, and the yak meat is average.
Note: Remember, remember, to refuel in Bayinbulak, it is best to take advantage of the middle of the night and see how strong the queue is in the evening, thinking about the next day, the queue at 9 o'clock the next day, a full hour.
On July 10, the Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon arrived in Kuqa
This journey is already much easier. The first half is a grassland road, which is flat, and there are few dangerous roads in the second half. I met a pure tram on the road, and I was a fellow of Wuxi, Su B, and I really admired it.
10:30 in the morning: fuel up and set off, stop and take pictures on the road until you get close to the Dalong Pond, stop for dinner, there is the Dragon Inn, there are food stalls, and there are grilled fish from the Luobu village. The kebabs continued to dry out. There are several places to park and check in at Dalongchi, and Xiaolongchi is not far away. Before I could react, it had already passed by, and the traffic jam in the opposite direction had already begun.
5:00 p.m.: Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon, dozens of tickets for adults, nothing too special, tickets are not expensive and you can check in. If you don't have much interest in landforms, you don't have to go in, you can ride a camel inside.
Evening: Arrive in Kuqa, and the entire Duku Highway will be considered as a complete end.
Kuqa: You can choose to go to Kuqa Palace, Restan Street (more folk features), Rainbow Comprehensive Market (open until 12 am to buy dried fruits)
Return on July 11, Korla Bosten Lake
The Duku Highway is more than 500 kilometers in length, half of which is in northern Xinjiang and half in southern Xinjiang. If you don’t make too many stops, it will be 3 days. If you have enough time, you can spend more time in Tangbula Grassland, Nalati Grassland and Bayinbulak Stay for a few days.
Kuqa is the end point of Duku, and it can also be the starting point of going to Kashgar, Zhaosu, Yili, etc. We chose to go east and then north, pass through Korla, Bosten Lake, Yanqi, turn to Turpan, and then return to Urumqi. Stay overnight in Yanqi in the middle.
10 a.m.: From Kuqa to Bosten Lake, the whole journey can be done by high speed, but we choose to get off the high speed from Korla.
For lunch, choose Korla Territory No. 87 baked buns, except for grilled lamb chops, you can try everything else.
4:00 p.m.: Take National Highway 218 from Korla. This route is worth taking together. Some people will choose to go down to the Luobu village in Yuli County. Because of the long round-trip time, we gave up. The Luobu village is a more fun season. It should be autumn, look at the Populus euphratica forest in the desert.
National Highway 218 basically follows the edge of the desert, and the landform is also very special. It is also worth walking. You will pass by large areas of sunflowers, watermelon planting fields, eat melons, and take pictures. It will also pass through the desert off-road, so you can experience it.
7:00 p.m.: Arrive at the Bosten Lake Dahekou Scenic Area. There are dozens of adults, but you have to buy a ticket to enter the beach after entering. You can't swim on the beach, you can only paddle. For us, the most pleasant thing is to move a stool and sit on the beach, slowly wait for the sunset, and see the desert and the lake in the distance reflect each other, which is very special. Bosten Lake is very large, surrounded by scenic spots. After looking at the map of the scenic spot, there are also some water parks, as well as swimming places on the Golden Beach and Silver Beach.
9:30 p.m.: Come out of Bosten Lake and head towards Yanqi. Not far away, there are many farmers eating fish (you can search the map of Luojia Courtyard). The so-called one fish and three meals, the spicy crucian carp is especially delicious, and the big plate chicken is indispensable. The problem is, eighty-eight servings, I thought it was a big plate, and then exceeded our expectations, and got two big plates.
11:00 p.m.: Arrive in Yanqi, stay at Yanqi Gajier Hotel (hotel facilities and services are average)
Return on July 12, detour to Turpan Flame Mountain
The itinerary of this road is relatively simple. Yanqi set off on the high speed and went straight to Turpan. Finally, the Turpan grapes that he was thinking about were finally eaten.
2:00 p.m.: Get off the expressway, pass through Tuokesun, and go to "Old No. 4 Noodle Barbecue". There are too many people, so we can only eat noodles next door and leave.
3:30 p.m.: Arrive in Turpan, it should be to experience the local grape planting and picking, as well as the characteristics of drying. When we arrived at the Grape Valley Scenic Area in Turpan, although they were all grape growing and farmhouses, tickets were still required. We stopped at the entrance and bought some grapes and raisins to taste.
4:30 p.m.: Arrive at the entrance of the Flame Mountain Scenic Area, check in and take pictures. It’s too hot, so run quickly. And save ticket money.
9:00pm: Go back to Urumqi and stay near the International Grand Bazaar. Isn’t that just eating and drinking at night? There are many tourists in the Grand Bazaar, but the taste is actually good, but the price is a little bit expensive. But the atmosphere is worth experiencing.
You should have a good meal when you leave Urumqi on July 13th
My friend's family flew back in the morning.
We chose the afternoon flight, and it happened that the notice was late, so we simply chose to go to Silk Road Youyue Restaurant, thank you for the flight delay.
The road trip to Duku is a trip that I have been looking forward to for three years. Life doesn’t necessarily mean that you can leave immediately, but you need to have the courage to do it once!
Xinjiang is so big, the beautiful scenery does not need too much admiration, the food does not need too much praise, you just need to go for a real trip!
After returning on the 13th, I kept seeing videos of the Duku Highway becoming blocked and crying, mudslides closed the road, and the Grand Canyon was flooded. Therefore, we are lucky, and I wish friends who are traveling with friends who are about to go to Xinjiang to travel smoothly!
