Car windows pass by city collection:
Look at the beauty of Xinjiang in July, and see the beauty of Yili in July.
It's rather long, so it's recommended to read it first. It contains all suggestions, strategies, tips and points to pay attention to when stepping on the pit.
This time I also chose the Yili small ring road, the itinerary is not very much, the main thing is to have fun and not be too rushed.
I admire those who plan to play the Northern Xinjiang Great Ring Road for more than half a month. I can only say that I don’t have much energy and I can’t play through it.
Xinjiang is very large, and the distances between various scenic spots are very long. It takes one or two hours to fly from Urumqi to Altay, so I personally think that it is really unnecessary to play a big ring road at a time.
But if you have more time and energy, you can also consider it, depending on your personal conditions.
Let me talk about several reasons for choosing the Yili Small Ring Road this time and very important experience suggestions.
This is my itinerary.
route
1. The itinerary is about 8 days, not very rushed, and I had a lot of fun.
2. The beauty of Yili includes all elements of Xinjiang grasslands, snow-capped mountains, forests, folk customs, etc. You can fully experience Xinjiang without repeating it.
3. The distance of the small ring road in Yili is relatively moderate, which is very suitable for self-driving.
4. After a round of play, the aesthetic fatigue is basically exhausted, and it happens to be the end of the trip. The end is the self-driving Duku Highway. Satisfaction max.
It is necessary to say that I admire those who have planned the Yili Small Ring Road and then went to the Big Ring Road. I can't, time and energy are not allowed.
First, they have seen too many beautiful scenery, and they are not interested in the repetitive scenery of the rest of the journey, such as the grassland, and they will have aesthetic fatigue;
Secondly, the 8-day journey is already tiring enough (distance, itinerary planning, accident handling, peak season hotel reservations...distracting energy). Coming for another week is really tormenting, and the distance of the Great Ring Road is even further.
14 Important Tips Before You Go
1. Do not book all the hotels in advance, just book one day in advance, because the distance is far away and difficult to walk, the scenery is too beautiful, and the scenic spot is too large, which will make you linger and forget to return, and may temporarily change the itinerary.
2. It is recommended to drive by yourself, you can play more casually, and the route selection is more convenient. If you go with a group, you can't do much, because the scenic spots are very large, and it takes an hour or two to drive. The group is basically useless, just keep rushing, so it is not recommended. There are many people who go to Xinjiang to carpool to pick up or get picked up on a platform on the Internet. If you contact them in advance, you can also share the fare and spare drivers. It is very tiring to drive alone. It is common to have hundreds of kilometers of mountain roads every day. It is necessary to have multiple drivers in one car.
3. Due to the strong sunlight and ultraviolet rays, it is recommended to prepare polarizers when going out and driving.
4. Leave enough time to drive during the day, as many road conditions are bad and surrounded by mountain roads, driving at night is dangerous.
5. Bring enough clothes, preferably a windbreaker and some warm clothes. Xinjiang will not be very hot, most places will not exceed 28 degrees Celsius, and it is even snowing heavily at high altitudes.
6. The offline map and navigation have been downloaded in advance, and 3/4 of the road sections have no signal. There are often no services in uninhabited areas and mountainous areas.
7. Prepare gastrointestinal medicine in advance, just in case. The diet in Xinjiang is mainly beef and mutton, and the dietary structure is different. Xinjiang uses mountain spring water, which is alkaline and prone to constipation.
8. The non-attraction food is less... the portion is very large, and the four of us couldn't finish the three dishes. For scenic spots, don't eat meat, it's very bad, there is a lot of fat, and the price is small and the price is high.
9. Bring a bank card. UnionPay card can be used to swipe the bus directly, and Alipay and WeChat can also be used, but the application is very cumbersome and often fails, so it is very convenient to swipe the bank card to take the bus, and it costs one yuan. I took the bus once, and I basically took a taxi after that, which is convenient and cheap.
10. Remember to find a local nucleic acid point to do nucleic acid during the day. In some areas, the inspection is strict, such as Yining, there is no 48h nucleic acid and a hotel with a scheduled itinerary, and you will not be allowed to enter, and you will be directly stuck at the high-speed exit. However, free nucleic acid sampling is available at high-speed ports and communities.
11. Don’t worry if you can’t book a hotel in the peak season, you can live in the home of the aborigines in Xinjiang. The local people are generally very friendly. The elderly generally do not know or understand Chinese, and the local young people generally understand Chinese. When living in the home of local people, we must respect their habits and folk customs.
12. The climate is very dry, and it is best to have a humidifier. I have nosebleeds every day. If you don't have a humidifier, you can apply a little erythromycin ointment in your nose to moisturize.
13. The sun is extremely strong, and you need a sun hat even after applying sunscreen 🧴, so prepare it in advance.
14. There will be road repairs starting in August every year, so navigate and plan to avoid routes in advance. (October is cold, and the mountain roads are dangerous to snow, and roads are generally not repaired during the peak season from May to July, so roads are usually concentrated in August to October every year)
transportation
In addition to self-driving, there is also the inevitable problem of taking a taxi in the urban area.
When I arrived in Xinjiang, I gave up Didi, AutoNavi and other taxi-hailing platform software, because it is basically impossible to get a taxi, and local drivers do not need to take orders for online car-hailing.
There are many taxis, all of which are metered. The starting price is 10 yuan, and the taxi fare for 9 kilometers is only 16 yuan, which is very cheap.
Consumption
Car rental: 179 yuan/day + full set of insurance 700 yuan
Meals: The dinner is about 200 yuan in total. Ordinary meals, such as breakfast, are about 15 yuan, and hand-picked rice is more expensive. Vegetarian rice (without mutton) is 15 yuan, and mutton is generally 25-30 yuan.
Fruit: watermelon 1.5 yuan/kg; grapes 7 yuan/kg; grapes 3 yuan/kg; dried fruit is slightly more expensive, such as raisins 50 yuan/kg; cashew nuts 60 yuan/kg
Fuel fee: 600 yuan. The price of No. 92 gasoline is different in different regions. Generally, it is available from 8.16 to 8.9. Don’t go to small gas stations, go to Sinopec and PetroChina.
1. Mobile payment is generally WeChat payment, and there are few Alipay application scenarios.
2. Compared with Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, the consumption is low. The big plate chicken that three people can't finish is only 68 yuan.
3. Fruits are very cheap, even bananas in Hainan are also very cheap. Note that all local weights are priced in kilograms, such as watermelon 🍉1.5 yuan, which means 1.5 yuan per catty.
4. Don't spend too much in scenic spots, things are not good and expensive.
5. Do not buy special products in scenic spots. You can buy them in the local wholesale market in Urumqi on the return trip. The boss generally sees you as a Han Chinese, and asks tourists for high prices, remember to negotiate the price.
6. The consumption in Xinjiang is not high, and you can usually live in a good hotel for 100-200. A simple meal costs about 20 yuan.
Time difference and opening hours of scenic spots
1. There is a time difference between Xinjiang and our daily time, and Beijing time minus 3 hours is just right. It was light at six in the morning and dark at half past ten in the evening. Locally, I go to work at 10 o'clock and leave work at 6 o'clock in the afternoon. Many scenic spots are scheduled like this, remember to pay attention to the time, don't run for a day at that time, and find that you are not allowed to enter the scenic spot.
2. Breakfast usually starts at 10 in the morning. If you have a long journey that day, you can take some with you on the road after breakfast. There is nothing to eat on mountain roads or grasslands.
3. Pilaf is available in all regions for a limited time, from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. You can't eat pilaf at other times.
Day 01
Urumqi → Kuitun
Because the landing is usually in the afternoon, I rented a car directly in Urumqi and went to Kuitun.
The itinerary is to go to Bole City, where there is Sailimu Lake. The distance is 500 kilometers. I drive too far alone. I plan to drive halfway to Kuitun as a transit city. Overnight in Kuitun.
If you have time, you can go to Kuitun Duzishan Grand Canyon to see the 200-meter drop canyon is spectacular.
This is also the starting point of the Duku Highway, and many people choose to start here to go to the Duku Highway. I suggest to go back and take the Duku Highway, because there are many cars starting here, and there are too many beautiful scenery along the way, and there will be a gap in the appreciation of the follow-up attractions, lacking the sense of shock.
For eating in Kuitun, I highly recommend the local chain, Jianpuzhai Little Rooster. Large quantity and low price, the key is super delicious and local specialties.
It was about ten o'clock in the evening after I finished eating, and it was starting to get dark.
Day 02
Kuitun → Bole (Salimu Lake)
Stay in Wenquan County at night
It is 300 kilometers from Kuitun to Sailimu Lake. Sailimu Lake is formed here when the water vapor of the Atlantic meets the obstruction of the Tianshan Mountains, so the place that should be dry is very humid, forming a unique beautiful scenery. Sailimu Lake is the yyds place I have seen in the scenery. The lens seen in the eyes here cannot be photographed, and every frame captured is also at the wallpaper level.
Focus on:
1. There is no ticket sales at Sailimu Lake at 8:00 p.m. It is dusk, when the scenery is the most beautiful, the lake is dark blue, and it is extremely beautiful against the snow-capped mountains and grasslands.
2 Tickets for Sailimu Lake are all one-day tickets, but in fact, you come from Wenquan County the next day and say you are passing by. You bought the ticket yesterday and it can still be used. Just don't say you're here to play. Sailimu Lake is so big that it takes 2 hours to drive, and it is impossible to play in one day. It is recommended to pass by the next day, and you can have fun later later, ride a horse or something, 80 yuan per person.
3 There are the most people at the entrance of Sailimu Lake, and the more you go in, the more beautiful the scenery is, and the fewer people there are. But it is a pity that most people only play at the entrance, and it is too late for the rest of the journey.
4 Live in Wenquan County, go back early when you go, because the mountain road is not easy to walk, this will be your first time to visit the charm of the mountain road, cattle and sheep graze on the mountain, and the Bashang grassland is by your side. Another advantage of living in Wenquan County is that you will pass through Sailimu Lake the next day, and you can continue the scenery of the upper and lower half.
Day 03
Hot Spring County → Sailimu Lake → Guozigou Bridge → (Princess Jieyou Lavender Garden) → Kazanqi Folk Village
Wenquan County is on the border, and Kazakhstan is on the other side of the snow mountain.
Park the car in a safe place. There may be strong winds passing over the snow line at night and invading Wenquan County. The wind and rain are super strong, and the car may be damaged if it is parked under a tree. The next day is generally sunny and sunny.
Starting from Wenquan County, I used the morning time to visit some scenic spots of Sailimu Lake again.
Be sure to tell the staff that you are passing by, they will let you turn left, don't listen, just drive ahead and turn right directly hahahaha. When encountering the ticket check, you say that you bought the ticket yesterday and played it. Today, you are going to Guozigou and passing Sailimu Lake. They will let you in. Because when you go out of Wenquan County, you must pass through the Sailimu Lake Scenic Area.
In the afternoon, set off to Guozigou, which is on the edge of Sailimu Lake.
Guozigou talks about the place where human beings are now combining technology and nature. It is spectacular! It's a pity that the mobile phone can't capture that feeling! There are many parking spots on the way, and a large film will be produced in minutes.
Out of Guozigou, the scenery along the way is shocking, and the car shuttles through the forest and mountains, which is pleasing to the eye. It turns out that the most beautiful scenery of tourism has always been on the road.
If you are afraid of heights, don't drive to the Guozigou Bridge. I chose to pass under the bridge.
Depart for Yining, passing by Princess Jieyou Lavender Manor, if there are girls in the car, you can go and see.
At seven o'clock, I arrived at Kazanqi Folk Custom Village. I am a Han here, and I feel like a foreigner. There is a feeling of being abroad. The pigeons, streets, and alleys here are very exotic. There are a lot of food around and it is very lively. After eating, it gets dark and we live nearby.
Day 04
Yizhao Highway ~ Zhaosu
The Yizhao Highway is beautiful, but also difficult to walk. In the second half, you will pass by the boundless grassland and sea of flowers, which is not inferior to Sailimu Lake at all.
The first section of the Yizhao Highway is a mountain road, passing through various snow-capped mountains, and old drivers have to slow down to avoid vehicles going down the mountain. The top of the mountain is covered with clouds and occasionally snows, so pay attention to the road section prompts.
The second section of Yizhao Highway, boundless grassland and sea of flowers. June and July happen to be the time when the small wild flowers in the grassland are in full bloom. It is really beautiful, the colorful small wild flowers, the green grassland with undulating terrain, and the snow-covered snow-capped mountains in the distance. Driving through it makes me feel comfortable.
Yizhao Highway is well-deserved.
Day 05
Zhaosu ～Xiata National Forest Park
Zhaosu Rapeseed flowers are blooming in June and July, and the roadside is golden, and there are snow mountains in the distance. Although the journey is beautiful, I have to complain about the conditions of Zhaosu.
To be frank, Xinjiang is beautiful, but there are also disadvantages when the place is big. Let me tell you to avoid everyone stepping on the pit.
Zhaosu is the only place I don't want to come again. Local food, it is inconvenient to eat, and there is no resource condition for tourism development.
one
Let's talk about accommodation first. The accommodation is all self-built by the locals, and the price is the most expensive I have lived in for a few days. You still have to rush to make a decision on this, later, you don't even have this. There were a lot of cars parked on the side of the road. I got out of the car and asked. It turned out that everyone was booking hotels on the side of the road. Because there are few hotels in Zhaosu and the prices are ridiculously expensive, many people directly persuaded them to return and went to live in other counties. I finally asked about a homestay with a room at a price of 300. When I arrived, I was stunned. Four temporary cubicles made of plywood, stuffed with a bed, no bathroom or washroom, you call this a homestay? Sanitary conditions are indescribable. To be honest, I regretted not bringing a tent at that time, and the conditions were so bad that my friends wanted to leave immediately. A friend in the same business joked that 300 yuan lived in a pigsty.
two
Have a meal. There are more local Mongolians, and there are quite a few open-air restaurants. But when I went in and looked at the menu, my God, the prices in Shanghai made me feel ashamed. A bowl of noodles is about 40 yuan, and others are more expensive, basically in three digits. The local boss directly said that we mainly receive tourists. When there are no tourists here in winter, no one lives in one of the 20 hotels, and the restaurants basically close for half a year and open for half a year. It can be said that people here pluck their hair when they see tourists, and all restaurants have "tourist reception" posted on their doors.
To tell you the truth, if I hadn't gone to Xiata to see this place, I would have turned around and left without hesitation when I drove in.
The Xiata tourist attraction is still good. For the sake of the beauty, we all endured it, and maybe other tourists also have this mentality.
1. Siata opens at ten o'clock, and you are not allowed to enter by car. In fact, many people don't know that you can buy a shuttle bus at nine o'clock in the morning.
2. The two sections of the shuttle bus are 40 yuan and 30 yuan respectively. You can't escape, because the scenic spot is too big, and you can't get there without taking the shuttle bus. drive
40 minutes like this.
3. Be sure to ride a horse, the number of horses is limited, 80 yuan per person, go early, there are basically no horses at ten o'clock. I walked inside for three hours and only halfway through. I was tired 😫 and regretted not going horseback riding earlier.
After finishing the scenic spot, drive directly to Turks and don't want to stay for a moment.
As a result, when we arrived at Turks Bagua City, it happened to meet the most important local festival: Eid al-Adha.
The Eid al-Adha is equivalent to our Spring Festival in the local area. They will entertain relatives and friends in each family, and the scale of the entertainment is a symbol of whether the host family is "wealthy". This is very similar to visiting relatives for New Year greetings during the Spring Festival.
We asked the locals if they could live in your home, and they happily agreed.
It’s just that the other party doesn’t understand Chinese, can’t speak Chinese, and doesn’t understand what I’m saying. Except for gesture communication, everything else is translated by her son. If you come during the peak season and it is difficult to book a hotel, try staying at a local home.
Day 06
Main tour: Qiongkushitai Grassland
The Z793 highway is a mountain road that must be passed to the Qiongkushitai Grassland.
There are many grasslands here, very close from Turks, and the farthest is the 80-kilometer Qiongkushitai grassland. But the Z793 road is very difficult. Only when you go there can you understand what I mean. Although the distance is short, it is the most difficult road I have traveled. The road is extremely narrow and it is difficult to meet cars all the way up and down the mountain. There are cliffs next to it, surrounded by grasslands and snow-capped mountains 🏔️, accidents will happen if you are not careful.
I walked halfway, vomited directly when I came down, and the navigation was desperate. Gaode map Xiaotuantuan voice navigation: "Drive backwards in two seconds..."
When I thought that the return trip would be the same way, I felt a chill in my heart. On the way back, there was a local heavy rain, and I saw some cars driving directly into the ditch on the side of the road, unable to get out, and overturned.
Going to Jongkush Terrace really requires an old driver and be prepared.
In addition to the Qiongkushitai Grassland, there are also Akelasi Grassland and Kalajun Grassland nearby. I think grasslands are all the same, just choose one, and go to all of them, which consumes too much time. The journey is only eight days, and time does not allow it. If you have enough time, you can go and see them all. Some grasslands have cable cars, and the experience is good.
Let me tell you, the Qiongkushitai grassland is very large, and if you want to go there, you have to walk through the forest for several hours. Bring food and drink to conserve energy.
The climate in the mountains is changeable, so it is best to bring an umbrella in case of sudden rain.
In order to go to this prairie, I was so tired that I just walked along the springs and rivers of Tianshan Mountain and walked through this forest for a few hours.
Day 07
Time is running out, and there are two more highlights of this journey.
One is the Nalati Grassland, the other is the Duku Highway, and there are Bayanbulak Grassland and Swan Lake along the way.
There is Dushanzi Grand Canyon at the end of Duku Highway, which is close to Kuitun. It is recommended that you go to the canyon in advance when you arrive at Kuitun on the first day. Because in the back, the time is very tight, and it is basically impossible to go.
You must take a good look at the Nalati Grassland. You can see that the beautiful grassland scenery is basically shot here.
There are a lot of people in Nalati, so you have to book a hotel at least one day in advance. The price of food around is not cheap, the key is not affordable, two-thirds of the mutton is fat.
If you don’t have a hotel, you can go to a residential area, where many locals ask you if you want to stay. Most of them are homestays, but the price is a little expensive.
Heavy consumption is not recommended here.
The Nalati Grassland is divided into three scenic lines. There are different shuttle buses for different scenic lines. You can also drive by yourself, but it is relatively expensive. It is recommended to take a car to save time. One line is enough for you to play for a day, and the time is compressed a little bit, or it can not be compressed, just look at the line of the grassland in the sky.
Tickets for scenic spots are valid for 48 hours, that is to say, if you can't finish watching today, you don't need to buy tickets tomorrow, you can enter the tour again only by buying tickets for the line section.
Remember the time, you can enter from 10:00 am to 7:30 pm, and the last bus departs at 8:00 am. There are tents for grassland camping ⛺️.
Day 08
On the last day, Duku Highway ~ Kuitun
Because I was traveling in the peak season, and I met the Eid al-Adha, the local holiday was five days, the highway was free, and there were too many local tourists. Therefore, the Duku Highway is temporarily under control, and some sections are still snowing ❄️ icing. I thought it was better to start early, so I gave up Bayinbulak and went directly to the Duku Highway.
Unexpectedly, I entered Duku at 8 o'clock, and I was still at the entrance at 12 o'clock at noon. Before I entered the Duku Highway, I was blocked and crying on the road. It was still raining around, and the police said that it was snowing on the mountain, so they were not allowed to enter, and asked me to wait.
Driving through the clouds:
After I finished my trip, Xinjiang was hot every day. Due to the domestic epidemic, the unemployment rate has increased, and everyone is unable to leave the country. Xinjiang, which has a suitable climate, has become everyone's first choice. Duku Highway has become a "blocked and crying" highway.
So in recent years, when you go to Xinjiang in the peak season, you have to prepare in advance. It is best to bring a tent, and it is necessary to sleep on the prairie hahaha.
But fortunately, I entered the Duku Highway instead of being blocked, but the more than 200 highways are too difficult to walk, one section is flat, and the other section is uphill. Pass through the clouds.
Going down the mountain is even more terrifying. It's a 50km downhill at every turn, making a 180-degree turn every two seconds, and running with the brakes on all the way.
Along the way, I was still turning the steering wheel in my dreams that night.
Not to mention, on the Duku Highway, my friends took a few videos with their mobile phones along the way, so be careful with the traffic.
Day 09
Kuitun ~ Urumqi
If you have more than one driver in the car, you can drive back to Urumqi directly after driving the Duku Highway on day 08.
I was driving alone, so I went back to Kuitun for a rest, and returned to Urumqi the next day.
Because there is plenty of time, if you don’t catch a plane, it is recommended to go to the Grand Bazaar to have fun, eat and bring some specialties.
The Grand Bazaar eats a lot and there are many people. It is said that there will be dance performances after 8:00 pm. I have never seen it.
Don't buy specialty products in the Grand Bazaar, they are very expensive.
800 meters to the Grand Bazaar, there is a local Donghuan Wholesale Market, which has everything.
I bought one kilogram of high-quality large cashew nuts, which cost 60 per kilogram. Others, such as dried coconuts, can also be bought. There are too many special products, you can throw them at the shop owner, and let the boss send them back to you, so that you don’t need to bring them back with human flesh.
If you send it back, it costs 5 yuan a kilogram.
If you will not lower the price, I will recommend a shopkeeper to you. You can go directly to buy from him and say that someone you know recommends you, and he will basically not ask you for the price.
Finally, I took a screenshot of the address of the local wholesale market as follows:
