"If you haven't been to Yili, you won't know the beauty of Xinjiang; if you haven't been to Kashgar, you haven't been to Xinjiang." During our trip to northern Xinjiang last year, we were deeply attracted by this former place of the Western Regions, so we had the desire to go to Xinjiang again. At the turn of spring and summer, it is the time when the Ili River Valley is the most beautiful, and it is also the time when the Pamirs warm up to the earth. The most beautiful highway in China, the Tianshan Duku Highway, is also opened at this time of year. Once you have the urge to go, you can't wait. On May 27, 2019, we took the train (T204) from Nanjing to Yining and headed west all the way to the Yili River Valley in Xinjiang. The itinerary plan for this time is: from the Yili River Valley around the Tianshan Mountains, through Duku, into southern Xinjiang, until the Pamirs.
Itinerary and attractions:
D1, D2: T204 Nanjing-Yining (on the train)
D3: Sunset on Yili River (Su Yining)
D4: Yining→Tex. Kuokesu Grand Canyon, Crocodile Bay, Human Grassland, Nine Bends and Eighteen Bends (Scenic Area)
D5: Kalajun Grassland→Wangyu Terrace, Huahua Terrace, Falcon Terrace, Turks Bagua City→Yining (Su Yining)
D6: Yining → Guozigou Bridge, Sailimu Lake, Huiyuan Ancient City → Yining (Su Yining)
D7: Yining → Huocheng Jieyou Lavender Garden, Horgos Port → Yining (Su Yining)
D8: Yining → Nalati Town, Nalati Sky Grassland (Su Nalati Town)
D9: Nalati → Duku Highway, Bayinbulak, Nine Curves and Eighteen Bends (Subayin Town)
D10: Bayinbulak Prairie, Nine Curves and Eighteen Bends (Subayin Town)
D11: Bayinbulak Wetland Grassland, Kaidu River Basin → Hejing → Korla → Kuqa (on the train)
D12: Kuqa Palace, Kuqa Great Temple, Kuqa Old Town (stay in Kuqa)
D13: Kuqa Kucha Cultural Square, Kuqa Ancient City, Duku Highway, Kuqa Grand Canyon, Tianshan Stone Forest, etc. → Kashgar (on the train)
D14: West District of Kashgar Ancient City, Tomb of Fragrant Concubine (Kashgar)
D15: Kashi → Baisha Lake. Baisha River, Muztagh Peak. Karakul Lake (herdsman's house by Suku Lake)
D16: Muztagh Peak. Karakuri Lake→Kashgar (Kashgar)
D17: Kashgar→Id Kah Mosque→Eastern District of Kashgar Old Town (Kashgar)
D18: Kashgar→Banchao Memorial Park→Kashgar Airport→Plane across Tianshan Mountain→Beijing Airport (transit)→Nanjing Lukou Airport
The train headed west all the way out of the Hexi Corridor, and in front of it was the endless Gobi and desert. Although we have been to the Northwest many times, this is the second time we have come to Xinjiang. When I saw the endless Tianshan Mountains again, I was still a little excited, and I felt sincerely that "if you don't go to Xinjiang, you don't know how big Xinjiang is".
We arrived in Yining on the afternoon of May 29. We took the No. 4 bus from the station square, 1 yuan/person, about 30 minutes, and arrived at a brand chain hotel in the urban area (Ctrip booking, 113 yuan/standard room). After checking in, take a short rest, then take bus No. 18, about 25 minutes, to the first goal of our trip, Yili River Scenic Area (ticket free) to watch the sunset.
When we came here, we found that the banks of the Yili River are being developed today, and they have long lost the originality and vastness of the previous (online beauty shoot). It is difficult to shoot a "big movie" that we are satisfied with completely avoiding buildings. Here, we also experienced the "infinite length" of the evening in Xinjiang. In order to see the moment when the sun went down from the Ili River, we waited here for more than 4 hours.
On May 30th, we walked to Ili Prefecture Passenger Transport Center and took a long-distance bus to Tekes County, 29 yuan per person, with a journey of more than 130 kilometers (I heard before that during the peak tourist season, Ili Prefecture Passenger Transport Center has buses to Kalajun Through train, upon inquiry, the answer is no). We arrived at the Tekes long-distance station and transferred to a 7-seater commercial vehicle to Kalajun at the station. The fee was 80 yuan per car (no passengers carpooled at that time). I found out later that as long as you leave the passenger terminal and take a taxi to the Kalajun Passenger Transport Center, the maximum is only 50 yuan. I can only blame myself for not doing my homework well!
There are two routes for tourists to enter the Kalajun Scenic Area (see the picture above), one is to take a yacht from the visitor center to visit the Kuokesu Grand Canyon, and then take the cableway to the Kalajun Grassland; First go to the Kalajun Grassland at the Braque Ticket Station, and then take the cableway to the Kuokesu Grand Canyon. Tickets for Kalajun and Kuokesu Grand Canyon can be purchased separately, and there are one-day one-way tickets and two-day joint tickets. We bought a double-day joint ticket, half price of 172 yuan for 60 years old, and we can take any transportation in the scenic spot repeatedly within two days. The Kalajun Scenic Area is indeed very large. It takes a lot of time to go through it and taste it. For tourists who only come here once in their life, the double-day joint ticket is undoubtedly the best choice.
We walked from the Kalajun Visitor Center to the Kalajun Reservoir Wharf, took a yacht into the Kuokesu Grand Canyon, and stayed in a yurt hotel in the scenic area. After a short rest, I went to the Crocodile Bay of the Kuokesu Grand Canyon and the human grassland with nine bends and eighteen bends.
Kala Jun" is called "the wilderness on the ridge" in Kazakh. It is the only grassland scenic spot among the many grasslands in Ili that has been listed as a world natural heritage. Kala Jun consists of East Kala Jun, West Kala Jun, Kuokesu Da The canyon is composed of three major scenic spots. Among them, the Kuokesu Canyon has steep cliffs, diverse landforms, and the magnificent scenery of the Kalajun grassland. From May to September every year, dozens of mountain flowers of different colors bloom in sequence. We say more.
The first stop of Kuokesu Grand Canyon, Crocodile Bay. But if you want to see the "crocodile", you have to go down to the bottom of this plank road, and it takes a lot of effort to go up and down.
Crocodile Bay is a section of the mountain that extends into the bend of the Kuokesu River. It is named for its resemblance to a crocodile.
Look at the nine bends and eighteen bends of the Kuokesu Grand Canyon from a distance.
Then, we came to the long-awaited Human Grassland Viewpoint (a small hill) to watch the sunset. At this time, the mountain bag is full of long guns and short cannons, and people are looking forward to the moment when the sun sets.
Two sturdy Kazakh herdsmen came on stage on horseback, and the curtain kicked off with the horses and sheep on the buttocks of the human grassland beauties.
The horses are chasing, and the sheep are running. As long as there is a photography group here, this show will be staged here. Here, photography enthusiasts frantically pressed the shutter for it. It is said that some people did not hesitate to take 10,000 pictures of it!
The following are a few photos of human grasslands taken with a SLR.
At 9 o'clock in the evening, the two herdsmen left the stage in high spirits amidst the warm greetings from the photographers.
Here, we "snatched" two beautiful women's buttocks in a row, and we also took pictures to our heart's content. It's just that the scenery is infinitely good, and the photos were not taken well.
At this time, Kuokesu had nine twists and eighteen bends, like a child who was left out in the cold. It's not that it's not beautiful enough, but that the human grassland is too eye-catching.
At night, we spent more than two hours in front of the yurt hotel taking photos of the starry sky.
On May 31, we took the cableway to the Kalajun Grassland. Below is the Kuokesu Grand Canyon, across the Kurdai River, and above is the Xikalajun Grassland.
Kalajun cableway station.
The Xikalajun Grassland is very large and there are many viewing spots. Due to time constraints, we only chose Wangyutai among them.
The biggest attraction of Wangyutai is that the horses, cattle and sheep here dare to get in touch with people.
Then, we came to the long-awaited East Kalajun Flower Terrace and its five-color flower field.
The endless grasslands, the flowers rushing to the face. Under the blue sky and white clouds, Kala Jun is so beautiful. People are rippling among the flowers, letting time flow.
Turn over the mountain ridge in front of you (about 3 kilometers round trip), and you will arrive at the famous five-color flower field. It is said that in the middle of May every year, there are colorful flowers blooming here, among which the orange and blue flowers are the largest and brightest.
Afterwards, we took the traffic bus from Falcon Terrace to Braque Ticket Station, transferred to the special line bus for scenic spots and returned to the visitor center, then took a taxi back to Tekes Bus Terminal, and took the last long-distance bus back at 9 o’clock that night. Yining. At this point, the two-day trip to Kala Jun ended.
On the morning of June 1, we took a through train from Yili Prefecture Passenger Transport Center to Sailimu Lake (14-seater Iveco, 40 yuan per passenger). The journey was 125 kilometers. The driver was nice. On the way, we stopped for everyone to watch the famous Guozigou Bridge and overlooking the beautiful Guozigou.
We arrived at the south gate of Sailimu Lake at 11:00 noon. The 13 tourists in the same car agreed with the driver's suggestion, and each person added 10 yuan. On the way back, we can detour (about 20 kilometers) Huiyuan ancient city and then return to Yining . The driver and everyone agreed that the return driving time is 5:00 p.m.
This is Sailimu Lake in Bozhou, Xinjiang, which is known as "the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean" at an altitude of 2,014 meters. At this moment, we stand on its shore.
Tickets for Sailimu Lake are 70 yuan, the scenic spot traffic car is 75 yuan for the whole journey (round trip from the south gate to the east gate), 45 yuan for the half journey (round trip from the south gate to the north gate), and half price for the age of 60.
Genghis Khan ordered the platform, overlooking most of Sailimu Lake.
There will always be people who don’t follow the time when traveling. The driver promised to drive at 5:00 p.m., but the car didn’t start until 6:30 p.m., and people kept asking to stop on the road, procrastinating all the way, and it was already 9:00 p.m. Thank you. Our original plan to go to the Ancient City Exhibition Hall and General Yili's Mansion fell through.
On June 2, we took the line bus from Yili Prefecture Passenger Transport Center (get on the bus outside the station, 12 yuan per person) to Huocheng Jieyou Lavender Garden (ticket 30 yuan per person, half price for 60 years old).
It is said that the best time to watch lavender here is in mid-June every year. We came more than ten days earlier, and the lavender we saw was not so bright.
After visiting the lavender garden, we took the shuttle bus to Khorgos Bus Station at the gate of the park (stop at waving, 15 yuan per person), arrived at Khorgos city at noon, and then walked 2 kilometers to Khorgos National port. The port in front of us belongs to the original port (the new port is under construction), and it is now closed to tourists (it is said that each person pays 100 yuan, and you can still enter with a travel agency). We can only take a photo in front of the port.
After leaving the port, we wandered aimlessly in the downtown area of Khorgos and had a good fast food for 15 yuan each. In the afternoon, take the train from Horgos Railway Station, 5 yuan per person for a hard seat, and return to Yining that night. At this point, the entire itinerary of the Ili River Valley is over.
On the morning of June 2, we took the morning long-distance bus from Yili Prefecture Passenger Transport Center to Nalati Town, the fare was 68 yuan, and the journey was 280 kilometers. After traveling through wind and rain all the way, I arrived at the Nalati Town Passenger Station at 1:00 pm that day, found a good accommodation 100 meters from the entrance of the Nalati Scenic Spot, and then went to the Nalati Sky Grassland. Tickets for the grassland in the air are 50 yuan + transportation vehicles are 40 yuan, half price for 60-year-olds.
Apple Mountain passing by on the way to the grassland in the air.
If the Kalajun Grassland is magnificent, then the Nalati Grassland is full of beautiful mountains and rivers.
It was already past 10 o'clock in the evening, and Nalati's sheep had finished work, and we returned to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain.
After that, we hiked back and forth for 2 kilometers, and came to the Gongnais River to take pictures of the sunset.
At this time, the beautiful town of Nalati was still dimly lit. We had dinner here, and it was nearly 12 o'clock at night when we returned to the inn.
On the morning of June 3, we took a bus from Nalati Bus Station to Bayinbulak Town (7-seater commercial vehicle, 80 yuan per person). Inadvertently, the driver drove the car into Duku Highway. Before, there were different opinions on whether Duku was opened; after opening, whether it is possible to directly cross the Lardun Daban (the most beautiful section of Duku) in the Gongnais Canyon, there are also many opinions. In this regard, we have been beating drums in our hearts. Now, we are standing on the most beautiful Tianshan Highway in China, and it can be said that it takes no effort!
In June, the Laldun Daban on the Duku Highway encountered an ice wall, a rare sight.
The most beautiful highway in China, as evidenced by pictures! . "Duko Complex" is the dream of many rangers. At this time, we have completed the first step of "walking to Duku, around the Tianshan Mountains to southern Xinjiang". The wish is fulfilled, and the expression is beyond words!
At noon, we arrived at the beautiful town of Bayin. Stay in a very good quasi-four-star hotel next to the tourist center of Bayanbulak Scenic Area. The standard room is 180 yuan, including two breakfasts. After a short rest, we then took a bus from the visitor center to the famous Swan Lake and Nine Bends and Eighteen Bends. Tickets for scenic spots are 120 yuan + transportation vehicles 60 yuan, half price for 60-year-olds.
This kind of seagull, which is called "skuas" from Northwest Lia, is bold by nature. As long as it sees food in people's hands, it will keep circling around you, and even dare to snatch food from your hands.
The famous Bayinla hot temple, time, we did not get off.
This is the end point of the traffic car in the scenic spot. There are still 4 kilometers to reach the Jiuqu and Eighteen Bends from here. Visitors can choose to walk, or take a battery car to and fro at 20 yuan/person or ride a horse for 120 yuan/person.
People who walk to the nine bends and eighteen bends are a beautiful landscape.
Bayinbulak Grassland is located at the south-central foot of the Tianshan Mountains and is the second largest grassland in my country after Hulunbuir. "Bayinbulak" means "rich mountain spring" in Mongolian. It is very rich in water resources. It is the birthplace of the famous Kaidu River and Kongque River, and the Tongtian River described in "Journey to the West". The source of Kaidu River twists and turns on the flat and vast Bayin Grassland, forming a magnificent scene of nine bends and eighteen bends. The famous sunset with nine bends and eighteen bends is even more amazing.
At this time, the people standing on the viewing platform were deeply attracted by the charming scene here, and many people were shivering from the severe cold in the evening.
Nine bends and eighteen bends shot by SLR.
The Bayinbulak Wetland Grassland, which is listed as a world natural heritage, is famous for its nine bends and eighteen bends. Its sunset scene is very shocking, and it is a place that countless photographers are fascinated by. We came for him to witness its majesty and magnificence. Faced with this situation, we can't help but ask ourselves "can it be more beautiful than this"!
The whole day on June 5th, we watched the scenery around the beautiful town of Bayin, the most leisure day of the trip.
The picturesque town of Bayinbulak can be described as a scene at every step.
On June 6, our original plan was to take the Duku Highway from Bayin Town to Kuqa. The whole journey is 225 kilometers. Before, I heard that there was a passing bus to Kuqa at Bayin Town Bus Station, but when we came here, we were told by the station manager that there never was! There are no other trains here except for the two line buses (14-seater Iveco, 65 yuan/person, 300 kilometers) to Hejing County every day. For this reason, we immediately chose to detour the Tianshan Mountains, from Hejing to Korla first, and then transfer to the train to Kuqa.
The shuttle bus runs along the Kaidu River in the Bayinbulak wetland prairie (take the National Highway 218 first, and then turn to the Provincial Highway 206). National Highway 218 is a scenic avenue in the Tianshan Valley in the central and southern regions. Because the scenery is so good, the driver is constantly asked to get out of the car to take pictures to see the scenery.
In the weather in June, there is still a large amount of snow on the banks of the Kaidu River.
The 300-kilometer journey from Bayin to Hejing completed the climate change from winter to summer. We were still wearing down jackets when we came out of Bayin, but when we arrived in Hejing, we changed into shirts impatiently. At the same time, we also completed the transition from the plateau oasis to the Gobi desert. In the evening, we took the train from Hejing to Korla (K6839, fare 7 yuan), and transferred from Korla to 7557 (hard sleeper 52 yuan), and arrived in Kuqa, South Xinjiang in the early morning of June 7.
After leaving the Kuqa Railway Station, we took a taxi for 10 yuan per person to the urban area, and checked into a hotel in the city center (130 yuan/standard room booked on Ctrip). Then went to the famous Kuqa Palace, Kuqa Old Town and Kuqa Great Temple. Kuqa Palace, tickets are 40 yuan/person.
Kuqa Zhaohuli Temple. The fee is 20 yuan per person.
The famous Kuqa Temple, tickets 40 yuan / person.
The Kuqa River is the Zimu River described in Journey to the West.
Kuqa Old Town, we visited here for 3 hours.
The sign gate of Kuqa National Unity Square.
Qiuci Cultural Square, its reliefs are quite Western style.
The old city of Kucha with a score of 4.5 on the Internet, when we took a taxi to go here, the driver stopped at the wrong place. With the help of a Uighur child, we finally found it in a bush.
At noon on June 7, we chartered a car for 350 yuan and took the Duku Highway again to the long-awaited Kuqa Grand Canyon.
Entering the Tianshan Mountains again, the Yadan and Danxia landforms unique to the southern Tianshan Mountains are presented one by one.
The journey takes about 2 hours and we arrive at the famous Kuqa Grand Canyon.
Beautiful scenery, beautiful people. The uninvited beauties added luster to the Kuqa Grand Canyon.
On the way to the ruins of the ancient city of Subashi and Kizil Beacon, we will meet Yadan again in Tianshan Mountain.
The saltwater ditch toll station is the gateway to Kuqa from the Duku Highway, a famous landmark. Here, we encountered a traffic jam of more than two hours and had to give up going to the ruins of the ancient city of Subash and the Kizil Beacon. At this point, the trip to Kuqa is over. That night, we left Kuqa for Kashgar by train (T9527, hard sleeper 172 yuan).
In the early morning of June 8, the train arrived in Kashgar. We took the No. 28 bus and walked in front of the station. It took about 40 minutes to arrive at a brand chain hotel in the west of the old city of Kashgar (booked by Ctrip, 136 yuan/standard room). After that, take the No. 29 bus to Xiangfei Tomb. Tickets for Xiangfei Tomb are 40 yuan, half price for 60-year-olds.
Xiangfei Cemetery is as quiet and beautiful as the beautiful legend of Xiangfei.
After visiting the Xiangfei Tomb, we took the No. 10 bus from the gate of the scenic spot to the east gate of the old city of Kashgar. Take a sightseeing bus from the east gate and return to the hotel from the west gate in the evening.
There is no charge for the old city of Kashgar, and it is 20 yuan per passenger by sightseeing bus.
"If you don't go to Kashgar, you don't count as going to Xinjiang", we are here for you!
A handsome young man in the ancient city of Kashgar.
The lovely children in the old city of Kashgar had a great time playing with tourists.
The old city of Kashgar is very big. We walked the streets in the old city for almost an afternoon. This is also a gathering place for Xinjiang delicacies. The authentic kebabs cost 3 yuan a piece, and you can eat as much as you want, just out of the oven. The baked naan is 1 yuan each (no one sells it, take it yourself), you can't finish it in one meal.
Unexpectedly, there are also Danxia landforms on the Pamirs, and the colors are very rich and bright.
The famous Baisha Lake, here, entered the hinterland of the Pamirs.
Baisha River, the Liusha River described in "Journey to the West", is the place where Tang Seng accepted his third apprentice, Monk Sha. This river is actually part of the Gezi River in Xinjiang.
200 meters ahead of the 98 kilometers of the Pamir tourist area is the destination of our trip. This is a dining and accommodation point on the way to Taxkorgan County. We gave the return ticket to the driver (a local convention), and after getting off the bus, we stayed at a herdsman's house by the road.
The China-Pakistan Highway is just outside the door of our accommodation, and we can clearly see Muztag Peak, known as the "Father of the Iceberg", and the famous Karakul Lake. The average altitude of the ground here is about 3,700 meters, and the climate is cold, with temperatures below zero in the morning and evening.
No one accepts tickets here. Under the vast snow-capped mountains and beside the great lake, there were only two of us, four yaks and a pair of camels that day.
A kind of stone that can be seen everywhere by Kahu Lake, as smooth as jade.
Here, there are K2 Peak at an altitude of 8,611 meters (the highest peak in the Pamirs) and Gongger Peak at an altitude of 7,752 meters. Together with the "father and two daughters of the iceberg", nine snow peaks above 6,000 meters above sea level are lined up. Their snow lines are all Above 4200 meters above sea level. Known as the Pamir Nine Mountains, the scenery is extremely spectacular.
This is the rare "Mustag Sunset", for which we have traveled thousands of miles. Unfortunately, at the moment when the sun was setting, dark clouds surged over the top of Muztag Mountain. It's a pity that we couldn't see the classic "Sunset Golden Mountain". However, if your expectations come true, you won't regret it when you come!
"Father of Iceberg" Muztag originated from a beautiful legend. Legend has it that Muztag was a kind father who had two beautiful daughters. Since the daughters went out for a long time and did not return, the father watched the direction of their travel and waited for their return. Over time, the severe cold of the Pamirs turned Muztag into an iceberg. After the daughters returned, they saw that their kind father had turned into an iceberg, and faced their father's reluctance to leave affectionately. Over time, they were also turned into the twin female peaks of "the father and two daughters of the iceberg".
In the early morning of the next day, the father of Bingshan, who has been shrouded in clouds and mists all year round, finally showed his respect.
Muztaq Peak is 7564 meters above sea level.
We spent the whole morning of June 11 wandering around Ka Lake. Enjoy the sights of plateau lakes and snow-capped mountains.
Today, the wind in Pamir is very small, and the rare Mustagh and Jiulianfeng are reflected in the calm Kahu Lake. This is a scene we never imagined. With this moment in front of us, all the hard work of traveling thousands of miles to come here is worth it!
At noon that day, we ended our two-day trip to Pamirs and returned to Kashgar by bus.
On the morning of June 12, we took the No. 4 bus to the Kashgar Museum. Unexpectedly, the museum was closed for renovation. I didn't see its rich and western-style collections, so I could only keep this photo in front of the door.
Afterwards, we walked about 3 kilometers from the Kashgar Museum along the Kashgar River to the Kashgar Banchao Memorial Park. Memorial Park free of charge, free explanation.
Ban Chao, Ban Dingyuan, this famous name. More than 2,000 years ago, the story of Ban Chao, a famous general of the Eastern Han Dynasty, led 36 capable ministers to the Western Regions to guard the frontier left a deep impression on us, and history will always remember it.
Tasting local delicacies is also one of our itineraries for this trip to Xinjiang. At noon that day, we went to a nice restaurant in downtown Kashgar for 58 yuan per person. We enjoyed a variety of Xinjiang cuisines, including special hot pots. There are more than 100 dishes. A buffet of dishes (many of which we cannot name or have never heard of) grown. Even if I have seen what is called Xinjiang cuisine, I also ate it to my heart's content.
On the morning of June 13th, we came to Kashgar Old Town and its famous Id Kah Mosque again.
On the square of Id Kah Mosque, a child had a great time playing with a group of pigeons.
This is the famous and the largest mosque in my country - Kashgar Id Kah Mosque. Tickets are 40 yuan.
Leisurely old Uighurs beside the mosque.
In the afternoon, we arrived at Kashgar Airport. At this time, there is one last expectation, which is "flying over Tianshan Mountain, overlooking Tianshan Mountain". We look forward to a wonderful ending!
Everything is possible. Not long after the plane took off, there was an exclamation in the cabin, and the vast Tianshan Mountains were impressively in front of us!
Someone in the cabin said (pictured above) that this is the main peak of the Tianshan Mountains, Tomur Peak at an altitude of 7,486 meters.
A deep canyon in the vast Tianshan Mountains.
The vast plains, oases, rivers and wetlands in the Tianshan Mountains.
Overlooking the magnificence of Tianshan Mountain is a rare opportunity in life! It's like a gift from God.
In the evening, the flight stops at Urumqi Airport.
The flight arrived at Beijing Airport in the middle of the night.
In the morning of the next day, we transferred from Beijing Airport to a flight back to Nanjing Lukou Airport.
The flight arrived at Lukou Airport. "Under the sea of clouds is a hometown, and a place with a home is like a paradise." With the excitement and fatigue of the journey, we are about to return to the origin of life. "Xinjiang is a good place, and there are many good places in Xinjiang." After the original trip to Xinjiang, Xinjiang was brought to an end. At this point, we changed our minds again. As long as there is an opportunity and impulse, we will definitely come to Xinjiang again!
(End) Jinling Lesou
