foreword

"Tour four seasons in one day, different days for ten miles, across canyons and forests, as well as snow-capped mountains and grasslands." Nature loves this land so much, giving her a unique and magnificent beauty, which makes wilderness travel so cool!

That's right! This is the Duku Highway, a unique and cool road!

Summer is coming, and on June 13, Duku Highway opened its enthusiastic arms to welcome the first batch of self-driving tourists in the country!

In order to provide more comprehensive services for tourists who drive on the Duku Highway, in June this year, the Duku Highway Tourist Service Center, the Duku Highway Base Camp located at the zero kilometer of the Duku Highway, was officially put into use. The opening ceremony of the 2020 "Journey to the Wilderness, There is a Road to Duku" sponsored by the Karamay Municipal Government was also held on June 13 at the newly built Duku Highway Tourist Service Center.

The center has functions such as quick line inquiry, weather and road condition consultation, and emergency rescue assistance. On the day of the opening ceremony of the Duku Highway, the Duku Highway Museum, which is rarely named after a highway in the country, will also officially open.

Xinjiang's latest official tourism policy for entering Xinjiang in June

Because of the well-known new crown epidemic, the epidemic prevention policy for entering Xinjiang from other places has been changing with the changes in the national epidemic situation. When this article was submitted, the latest official Xinjiang tourism policy for June was obtained:

1. Except for some parts of the three northeastern provinces, other places in China can enter Xinjiang by means of transportation.

2. Friends of Hubei and Guangdong nationality need to do a nucleic acid test in the local hospital (within 7 days), and after landing, they can enter Xinjiang normally after handing it over to the staff for review;

3. Friends from other low-risk areas do not need nucleic acid testing to get off the plane, and they can leave the airport directly after taking their body temperature.

In addition: the following cities and provinces have opened to the province in June: Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Xi'an, Gansu, Hainan, Xining, Ningxia, Shanxi, Hainan, Henan, Hunan, Fujian, Xinjiang, and Guangdong.

As I drove across the Duku Highway by myself in June 2019, combined with the above situation, I would like to provide a strategy for friends who are planning to drive on the Duku Highway by themselves.

Borrowing the northern section of the Duku Highway, Ili’s self-driving scenery is all in one go

Personnel: The starting point of this self-driving trip is Chengdu. Relatives and friends form a group by themselves. The members are distributed in a gradient from their 20s to their 60s, with 6 men and 7 women.

Fees: AA system, nearly 8,000 yuan per capita for the whole process - including round-trip transportation, Xinjiang self-driving car rental fees, fuel fees, tolls, board and lodging, scenic spot tickets, dry food, drinking water, fruits, and fines for driving violations.

Route: Chengdu - Lanzhou - Zhangye - Urumqi (all trains in this section). Self-driving starts from Urumqi—Shawan—Dushanzi—North Section of Duku Highway—Joerma—Tangbula—Huocheng—Horgos—Salimu Lake—Yining—Yizhao Highway—Zhaosu—Xia Tower—Tekesi—Jongkushtai—Tekesi—Gongliu Kurdening—Xinyuan—Tangbula—Joerma—Middle Section of Duku Highway—Bayinbulak—South Section of Duku Highway—Kuqa—Tarim Desert Highway—Korla—Ulu Buqi (International Grand Bazaar, Xinjiang Sweaty BMW Base)—Chengdu (flying).

Main self-driving destinations: Yili Prefecture + Bayingoleng Prefecture + Aksu Region. The Xinjiang prairie, the Grand Canyon, the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, river valleys, alpine meadows, forests, wetlands, Yadan, Hongshan landforms, deserts and other natural scenery are basically all in one go.

Main tourist destinations: Duku Highway + Yizhao Highway; Sailimu Lake, Huocheng Lavender, Kazanqi Folk Tourist Area, Zhaosu Grassland, Qiongkushi Terrace, Kurdening Scenic Area, Kurdening Arel Village Kazak Herdsmen Village, Baili Gallery, Qiaoerma Martyrs Cemetery, Bayinbulak Scenic Area, Kuqa Old Town, Tarim Desert Highway, Urumqi International Grand Bazaar, Xinjiang Sweaty BMW Base

Line and itinerary: June 14-16: Depart from Chengdu, train, Chengdu-Lanzhou-Zhangye-Urumqi, stay in Zhangye, Lanzhou for three days until Urumqi. There are different routes from all over the country to Urumqi, so this section is not comparable, so it is omitted.

The fourth day (June 17): At 10:00 in the morning, go through the car rental procedures and pick up the car at a car rental APP offline store at the train station (10:00 is their working time, and the car has been booked online in advance). At 11:00, depart from Urumqi and officially drive to Xinjiang.

Today’s route is Wushi—Shawan County, Tacheng District (Shawan Xinghua Village Dapanji head shop lunch, it is said that this is the birthplace of Xinjiang Dapanji)—Dushanzi—Northern section of Duku Highway—Qiaoerma— Baili Gallery—Stay in Tangbula Grassland Station.

About Tangbula, online encyclopedia says that it is a rock block, named Tangbula (Kazakh) because it looks like a jade seal. I searched all over the Internet, but I didn't see anyone claiming to have photographed "Yuxi".

In fact, to see Yuxi, in addition to the shape of the mountain, you must also have a specific time - the last glorious moment of the sunset, that is, you have to be on Tangbula Road around 22 o'clock; you must also rely on luck - only at sunset can the top of the mountain be dyed. The resemblance in shape and spirit of jade seals can only be seen if the golden light is brilliant. Let's see, did we manage the timing well + have good luck to see the real Tangbula——Yuxi?

The fifth day (June 18): Tangbula Grassland Station - Black Bee Town - Zeketai - Xinyuan - National Highway 218 - Huocheng, live in Huocheng. On this day, we traveled all the way along the Gongnais River, and there were lavender gardens everywhere along Huocheng. It was beautiful to take pictures of lavender at sunset.

Day 6 (June 19): Huocheng - Horgos Port. Instead of taking the high speed, visit the lavender manor along the provincial highway (10 yuan per person for ladies, free for men). At present, there is no sense of ritual at the Horgos Port, and there are almost no scenic spots, but it is possible to punch in a card. When you visit the international shopping mall, the products are so cheap. For example, it is said to be exported to Kazakhstan. It costs about 150 yuan a piece, and you can also bargain. The vodka produced in Kazakhstan has an amazing appearance. It's beyond common sense, so that I dare not do it.

At 6:00 p.m. Khorgos - Sailimu Lake (Lianhuo Expressway), visit Sailimu Lake, at 11:00 p.m. Lianhuo Expressway - Guozigou - Lucaogou.

There is a street of stir-fried lamb haggis in Lucaogou. The "stir-fried lamb haggis" and lamb soup high-pressure noodle slices here are very delicious, highly recommended! At 4 o'clock in the middle of the night, check into Yining Golden Tangnur Hotel.

When we went from Khorgos to Sailimu Lake, it happened to be covered by dark clouds, and the heavy rain poured down for half an hour, extinguishing the determination of most tourists to enter the scenic spot; at 19:00, the heavy rain turned to light rain, and at the last moment of stopping ticket sales, we walked together The 10 small partners gritted their teeth and paid, determined to become the "one muscle" of Saihu Lake in the rain. However, when I took the scenic bus to the three or four scenic spots in Saihu Lake, it was raining all the time, and most of my friends didn't dare to get off the bus. The driver asked if you still want to watch it next? Don't look, go home now. As a result, the "one muscle" insisted that the bus driver finish the scenic spot. Then, at 21:30, the spectacle of Saihu Lake appeared! Then, the setting sun lit up the whole lake like a spotlight! Then, a double rainbow appeared on the lake! Then, there is no more, because the friends have gone crazy——

The three of us in the same group chose to wait in the lobby because they had been to Saihu Lake before. At 22:00, we were really bored, the three of us walked out of the visitor center hall to smoke cigarettes, but everything in front of us was dumbstruck again—while it was raining densely, while the sky was full of red clouds! What are you still hesitating about? Hurry to the parking lot, take out the camera from the car, and record the colorful scenes of Sailimu Lake Visitor Center and its surroundings that 99.9999% of tourists have never seen before!

The seventh day (June 20): Make up for drowsiness until you wake up naturally. Visit Yining Kazanqi Folklore Tourist Area and start driving on the Yizhao Highway at 3:00 pm. Live in Zhaosu. Here, self-driving Yizhao Highway first navigates to Chabuchar, and then navigates to Baishifeng Scenic Area. As long as you see the S237 road stele on the side of the road, it means that it is the correct Yizhao Highway (there are many roads from Yining to Zhaosu, so don’t make a mistake).

For the details of the Yizhao Highway, there is already "I heard from others that looking at the pictures on the Internet is equal to zero. Only by driving yourself for a while will you know how ecstasy this road is!" 》Wentu, please enter if necessary.

Day 8 (June 21): Zhaosu County - Xiata Scenic Area (continuation of Provincial Highway 237) - Tekes (living). There is no need to enter the Xiata Scenic Area, but you can punch a card in front of the landmark building at the entrance of the Xiata Scenic Area to indicate that you have been there-this scenic spot is similar to Shuangqiaogou in Siguniang Mountain, Aba, Sichuan.

The Shater Ancient Road is just a legend, and there is no ancient road in the scenic area. Even if you have enough time to enter the scenic spot, you have to spend money to take the scenic spot traffic car to a hot spring hotel for transfer. From the gate to here, there are only Shenguishi/Shanshen Laoren/Xiaotian Dog and Quicksand Waterfall (actually, it is the trace of a landslide, but the landslide body From a distance, it looks like quicksand) and several other pictographic attractions. At the end of the traffic bus, you can either take another 50 yuan to take a battery car (round trip) or walk 5 kilometers to get to the "Frog Spring Viewpoint", and look at Bingdaban, the main ridge of Tianshan Mountain, which is 10 kilometers away in a straight line; if you want to go to Bingdaban Look, then you have to spend another 200 yuan to ride a horse to enter the Schatt Canyon until you touch the ice and snow at the foot of the Tianshan main ridge Bing Daban, traffic car + battery car + horseback riding, segmented billing, which link is missing, go in It's all useless, and it feels rather pitiful.

The main purpose of this day is to watch the prairie surrounded by Tianshan Snow Mountain in Zhaosu Basin, Zhaosu Wetland, Tianma Yuhe and various flower seas planted by the 75th Regiment without spending a penny. Other plants, we went too early, the flowers of these new plants have not yet bloomed, and July is at that time).

Beside the 70+km Zhaosu-Xiata Provincial Highway S237, if you see an obvious dirt road connecting S237 with the prairie and winding in the prairie, you can enter the prairie along the dirt road (but don’t turn out of the dirt road and press it Walk on the grassland, beware of being claimed), look for high places in the meadow, and sit and watch the Zhaosuma, brown cattle and big-ass sheep across the Tianshan Mountains.

Special reminder: On this section of the road, there is a place marked "Tianma Yuhe" (near Zhaosu Wetland Park). Every day at around 13 o'clock, there are many Tianma (Zhaosuma) from the racecourse in groups from all directions. Come to the river to take a bath, the scene is very spectacular, don't let it go. In addition, along the Zhaosu-Texas route, especially in a place called Wuertamisi Pastoral Village, there are more rapeseed flowers than in Zhaosu County. For dinner, the hand-caught mutton of the 78th regiment Erlian Qikilometer Resort is a specialty and must be tasted.

Ninth day (June 22) Bagua City Turks - Joan Kush Terrace. Qiongkushitai is currently relatively commercialized, with few aborigines. It is already the peak season at this time, and the price of homestays has risen. I feel that the price/performance ratio is very low, so I returned to Tekes County to live.

Joan Kush Terrace is an Internet celebrity, and a card is a must. This day's round trip is 160 kilometers, and the scenery is all on the road. The 80 kilometers of Tekes-Jongkush Terrace look like a scaled-down version of the Yizhao Highway. The scenery along the way is almost in line with the Kalajun Scenic Spot (it is on the back of Kalajun). There are several sections of the road that are 360 ​​degrees from the Duku Highway. The loop is very similar, known as "Little Duku", and self-driving is very exciting.

It's a pity that, living in the center of Tekes County, I didn't have the opportunity to see the whole picture of this famous gossip city. I heard from a well-qualified traveler in Xinjiang before that Turks prohibits drone flying and wants to watch gossip. The whole picture of the city can only be taken in a hot air balloon. After listening to it, I brought a drone and didn't dare to fly. However, on the last night of my stay in Turks, on the top floor of the Turks Bagua City Museum, I weakly asked the security guard upstairs: Is it possible to fly drones here? Answer: Absolutely no problem! Don't worry, when I went downstairs, I saw a policeman and asked again, and the answer was still affirmative: I can fly!

Day 10 (June 23): Turks—Kurdening Town, Gongliu County. Before, I contacted the head of Arel Village in Kurdening Town through a friend, and lived in his family’s large yurt for Kazakh herdsmen, with one room for each male and female, to experience the original ecological life of Kazakh herdsmen. 300 yuan/person, living and including three meals a day (Kazakh herdsmen food, especially the original ecological hand-caught lamb/kebabs are enough!). This fee includes taking us into the Kurdening Scenic Area by self-driving for free.

Among the many natural scenery in Ili, Kurdening is far less famous than Kalajun and Nalati, but it is the most concentrated distribution area of ​​Xueling spruce in the world, and it is also a "refuge" for many rare wild fruit trees.

Kurdenin means "Henggou" in Kazakh. In 2012, Kurdening Scenic Area was included in the "World Heritage List" by UNESCO and became an integral part of the West Tianshan World Natural Heritage Reserve. Therefore, it is very necessary to make a card here.

Day 11 (June 24): The village head of Arel Village in Kurdening has a very long name and can speak awkward Chinese. He told us to call him Nutai. On this day, the village chief asked for leave and led us to drive into the original pastoral area of ​​their village. On the high hills of their village, Kazakh songs are played, fresh mare milk is drunk, singing and dancing are far closer and more realistic than the Kurdish Forest Scenic Spot to see the Alpine Meadow/Snow Ridge Spruce Forest, especially the close-up view of Ili The highest peak of the Nalati Mountains in the Tianshan Mountains - Kabanbayi Peak. Because this day happened to be Monday, the village head took us to watch the regular flag-raising ceremony of the Kazakh herdsmen in their village every Monday. After dinner at the village head's house, go to Xinyuan County (live).

Arel Village in Kurdening Town and Kurdening Scenic Area are only separated by the Kurdening River. The terrain is on the upper reaches of the Kurdening River. The alpine meadow that can be reached by car + walk is 2000+ meters above sea level, which is higher than the Kurdening Scenic Area. It is surrounded by Kazakh herdsmen's pastures in Azel Village, with an open terrain, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and a very primitive ecological environment.

Viewing Kabanbayi Peak (4,257 meters above sea level), the highest peak of the Nalati Mountains in the Ili River Valley, from the commanding heights of this village is far more refreshing than the current AAAA-level Kurdening Scenic Spot, but if there is no village chief Nutai to lead the way, I would not Do not think.

According to the head of Nutai Village, last year CCTV Discovery and Discovery Channel filmed the world natural heritage of the West Tianshan Mountains first in the Kurdening Scenic Area, but it didn’t feel ideal. The best shooting location made CCTV shoot cool. He led the film crew to the pastoral area of ​​their village on a horse.

The head of Nutai village not only took us to see the most dazzling scenery of their village for free, but also asked his cousin to ride a horse with speakers and fresh mare's milk to the top of the mountain - singing Kazakh folk songs, drinking sour original mare's milk, learning Riding horses, learning Kazakh dance, watching his brothers speed horse races... The friends all said, so hi, this is the real in-depth tour of Ili!

postscript:

Yili is so beautiful, what you see and hear along the way, any place can become a chatterbox - as of this article, there are 6,000 words and 85 pictures, you have to read it, unless you plan to drive by yourself Take it as a reference sample or have full Full of love... Well, I will cut it off from now on. The next part starts from Xinyuan and goes south. The route is Xinyuan County - Zeketai - Black Bee Town - Baili Gallery - Qiaoerma - Middle Section of Duku Highway - Bayinbulak —Southern Section of Duku Highway—Kuqa—Tarim Desert Highway—Korla—Urumqi (International Grand Bazaar/Xinjiang Sweaty BMW Base), if you like, please pay attention!