The Flaming Mountains (Huoyan Shan) near Turpan are one of Xinjiang’s most recognizable landmarks. Learn why they’re red, when to visit, and how to combine them with nearby Jiaohe Ruins.
Why the Kizil Caves Matter
Most foreign travelers who make it to Xinjiang head straight for Kashgar’s Old City or the alpine mirror of Kanas Lake
At 2,073 metres (6,801 ft) in the Bortala–Ili corridor, Sayram Lake (赛里木湖) is Xinjiang‘s largest alpine lake — and it doesn’t behave like any lowl…
If Kanas Lake is the “scenic lake” of the Altai circuit, Hemu Village (禾木) is the timber soul. Plan your Xinjiang trip with our expert guide.
Few places on Earth make you feel as though you have driven off the map quite like Karakul Lake. Plan your Xinjiang trip with our expert guide.
At 2,073 meters above sea level, cradled in the Bortala–Ili corridor of northwest Xinjiang, Sayram Lake (赛里木湖) sits like a sapphire set in a ring of sno…
Few places on Earth make you feel as though you’ve driven off the map quite like Xinjiang’s Karakul Lake. Cradled at 3,600 meters (11,800 ft) on the Pamir Plateau—often called “The Roof of the World”—this glacial lake mirrors the snow-white massif of Muztagh Ata (7,546 m / 24,757 ft), known to locals as the Father…
Sayram Lake alpine water reflection at sunrise
Sayram Lake ring road panoramic view with Tianshan mountains
Sayram Lake shore with Kazakh yurt and grass. Plan y
At 2,073 meters above sea level in the Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Sayram Lake (赛里木湖) stands as Xinjiang’s largest alpine lake — a vast sapphi…
Straddling the Altai Mountains on Xinjiang’s northern rim, Kanas Lake (喀纳斯湖) has earned a reputation that precedes it: “God’s Garden