Northern Xinjiang Travel Journal2026

Preface

After the May Day holiday, I returned from my hometown to Shanghai and could already feel summer approaching. It was time to go to Northern Xinjiang, where spring was warm and flowers were blooming 😄

Last September and October, I visited Northern and Southern Xinjiang respectively to enjoy the autumn colors. Back then, I told myself I must come back to Sayram Lake when it was full of flowers. And here I am!

I arranged my work handover on Thursday, took two days off, and combined them with the weekend. Here was my itinerary:

1. Day1 Friday Fly from Shanghai to Urumqi, then take a high-speed train from Urumqi to Bole
2. Day2 Saturday Get up early in Bole and head to Sayram Lake, then take a car to Yining in the evening
3. Day3 Sunday Join a one-day round-trip tour from Yining to Nalati Grassland
4. Day4 Monday Take an early high-speed train from Yining to Urumqi, have a meal and a short walk around Urumqi, then fly back to Shanghai

Day1 Shanghai-Bole

I booked a ride-share last night. The driver was a middle-aged man. He asked what time my flight was, and I said it was a 6:30 domestic flight. He said picking me up at 5:15 would be perfectly fine. It was indeed fine, but a little tight. Boarding had already started when I arrived at the airport.

The flight took five hours. I slept for about an hour and a half, then could not fall asleep again. I was like a caterpillar, twisting every now and then, otherwise sitting for too long made my whole body uncomfortable. It was cloudy today, and for most of the flight I could only see thick clouds outside the window.

After landing in Urumqi, the temperature was around 8 °C. I took out my thick jacket at the airport to avoid catching a cold. I took the airport bus to the high-speed railway station. The ticket was 20 yuan. It was still a bit warm inside the bus. After arriving at the station, I went upstairs to KFC for lunch. I had actually already eaten brunch on the plane, but since I would be on the road for a long time in the afternoon, it felt better to fill my stomach again.

I bought a coffee at KFC, went downstairs, and boarding had just started. Along the way, I could see the endless snow-capped Tianshan Mountains and the Gobi desert at their foothills most of the time.

Sitting by the window, with sunlight shining through the glass, I suddenly felt dazed for a moment and forgot whether this was a dream or reality.

Arrived in Bole! I took a taxi to the hotel. It was still early, but after spending the whole day on the road, I no longer had the energy to wander around. Tonight’s room was on the 16th floor, with a great view. The west-facing window was perfect for watching the sunset.

Xinjiang time feels about three hours later than Shanghai, and sunset was not until around 21:30. I ordered takeout, showered, did laundry, and booked the Sayram Lake shuttle car on WeChat with the same driver I rode with last year.

The sunset was beautiful.

Day2 Sayram Lake

I got up early, and the driver came to pick me up. Three people in the car had taken the overnight train from Urumqi to Bole. I did the same last year. Surprisingly, nobody was sitting in the front passenger seat. Haha, just like last year, I got that seat again. It really felt surreal.

The driver asked if we wanted breakfast. I said yes, since it was too early for the hotel breakfast. Some passengers in the back hesitated a little, just like I did last year, probably worried about being taken to some shady restaurant and overcharged. Haha. There was no need to worry at all. I ate even more than my usual breakfast and only spent 10 yuan. By the way, breakfast milk tea in Xinjiang is salty. I am not used to it 😄.

Seeing the wind turbines means we are almost there

When we arrived at Sayram Lake, the driver asked if we wanted to drive around the lake ourselves, 150 yuan per person. The price was actually okay, but I prefer stopping and walking around on my own, so I went to the visitor center and took the sightseeing bus.

This was my second time at Sayram Lake, and there were some places where I did not get off last year that I wanted to see this time.

Santai Ancient Post Station

The first stop was Santai Ancient Post Station.

The morning light was from the right direction, and the mist had not risen yet. I could see the clear, transparent lake water, and the snow-capped mountains in the distance were also extremely sharp.

Songshutou

Songshutou. Last year, I took the left-side boardwalk and climbed to the top to see Guozigou Bridge. This year I skipped the climb and went to the other side to enjoy the lake view.

The yellow wildflowers on the hillside were blooming everywhere. It felt so much like spring, full of vitality. Sunlight, snowy mountains, flowers, and the lake. So beautiful.

After coming down from the viewing platform, I bought a naan. It was delicious. I sat by the lake for a while. By then, a bit of mist had started rising from the lake.

Jinhua Zihui

I took the shuttle bus to Jinhua Zihui. This is the stop with the popular lighthouse. But I did not see any purple flowers here. Maybe it was still too early in the season.

Kele Yongzhu

The next stop was Kele Yongzhu, where there were many swans. Some tourists were feeding them naan. Besides swans, I also saw ducks, the flying kind. When I came last autumn, I only saw seagulls and no swans. This time there were only swans and no seagulls.

I looked up and saw a big swan. It looked like flying was rather hard work.

The big swan landing.

The water of Sayram Lake is very cold. I really admire these swans and ducks.

West Sea Grassland

West Sea Grassland. There was a little dog sleeping. I made a little clicking sound, and it raised its head to glance at me, then lay back down and kept sleeping.

Who called me?

Tian’e Leshui

Arrived at Tian’e Leshui. There were no swans here, but on the other side of the road, the snow-capped mountains felt closer. The view was open, beautiful, and magnificent.

There was a “snow mountain” by the lake.

Dianjiangtai

Arrived at Dianjiangtai. Climbing up gives another overlook of Sayram Lake. The view is great, and the lake water is incredibly blue. There is a Dicos and boat rides here.

By the lake
Dianjiangtai

Someone was parachuting in the sky.

Qinshuitan

The next stop was Qinshuitan. I sat on the sandy, actually rocky, beach by the lake and chatted for a while with a university student from Hubei. This place is really perfect for zoning out.

Blue Sayram Lake, like the sea.

After that I did not go to any more stops and returned to the visitor center. There are many hotels near the East Gate Visitor Center of Sayram Lake, and it has already started to look like a small town.

Tonight I planned to go to Yining. The official bus was full, so I took a shared business van.

On the way, we passed Guozigou Bridge. One section of the road was under construction, so there was a bit of traffic. For a long stretch, the road was inside a canyon, where we could enjoy the canyon scenery, as well as herders and cattle and sheep on the mountains.

It was almost 10 p.m. when I arrived in Yining. I planned to visit one of the grasslands in Ili the next day. I wanted to see a grassland with a stream, so after briefly looking at some photos posted online, I decided to join a one-day tour to Nalati Grassland.

The tour offered departure from either Yining Railway Station or the bus station. For convenience, I stayed tonight at a local non-chain hotel near the railway station. The actual stay was very nice, and I slept well.

Day3 Nalati Grassland

Got up early. The hotel breakfast had not started yet, so I simply ate some small bread and went to the railway station to wait for the tour bus.

I signed up for a large 50-person group, but there were actually only 17 people today, so the agency changed us to a midibus.

There were also beautiful views on the way to Nalati. At first everyone was sleepy and slept for about two hours. On the bus, I heard a few people speaking a dialect. The more I listened, the more familiar it sounded, and then I realized they were speaking Hakka. I am Hakka too. I asked and found out they were from the city next to my hometown. Haha, what a coincidence. I also asked whether they eat taro dumplings, and they said yes. Seems like Hakka eating habits are quite similar, especially since we are not that far apart.

We took a short break at Mus Service Area, then continued on.

The guide explained today’s schedule and reminders to us, then chatted with the other travelers. The atmosphere was nice.

After arriving in Nalati Town, we went to lunch first. My expectations for this group meal were zero, and because I had no expectations, it actually tasted okay, not that bad.

After lunch, we went to the Nalati Scenic Area, and the guide bought tickets for us. Most people in our group went to the Valley Grassland, while I and three others went to the Sky Grassland.

We took the scenic sightseeing bus to the first stop. The bus speaker played an introduction to the Nalati Scenic Area.

Even from the bus, I could already see the green meadows covering the mountains.

The story of the Nalati beekeeper is a poignant Xinjiang love legend, originating from the viral online song “The Shepherd of Koktokay” and its response song “The Beekeeper of Nalati.” It tells of two wandering souls who met and fell in love in Xinjiang, only to miss each other because of life’s realities.
http://grassland.china.com.cn/2021-01/08/content_41420710.html

Tianjietai

The first stop was a viewing platform overlooking Nalati Grassland. It was vast and spectacular. You can take a cable car up here, though it was not open today, and also play grass sliding here, which was not open today either.

From here, you can overlook Nalati Town.

Tianmutai

The second stop was the grassland. It was closer to the snow-capped mountains here.

The clouds in the sky looked like feathers

Nomadic Family

The third stop was Nomadic Family. There was milk tea and hot food here. You could also pay extra to take a sightseeing bus to Xuelian Valley. I did not plan to go. I only wanted to walk along the stream.

There was a popular photo bridge here, and many people were lining up to take pictures.

The farther I walked upstream along the creek, the fewer people there were. The stream, blue sky, pine trees, and snow-capped mountains were so beautiful!

There were so many little flowers blooming, and eagles circling in the sky.

At 4:20, I started walking back and took the sightseeing bus from the Nomadic Family stop to the visitor center. The guide had estimated we should return to the visitor center by 5:30, and I arrived exactly at 5:30. I remembered seeing a KFC at the visitor center, so I opened the app to see what I could order. Hey, guess what I saw? A 10-yuan afternoon tea deal with the Dashen Card! I will love KFC forever 🥹 I ordered chicken nuggets and a triple-lemon tea, leaving a note to pick it up 25 minutes later. When I arrived at the KFC in the visitor center, the nuggets were packed for me on the spot. Good, good, very good 👍!

Returning to Yining

Sky Grassland is farther than Valley Grassland, so the guide thought we would get back to the visitor center later. In the end, the four of us were the earliest ones back. We waited in the bus for a while, and at about 6:20 everyone had arrived, so we headed back.

I enjoyed the grasslands and valleys along the way the whole time. The scenery was beautiful too. Watching cattle, sheep, and horses grazing made me feel completely relaxed.

As we got closer to Yining, the grasslands by the road slowly turned into Gobi desert.

I saw a beautiful sunset at the service area.

Tonight I stayed at the same hotel as last night. I originally planned to visit a nearby night market, but considering I had to take a train tomorrow morning and had already spent a lot of energy on the road today, I decided to rest early.

When I checked in tonight, the front desk upgraded my room. The whole room had smart controls. Very nice.

Day4 Yining-Urumqi-Shanghai

Got up, washed up, and had breakfast. Then I walked to Yining Station and took a high-speed train of about five hours to Urumqi.

It was already after 2 p.m. when I arrived in Urumqi, but here, a little after 2 is just lunchtime. The weather was great today. I planned to go see the Hongguangshan Giant Buddha, so after leaving the railway station, I took a taxi to a restaurant near Hongguangshan for lunch.

This was a very “Xinjiang” restaurant. I ordered lamb polo, yogurt, and two lamb skewers for 49 yuan in total. Everything was delicious! I was so full!

I felt the lamb polo was even better than the one I had on Hotan Second Street last year, and the price was good too. I saw someone next to me order stir-fried meat noodles, and there was so much meat that I got tempted just looking at it.

Hongguangshan

After eating my fill, I walked to Hongguangshan. At the entrance, an older man driving a sightseeing electric cart was calling for passengers. I asked, and it was 5 yuan. Pretty good, saved me the walk. I got on and went straight to the entrance of the Giant Buddha Temple.

From the entrance, you could already see the Giant Buddha and snow-capped mountains in the same frame. Today was sunny, and the Buddha shone golden in the sunlight. Up close, it looked majestic.

I bought two keychains, then took a taxi to the airport.

It was not far, and I arrived quickly. The taxi cost a little over 20 yuan, which was nice. After all, the airport bus costs 20 too, and taking the subway would have been too much hassle. I was not in a huge rush, but not idle enough for that either 😂

Departure hall
My blog

After security, I bought a cup of milk tea to drink on the plane, and also Tianrun yogurt. Delicious and not expensive.

After sitting for a while, it was time to board. The weather was good today, so I deliberately chose a window seat. Before leaving, I could take another look at the snow-capped mountains. When flying to the northwest, do not miss the view outside the window. It is basically National Geographic, visible to the naked eye.

Bogda Peak

Reflections

• Xinjiang is huge
  I spent a lot of time on the road.

• The air is very dry
  Do not suddenly open your mouth too wide, or your lips will probably crack 😂 Apply plenty of hand cream. It is really, really, really dry.

• The sunlight is strong and dazzling
  Protect yourself from the sun, and it is best to bring sunglasses.

• Add layers in the morning and evening
  The temperature difference between day and night is large, so dress carefully to avoid catching a cold.

• No traps
  Personally, I have had great experiences with tour groups in Northwest China. They did not take us shopping or make us buy weird things. It was simply a travel group, and the guide’s advice was practical too.

Expenses

Finally

Although the time was tight, and I spent a lot, a lot of time on the road, and my body may have been completely exhausted, my mood was incredibly relaxed. The weather was also very good, sunny every day.

I do not know how many more chances I will have to travel this year, because airport construction fees and fuel surcharges for flights have gone up a lot, making it less cost-effective.

See you in the next travel journal 👋