Your guide and driver will pick you up at Urumqi airport. Transfer to the hotel,

after check-in, you could have dinner in old town may be a little walk (Optional).

After breakfast, embark on a scenic journey north and arrive in Burqin by late afternoon and head straight to the Colorful Beach along the Irtysh River.

Colorful Beach

Enter the legendary Kanas Nature Reserve, home to China’s most beautiful lake. Hike the Three Bays—Moon Bay’s perfect crescent, Dragon Bay’s misty peninsulas, and Immortal Bay’s mirror-like waters—framed by Siberian spruce forests.

Kanas

Drive to Hemu Village, a fairy-tale settlement of log cabins and grazing horses set in a sun-drenched valley. Ride the Jijiekelin Cable Car for panoramic views of the Altai Mountains’ golden meadows. Savor a rustic lunch with a local Tuvan family before an evening of stargazing.

Hemu

Return to Burqin and witness the Colorful Beach at sunset. This masterpiece of desert geology dazzles with lava formations in crimson, ochre, and emerald along the Irtysh River. Walk the boardwalks as shifting light transforms the landscape into a painter’s palette—a photographer’s dream.

Colorful Beach

Journey through the Gobi to Urho Ghost City, where fierce winds have sculpted eerie sandstone towers and mysterious formations. Feel the desert’s power as you wander this dramatic, silent cityscape. Arrive in Karamy, an oil boomtown, for a modern contrast with regional cuisine.

Urho Ghost City

After breakfast, ascend to the “Last Tear of the Atlantic”—Lake Sayram. At 2,070 meters altitude, this alpine lake mirrors the snow-capped Tian Shan peaks in its crystalline waters. Stroll along the shore where wildflowers dance in the breeze and Kazakh yurts dot the grasslands. Here, heaven and earth merge in perfect harmony, creating a sanctuary for the soul.

Lake Sayram

Begin with sunrise over the lake’s turquoise waters, then cross the breathtaking Guoziguo Pass (Fruit Valley), a historic Silk Road corridor with dramatic switchbacks and panoramic vistas. (In June, visit the Lavender Farm.)

Yining

Drive to the Kalajun Grassland, part of the vast Ili grasslands renowned for their rolling hills carpeted with wildflowers. Hike through the red sandstone depths of Koksu Canyon, a hidden geological wonder. In Tekes, explore Tekes Li Street, the heart of the unique Bagua (Eight Trigrams) city layout—an ancient design where every road radiates from a central park, creating a perfect urban mandala.

Kalajun Grassland

Visit Xiata Canyon, an ancient Silk Road gorge where rugged red cliffs tower above the Xiata River. Continue to Zhaosu Wetland Park, a high-altitude haven where Kazakh herders graze their flocks along marshy meadows with the snow-draped Tian Shan as backdrop.

Zhaosu Wetland Park

After breakfast, enter the “Sky Grassland” of Nalati, where nomadic Kazakh culture thrives. Ride horses across endless meadows dotted with wildflowers, listen to traditional dombra music, and witness eagle hunting demonstrations. The grassland seems to touch the clouds, offering a glimpse into millennia-old pastoral traditions.

Sky Grassland

Today traverse the legendary Duku Highway, one of China’s most scenic drives. This engineering marvel climbs from grassland plateaus over 3,400-meter passes, plunging through dramatic gorges and alongside glacial streams. Every turn reveals a new ecosystem—alpine meadows, fir forests, and stark desert badlands. Arrive in Dushanzi by evening.

Duku Highway

Morning visit to the Dushanzi Grand Canyon and talk the glass bridge for vertigo-inducing views, or hike the rim trails to photograph the striated canyon walls. Return to Urumqi and dive into the International Grand Bazaar for final shopping—haggle for silk scarves, dried apricots, and hand-forged knives while savoring street food under ornate Islamic archways.

International Grand Bazaar

After breakfast, transfer to Urumqi airport for your onward flight, carrying memories of alpine lakes, desert wonders, and Silk Road warmth. Safe travels home!