Xinjiang: Ürümqi, Turpan, Kashgar, Karakul Lake and Kanas

Xinjiang is the size of Western Europe, and a trip that reaches both its corners needs flights. Ürümqi has the Heavenly Lake in the Tianshan; Turpan, an hour away, the ruined city of Jiaohe and vineyards watered by underground channels. Kashgar, at the far west, is the Central Asian city of the old town, the livestock market and the Id Kah mosque, and the Karakoram Highway runs from it to Karakul Lake under Muztagh Ata. Kanas, in the Altai at the far north, is a lake among larches that turn gold in late September.

Day by day

Laid out by the atlas's trip planner from the stops below, with the trains and flights in its tables; open it on the map to change the days, the order or the stops.

1. Day 1 · Ürümqi

   • Heavenly Lake of Tianshan

2. Day 2 · Turpan

   • High-speed train Ürümqi South → Turpan North, 51 min (D8814, 29 a day); about 1 hour door to door, ¥49. Compare ways
   • Turpan & Jiaohe Ruins

3. Day 3 · Turpan

   • Turpan & Jiaohe Ruins continued

4. Day 4 · Kashgar

   • Flight Turpan Jiaohe (TLQ) → Kashgar Laining (KHG), 3 h 35 min in the air; about 6 hours door to door, about ¥710.

5. Day 5 · Kashgar

   • Kashgar Old City

6. Day 6 · Kashgar

   • Kashgar Old City continued

7. Day 7 · Kashgar

   • Karakul Lake & Karakoram Highway

8. Day 8 · Kashgar

   • Karakul Lake & Karakoram Highway continued

9. Day 9 · Burqin

   • Flight Kashgar Laining (KHG) → Burqin Kanas (KJI), 2 h 24 min in the air; about 5 hours door to door, about ¥760.

10. Day 10 · Burqin

    • Kanas Lake

11. Day 11 · Burqin

    • Kanas Lake continued

Why this order

Turpan is a train hop from Ürümqi, Kashgar needs a flight or an overnight train, and Kanas is a flight back through Ürümqi, so the route goes out west, back to the hub, and up north.

When to go

September is the month: grapes in Turpan, the Kashgar markets, and the larches at Kanas turning; June is green and long-lit. Turpan is too hot in July and August.

Good to know

• Kashgar’s livestock market is on Sundays; plan the week around it.
• Karakul Lake is at 3,600 m and needs a border-area permit, which a Kashgar agency arranges in a day.
• Kanas is a long way from Burqin’s airport; the park bus and a night in the lake village save a dawn drive.

Before you go

• Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
• Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
• Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
• Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
• Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
• When to go When is the best time to visit China?

On the map

The map opens with these 5 stops in a trip; "Plan my days" lays out the same days and lets you move stops, change the days each gets, or choose where you arrive and leave.

Other trips

• The Silk Road by train: Xi’an to Dunhuang, Turpan and Ürümqi 11 days · Xi'an, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan and Ürümqi
• Tibet: Lhasa, Namtso and Everest Base Camp 7 days · Lhasa and Shigatse