Itinerary
Quick Answer: A 2-week Xinjiang itinerary is the ideal duration to cover both northern highlights (Kanas, Hemu, Burqin) and southern Silk Road cities (Kashgar, Tashkurgan, Turpan). Start in Urumqi, head north for 4 days, fly south to Kashgar for 4 days, then loop back through Turpan. Budget approximately ¥12,000–18,000 per person including transport, accommodation, and meals.
Xinjiang is China's largest province-level region, and it contains some of the most dramatic landscapes and culturally rich cities in all of Central Asia. Travelers who attempt to explore it quickly realize that a week is simply not enough. The distances are enormous—Urumqi to Kashgar alone spans over 1,300 kilometers—and the diversity of experiences demands time to absorb. That is why a 14-day itinerary represents the sweet spot for anyone who wants to see both the alpine scenery of northern Xinjiang and the ancient Silk Road heritage of the south.
This guide lays out a day-by-day plan that covers every major highlight: the turquoise waters of Kanas Lake, the log-cabin village of Hemu, the living history of Kashgar's Old City, the towering Pamir plateau at Karakul Lake, and the sun-baked ruins and vineyards of Turpan. Whether you are planning a private tour or an independent adventure, this itinerary gives you a proven framework that balances travel time with exploration.
For broader context on visiting the region, start with our comprehensive Xinjiang travel guide for 2026. If you have fewer days, our 10-day Xinjiang itinerary trims this route while preserving the essential experiences.
| Day | Location | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urumqi | Arrive, Xinjiang Regional Museum | Urumqi |
| 2 | Urumqi → Burqin | Koktokay Geopark, drive north | Burqin |
| 3 | Kanas Lake | Kanas Lake viewpoints, lakeside trails | Kanas |
| 4 | Hemu Village | Sunrise, Hemu Village, Tuva culture | Hemu |
| 5 | Burqin → Urumqi | Return flight or drive, Colorful Beach | Urumqi |
| 6 | Urumqi → Turpan | Flaming Mountains, Grape Valley, Karez Wells | Turpan |
| 7 | Turpan → Kuqa | Tianshan Grand Canyon, Kizil Caves | Kuqa |
| 8 | Kuqa → Kashgar | Flight to Kashgar, evening bazaar | Kashgar |
| 9 | Kashgar | Old City, Id Kah Mosque, Sunday Market | Kashgar |
| 10 | Kashgar → Tashkurgan | Karakoram Highway, Karakul Lake | Tashkurgan |
| 11 | Tashkurgan → Kashgar | Stone Fort sunrise, return drive | Kashgar |
| 12 | Kashgar → Hotan | Jade market, Sunday bazaar, silk workshops | Hotan |
| 13 | Hotan → Urumqi | Flight, Grand Bazaar, shopping | Urumqi |
| 14 | Urumqi | Depart | — |
Your journey begins in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang and the most common gateway city for international and domestic travelers. Urumqi Diwopu International Airport receives direct flights from major Chinese cities as well as connections from Central Asian capitals. Plan to arrive in the morning or early afternoon so you have time for at least one cultural stop.
The Xinjiang Regional Museum is the top pick for your first afternoon. It houses the famous Tarim mummies, including the 3,800-year-old Yingpan Man, along with extensive exhibits on Silk Road trade, ethnic minority cultures, and regional archaeology. Admission is free, and two to three hours is enough to see the highlights. If the museum is closed (it shuts on Mondays), stroll through the Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar instead, where you can sample dried fruits, naan bread, and roasted lamb skewers.
Check into your hotel and rest. Jet lag and the two-hour time difference between Xinjiang and Beijing (though the entire country uses Beijing time officially, Xinjiang operates informally on UTC+6) can make the first day feel longer than it is. See our guide on where to stay in Xinjiang for hotel recommendations at every budget level in Urumqi.
Day 2 marks the start of your northern adventure. The drive from Urumqi to Burqin covers approximately 620 kilometers and takes about eight hours. Break up the journey at Koktokay (Keketuohai) National Geopark, where the Irtysh Grand Canyon features granite cliffs above a turquoise river framed by birch and larch forests. The iconic Bell-Shaped Mountain and Shenzhong Mountain formations are the highlights.
Continue north to Burqin. If you arrive before sunset, head to Colorful Beach (Wucaitan), 25 kilometers north of town, where Yardang landforms glow in shades of red, orange, and gold at sunset. Grab dinner at the Burqin night market, where grilled fish from the Irtysh River is the local specialty.
From Burqin, drive about 140 kilometers north into the Altai Mountains to reach Kanas Lake, one of China's most celebrated natural wonders. The lake sits at 1,374 meters elevation and stretches 24 kilometers through a glacial valley surrounded by Siberian taiga—the only ecosystem of its kind in China. The water shifts from deep emerald to milky turquoise depending on glacial sediment flow.
Take the scenic shuttle bus along the lake's western shore, stopping at several viewpoints. The Guanyu Pavilion (Fish-Watching Pavilion) at the northern tip offers the most expansive panorama. Hike the boardwalk from Wolong Bay to Moon Bay, a roughly two-hour walk through stunning forest scenery. Stay overnight near the Kanas scenic area entrance.
Wake early and drive roughly 60 kilometers east to Hemu Village, a settlement of the Tuva people nestled in a broad river valley. Hemu is famous for its traditional log cabins, morning mist that blankets the valley at dawn, and the surrounding birch forests that explode into golden color in September and early October.
Climb the hillside observation platform before sunrise to capture the iconic view: wisps of fog drifting between wooden houses, with golden birch trees and snow-dusted peaks in the background. After sunrise, spend the morning wandering the village on foot. Visit a Tuva family to learn about their nomadic heritage, sample traditional milk tea and bursak (fried dough), and browse the small craft shops selling feltwork and carvings.
In the afternoon, you can hike to the nearby Hemu Grassland or ride a horse along the river valley. The pace here is deliberately slow. Hemu rewards those who linger. Stay overnight in Hemu in one of the log-cabin guesthouses.
After breakfast in Hemu, drive back to Burqin and onward to the Altay or Kanas airport for a return flight to Urumqi. The flight takes roughly 90 minutes and saves a full day of driving. If flights are unavailable, you will need to drive back, which takes a full day—depart early.
If you arrive by early afternoon, visit Tianchi (Heavenly Lake), a stunning alpine lake 110 kilometers east of Urumqi. Otherwise, relax and prepare for the southern leg of your journey. Check our Xinjiang transportation guide for details on domestic flights and overland options.
Day 6 begins the southern leg. Take the high-speed train or drive east to Turpan, roughly 180 kilometers and 90 minutes by train or three hours by road. Turpan sits at 154 meters below sea level in one of Earth's lowest basins, and summer temperatures regularly exceed 40°C.
Visit the Flaming Mountains, rust-red sandstone ridges made famous by Journey to the West, then head to Grape Valley, an oasis corridor where local Uyghur families offer fresh fruit and dried fruit tastings in shaded courtyards.
In the afternoon, explore the Karez Wells, an ancient underground irrigation system sustaining Turpan's agriculture for over 2,000 years. The Karez Museum lets you walk through a section of underground tunnel. Also visit the Emin Minaret, Xinjiang's tallest at 44 meters, built in 1778. Stay overnight in Turpan.
On Day 7, drive southwest to Kuqa, the site of the ancient kingdom of Qiuci (Kucha). The journey covers approximately 480 kilometers and takes about six hours. If driving via the Duku Highway (seasonal, open roughly June through September), you will pass through spectacular Tianshan mountain scenery.
Your main destination is the Tianshan Grand Canyon, a narrow red sandstone gorge where walls tower 200 meters overhead in shades of crimson, ochre, and burnt sienna. Plan to spend about two hours inside. If time allows, also visit the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, 60 kilometers west of Kuqa. These Buddhist cave temples date from the 3rd to 8th centuries and predate the famous Mogao Caves at Dunhuang. See the Wikipedia entry on Kizil Caves for the full history. Stay overnight in Kuqa.
Fly from Kuqa to Kashgar on a short domestic flight lasting about 70 minutes. This saves an exhausting 12-hour drive across the Taklamakan Desert's northern and western rim. Kashgar is the cultural heart of southern Xinjiang, a city where Central Asian, Persian, Turkic, and Chinese influences have blended for more than two millennia.
After checking into your hotel, head straight to the Kashgar Old City for an evening walk. The narrow alleys, ornate doorways, and the sound of craftsmen at work create an atmosphere found nowhere else in China. Stop at a local teahouse for a pot of Xinjiang black tea and freshly baked naan. If you arrive on a Sunday, the famous Sunday Livestock Market operates on the outskirts of the city and is one of the most vibrant markets in all of Central Asia.
For dinner, try Kawap (lamb kebabs), Polo (pilaf rice with carrots and lamb), and Lagman (hand-pulled noodles with stir-fried vegetables and meat). Our Xinjiang packing list will help you prepare for the varying climates between Urumqi, the Altai Mountains, and the Kashgar oasis.
Dedicate all of Day 9 to Kashgar. Start at the Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China, dating back to 1442. The pale-yellow facade and tree-lined courtyard can accommodate up to 20,000 worshippers during festivals. From the mosque, wander into the Old City neighborhood, a labyrinth of mud-brick houses, artisan workshops, and small shrines.
Visit the Afaq Khoja Mausoleum, the holiest Islamic site in Xinjiang, with remains of the Afaq Khoja dynasty buried beneath blue-glazed tiles. If your schedule aligns, the Sunday Grand Bazaar (also open daily in smaller form) is one of the region's great spectacles, with vendors selling hand-woven carpets, copper cookware, spices, musical instruments, and live livestock. Dedicate at least two hours to browse. See our accommodation guide for boutique hotels in Kashgar's Old City.
Depart Kashgar early and follow the Karakoram Highway (KKH) south toward the Pakistan border. The road climbs from 1,300 meters to over 3,600 meters through the Pamir Mountains, passing the red cliffs of Oytagh Canyon and the Ghez River valley.
After roughly four hours, you reach Karakul Lake at 3,645 meters. The lake's dark blue waters reflect the snow-capped peaks of Muztagh Ata (7,546m) and Kongur Tagh (7,649m). On clear days, the reflections are breathtaking. Continue another hour to Tashkurgan, a small Tajik-majority town near the borders of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. The surrounding grasslands are home to yaks and Bactrian camels. Stay overnight in Tashkurgan.
Before leaving Tashkurgan, visit the Stone Fort (Tashkurgan Fort), an ancient citadel perched on a hill overlooking the town. The fort dates back over 1,500 years and offers panoramic views of the surrounding Pamir plateau and the Tashkurgan River valley. Sunrise here is especially spectacular, with the first light illuminating the distant peaks in shades of pink and gold.
After exploring the fort and browsing the small Tajik craft shops in town, begin the return drive to Kashgar along the Karakoram Highway. The descent gives you a second chance to photograph Karakul Lake and the Pamir landscapes from different angles and in different light. The drive takes roughly four to five hours. Arrive in Kashgar by late afternoon and enjoy a relaxed evening in the Old City. Stay overnight in Kashgar.
Fly or drive southeast to Hotan, the ancient kingdom of Khotan and one of the earliest Buddhist centers on the Silk Road. A flight takes about 50 minutes; the drive along the southern Taklamakan rim takes roughly seven hours.
Hotan is famous for jade, silk, and carpets. Visit the Hotan Jade Market, where raw nephrite jade from the Yurungkash and Karakash rivers is traded daily. Visit a traditional atlas silk workshop to watch artisans dye and weave the vibrant striped silk that has been a Hotan specialty for centuries. If your visit falls on a Sunday, the Hotan Sunday Bazaar is a sprawling affair where farmers, herdsmen, and merchants converge from across the surrounding oasis villages. Stay overnight in Hotan.
Fly from Hotan back to Urumqi on a morning flight lasting about two hours. This is your final full day in Xinjiang, so use it for last-minute shopping and exploration. Return to the Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar for souvenirs: dried apricots, walnuts, raisins, lavender sachets from the Ili Valley, and hand-carved wooden items all make excellent gifts.
If you have energy for one more outing, take a taxi to Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) if you missed it earlier, or simply enjoy a long farewell dinner featuring Xinjiang's best dishes. Da Pan Ji (big plate chicken), roasted whole lamb, and fresh naan are all worthy choices. Stay overnight in Urumqi near the airport for an easy departure the next morning.
Your 14-day Xinjiang adventure concludes with a transfer to Urumqi Diwopu International Airport. Depending on your onward flight schedule, you may have time for a final breakfast of Uyghur-style milk tea and bursak. If you are continuing to other parts of China or Central Asia, Urumqi offers excellent connections to Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Almaty.
Take a moment to reflect on everything you have seen: the alpine lakes and birch forests of Kanas, the mud-brick alleys of Kashgar, the high-altitude drama of the Pamirs, and the desert-edge oases of Turpan and Hotan. Two weeks in Xinjiang covers more cultural and geographical diversity than many travelers experience in a month elsewhere.
The total cost of a 2-week Xinjiang trip varies significantly based on your travel style. Here is a realistic breakdown for a mid-range traveler:
Luxury travelers who opt for private drivers throughout, boutique hotels, and exclusive dining experiences should budget ¥25,000–35,000 per person. Our complete travel guide includes detailed pricing for every segment of this itinerary.
The optimal window for this itinerary is June through early October. Each season brings different advantages:
Avoid late October through March unless you specifically want a winter experience. Many mountain roads close, and temperatures in northern Xinjiang drop below −30°C. Check our guide on the best time to visit Xinjiang for month-by-month weather details.
Our local experts have guided hundreds of travelers through Xinjiang's most spectacular landscapes and ancient cities. We handle the logistics—private drivers, boutique hotels, domestic flights, permits—so you can focus on the experience.