9 Days Kanas Photography Tour

Itinerary Details Day by Day

Day 1 Urumqi Arrival

Welcome to Xinjiang! Your tour guide will meet you at the Urumqi Airport. Then be escorted to your hotel in a private vehicle. The rest of today is yours to explore the mysterious city on the Silk Road.

Day 2 Urumqi - Tianchi Lake( B,L )

After breakfast, drive to visit the beautiful Tianchi lake. It is located on the Tianchi Mountain. In ancient fairytale, it was the fairyland where the Heavenly Queen lived. It is the best summer resort in Xinjiang. Cruising on a boat, enjoying the breathtaking picturesque views of inverted reflection of snow mountains, flourishing plants and blooming flowers around the lake. 

Drive back to Urumqi.

Day 3 Urumqi – Hemu ( B,L )

Get up and take breakfast, then take early flight to Kanas Airport. The air trip takes about only 1 hours and 10 minutes. After arrival, your tour guide will pick you up, then transfer to today's final destination - Hemu Village.

Take a short rest in hotel, then go out to explore Humu Village and its surrounding. As one of the most beautiful villages in China, Hemu is the magic place where you can get rid of  the hustle and bustle and immerse yourself in the creation of photography. The vast golden birch forests and green grasslands surround the peaceful village, together appear charming colors like a oil painting. Sunset here is fabulous. You can walk up to a higher hill to find the panoramic views of Humu Village in the golden sunlight.

Day 4 Hemu – Kanas Lake ( B,L )

Get up early to catch the incredible sunrise which is also the MUST photo to be shot. When the sun rises and shines onto the mist curling up the villages, it is the moment to press your shutter. To shoot the sunrise, you need to go to the high places on the mountains near to the village. 

The rest time is free for you to shoot anything you are interested in. As the paradise for photography, every single thing here is a perfect scene for shooting.

After lunch, we will transfer to Kanas Lake. Kanas Lake is located at the north of Burqin County on the Altay Mountain. It is a great place for summer resort, leisure sightseeing and photography. Kanas, in Mogolian, means “beautiful, rich and mysterious”. The lake was formed as a result of glacier movement of around around 200, 000 years ago.

Day 5 Kanas Lake ( B,L )

Take your leisure time to enjoy the breathtaking landscape of Kanas Lake full day. Kanas Lake takes on different colors with the change of weather and seasons. The lake takes the shape of falcate with 6 platforms projecting inward. Every platform has its own legend.

The lake is not the only highlight. The Kanas River wriggles in valleys, and creates three zigzag bays with beautiful names – Celestial Bay, Moon Bay and Recumbent Dragon Bay. Along the two sides of Kanas River are forests with alternate colors of green and golden. The trees, sky and cloudy together project in the river, and appear a colorful reflection. To shoot these three bays, you need to get to higher elevation to get the best scenes. Besides, the vast green grassland, tranquil lakes and wild forests form pleasant colorful landscape in different seasons. Looking far into distance, you can see imposing Altai Mountains Range.

Day 6 Kanas - Burqin

After breakfast, enjoy the beautiful sunrise, then drive about 180km to next destination - Burqin. En route, visit and shoot the spectacular Five-Color Bank which is a typical Yardang landform. Stones were weathered into many vivid shapes like soaring hills, deep valley, criss-cross streets, tower, etc. After thousands years of geological changing, the bank was paintef into different colors. The Five-Color Bank, together with the nearby rivers and trees,  present you a gorgeous scene under the sunlight.

Day 7 Burqin - Fuyun (L)

After breakfast, you will drive about 350km to Fuyun County.

After lunch, you will go to visit Koktokay National Geological Park where you can see many kinds of ever-beautiful and marvelous views, such as stone hills of various shapes, colorful white birches, crystal lake surrounded by green forests, gigantic seismic fault...

Day 8 Fuyun - Urumqi ( B )

Today you have to drive about 670km back to Urumqi. Enroute you will pass through Kala Maili Ungulates Nature Reserve. Enjoy the stunning landscape along the road, and stop driving for shooting amazing wild animals, fancy scenery when necessary.

After arrival at Urumqi, take good rest after dinner.

Day 9 Urumqi Departure ( B )

Today is free for you to explore Urumqi by yourself until your tour guide escort you to airport for your flight.