Xinjiang Attractions

What camera kit actually earns its place on a Xinjiang road trip. Lenses, power, dust protection, and night shooting, built around huge distances and light that changes in minutes.

Xinjiang protects its wildest scenery inside national parks, geoparks, and nature reserves. A self-driver’s guide to gates, seasons, permits, and the best protected areas to build a route around.

Spring sandstorms hit Xinjiang’s Tarim and Gobi from March to May. A self-driver’s field guide to reading the sky, pulling over in a whiteout, sealing the car, and protecting your gear on the desert highways.

A self-drive birder’s guide to Xinjiang: flamingos at Ebinur salt lake, reeds at Bosten, cold Sayram, raptors over the Tianshan, and Kanas taiga. Best seasons, gear, loops, and respectful distance.

Tugai forests of desert poplar follow Xinjiang’s inland rivers through the Taklamakan’s edge. The fragile green ribbon of the Tarim, and how to see it in gold.

The 28-tonne Armanty iron meteorite in Urumqi, the Altay strewn field, and the Gobi’s sky-stones. A science traveler’s guide to Xinjiang’s fallen rocks.

Kongur Tagh (7,649 m) is the highest peak in the Pamir inside China. Drive the Karakoram Highway from Kashgar, base in Tashkurgan, and catch the reflection from Karakul Lake with our border-permit tips.

Bogda Peak (5,445 m) towers above Heavenly Lake near Urumqi. Our self-drive guide covers the Fukang road, Tianchi viewing points, best seasons, and the numbers that make a Bogda visit easy.

North of Karamay, cold grey mud plops from desert vents on a slow schedule. Pair the free Wusu gully with the ticketed Devil City for the basin’s weirdest half-day.

Every July the Ili valley turns yellow. Time the Zhaosu rape plains and the Tekes sunflower lines at dawn for a free, crowd-free sea of flowers beneath the Tianshan.