Haggling is not rudeness in Xinjiang. It is the expected choreography of every bazaar. Here is how to bargain respectfully and walk away with a fair price on carpets, knives and dried fruit.
Carved over a billion years and opened to drivers only recently, Dushanzi Grand Canyon is the dramatic prologue to the Duku Highway. Here is how to visit it by car, with distances, fees and timing.
Ancient rock art sprawls across Tianshan and Altay slopes, with carved deer, sun worship and hunting scenes. A self-drive trail to the most accessible petroglyph sites.
Pickled garlic, sour cabbage and salty fermented vegetables balance Xinjiang’s rich grilled and fried food. A guide to the region’s pickles, where to try them and how they are made.
Bazaars, livestock markets and tea houses are Xinjiang’s best photo subjects. A respectful, practical guide to street photography, permissions and the most photogenic spots.
Summer grasslands come alive with Kazakh and Mongol horse games, horse racing, girl-chasing and Naadam-style festivals. A practical guide to dates, venues and joining in.
See Xinjiang from above: hot-air balloon rides over Bayinbuluke, paragliding off Tianshan ridges, and where to book aerial adventures during the short summer season.
Long before the Silk Road was a tourist route, Han dynasty beacon towers stitched the frontier together. Visit the best-preserved watchtowers and frontier walls you can reach by car.
The Gobi around Hami, Turpan and Hotan is strewn with agate, crystal and Gobi jade. Here is how travelers can hunt for their own stones safely, legally and without getting stranded.
Tianshan black bees produce some of China’s most prized wild honey. Learn where Ili and Tianshan honey comes from, how to taste it, and the best roadside stops to buy a jar.
