Author: Kisyosabu Yugi Shu
The wish of the "Fengshen Edition" of the dream list was fulfilled
Broken thoughts
Once upon a time, I heard a lot about the beauty of Xinjiang from others.
My lifetime series, "Northern Frontier", has been in the corner for too long.
Some people say that you must go to see Northern Xinjiang in the spring and summer, where there are green pines and trees, insects and birds;
Some people say that you must go to see northern Xinjiang in autumn and winter, where it is golden and snowy.
I haven't seen it, but I'm looking forward to it.
We all looked forward to it for too long, and finally, my ninth year with Lao Zhang
Crossed out the sentence on the dream list - "Go to northern Xinjiang once and see Sailim Lake"
Two people, three dogs, a car
Starting from Chengdu, we crossed Gansu Province and stepped into the Xinjiang border
8,000+ kilometers in 12 days, from the moment when the first time I witnessed the circle of friends likes changed from numbers to ellipses
A voice emerges from within us
"You guys did a cool thing."
From the moment I decided to go to Xinjiang, I frantically browsed the travelogues, raiders, and videos
In most people's records, "Northern Frontier" is particularly warm and dazzling under those cool transitions and rich filters
I also try to construct her in my eyes, and I want to paint her with a picture
I did everything I could, afraid that I wouldn't be able to portray a tenth of her beauty
But until the end of the journey, my heart was so calm
It turned out that she was full of charm without any embellishment.
The two of them drove the full dry goods of northern Xinjiang
itinerary
【Travel meets the National Day, the secret of not blocking traffic: going the opposite way】
This trip, because it spans the National Day holiday, so Lao Zhang and I decided to leave early, stagger the peak travel, in the formulation of the route, considering the limited time, the ranking and tendency of the attractions are very clear: we must strive to take a Duku Highway, we must see Sailim Lake once.
So unlike most tourists and travel agencies, our "Northern Xinjiang Late Autumn Grand Ring Road" finally chose a "clockwise" tour route, which also helped us to travel perfectly during the holidays, with a trip evaluation of 100 points √
DAY1 Chengdu - Shawan Service Area: After work, 6H rush to start our self-driving journey
DAY2 Shawan - Willow Garden Service Area: Chase from 8 am to 11 pm, speeding on the road from early morning to dusk
DAY3 Liuyuan - Urumqi: Crossing Gansu, witnessing the historical moment when we crossed the Gansu-New Border, we lamented for the first time that Xinjiang is sparsely populated
DAY4 Urumqi - Duku Highway - Narathi: Feel the four seasons of the Duku Highway, from the scorching sun to the beauty of late autumn, from cold winds to ice and snow, how lucky you must be to avoid landslides, road closures, and sudden closures, and to meet him.
DAY5 Narathi- Salem Lake: In the low season, Narathi spends a day immersing in the experience, driving through the pine forest, beside the grassland, and the narathi in autumn is also full of charm.
DAY6 Sailim Lake self-driving around the lake: This season's Sailim Lake, there are no pedestrians, there is little crowding of sightseeing cars, only a few self-driving cars, enjoy the whole lake.
DAY7 Sailim Lake - Burzin : Wake up lazily in the warm sunshine of Sai Lake and experience a night of characteristic felt room in Burzin.
DAY8 Burjin - Hemu - Jiadenyu: Provincial Highway 232 is more surprising than Hemu.
DAY9 Jadengyu - Baihaba - Jadengyu: A small border village, it is an ideal place for us to stay in a daze in our old age.
DAY10 Kanas Hike: Avoid the tourists and complete a 100% walking tour.
DAY11-13 Jia Dengyu - Chengdu: Epidemic Raid Yili, lucky as we are, crazy escape!
Kanas put it at the end, did not expect that there was a sunny day blessing, autumn is in full swing
On the way into Xinjiang, the huge windmills and looming mountains complement each other
You see, the autumn beauty of Narathi is just right
Driving out the window, the blue of Sailim Lake appeared in front of me without embellishment, and I stayed
There is a charm that gallops on horses, on winding roads, to the far side
Immersive experience with dog
With three Wang Xingren, we spend most of our time in the car, although it is different from tent camping, but the experience should already be highly similar. We have sorted out the suitable places for camping along the way, and the "camping" strategy of this trip is enough to be called full of dry goods.
1. Service area
Select the service area overnight, you can refer to the navigation, we use the AutoNavi navigation, you can view all the service areas of the way between the two destinations, according to their own consideration of time and distance to choose the overnight service area. Under the name of each service area, there will be an icon of the service area situation, and the size and supporting situation of the service area can be judged according to the icon.
Generally, the "parking area" is a relatively small point, with few supporting facilities, basically an open space or a temporary rest place for trucks; the more complete the supporting service area, the more gas station the service area, the brighter the environment at night, the more people flow, and the safer.
2. Motorhome camp
There are motorhome sites in places like Narathi and Lake Sailim, so you can call the campsite in advance to see if you can park your own car.
The caravan camp we chose in Narathi is 180 yuan a night, you can use his hot water and bathroom, there are sockets in the hall, etc., very convenient (the camp is in the scenic area, you have to buy scenic tickets first).
Motorhome sites in Sailim Lake can park for free, but cannot provide packages. It is recommended that simei camp, moon bay parking point, point will be platform parking point, these are next to the scenic toilet, you can take hot water in the bathroom, change clothes in the third bathroom (and floor heating), and socket power.
Praise the bathrooms at Sai Lake, each very clean!
Went to the toilet and came out to enjoy the boundless lake view
3. Parking lot of Jiadengyu ticket station
Note that it is the parking lot of the ticket station that enters the scenic spot!
Parking spaces are tight during the day, but basically three-quarters of the way away at night, and the rest are RVs and self-driving cars parked there overnight. There are two bathrooms, hot water in the sinks and drinking water outside the bathroom which is handy.
Prepare a light meal at the motorhome camp
Inflatable mattress + duvet YYDS!
Equipment blessing, for self-driving extra points
Before and after the National Day, the north of Xinjiang began to snow at any time, once it snowed, many provincial highways will be closed, basically stranded on the road and other passages, we saw the dark ice of the 232 provincial road this time, is the police uncle can skate on the road to the extent, along the way a lot of cars and even SUVs slipped, overturned, resulting in no way to open the destination, can only wait overnight on the provincial road.
So go to Northern Xinjiang in autumn, please be sure to prepare snow chains! We have been in Kawanishi too many times and encountered a lot of bad situations, so we have always had snow chains, which helped a lot this time, and we were also praised by the rescue team and the police uncle for getting on the snow chains.
Stranded on the road late at night, waiting for the rescue truck to sprinkle salt and de-icing all the way.
【 Xinjiang refueling unique process】
In Xinjiang, it is important to remember that as long as there is a gas station, please fill up the fuel tank by half!
And when we get to the gas station, all passengers have to get off the bus and walk to the gas station exit to wait. The driver must prepare an ID card, get off the car and brush his face after passing the verification, and then drive the car into the gas station.
Photography equipment and TIPS
List of equipment used on this tour:
SLR: Nikon D5100
Lens 1: Nikon AF-S 20mm F1.8GED (for shooting galaxies and close-ups)
Lens 2: Nikon AF-S 18-300/3.5-6.3VR lens (for shooting large scenes and enhancing depth of field)
Drone: DJI Royal Mavic Air2s
Video shooting: DJI Lingyan Osmo pocket gimbal
Power bank: electric small two
Attractions where drones can fly: Duku Highway, Narathi, Sailim Lake, Kanas, Hemu
No-fly zone: White Haba
The story begins at night in Urumqi
urumchi
Two days of frantic rushing, I was fortunate to see the first glimmer of the morning
The sun rises slowly, illuminating every inch of the northwest
Can't resist the blinding light of the rushers
Can't resist the long road of Wang Xingren
At some point
Finally, I felt that Xinjiang was getting closer and closer to us
Along the way into Xinjiang, there are all the slopes of the loess mountains, and there is no one living in the wilderness
The first time I saw the fan blades of the windmill, it was transported by a long truck to this inch of land
Then here day after day to deal with the wind and snow, lonely and spinning
In a hurry, light meals are settled in the car
Praise this portable dining table
I'm not afraid to sit in the co-pilot's office
Hot pot, noodles, chutney, every day without heavy samples
Xinjiang, here we come!
Because of the limited time, Urumqi can only be hurriedly viewed, freshened up at the homestay, and went straight to the must-punch attractions: the Grand Bazaar and erdao Bridge.
Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar and Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar are located on Jiefang South Road in Tianshan District, Urumqi City
Hours: 10:00-21:00 (You can also enter after 21:00, but some shops may close)
Here there are rich and Xinjiang elements of souvenirs, there are all kinds of special snacks.
As night falls, it's still crowded and bustling.
Although it was crowded, it was very safe, and there would be a security check at the door, and even a lighter was not allowed to be brought in.
Lovely Xinjiang KFC Grandpa
Cute love refrigerator sticker
The refrigerator stickers in Xinjiang are really cute
Naan, grilled buns, lamb kebabs, and pilaf are all available
Everyone wants to have it
Even if it is cold enough to shiver, you have to eat two bites of cultural and creative ice cream
This characteristic cantaloupe flavored milk tea is really delicious! Go drink it!
Authentic GWas = honey flavored drink
It is said that the snacks in the scenic area are the least authentic
But this grilled bun must be tried
Located on the Grand Bazaar food street
On the left is a traditional lamb bun, and on the right is a roast leg of lamb bun. The outside is crispy and tender, and the mouth is full of the oil aroma of lamb, which is so satisfying.
For 15 bucks a lamb leg roast bun, the real lamb leg meat inside is so real
To eat authentic Xinjiang food, you have to go to "Consulate Lane", which is 10 minutes away from the Grand Bazaar, where the shops are opened by xinjiang locals, so the taste is with a strong Xinjiang flavor.
Bairkat's special meat buns:
12 yuan a lamb bun, larger than the face plate
This bun has to be queued up during the day to buy it
It can be said that "there will be no other bread after this bun"
Erijiang and Tian Tankeng Kebab Shop
100 pieces of lamb chops of 1 kg
Choose fat and thin yourself
Excellent value for money
This plate can't be eaten at all... Can only be packaged
Red willow lamb kebabs are also a special feature of this family
A lot of locals come here to eat
Get down three or two times and burp
Without seeing it with your own eyes, you can't imagine how many kinds of raisins there are in Xinjiang
Red, yellow, green, white... All kinds of varieties and colors
Final confession: Camel milk tablets
Really delicious
It is difficult to hide the joy of stepping into the solo library
Duku Highway
This trip has the greatest expectations for the day: Duku Highway!
【 Duku Highway 】
With a total length of 561 kilometers, it connects the north and south of Xinjiang, and its penetration has directly shortened the original journey of more than 1,000 kilometers of north and south Xinjiang by half, which can be called a monument in the history of China's highway construction.
【Starting point: Karamay City, Dushanzi District】
【Destination: Aksu Region, Kuqa County】
This time we walked the northern section of Duku and set off from Dushanzi to Narathi.
Just on this highway... Just because the climate is dry and nosebleed (ah no, I was attracted by the beauty)
Although its official best time to visit is in the middle of summer, even in the summer, even in the summer, it often encounters landslides or road closures without warning, and after the autumn, because the northern section is often snowy, it will be closed at any time.
The traffic time is short, all the four seasons, snowy mountains, grasslands, rivers, modern glaciers are presented here, these beautiful scenery and mystery have become the reason why the Duku Highway is fascinating and yearning.
This year, because of the epidemic, the Duku Highway became the earliest year in the calendar year to close and open to traffic.
And our good fortune makes us lucky among many expectants.
There are mountains in the distance
Endless highways
The grasslands on both sides began to turn a withered yellow
There are streams flowing here
The Kuitun River flows into the distance
Start here
With the shadow of autumn
It turns out that the leaves didn't fall overnight
She was colored by the palette
Beautiful in the sun
will leave
Cows and horses in the twilight are tireless
Goats 🐐 cheer on the road
Herders' felt houses are on the riverfront
Cooking smoke rises in the setting sun
Not only that
Four seasons a day
While crossing the Hashelegen tunnel
The snow was right in front of you
Honestly, the view of duku highway is very similar to Kawanishi
They are far apart
It feels connected again
Lucky enough to see it
You are really beautiful
With a unique charm that cannot be told
It fell in the warm autumn sun of Narathi
Narathi Grassland
【Narathi Scenic Area】
It is located in Narathi Town, Xinyuan County, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture
Business hours 09:00-20:00 (due to weather reasons, this year's Narathi Scenic Area has been officially closed from October 3)
General admission: 95 yuan / person
Self-driving ticket: 300 yuan / person
Speaking of the northern frontier of autumn, few people will write Narathi into their itinerary, and we choose to settle in Narathi all the way south from the Duku Highway and see the beauty of the grassland in late autumn.
Because of the so-called low season, we are lucky enough to choose to visit the scenic spots by car.
In autumn, Narathi has a kind of coldness and loneliness,
But it is more about feeling the freedom of the vehicle driving in the pine forest, the ease of walking and stopping on the grassland road
The entire scenic spot is distributed in a "Y" shape, to the left is the "river valley grassland", and the right is the "aerial grassland"
The river valley grasslands are flat and are full of winding roads between the grasslands
The aerial grassland is mainly a winding road, with a viewing platform at the top, and when the visibility is high, you can overlook the snow-capped mountains in the distance
In the autumn of northern Xinjiang, you can already feel the cold wind, even if the sun rises, you can't resist the cold feeling
Wait until after 11 o'clock
Only then can I gradually feel the warm sun shining on my body
Countless lambs
They are so happy
But it was really tasty too (I didn't say)
Because we visit the scenic spots by car
Our dogs are also wild here
Kiss cow dung
Still fresh
At the top of the forest park
Look down at the picturesque Narathi
Cows and horses are laid back
Herders are laid back
We were also laid back
Park your car at the nomadic attraction and walk up for 10 minutes
Then came to the net red canoe bridge
On weekdays, there is a lot of people queuing for it
Now you can be quiet with it
On the way to the Aerial Prairie Observation Deck
A small flower is kissed by the sun
She looked sparkling
Sai Hu, the beauty that can not be depicted in all its ability
Sailim Lake
After the sun rose, we set off from Nala and crossed the Guozigou Bridge 🌉 near midnight to reach Lake Sailim. The staff at the scenic gate had already left work, and we drove directly into the scenic spot in the dark
Reaching out with five fingers, in the temperature approaching the early morning, looking for today's foothold.
After dinner at the caravan camp, it was midnight again when I was done cleaning up
Summon up the courage to overcome the cold
We drove the car to a darker place
Look up, eyes full of galaxies
Sure enough, in Xinjiang, every sunny day
The Milky Way is waiting in the sky for you to look at
I reached out and touched the Milky Way.
【Sailim Lake National Scenic Area】Located in Bortala, Bole City, Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture
At present, it is the off-season of scenic spots, you can visit by car, and the self-driving ticket is 145 yuan / person
The scenic area is divided into east gate, north gate and south gate.
The east gate can be in and out, the north gate is only in and out, and the south gate is still being improved.
It is recommended to start the tour from the east gate, after the sun rises from the east in the morning, you can feel the warmth of the sun all the way
The attractions are also more concentrated on the route from the East Gate to the North Gate.
The dogs were playing crazy by the lake
There are many boardwalks along the east side that lead to the lake
Swing behind a homestay
In the evening, you can watch the slanting sun sink here
Continue driving along the lake and you will find a very large sidewalk
The S-bend highway that has recently caught fire on the Internet is located about 500 meters in the direction of the south gate, and it is easy to distinguish from north to south
A stop next to S-turn
It's also very well filmed
In the direction near the North Gate
There are a lot of furnished photography spots
All good for taking pictures
About the point of seeing swans
The first one is next to the lighthouse, which is nice to look at (but it's too windy...). Here there will be two swans playing
The second is at this point in Khan Bay, where there will be plenty of swans basking in the sun when the weather is good in the morning
The next day we stayed at the Star Sky RV Campground, this Starry Sky Spherical House is really beautiful
Early in the morning, go on the hillside behind and wait for a round of sunrise
Hurry back to the heated restaurant for a cup of coffee
Enjoy a great day out
Lake Sailim in autumn is also beautiful.
S232 Provincial Highway surprise all the way
Burzin Provincial Highway 232
From Sayim Lake to Burjin, or from Burjin to Jadengyu, or from Giardengyu to Hemu. Will pass through a very beautiful road, which is the 232 provincial road.
Although it is a provincial road, the road is really well built, driving on the winding road, lined with golden trees, and the different colors are particularly layered.
On a sunny day after snow, the road looks even better.
Drive down this road and you will find it
Autumn is in full swing here
There will be plenty of stops along the way
Everyone stopped the car because of the unexpected snow to build up the snowman and take pictures
Even though it was really cold
If there is time
Be sure to stop by The 232 Provincial Highway
This is also a place where the sunset takes care of it
It was so beautiful!
BUT After winter, don't drive too late on the road
It snows at any time at night and the road is closed
Hemu was not as expected, and went to Baihaba in a daze when he was old
Hemu Scenic Area
White Haba
After a night of untouched herders' accommodation in a felt room in Burzin, the next day, with the winds, we are ready to set off for Jadenyu.
Unexpectedly, after the heavy wind and snow on the first night, today seems to be a good weather.
Boats and carts,
Along the way, the dogs are dozing off
They're over the mob
We drove and they rested
【 Hemu Scenic Area】
Ticket + shuttle bus: 102 yuan / person
Entering Hemu, you can only take the shuttle bus, and the first one is uniformly taken to the transfer station.
Then, according to your own gameplay, switch to a different shuttle bus to go to a few points to explore.
Suggested tour time: 2-3 hours
The sense of original village retained in the whole scenic spot has been very little, basically the village has been converted into a homestay, there are many tourists, and the development is more excessive.
Take advantage of the last bit of sunshine to take a few photos, and get ready to go back.
Honestly, this season's grass, without the sun, is really a bit eclipsed
I feel that the ticket is not worth it, and I knew that I was waiting for the sunset above 232
【 Baihaba Village】
The village of Baihaba is now available for self-driving tours, which need to be booked in advance at the "Kanas Hara Network".
However, because of the neglect of the National Day, the previous consulting staff said that it was possible to make an appointment a day in advance, and it turned out that there was no place when making an appointment. In the end, we chose to go in from Tirekti Township, drive to the new village, park, change to a shuttle bus to the old village, and then explore on foot.
TIPS: The village of Baihaba is a border area, next to Kazakhstan, so to go to the scenic spot, you need to apply for a border guard permit in advance.
Baihaba Village and Kanas Scenic Area are within a large area, and you can apply for a border defense permit at the entrance of the Kanas Scenic Area.
In order to make a mistake, we chose to take a detour to enter through the gate of Tiereketi Township, so we had to go to the "Dongchuan Market South Gate Border Convenience Police Station" to apply for a border defense permit. (It is very convenient to apply for a certificate, only need to prepare an ID card, and one person can queue up to help the accompanying personnel to handle it together)
If you have enough time, it is fully recommended that you detour from Jiadengyu for 2.5 hours to go to the Dongchuan Market to get a permit, and then open for about 1.5 hours to the scenic gate of Tirekti Township. In this way, you can completely stagger the peak, and the provincial road along the way is beautiful!
The sky is clear on the road
It was almost time to reach the Terekti checkpoint and it was snowing heavily
The soldier brothers at the checkpoint are all super nice
We brought our dogs and called out our military dogs to play with the dogs
The autumn colors along the way are also very beautiful
Compared with Hemu, Lao Zhang and I both prefer Habahe County, this small border county is very quiet, the locals wash cars in the afternoon, graze their cattle, basically no outside tourists to disturb, really like a paradise. The warm autumn sun shines on the golden leaves on both sides of the road, like walking into a fairy tale town.
And Baihaba Village, and hemu style is very similar, but there is less commercial atmosphere, less tourists, very suitable for walking in the afternoon, when the weather is good, you can also climb the boardwalk to the top of the mountain, overlooking the whole view of Baihaba Village.
Out of the sun, heavy snow
It's really amazing
Walk on the border of China
That's cool
Kanas on a sunny day, the reason why God stayed here
Kanas Scenic Area
On the last day, we planned a full day in the Kanas scenic spot, most of the tourists are in the transfer center to take different shuttle buses to different attractions to open, but because we have more time, so we chose a more immersive way of playing - hiking.
From the scenic gate to the transfer center, it takes about 40 minutes by car
There are many food and beverage outlets in the transfer center, there are dicos and coco, noodles and grilled buns, and eating a steaming bowl of noodles in the morning can quickly replenish calories and prepare for the hike.
Due to the weather, the Fish Observatory is not open.
So we started the walking tour from the transfer center - Fairy Bay - Wolong Bay - Moon Bay, the whole journey is about 8 kilometers, there are boardwalks.
Unlike the sightseeing car, hiking is more likely to enjoy this picture-like scenery up close
Walking next to the cows and horses, you can get a close look at what they look like for their free life
Even though it has been baptized by two heavy snows
Kanas under a clear sky is still full of autumn colors
This section of the road from Wolong Bay to Moon Bay
You can walk all the way down the boardwalk
Then close to the lake
There are no pedestrians here
Only three or three people are enjoying this moment of tranquility
At the viewpoint of Moon Bay, look down on the meandering river from above
Sure enough, autumn was hidden in Kanas
Before coming to Kanas, many people said that it was already snowing in the northern frontier, and the leaves in Kanas were almost gone
But we found out when we were here
You can never just explore from someone's mouth
Be sure to confirm it yourself
The autumn colors in Kanas are really beautiful
If you have enough time, this attraction is also recommended for everyone to spend a full day hiking
It must be a different view than taking the shuttle bus.
God's self-preservation, we seem to understand why God chose this place
The epidemic has struck suddenly, and the epidemic prevention is stereotyped, but Xinjiang is working hard
Xinjiang A trip to trouble?
Everyone has mixed opinions about Xinjiang's epidemic prevention policies, but the biggest feeling this time is that every checkpoint, gas station, border point, and grassroots staff in every place are carefully controlling, checking the itinerary code, measuring temperature, checking vehicles, and identity verification, which is really very strict.
If you drive in northern Xinjiang, please put your ID card and driving license in a place that is easy to get and put away, because the frequency of use is really too high, and the daily travel planning time, please estimate at least half an hour, because at least once a day the inspection will be encountered.
Nucleic acid will not be done every day, but basically check your nucleic acid time is almost more than 3 days, will arrange personnel to get off the car at a checkpoint to re-do nucleic acid, and all nucleic acid tests are free, and the staff here is very patient, whether it is Han or Kazakh, regardless of the sharp speech, they are very enthusiastic and proactive communication attitude, it can be said that there has never been a staff who are impatient and have a bad attitude, praise ❥(^_-)
PS: Xinjiang nucleic acid query can only be found on the "Xinjiang Government Affairs Network"!!
This time, our luck was really good enough to explode, and in the face of the blockade of Ili, Urumqi, and the Ili itinerary code, which required isolation, and the airport railway station stagnated, we actually managed to return to Chengdu. From the moment we decided to give up the Cocoto Sea and Urumqi to bake buns, to the moment we ran out of Xinjiang, we opened all night without stopping, with tension and worry, and finally stayed in xingxing gorge for 1.5 hours, and after completing the nucleic acid test, we successfully bid farewell to Xinjiang.
Maybe their approach is very strong, maybe it is unfair to tourists, but at this moment, the strict and careful, the starting point must be for the peace of the border areas, in order to protect the land of the motherland.
Hard-core epidemic prevention, but also look at my big Xinjiang.
You are quiet and beautiful, and I will come to your covenant
Say at the end
Before I came to northern Xinjiang, I heard that Xinjiang must not be visited only once
She is endlessly charming and is still waiting for us to meet again.
While sorting out the footage in the camera, I have begun to miss the incomparable beauty of late autumn in northern Xinjiang
The vastness of Narathi
The tranquility of Sailim Lake
The bustle of Hemu
There is no dispute between the white haba and the world
There are also the warmest colors in the world collected in Kanas
Hopefully next time, it won't be long.