Discover Xinjiang

Xinjiang offers one of China’s most diverse and large-scale travel experiences, combining deserts, snow mountains, grasslands, lakes, oasis towns, Silk Road history, Uyghur and Kazakh culture, local food, bazaars, highland roads, and some of the country’s most dramatic landscapes. It is a region for longer journeys rather than quick city breaks.

A visit can include Kashgar, Turpan, Ürümqi, Kanas, Ili, Tashkurgan, Sayram Lake, the Taklamakan Desert, and different northern and southern routes. The best time to visit depends on the area, but May to October is generally best for most routes, with September especially good for scenery and comfortable temperatures. Xinjiang works well as a complete regional itinerary connecting northern mountains, western Silk Road cities, and southern desert-oasis towns.