Hemu Village, Xinjiang: Driving the Ahe Highway (G681) for Your First Day

After two days exploring Altay City, we set off for Hemu Village (禾木村, Hémù Cūn), one of the most talked-about stops in northern Xinjiang. This guide covers our first day: the drive out on the newly opened Ahe Highway (阿禾公路, G681), getting through the park entrance, and where we stayed in Hemu Old Village. We cover what a first afternoon there actually looks like, prices included.

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Quick Facts: Hemu Village

Hemu Village sits in Burqin County, Altay Prefecture, reached by the Ahe Highway (G681) from Altay City, a 209.45km scenic road that opened to two-way traffic in June 2025. We paid 125 CNY (17 USD) for a full adult entry ticket and 75 CNY (10 USD) each for two senior tickets, plus 1,200 CNY (167 USD) for a private driver from Altay.

Getting to Hemu Village: Driving the Ahe Highway (G681)

The Ahe Highway (阿禾公路, G681) connects Altay City to Hemu Village over 209.45km, cutting the trip from a 6-hour slog to about 3 hours since it fully opened on 30 June 2025. There’s no direct train or flight to Hemu itself, so a road transfer is the only way in.

This is a genuinely new road. Construction started in September 2022, and it only opened to full two-way traffic a little over a year before our trip. That newness matters for anyone researching this leg online. Search for “how do I get to Hemu Village” and you’ll find plenty of confused travellers and outdated route advice. Most existing guides still describe the older, longer route via Jiadengyu.

We left our accommodation in Altay City at 7am and reached the Hemu Tourist Service Centre around 1pm, closer to 4.5 hours than the officially quoted 3, once stops are factored in. The road runs through the Altay Mountains, with 31 official scenic parking and viewing areas (观景停车区) along the route. Elevation ranges from 750m to 2,740m. We stopped at several for photos of the Kazakh yurts and rock formations dotting the valley.

Should You Hire a Private Driver or Book Through Trip.com?

We booked an independent private driver for 1,200 CNY (167 USD) for the three of us, and wouldn’t do it again. The driver added an extra paying passenger without telling us and drove aggressively on blind corners. Next time, we’d book through Trip.com instead, for better protection if something goes wrong.

This is a real, recurring question for anyone planning this route. Independent drivers are common in Altay and often cheaper on paper. But there’s no recourse if the driver doesn’t hold up their end, as we found out. Trip.com bookings come with a paper trail and customer support if a driver cancels, changes terms, or behaves unsafely. It’s worth the extra step for peace of mind on a mountain road you don’t know.

Entering Hemu Village: Tourist Service Centre and Tickets

Everyone stops at the Hemu Tourist Service Centre first, buys a ticket with passport in hand, then switches to an in-park electric bus for the final 70km into the village itself. Private cars can’t drive into the village directly.

We reached the Tourist Service Centre (禾木游客服务中心) around 1pm and bought tickets at the counter, passports required as usual for foreign visitors. We paid 125 CNY (17 USD) for a full adult ticket and 75 CNY (10 USD) each for two senior (60+) tickets, three people total. Some published prices online list a lower combined ticket-and-shuttle rate closer to 100-102 CNY. Treat any figure you find as a starting point rather than a guarantee, and budget a bit higher.

The ticket includes unlimited use of the in-park buses, almost all electric, running regularly across the whole tourist area. Three separate bus routes serve different accommodation zones, and the first bus from the tourist centre goes to Hemushanzhuang Station (禾木山庄站).

No border permit is required to visit Hemu Village. That’s different from some other stops on a Xinjiang itinerary (Fuyun’s border area, for instance, does require one), so don’t assume you need to sort paperwork here too. Only Baihaba, which sits directly on the Kazakh border, has its own permit requirement.

Where We Stayed: Hemu Old Village

We stayed in Hemu Old Village (禾木老村), near the Qiaotou stop, in a small wooden cabin at 兰溪酒店 (Lánxī Jiǔdiàn) for 4,224 CNY (587 USD) total across three nights, about 1,408 CNY (196 USD) per night for the three of us.

Compared to the “new village” and food street areas closer to the main entrance, Hemu Old Village is quieter and harder to book. Our cabin was a cosy bunk-bed setup rather than a standard hotel room, booked through Trip.com. We arrived right at peak season, so prices ran high across the board. Plan to book about two months ahead if you want a specific spot. Availability is tighter in Hemu Old Village than in the newer developed areas.

Afternoon in Hemu Village: Horse Riding Prices and Hadeng Viewing Platform

Horse riding in Hemu runs through a single ticket booth with standard, committee-set pricing rather than individual haggling, all routes starting from the Birch Tree Forest (白桦林). We scoped it out at Qiaotou but didn’t ride this time.

All the local horse owners in Hemu have formed a kind of committee. Instead of haggling with individual riders, there’s one ticket booth (禾木骑士专业马队价格表), and whoever picks up your booking gets the fee for that ride.

All prices are for a round trip. This pricing table isn’t published anywhere else we found in our own research, English or Chinese. Treat it as a genuinely useful reference if you’re planning to ride.

We also walked up to Hadeng Viewing Platform (哈登观景台), the same starting point as the horse routes. It was hot, and the walk took almost 20 minutes to reach the top, worth it for the valley view. We spent the rest of the afternoon soaking our feet in the river near the bridge.

The Local Dogs

Hemu’s stray and semi-owned dogs have a reputation online for being unusually friendly, and we found that held up. One settled down near us in a field while horses passed in the background, entirely unbothered by strangers nearby.

Dinner: Hotpot at 小龙坎老火锅

We met up for dinner at 小龙坎老火锅 (Xiǎolóngkǎn Lǎo Huǒguō), a well known Sichuan hotpot chain, across the road from our hotel. The total for three of us came to 467 CNY (65 USD). That covered a hotpot base, self-serve sauces, three meats, one vegetable, one mushroom, one duck blood, and three bowls of rice. Hotpot isn’t a typical Xinjiang dish, but it let us keep eating the region’s excellent meat in a different form. The soup base was genuinely good.

Costs: Day 1 in Hemu Village Tally

Accommodation here reflects one night of a three-night stay at 兰溪酒店 (4,224 CNY total across 3 nights, split evenly). The booking spans our full time in Hemu.

Hemu Village FAQ

How do you get to Hemu Village?

There’s no direct train or flight to Hemu itself. The nearest airports are Kanas Airport (about 2 hours away) and Altay Airport (about 4 hours away). The nearest train station is Beitun (about 5 hours away). A private car, shared van, or bus transfer is the only way in. The Ahe Highway (G681) from Altay City is the fastest option, cutting the trip to about 3 hours since it fully opened in June 2025.

Do you need a border permit to visit Hemu Village?

No. Hemu and Kanas don’t require a border area permit. Only Baihaba, which sits directly on the Kazakh border, has its own permit requirement.

Is it better to book a private driver independently or through Trip.com for the Altay to Hemu drive?

Based on our own experience, book through Trip.com. Our independently arranged driver added an extra paying passenger without telling us, and drove aggressively on a mountain road. We had no recourse to complain to anyone. A booked service gives you a paper trail and support if something goes wrong.

How far in advance should you book accommodation in Hemu Village?

Book around two months ahead for peak season, especially for Hemu Old Village, where cabins and homestays are harder to find than in the newer developed areas near the main entrance.

Is the Ahe Highway (G681) worth driving instead of the older route via Jiadengyu?

Yes, if speed and scenery both matter to you. It cuts the Altay to Hemu drive from 6 hours to roughly 3, and passes 31 official viewing areas across deserts, forests, and grassland. It’s simply the newer, faster option since its full opening in June 2025.

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