After a day trip out to Baihaba Village, we were back in Kanas for our third and final night. This was the day we’d been looking forward to most: the Kanas Three Bays, the string of river bends most people picture when they picture Kanas at all. We started at the furthest bay and walked back towards the village, through Wolong Bay, Moon Bay, and Shenxian Bay in that order.
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Quick facts: Kanas Three Bays
The Kanas Three Bays (三湾) are Wolong Bay, Moon Bay, and Shenxian Bay, three river bends on the Kanas River. About 5km of boardwalk connects them, and the standard Kanas entry ticket covers the whole loop, no separate fee needed. We walked the whole route in around 7 hours including stops. You can shuttle between any two bays if you’re short on time or energy.
- Ticket: covered under the standard Kanas scenic area entry ticket (the one bought at Jiadengyu), no extra charge for the Three Bays loop
- Distance: Wolong Bay to Moon Bay is about 1.7km, Moon Bay to Shenxian Bay is about 3.2km
- Terrain: flat, well-maintained boardwalk almost the entire way
- Shuttle: buses run between all three bays if you want to skip a leg
- Best time: early morning if you want the bays quiet, especially Wolong Bay
Getting to the Kanas Three Bays
We’d spent the previous two nights at Fire Fox Homestay in Kanas New Village. Getting to the Three Bays meant a short bus ride to start the day. At 9:00am we boarded the bus at the Kanas Tourist Service Centre, the same white bus you’d take heading further out to Jiadengyu.
We covered permits and the Kanas entry ticket on the transfer day from Hemu Village. If you’ve already sorted those, the Three Bays don’t need anything extra. Just keep that ticket on you to scan out of the park at the end of the day, along with your passport.
Which bay to start at: we started at Wolong Bay, the furthest bay from the tourist centre, and walked back towards the village. Some guides recommend the opposite order if you’re staying outside the scenic area, since exit buses run more often from the Wolong Bay end. Staying inside Kanas New Village, starting furthest-first worked well for us. We were one of the first groups there and had the place almost to ourselves, with plenty of buses still running by the time we finished.
Wolong Bay: the quietest of the Kanas Three Bays
Wolong Bay (卧龙湾) is the furthest of the three bays from the tourist centre and the quietest if you arrive early.
The water is bright turquoise, with grassy islands scattered across it that look almost like a small map from above. We arrived at 9:30am and were one of the first groups there that morning, barely anyone else around.
On a clear, sunny day the colour of the water really stands out. The islands give the bay a distinctive look you don’t get at the other two, more scattered and open, less of a single dramatic bend.
The walk from Wolong Bay to Moon Bay
The 1.7km walk from Wolong Bay to Moon Bay follows the river the whole way, mostly flat with the river on one side and forest on the other.
It was easily the prettiest section we walked in Kanas. A handful of viewing platforms are dotted along the path if you want to stop for a snack or just sit for a while.
We left Wolong Bay around 11:00am and reached Moon Bay by 11:30am, an easy 30-minute walk at a relaxed pace with a couple of stops.
Moon Bay, the middle of the Kanas Three Bays
Moon Bay (月亮湾) is named for the crescent shape of the river bend.
The best view is from the top of a set of stairs you climb up from the boardwalk, worth doing before you continue on towards Shenxian Bay. About halfway up, a path branches off and continues forward, so it’s easy to miss the top viewpoint if you’re not paying attention.
We climbed all the way up first for the view, then came back down to keep walking. We had a snack lunch on the trail around 1:00pm, just off the path after Moon Bay, nothing more than what we’d packed that morning.
The walk from Moon Bay to Shenxian Bay
The 3.2km walk from Moon Bay to Shenxian Bay moves away from the river and mostly passes through forest.
If you’re tired or short on time, you can catch the shuttle bus from Moon Bay instead once you’ve done the stair climb. This section doesn’t have the same river views as the Wolong-to-Moon leg, so it’s a reasonable one to shuttle if your legs are starting to feel it.
We walked the whole thing and arrived at Shenxian Bay around 1:45pm. At one point we came off the main wooden walkway and walked along the water’s edge instead, which we’d recommend if the path is dry and the water level allows it.
Shenxian Bay, the last of the Kanas Three Bays, and the tomb cluster you might walk straight past
Shenxian Bay (神仙湾), also called Fairy Bay in some English-language guides, is the wetland-style final bay on the walk.
Its viewing pavilions sit on part of a nationally protected Bronze Age to Iron Age burial site most visitors never notice. We climbed up to the pavilions for the best full view over the bay, easily worth the walk even with the weather turning.
It started raining not long after we arrived, so we sheltered at the bus stop and waited it out with snacks. Once it eased off, we climbed up to the pavilions. A stone tablet up there marks the site as part of the Greater Kanas Scenic Area Tomb Cluster. It’s one of eight burial and rock-art sites in the lower Kanas basin, recognised as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit first announced by China’s State Council on 5 March 2013. It’s easy to walk straight past without realising the pavilions sit on an old burial site, so we thought it was worth flagging for anyone else walking through.
If you’ve got extra time and the weather holds, you can continue on from Shenxian Bay to Yatze Lake, but we skipped it since it was still raining on and off.
How long the whole walk takes and whether to shuttle
Walking all three bays end to end took us around seven hours, including stops for photos, snacks, and sheltering from rain.
The pure walking time is closer to two to three hours if you don’t linger. Shuttle buses run between all three bays, so it’s easy to skip any section, you’re not locked into walking the whole thing.
If we were doing it again, we’d still walk the Wolong-to-Moon Bay section, the prettiest of the two walking legs. We’d consider shuttling the longer forested stretch from Moon Bay to Shenxian Bay if the weather looked uncertain, since that section has fewer views to reward the extra distance.
Back at the Kanas Tourist Service Centre
We were back at the Kanas Tourist Service Centre by 4:30pm, about a 10-minute drive from Shenxian Bay. It’s under 5km, so walkable too if the weather’s decent and you’ve still got the legs for it.
Yoghurt at Kanas Food Plaza was next: a small bowl of the handmade version for 10 CNY (1.40 USD), and a sealed cup of the commercial version for 12 CNY (1.70 USD). The handmade one won out for us, though both were good. Yoghurt in China nearly always comes a bit sweetened, so expect it on the sweeter side either way.
The Fish Viewing Platform (观鱼台) was on our list too, but the park had closed the bus up there because of the rain. Apparently that’s a fairly common closure whenever it’s wet, for safety reasons on the steps up.
The rest of the afternoon: Kanas Lake and dinner
With the Fish Viewing Platform closed, we changed plans and went back to Kanas Lake instead. We walked from the Kanas Lake stop through to the Old Village and were back at our homestay by 6:30pm.
Dinner that night was upstairs at Kanas Food Plaza: Yangzhou fried rice (36 CNY / 5 USD), Xinjiang stir-fried yellow noodles (38 CNY / 5.30 USD), and Cantonese-style beef rice noodles (38 CNY / 5.30 USD). It was nothing special overall and on the salty side, but the portions were properly big, typical of Xinjiang. The stir-fried yellow noodles was the standout of the three.
We stayed our third and final night at Fire Fox Homestay in Kanas New Village, closing out a 3-night stay that started on our first day in Kanas.
What’s next after Kanas
Our next stop after Kanas was Wucaitan, then an overnight train to Bole. Our guide to booking a soft sleeper train in China covers what that leg was actually like.
Costs from our day at the Kanas Three Bays
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Extra snacks (restocked the day before) | 20 CNY (2.80 USD) |
| Yoghurt (handmade + commercial) | 22 CNY (3.10 USD) |
| Dinner at Kanas Food Plaza | 112 CNY (15.70 USD) |
| Accommodation at Fire Fox Homestay (night 3 of 3, 3-person room) | 1,361 CNY (190.90 USD) |
| Total | ~1,515 CNY (~212 USD) |
The accommodation figure closes out our full 3-night stay at Fire Fox Homestay, which came to 4,083 CNY (572 USD) total, split evenly per night. Lunch had no separate cost, drawn from snacks we already had on hand.
FAQ: Kanas Three Bays
Do you need a separate ticket for the Kanas Three Bays?
No. The Three Bays shuttle bus and walking route are covered under the standard Kanas scenic area entry ticket, the same one you buy at Jiadengyu. Just keep that ticket on you to scan on your way out.
How far is the walk between the Kanas Three Bays?
Wolong Bay to Moon Bay is about 1.7km, and Moon Bay to Shenxian Bay is about 3.2km. That’s around 5km total if you walk the whole route one way, mostly flat, well-maintained boardwalk.
Which order should you walk the Kanas Three Bays in?
Either direction works. We started at Wolong Bay, the furthest bay, and walked back towards the village, which let us dodge the crowds early. If you’re staying outside the scenic area, starting at Shenxian Bay and finishing at Wolong Bay can make more sense, since exit buses run more often from that end.
Can you skip walking and just take the bus between the Kanas Three Bays?
Yes. Shuttle buses run between all three bays, so you can walk one section and bus the rest. You can also skip walking entirely and just stop at each bay from the bus. It’s a genuinely flexible day either way.
What is the Shenxian Bay burial site?
The viewing pavilions at Shenxian Bay sit on part of the Greater Kanas Scenic Area Tomb Cluster. It’s a Bronze Age to Iron Age burial and rock-art site, recognised as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by China’s State Council in March 2013. A stone tablet at the pavilions marks the site, but it’s easy to walk past without noticing.
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