Travel China

Our first-hand guide to the Kazanchi Folk Tourism Area in Yining, Xinjiang: courtyard etiquette, best photo times, milk tea, and a sunset at the Ili River.

A first-hand guide to Liuxing Street Yining: history, food, shopping, and how to get there from Horgos, with real prices from our own Xinjiang trip.

We drove from Bole to Horgos on the China Kazakhstan border, crossed the Guozigou Bridge, and checked out the Free Trade Zone’s duty-free shopping firsthand.

Real prices, permit facts, and honest tips from our own day trip to Sayram Lake, one of Xinjiang’s most striking alpine lakes, including the transfer through Kuitun and Bole.

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…

We left Hemu Village on day 10 of our Xinjiang trip, headed for Kanas Lake. It’s the next stop on the same Altay/Kanas region loop. That loop started with our drive up the Ahe Highway to Hemu and three days exploring the village itself, most recently Hemu’s sunrise, the Hundred Year Old House and Hongbasi Grassland. Getting from…

Our third day in Hemu Village started with a 5:15am alarm for Hemu Village sunrise at Hadeng Viewing Platform, and it didn’t go to plan. This guide is the honest version: what actually happens on an overcast morning, the routing tips that only come from scoping the platform out in daylight first, plus the rest of a full day,…

After our first afternoon settling into Hemu Village, our second day here was built entirely around Hemu Village horse riding. We rode out to Beauty Peak, walked the birch forest, and hiked an off-path route a hotel staff member recommended that most visitors never do. This is a summer trip (mid-August), not a winter or ski-season one….

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…