Ten-Day South Xinjiang Road Trip for May Day 2023
Estela Young
A Visual Guide to Xinjiang Ten‑Day Itinerary May 2023 Route | DAY | Date | Itinerary | Distance | Driving Time | | | | | | | | | 1 | 4 / 29 – Beijing → Kashgar CA1285 08:15 Beijing...
A Visual Guide to Xinjiang
Ten‑Day Itinerary
May 2023
Route
| DAY | Date | Itinerary | Distance | Driving Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
1 | 4 / 29 – Beijing → Kashgar CA1285 08:15 Beijing Capital T3 → 15:30 Kashgar T2 Sit on the far‑left window seat for a view of the snow‑capped mountains | — | — |
| 2 | 4 / 30 – Kashgar → Baisha Mountain & Baisha Lake → Kara‑Kule Lake (view Mushtag‑Tagh) → Taxian | Mushtag‑Tagh Glacier Park was not entered; allow extra time if you want to go | — | — |
| 3 | 5 / 1 – Taxian → Panlong Ancient Trail → “Why Is This Flower So Red?” Scenic Spot (pass‑by) → Bandi’er Blue Lake (pass‑by) → (Day 2 return) Kashgar | — | — | |
| 4 | 5 / 2 – Inside Kashgar City, Kashgar Old Town | — | — | |
| 5 | 5 / 3 – Kashgar → Shache Old Town Scenic Area → Hotan Do not visit the Yarkand Khanate royal tomb | 550 km | 6 h | |
| 6 | 5 / 4 – Hotan → Desert Highway G580 → Aksu | 553 km | 6.5 h | |
| 7 | 5 / 5 – Aksu → Tianshan Tomur Grand Canyon (drivable) → Kuqa | 257 km | 3 h | |
| 8 | 5 / 6 – Kuqa → Kerz Thousand Buddha Caves → Mysterious Tianshan Canyon → Korla | 290 km | 3.2 h | |
| 9 | 5 / 7 – Korla → Bosten Lake (pass‑by) → G216 + S301 + Lianhuo Expressway → Urumqi | For Bosten → Urumqi, follow the navigation rather than our route; S301 road conditions are poor | 482 km | 5.5 h |
| 10 | 5 / 8 – Urumqi → Beijing HU7246 13:20 Urumqi T2 → 17:15 Beijing Capital T2 | — | — |
Cost Summary
Approx. CNY 9,250 per person
| Date | Itinerary | Expense | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flights | — | — | Beijing‑Kashgar CA1285 CNY 3,287 per person; Urumqi‑Beijing HU7246 CNY 1,800 per person |
| Car Rental | — | — | Yihai Volkswagen Tiguan 9 days CNY 4,545 for 2 people (includes ETC CNY 227; note: highways are free on holidays) |
| Fuel | — | — | CNY 255 + 218 + 280 + 335 + 345 + 233 = CNY 1,666 → CNY 833 per person. Pay via Alipay; PetroChina/Sinopec allow direct payment. |
| Other | — | — | Food + tickets ≈ CNY 1,200 for two → CNY 600 per person |
| Accommodation | — | — | Total CNY 3,758 for two → CNY 1,879 per person. Note: Taxian has no chain hotels; elsewhere we mostly chose chain brands, preferring Atour, then Quanji/Starway. |
| 4 / 29 | Kashgar: Kashgar Hotel | CNY 482 /night | |
| 4 / 30 | Taxian: Yuntian Inn | CNY 514 /night (basic; we booked last‑minute, so options were limited) | |
| 5 / 1 | Kashgar: “Otherworldly” Qianxun Guesthouse (inside Old Town) | CNY 851 /night (not recommended; Old Town has a whole street of guesthouses—look around, or stick with Atour) | |
| 5 / 2 | Kashgar: Atour Hotel, People’s Square, Old Town | CNY 417 /night | |
| 5 / 3 | Hotan: Atour Hotel, Unity Square | CNY 348 /night (best of the four Atour properties on this trip; breakfasts are good) | |
| 5 / 4 | Aksu: Quanji Hotel, Aksu branch | CNY 348 /night | |
| 5 / 5 | Kuqa: Starway Hotel, Tianshan Central Road | CNY 199 /night | |
| 5 / 6 | Korla: Atour Hotel, Peacock River Park | CNY 308 /night | |
| 5 / 7 | Urumqi: Atour X Hotel, Satellite Square, Railway Bureau | CNY 291 /night |
Recommended Photo Spots
Photos taken straight from an iPhone 11 Pro (Vivid filter), lightly adjusted in Snapseed for ambience; they match the scene closely.
Day 1 – Fly to Kashgar ✈️ – Overhead View of Snow‑Capped Peaks
Sit on the far‑left window seat for a bird’s‑eye view of the mountains (likely the Kunlun range).
Day 2 – Baisha Mountain & Baisha Lake + Kara‑Kule Lake (Mushtag‑Tagh)
Baisha Mountain and Baisha Lake appear emerald from a distance; there are two viewing platforms—observing from afar looks better than up close.
Kara‑Kule Lake, with the snow‑capped Mushtag‑Tagh peak in the background.
Interestingly, on the return on Day 3 the view of Mushtag‑Tagh changed again—different every day.
Day 3 – Panlong Ancient Trail
Panlong Trail boasts over 600 bends: “Travel every twist of life, and the road ahead will be smooth.”
Driving past Bandi’er Blue Lake—sky‑blue, but the water leans toward green (yes, it’s green, not blue).
Day 4 – Kashgar Old Town
Check on Xiaohongshu or Dianping for reviews.
We were hit by a sandstorm that day, so we didn’t get out much or take many photos. 😂
Day 5 – Shache Old Town Scenic Area (Yarkand Khan Palace)
Shache Old Town (Yarkand Khan Palace) is a must‑see! ¥35 is a bargain.
An old tea house in Shache County (New Unity Tea Shop): ¥1 per pot of tea, ¥1 per naan, and locals watching TV.
Day 6 – Desert Highway G580
The desert highway meets our sandstorm.
Day 7 – Tianshan Tomur Grand Canyon
Drivable canyon (CNY 100 vehicle fee). Go only on a clear day; otherwise you can skip it.
Day 8 – Kerz Thousand Buddha Caves + Mysterious Tianshan Canyon
The road to the caves offers beautiful scenery.
Kerz Thousand Buddha Caves (only six are open); each cave has a guide.
Cave #38, also called the “Dancing Girls Cave,” is stunning but heartbreaking—the missing panels were looted by a German expedition and now reside in Berlin’s museum.
The mysterious Tianshan Canyon requires about 1½ hours round‑trip on foot; go only when the sky is clear. It’s a bit more rugged than Tomur Canyon, with a more pronounced gorge.
Day 9 – Bosten Lake
We drove past Bosten Lake, China’s largest inland freshwater lake (about one‑third the size of Qinghai Lake). The park is divided into several spots; we passed through without stopping.
Candid Shots of Locals
We know candid photography can be questionable, but we just couldn’t resist.
Delicious Eats
Instead of chasing high ratings, we now look for places run by locals and see locals dining there—rarely a miss.
Miscellaneous Tips
- Xinjiang follows Beijing Time, but the actual solar time is two hours later. Breakfast typically runs from 8:30 am to 11 am, and museums open on the same schedule.
- On our last day the car broke down (S301 road conditions are terrible—avoid it). Fortunately, Yihai’s emergency service helped; always check the rental’s roadside‑assistance coverage. Also, consider insuring the windshield; it cracks easily.
- Many mosques 🕌 are present; please do not enter unless invited.
- Xinjiang is very safe. Police and 110 stations are abundant—more than I’ve seen in three years in Beijing.
- There are numerous police checkpoints; just roll down the window and look at the camera—no ID swipe needed, very efficient.
- Refueling requires an ID swipe; at PetroChina/Sinopec you must swipe again at the pump.
- Some remote sections (e.g., Panlong Trail) have no signal. If traveling in a group, rent a walkie‑talkie. The desert highway generally has coverage, and you’ll see many cars along the way.
— END —
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Originally written by Estela Young and published in Chinese on 一只产品汪的自白. Translated and edited for DriftSeas with permission.
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- [1]一只产品汪的自白