Northern Xinjiang : A Charming Gem of China If you are looking for adventure with a difference to

feast your eyes on the snow-capped Russian mountain

range up north in the Altay region bordering Mongolia,

Kazakhstan & Russia and to the south of the Tianshan

mountain to devour the picturesque of landform to wide

grassland, from deserts to snow-capped mountains,

from lakes to rivers, from modern city to ancient city,

from birch forests to wooden houses villages etc…….all

these with surprises that may unfold along less

predictable journey, then, this is the place…..

An amazing hidden paradise for all nature lovers,

travellers and avid photographers

More to discover especially in September …The Charms

of Northern Xinjiang in autumn.

SEPT 18 DAY 1 : Departing KLIA ETD 2330 on Air China

We shall meet up at KLIA by 9.30pm to check into our flight to

Urumqi, the gateway city of our Northern Xinjiang holiday.

This flight will via Beijing airport. KUL-PEK 2330 0555 /

PEK-URC 0930 1340

SEPT 19 DAY 02 ARRIVING URUMQI ETA 1340 on Air China (MOB / D )

Meet and greet by our local guide upon arrival in Urumqi Airport. We shall begin our Northern Xinjiang tour by understanding Xinjiang through their the Regional Museum and a visit to the Erdaoqiao int’l Grand Bazaar, thereafter. Dinner at a local restaurant with the Uygur local cuisine including shi-shi kebab, pilaf, noodle with vegetable, sin-coated buns, sour milk and nang bread etc.

Overnight in Urumqi Bingtuan Grand Hotel 4* （乌鲁木齐兵团

大饭店）or similar.

The Charms of

Northern Xinjiang

in Autumn

10Days/8Nights 18Sept – 27Sept 2018

SEPT 20 DAY 03 Urumqi – Wuchaicheng – Beitun city ( 600km ) (B/packed L/D)

After breakfast, we shall drive north to Beitun City, by crossing Gurbantunggut

Desert, the second largest desert in China.

Along the way, we shall explore the remarkable Multicolor hills Yarden Landform. This landform lies on the upper stream of Shaqiu River in the northwest of Jimsar Country and in the dept of Gurbantunggut desert. Here is where seated a stretch of low mound group composed of vivid mud and shale alternate layer, dark red, reddish brown, yellow and orange. In various shapes-wheat stack, pyramid, castle, pavilion or palace intrigue the mind of visitors.

Enjoy a packed lunch ( fast-food lunch with fried chicken, potato, salad or fruits

etc ) as there is no proper restaurant along this highway across the second largest

desert of China.

Continue our long drive to Beitun town.

Dinner & overnight at Beitun Xiangyihaichuan International Hotel （北屯湘溢海川国际）4*

Or Beitun Xunhao International Hotel （北屯迅豪国际）4*

SEPT 21 DAY 04 BEITUN – BURQIN – HEMU Village (B/L/D) Early morning after breakfast, drive to Hemu Village via Burqin. This scenic road journey to Hemu Village with inter-change of their local green bus will take about 5 hours ( 270 km ). Each tour member shall pack one 1 night clothing in a smaller bag

while our bigger bag will be kept in our own coach. Take the green bus to Hemu Village. Enjoy this mountainous scenic journey to Hemu Village. It has been said, “the beauty of Hemu Village not only lies within the village itself but also the road journey to this hidden gem”. Upon arriving Hemu Village, we will walk to our accommodation and have our home-cooked lunch at our wooden house and check in after lunch if our rooms are ready for us. There is a possibility that the group will be staying at different wooden houses around the village. Thereafter, together with the local guide, we shall explore this amazing village until sunset time. ( birch forest, grassland and the wooden bridge over the river scenic area)

Dinner at our wooden house and overnight in Hemu village wooden house （禾木村森林人家

山庄）. Accommodation in Hemu Wooden house is a simple accommodation with attached

toilet & hot shower (clean but limited facilities).

SEPT 22 DAY 05 HEMU VILLAGE – LAKE KANAS ( B/L/D) EARLY morning, walk to the platform to enjoy the sunrise over the village. Take a slow walk , along the way back our wooden house, explore the village. You can either walk back to the Wooden House for their breakfast or continue to explore the village on your own until appointed lunch time. If you are hungry, no worries, there are some locals selling some hot buns/noodles/sweet potato that you can buy to fill your stomach for the time being, on your own expenses. After a late breakfast at the wooden house, you may continue your exploration of the village on your own. Back to our wooden house accommodation by 12noon, check out and enjoy another simple home-cooked lunch at our wooden house. Thereafter, we will start to Q-up for our Green Bus to take us out of this amazing wooden village. The Q can be quite long …….. 1 to 3 hours during the golden season in September. Our Hemu Green Bus will take us to the bus station, there, we will board our own coach to drive to Jiadengyu, the gateway to the beautiful Kanas Lake Expected to arrive Jiadengyu by late evening. Check in and free & easy until dinner time.

Dinner and overnight in Jiadengyu Four Season Leisure Hotel 4* （贾登峪四季休闲度假酒店）

Some pictures were taken during our field trip in 2016 (from Laura’s camera)

SEPT 23 DAY 06 LAKE KANAS (B/L/D) Early morning after breakfast, take the green bus to go into the Lake Kanas for our adventure of Lake

Kanas. Today, we will have our FULL DAY at Lake Kanas. Our Green Bus from Jiadengyu will take us to Station No 1 where we will need to take another green bus to the top of Fish-Viewing Pavilion where we shall walk up the stair to the viewing platform to enjoy the bird’s eye-view of the whole lake. Thereafter, we shall take the green bus again to stop by at the TUWA Wooden house village inside the Lake Kanas area to where Tuwa’s traditions are well preserved, it boasts distinctive log cabins , scattered over the hills and plateau, is in a untouched landscape which beyond words . Most of Tuwa People are engaging in the animal husbandry. Here we will have a chance to visit a Tuwa family home. We shall return to Station 1 to have our lunch. After lunch, we shall continue to explore the area by taking the Green Bus again to one of the

view points and spend our whole afternoon walking along the wooden path from Dragon Bay /

Crescent Moon Bay / Saint’s Bay / Immortal Bay / Sleeping Bay…….

In the late afternoon, we shall take the Green Bus to return to Jiadengyu . Have our dinner and a good rest after an amazing exploration of Lake Kanas. Overnight at Jiadengyu. Jiadengyu Four Season Leisure Hotel 4*or similar

Sept 24 DAY 07 Jiadengyu – Chonghuer Village - Wucaitan - Burqin (B/L/-) After late breakfast, we shall drive to Burqin ( 2.5 hr) via Chonghuer Village ….. we will spend some time wondering the local bazaar where selling local products including furs, animal felt, mushroom, nuts, herbs , strange mountain stones and etc . Continue to Burqin to have our lunch, enjoy their local cool water fish and their sweet melon. After lunch, we shall drive to the remarkable Wucaitan “ Colourful Beach “………..Spend our whole afternoon there, walk along the wooden path, multi-level platform for photography, and towards the suspended bridge ………and if time permit, visit their Petrified Wood Museum. Stay there until sunset time to photograph the beautiful colourful beach over the setting sun. Drive back to Burqin to check into our hotel . Thereafter, our local guide will lead us to the famous Burqin Night market where we at our own choice of restaurant, menu and enjoy their local cuisine like BBQ fresh cool water fish at our own expenses. Overnight in Burqin Friengship Peak Grand Hotel 4 Star Building （布尔津友谊峰大酒店四星楼）or similar.

SEPT 25 DAY 08 BURQIN – Wild Poplar - Karamay – KUITUN ( B/L/D) After breakfast, check out and depart Burqin for Kuitun via Karamay

Explore the wild Poplar trees in this area at the Euphrates Poplar Forest near to Wuerhe. Have a lunch stop at Karamay town for a short visit to the Black Oil Park, where you can see

petroleum still flowing out from the ground . Along the road around Karamay, you will be able to see

many thousands of Oilfield, several miles long and full of oil derricks like nodding donkeys

Finally arrive at Kuitun City Overnight and dinner in Kuitun Jinze Guesthouse 4* （奎屯金泽宾馆，当地最好）or similar.

There are always many opportunities to witness amazing setting sun during the journey

SEPT 26 DAY 09 KUITUN – Anjihai Canyon- URUMQI (B/L/D) After a late breakfast, we shall drive back to Urumqi via Shawan county. Drive towards Shawan County to explore the astounding beauty of of Anjihai Canyon, a real hidden gem of Xinjiang. Anjihai canyon known to the local people as Hongshan (Red Mountain)

Canyon, relatively is a place that is off the beaten path, untravelled and unknown amongst tourists yet.

En-route to stop by some cotton fields near to Shihezi. Shihezi is one of the hidden treasures of

Xinjiang. Actually the region’s second largest city after Urumqi, Shihezi has long been a farming community

and is often regarded with typical Chinese aplomb as “A Shining Pearl in the Gobi Desert.”

But while much of Xinjiang’s trade revolves around crops such as tomatoes, melons, fruits and nuts,

Shihezi is different. For Shihezi is one of the primary producing areas of Chinese cotton. Here, it’s the

textile industry that dominates in a crop that is also agricultural. Foreign investors are wising up too, and

the city has done much to invest in itself to promote growth and prosperity – it has its own university

specializing in agriculture with over 1,500 teachers and over 30,000 students, including foreign intakes

from Russia, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and South Korea.

Expected to arrive Urumqi in the late afternoon. Dinner at a local restaurant. Spend some time at the Grand Bazaar again before checking into our hotel in Urumqi. Overnight in Urumqi Bingtuan Grand Hotel 4* （乌鲁木齐兵团大饭店）or similar.

The Anjihai Grand Canyon of Shawan County also known as Hongshan ( Red Mountain ) is a masterpiece of

nature

The local Bazaars could be an interesting point of interest too and so are the cotton farms.

Sept 27 DAY 10 Depart Urumqi (B) After breakfast, check out and transfer to the airport for our departure flight at 1000. Bringing back some charming memory of this beautiful hidden gem of China.

The flow of the itinerary may be subjected to change according to local conditions at the time of visit, re-

schedule of flight timing, road conditions, weather, government restriction and etc.

Being less developed area, Xinjiang may not deliver the same standard of dining, accommodation and public

transportation as one expects in big cities but the drive of the journey of the whole trip is the charms of the tour

and not to mention the destination itself is far beyond your expectation of this charming gem of China.

The Charms of Northern Xinjiang in autumn only happens every mid of September to end of Setpember each

year. If you miss this one, you will have to wait till the next September.

Air Flight Schedule ( subject to change )

CA 872 18SEP KULPEK 2340 0555

CA1901 19SEP PEKURC 0930 1340

CA1296 27SEP URCPEK 1020 1350

CA 871 27SEP PEKKUL 1550 2220

“ Every corner is like a picturesque painting “…….. Laura

The Charms of Northern Xinjiang in Autumn : 10Days/ 8Nights 18Sept – 27Sept 2018

Costing based on min. pax to go 16 paying adults :-

a) Ground Arrangement Twin-sharing per person MYR 4,990.00 *

(Single Sup add @MYR 1,600.00 )

b) International + Domestic Air ticket on Air China MYR 3,390.00 **

---------------------

MYR 8,380.00

c) China Visa Single Entry Normal Application @MYR130.00

d) Travel Insurance @MYR 59.00

*based on USD exchange rate 1USD=4.10MYR / CNY exchange rate 1CNY=0.62MYR. The rate

maybe subject to change accordingly.

** air ticket rate including taxes/surcharges/ but may be subjected to change. We shall update

you the actual amount upon booking.

Ground Arrangement including:

i) 8 nights hotel accommodation as specified in the itinerary with daily breakfast.

ii) All Entrance fees for sightseeing as per itinerary including Green Bus / shuttle bus.

iii) English speaking local guide throughout the tour.

iv) Tipping to the local guide & driver.

v) 2 Bottles of local mineral water per person per day.

vi) Meal as per itinerary including local cuisine and 1 day packed fast food lunch box.

vii) 33 seater coach for the journey ( for 16 paxs )

viii) This is a 100% no Shopping stops tour except local bazaars.

Excluded :

i) Any items not mentioned in the itinerary

ii) Tipping to hotel staff like bellboy.

iii) Camera / Video fee if any

The Charms of Northern Xinjiang in Autumn : 10Days/ 8Nights 18Sept – 27Sept 2018

Picture taken on Sept 22, 2016 during our field trip.

Payment

i) 1st Payment : MYR 4,000.00 per person upon booking

ii) Balance of payment : by end of July 2018

Booking : laura@elsoltravel.com