# Altay travel guide (阿勒泰) Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region · Northwest, China · 9 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/xinjiang-uygur/altay ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Urumqi → Aqkule Lake → Wucai Beach → Burqin (dinner at the Burqin night market; overnight in Burqin) - **Day 2:** Burqin → Kanas (overnight) - **Day 3:** Kanas → Baihaba → Hemu Village (overnight) ## The feel of the place - **A Fairy-Tale Place:** This is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, just like a fairy tale. Fallen leaves in the golden birch forest carpet the ground like thick rugs, the owners of the log cabins have gone who knows where, drifting mist nourishes the mushrooms, and the multicolored lake waters lie perfectly still, with no wind and not a single ripple. Several free horses graze lazily on the grass by the lake, and suddenly countless butterflies lift off from the blades of grass. The lake surface, like the mirror said to have been shattered by a lake monster, is very quiet. ## The feel of the place - tip: The main goal of a trip to Altay is Kanas Lake. If time is short, you can skip the other sights. Along the way, you can take in a few attractions at a glance. The drive from Urumqi to Altay is long, but the scenery along the road will not disappoint you. ### Civil Aviation Ticket Office - address: Jiefang Road - phone: 0906-2128686 ### Airport Information - phone: 0906-2826116 - tip: Climate: Summers in Altay are cool, but day-night temperature differences are large and the weather changes quickly; mountain areas can see differences of up to 10℃, so bring some warmer outer layers and common medicines. The climate here is dry and UV radiation is strong, so bring moisturizer and sunscreen. ### Precautions 1. Mobile phone signal locally is not very good, so please prepare in advance. 2. If you plan to hire a car, it is advisable to arrange one in Burqin, as it can be quite troublesome otherwise. 3. Food prices inside the scenic area are very expensive, so try to stock up sufficiently in Urumqi or Burqin. 4. UV radiation in Xinjiang is intense and the climate is dry, so be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and pay attention to moisturizing. 5. Hemu has tourist horse teams, and you will often see horses galloping past. They kick up a lot of dust, so wearing a face mask is recommended. ## Getting there & around ### Plane There are flights between Urumqi and Altay. The flight takes 1 hour, and the airport is 11 km from the city center. ### Road From Urumqi, it is 290 km north to Karamay, the oil city. From Karamay northward is the junction of Tacheng and Altay prefectures: turn left for Burqin, or right for Altay city. Kanas Lake, the most famous scenic spot in Altay Prefecture, can be reached by hired car from either of these two cities. Altay to Kanas Lake is over 260 km, and Burqin County to Kanas Lake is 140 km. ### Long Journey Most of the nearly 700 km road from Urumqi to the Altay region runs through deserts, Gobi, and grasslands, and a regular bus takes more than 15 hours. There are often stretches of hundreds of li with no people, and bad weather may affect the road, so be mentally prepared. Also bring some dry food, water, and warm clothing before setting out, in case of need. ### Getting Around Town Altay's urban area runs north to south in a long, narrow strip along the Kelan River, with the center slightly to the north. From here, taxis and small motorbikes to various parts of town are very cheap, and walking is also quite easy. - **Inquiry Phone Numbers** — - **Kanas Airport (seasonal airport)** — - **Altay Long-Distance Bus Station** — (Yinshui Road, 0906-2311064) - **Burqin Passenger Station** — (Burqin Passenger Station, No. 32 Kanas North Road, Burqin, 0906-6525091) ## Eat & drink - **Ferula Mushroom** — Ferula is a prized medicinal herb said to ease arthritis, rheumatism and similar conditions. Each spring, the white mushroom that grows at the root of the ferula plant is known as the ferula mushroom. It is mainly found in the Gobi between the Ulungur River and the Irtysh River, and its growing season lasts less than a month each year, so the supply is very limited. Ferula mushrooms braised with saltwater lake fish are the freshest wild delicacy in Altay. ## Shopping Altay Prefecture produces large-tailed sheep, gemstones, gold and furs, but these are extremely expensive and beyond the means of most ordinary travellers, and people who are not experts often struggle to tell genuine from fake. In Fuyun County, the seat of Altay Prefecture, there are many jewellery shops selling gemstones where you can satisfy your love of gems simply by browsing. Stone collectors can visit the production site at Keketuohai, which yields two gemstones: tourmaline and hailan (a stone known locally as “hailan”). ## Where to stay In fact, you can find transport to Kanas from either Burqin or Altay. As the prefectural capital, Altay has somewhat better facilities than Burqin. However, with the development of Kanas, the number of guesthouses, hotels and tour vehicles in both places has grown steadily. ### Military Control Zone Be sure to ask locals beforehand which areas are military control zones. To travel to Baihaba you need a border pass, which can be obtained where your household is registered or in Burqin, or by presenting your ID card at the Kanas scenic area. The process takes only 10 minutes. ### Visiting a Kazakh Home The main ethnic group in Altay is the Kazakh people. When visiting a Kazakh home, keep the following in mind: while your host is cooking, do not touch the tableware, and never poke at the food with your hands or lift the pot lid; when your host cuts meat for you or offers you bedding for the night, you must not refuse, but accept it gladly, otherwise your host will think you look down on them; do not praise the host’s livestock or hunting dogs to their face; do not point at people with your hand or a stick to count them, as this implies you are counting them like livestock; and when visiting a Kazakh family, it is generally best not to stay longer than two days. ### Ideal Photo Spots From the small hills around Hemu Village, you can watch the sunrise and distant snowy peaks and take in the Tuvan homes up close. It is also an excellent spot for photographing sunrises, morning mist and the Hemu River. ### Altay Fish Feast Altay’s many rivers teem with more than a dozen prized cold-water fish, including carp, crucian carp, redfin perch, white-spotted pike, oriental bream and Chinese dace. A fish feast is therefore an essential part of any visit to Altay. Fish braised with ferula mushroom is especially delicious, and its flavour can only truly be enjoyed in Altay. ## Things to see - **Hemu Scenic Area** (★★★★): Admission ¥50 (peak season), ¥25 (off-season); shuttle bus ¥52; maintenance fee ¥20; Opening hours 8：30—20：00; Time needed 1–2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/hemu-scenic-area - **Hemu Birch Forest** (★★★★): Admission Included in the Hemu Scenic Area ticket; Time needed 1 hour — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/hemu-birch-forest - **Keketuohai World Geopark** (★★★★★): Admission Irtysh Grand Canyon: ¥90 (peak season), ¥45 (off-season); Opening hours 9：00—19：30; Time needed 1 day — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/keketuohai-world-geopark - **Kanas Scenic Area** (★★★★★): Admission Two-day ticket: ¥160 (May–October 15), ¥80 (October 16–April); shuttle bus: ¥70 for one entry, ¥110 for two entries; all-area pass ¥195 (covers the Kanas, Hemu and Baihaba scenic area tickets); Opening hours 8:00–20:00; exact hours vary by season, so please check with the scenic area; Time needed 1–2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/kanas-scenic-area - **Tuva Villages** (★★★★): Admission Included in the Kanas Scenic Area ticket (a separate shuttle bus is needed; round trip ¥40) — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/tuva-villages - **Alashan Hot Spring** (★★★): Admission ¥20 — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/alashan-hot-spring - **Wucai Beach and Wucai City (Rainbow Beach and Rainbow City)** (★★★★): Admission Rainbow Beach: ¥45 (April–October), off-season ¥22 (November–March); Rainbow City: ¥70; Opening hours Rainbow Beach 9:00–20:30; Rainbow City 8:00–18:00; Time needed 1 day — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/wucai-beach-and-wucai-city-rainbow-beach-and-rainbow-city - **Baisha Lake Scenic Area** (★★★★): Admission ¥70; Time needed 5–8 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/baisha-lake-scenic-area - **Ulungur Lake Golden Coast** (★★★★): Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/ulungur-lake-golden-coast --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 845–856. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.