Xinjiang stretches from the alpine lakes and grasslands of Kanas and Ili to the Silk Road cities, Taklamakan Desert and high mountains of the Pamirs.
Our private Xinjiang tours cover the region’s main routes, from Kanas and Hemu to Ili, Kashgar and the Pamirs. Choose a shorter highlights trip, focus on one region, or combine Northern and Southern Xinjiang in a longer journey.
Every tour can be customized to your travel dates, interests and preferred pace.
Plan Your Private Xinjiang Tour
Our most popular Xinjiang tours range from shorter trips covering Urumqi, Turpan and Kashgar to longer journeys through Northern and Southern Xinjiang. Choose from the routes below based on your time and the places you want to visit.
This Xinjiang Highlights Tour covers Urumqi, Turpan, Kashgar and Karakul Lake. Experience ancient Silk Road cities, Uyghur culture, desert ruins, alpine lakes and dramatic mountain landscapes along the Karakoram Highway.
This 10-day Northern Xinjiang tour covers Kanas Lake, Hemu Village, Devil’s City, Sayram Lake, and Nalati Grassland. Explore stunning alpine lakes, ethnic culture, and vast grasslands on a scenic journey through the wild beauty of Xinjiang.
Explore Southern Xinjiang on a 12-day Urumqi to Kashgar tour. Cross the Taklamakan Desert, ride camels, camp under stars, and visit ancient Silk Road cities, Uyghur villages, and scenic highlands on this immersive desert highway journey.
Travel from Urumqi to Kashgar on a 16-day private journey across North and South Xinjiang, exploring Kanas, Ili, the Duku Highway, Taklamakan Desert, Silk Road oasis towns and the Pamir Plateau.
Northern Xinjiang is known for alpine lakes, forests and grasslands. Explore Kanas and Hemu in the Altai Mountains, then travel through Sayram Lake, Ili and Nalati beneath the Tianshan Mountains.
Best from late spring to early autumn.
This 10-day Northern Xinjiang tour covers Kanas Lake, Hemu Village, Devil’s City, Sayram Lake, and Nalati Grassland. Explore stunning alpine lakes, ethnic culture, and vast grasslands on a scenic journey through the wild beauty of Xinjiang.
This one week Kanas lake and Hemu Village Tour from Urumqi showcases the best of Northern Xinjiang’s Altay region, including Heavenly Lake, Keketuohai Geopark, Kanas Lake, Hemu Village, and the Ghost City, perfect trip for nature lovers.
This Kanas Lake trekking tour leads you through Northern Xinjiang’s most scenic trails. Trek from Jiadengyu to Hemu Village, then to Kanas Lake across forests, rivers, alpine meadows, and panoramic ridges while experiencing Tuwa culture and the region’s famous turquoise lake.
Explore Xinjiang’s top grasslands and Silk Road heritage on this journey from Urumqi through Sayram Lake, Kalajun, Nalati and Bayanbuluk, then south via the Duku Highway to Kuqa’s canyons, caves and historic old town.
Southern Xinjiang offers a very different experience. Here, the ancient Silk Road passes through oasis towns between the Tianshan Mountains and the Taklamakan Desert, connecting Kuqa, Hotan, Yarkand and Kashgar.
Travel farther west and the landscape rises dramatically into the Pamir Plateau, where the Karakoram Highway leads past alpine lakes and high mountains toward Tashkorgan.
This Xinjiang Silk Road Cultural Tour travels from Urumqi to Turpan, Hotan, Yarkand, Kashgar, and Tashkorgan. Experience desert camping, oasis ruins, the Karakoram Highway, Karakul Lake, and rich Uyghur and Tajik culture.
Explore Southern Xinjiang on a 12-day Urumqi to Kashgar tour. Cross the Taklamakan Desert, ride camels, camp under stars, and visit ancient Silk Road cities, Uyghur villages, and scenic highlands on this immersive desert highway journey.
This 8-day Muztagh Ata Base Camp trekking tour starts in Kashgar and takes you to Karakul Lake, Kyrgyz nomad villages, and the Pamir Plateau. Hike through grasslands and glaciers up to 4,500 m for unmatched views of Muztagh Ata, with cultural stops in Tashkorgan and Kashgar.
Travel from Kashgar to Dunhuang on this 9-day Silk Road tour. Visit Karakul Lake, Tashkorgan, Urumqi’s Heavenly Lake, Turpan’s ancient desert cities, and Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves. A concise route combining Xinjiang landscapes and key Silk Road heritage sites.
We help 3,000+ international travelers each year explore China, with experience planning private journeys across Xinjiang and western China.
Your dedicated travel advisor coordinates your guides, drivers, hotels and transportation throughout your Xinjiang journey.
Explore Xinjiang with knowledgeable local guides who help you understand the region’s history, cultures and local life.
Transparent pricing with no forced shopping, compulsory tips or hidden costs.
For most first-time travelers, 8–12 days works well for exploring one main part of Xinjiang. You can focus on Kanas and Ili in Northern Xinjiang, or travel through Turpan, Kashgar and the Pamirs, with more time for Southern Xinjiang if you include Kuqa, Hotan and the Taklamakan Desert.
To combine Northern and Southern Xinjiang, plan around 14–16 days or longer. Xinjiang is vast, and trying to cover both regions in a short trip usually means too much time on the road.
Choose Northern Xinjiang if you are most interested in alpine lakes, forests, mountains and grasslands. The main areas include Kanas and Hemu in the Altai Mountains and Sayram Lake, Ili and Nalati around the Tianshan Mountains.
Choose Southern Xinjiang for Silk Road history, Uyghur culture, oasis cities and desert landscapes. Major stops include Kuqa, Hotan, Yarkand and Kashgar, with the Pamir Plateau and Tashkorgan accessible from Kashgar.
If you have two weeks or more, you can combine both regions.
The best time depends on where you want to go. June to August is a good time for Ili, Sayram Lake and Nalati, with wildflowers especially good around June and July. For Kanas and Hemu, summer is green and scenic, while September to early October is popular for autumn colors.
For Southern Xinjiang, spring and autumn generally offer more comfortable temperatures for exploring Kashgar, Kuqa, Hotan and the Taklamakan Desert. If you want to see the golden poplar forests around the Tarim Basin, plan for mid-October to early November, depending on the location and the year.
The Duku Highway normally operates from around June to early October, but opening and closing dates change each year according to snow and road conditions.
For travelers who want a mix of history, culture and scenery, Urumqi – Turpan – Kashgar – Pamirs is a practical first Xinjiang route. It combines the Silk Road heritage of Turpan and Kashgar with the mountain scenery around Tashkorgan.
If natural scenery is your priority, consider Kanas and Hemu, Ili and Sayram Lake, or combine both areas on a longer Northern Xinjiang tour.
Most Xinjiang tours use a combination of private vehicles, trains and domestic flights. Private vehicles are useful for regional sightseeing and routes such as Kanas, Ili, the Taklamakan Desert and the Pamirs.
For longer distances between major cities, trains and flights can reduce travel time. The best combination depends on your route, as Xinjiang covers a very large area.
Foreign travelers do not need a special permit to visit Xinjiang in general.
However, some areas have additional restrictions. For example, Bayanbulak Scenic Area requires special permission for foreign travelers, while some areas south of Yecheng are closed to foreign visitors, including access to the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway. Border areas may also require additional permits.
Access rules can change, so we check the latest requirements when planning your itinerary and adjust the route when necessary.
Xinjiang, officially Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, is located in the northwest corner of China. As the largest province-level division of China, it covers over 1.66 million square kilometers (640,00 square miles), about one-sixth of the country’s total territory, with the longest borderland and most adjacent countries. Whether you prefer exceptional natural beauty or enchanting Central Asian history and culture, Xinjiang is the place for you. There are so many absolutely beautiful places throughout Xiangjiang, that you will be kept busy photographing it all. From the vast grassland, crystal lakes, and golden birch forests, to the endless desert, unbearable hot flame…
Read more >
The Silk Road was once regarded as the longest road in the world. In fact, it’s not precisely one road, but a combination of different trade routes that became central to the overall economic, religious, and cultural interactions between the West and the East. Primarily, the Silk Road is a series of land routes that run throughout Central Asia as well as Southeast Asia, and connect with Southern Europe, all the way to East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The name is derived from the excessive silk trade that was once carried through these routes, beginning in the early years…
Read more >
Start planning your China/Tibet holiday with 1-to-1 help from our travel advisors. Travel with joy!
