Traveling in or out from Ürümqi by train – especially during the long winters – offers unforgettable views. Despite the image most people have of China, the city is amidst a vast and desolated desert, with shallow, frozen rivers illuminated by a low, cold sun, breaking the monotonous views. Snowed dunes and wild camels are some of the surprises awaiting visitors to this intriguing spot.
More conventional sights around the city include:
The Tianchi Lake
Called also the Heavenly Lake and the Pearl of the Heavenly Mountain, the lake successfully breaks the desert dullness of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. The lake is 110km east of Ürümqi and just west of the 3400m Bogda Mountain; it is 1980m above the sea level. It covers only above five square kilometers, but its unspoiled look and semi-circular shape created by melted mountain snow is unforgettable. The one-day tours to the lake arranged from Ürümqi include a walk along its shores or a boat ride; fishing there is an appealing option. Typical of such sites in China, the lake is surrounded by legends dating back to the Western Zhou Dynasty (1100BC -771BC).
The Southern Pasture
Seventy-five kilometers south of Ürümqi is the Southern Pasture at the northern side of the Karawuquntag Mountain. Visitors are usually taken to West White Poplar Gully, which offers sights of snowcapped peaks, waterfalls, dragon-spruce trees and wild flowers.
The Kanasi Nature Reserve
The reserve is located in the Burqin County, nearby Altay City, near the borders with Kazakhstan, Russia and Mongolia. Its Mongolian name means the "Rich and Beauty," and accordingly offers sights of lakes, rivers, forests, glaciers and grasslands. The reserve encompasses the Altay Mountain, the Kanasi Glacier, the accompanying river and a lake at its end. 1375m above the sea level and with a surface of less than fifty square kilometers, the lake is too far away and too insignificant to attract polluting industries and was thus kept magically unspoiled. A big part of the tours to the area are spent listening to the apparently endless legends attached to the six bays surrounding the lake.
The lake is about 250 kilometers away from Altay on the border itself, thus a Frontier Permit for Burqin County (costing fifty yuan) is needed before approaching the area. The easiest way of reaching it is by plane from Ürümqi to Altay and then renting a car (or a horse for the most adventurous) to Kanasi. Once there, it is possible to live with local families.
The Silk Road
One of the main attractions in Western China is the Silk Road. For eons, the Silk Road was the main highway connecting the imperial courts in China (Luoyang and Xian) with the western world, until the discovery of the sea route through India transformed it into a secondary route. A big part of it crossed what today is called the Xinjiang Autonomous Region. Beyond the predicted tours arranged by travel agencies across China, it is possible to travel along the road independently and stopping at some of its main stops: Lanzhou, Ürümqi and the semi-mythical Kashgar. The regional markets in these cities offer unique sights, which transfer the traveler a few centuries back in time. Nowadays, old magical flying carpets are used to cover the seats of decrepit motorcycles.