7-Day Xinjiang Discovery Tour Through Poplar Euphratica Forests, Canyons and Grasslands

Your journey begins in Ü rümqi, where your guide greets you at the airport and whisks you westward along the expressway toward Dushanzi. After a quick photo stop at the city skyline, you continue to the Dushanzi Grand Canyon — a vast, rust-coloured gash in the earth carved by seasonal rivers. Walk along the rim trail, watching the late-afternoon light paint the layered cliffs in shades of amber and crimson. As dusk settles, drive south across the Gobi fringe to Korla, checking into your hotel for the night.

After breakfast, head east into the Tarim River Populus Euphratica Forest — a golden corridor of ancient desert trees some over a thousand years old. Stroll the boardwalk beneath twisted, silver-barked trunks, their leaves shimmering like coins in the autumn sun. In the afternoon, drive to the Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves, the oldest Buddhist grotto site in China, where your guide deciphers Tocharian murals dating back to the 3rd century. Return to Kuqa for the evening.

Depart Kuqa for the Kiziliya Red Canyon, where towering sandstone formations glow blood-red against the blue sky. Walk the valley floor, squeezing between narrow slots and photographing the wind-sculpted pillars. After lunch, turn south onto the legendary Duku Highway — one of China's most dramatic mountain roads. The route climbs through snow-capped passes and alpine meadows before descending into the Bayinbuluke grassland basin, where you settle in for the night.

Spend the full day exploring the Bayinbuluke Grassland — a high-altitude wetland cradled at 2,500 metres in the Tianshan range. Visit Swan Lake, a chain of glacial tarns where migratory swans gather in autumn. Ride a horse across the open steppe with Kazakh herders, watching eagles circle overhead. In the late afternoon, climb the Nine-Turns-and-Eighteen-Bends observation hill for a panoramic sunset view of the wetland rivers weaving through emerald pasture.

Today you travel the northern stretch of the Duku Highway back toward Dushanzi. The road winds through snow-dusted mountain passes, pine-clad valleys and dramatic switchbacks. Stop at the Qiaorma Monument — a tribute to the soldiers who built this engineering marvel — and take in the sweeping valley views. Continue descending through forested gorges to the oil-town of Dushanzi, where you rest for the evening.

Drive east from Dushanzi into the Ili River valley, ascending through sub-alpine meadows to the Nalati Sky Grassland. Walk the elevated wooden paths that wind through rolling hills of wild grass and scattered spruce. In the Kazakh yurt villages, sample fresh kumis (fermented mare's milk) and watch shepherds guiding their flocks across the hillside. The afternoon light casts long shadows over the valley, perfect for photography.

After a leisurely breakfast, begin the return drive to Ü rümqi via the northern expressway. The route crosses open steppe, wind-farm fields and the eastern Tianshan foothills. Stop in a roadside town for a farewell lunch of laghman noodles before continuing to the capital. Your guide transfers you to the airport or hotel, closing a week of canyons, grasslands and mountain passes across Xinjiang.