Spectacular Urumqi to Heavenly Lake Day Tour: Explore Tianshan's Beauty

Day Tour

At the start of your journey, our friendly Urumqi tour guide will meet you at the exit of Urumqi Train Station or in the lobby of your Urumqi hotel, holding a welcoming sign that reads "Your Way Holiday". With the assistance of our dedicated guide and professional driver, you'll be smoothly transported to your first destination.Enjoy a seamless experience as our guide and driver ensure you make the most of your visit, offering personalized attention and expert knowledge to enhance your exploration of Urumqi’s iconic sights.

In the morning, depart from Urumqi to the Xinjiang Tianshan Tianchi Scenic Area. The journey takes about 1.5 hours. Along the route, you can enjoy the unique scenery of interweaving Gobi and oases in northern Xinjiang. Prepare in advance, bring sun protection products, windproof jackets, comfortable hiking shoes, sufficient drinking water and a small amount of snacks. Because Tianchi is at a high altitude, the temperature is lower than that in the urban area, and there are many hiking sections in the scenic area. Good protection can make the trip more comfortable. Arrive at the scenic spot visitor center in the morning, where you can buy tickets. Ticket fees differ between the peak season (April 16 to October 31) and the off-season (November 1 to April 15 of the next year). After purchasing, head to the Tianchi Main Lake, which takes about 40 minutes. Along the way, staff will explain the legendary stories and geological formation reasons of Tianchi. You can better enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Sangong River Gorge along the way. When passing through the folk village, move forward as quickly as possible to avoid delaying the trip due to shopping promotion.

Arrive at the Tianchi Main Lake in the morning. After getting off the bus, walk 500 meters to reach the lake. There is no need to take an electric car. Along the way, you can enjoy the primeval forest scenery by the lake. After arriving at the lake, first check in the most representative scenery of Tianchi - the Dinghai Shenzhen (Sea-Calming Divine Needle), which is a thousand-year-old elm standing by the lake. Legend has it that it is a divine object used by the Queen Mother of the West to fix Tianchi. Next to it is the Tianchi Stone Tablet, which is an excellent location for taking panoramic photos of Tianchi. Here you can take a beautiful picture of the blue lake reflecting the Bogda Snow Peak. Then walk along the lakeside wooden plank road on the east side of the lake. This plank road is about 2 kilometers long, with few people and beautiful scenery. Especially in May, all kinds of wild flowers will bloom on both sides of the plank road. Walking in it is like being in a fairyland. You can not only avoid the crowd, but also feel the tranquility and grandeur of Tianchi up close, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the interweaving lake and mountains.

After, go to the Tianchi Shimen. A famous natural landscape in Xinjiang Tianchi Scenic Area, Tianchi Shimen is the natural mountain pass leading to the core area of Tianchi, located at the entrance of Sangong River Gorge. Formed by ancient river erosion, it is a narrow canyon where two steep mountains stand opposite each other, with the narrowest part only 10 meters wide, resembling a pair of open stone gates, hence the name "Shimen Yixiantian" (a line of sky at the stone gate). The swift Sangong River flows through the canyon, and the towering cliffs on both sides are covered with green pines and cypresses, creating a magnificent and precipitous scenery. Visitors can hike along the plank road beside the stone gate, enjoy the spectacular canyon landscape, appreciate the natural wonder formed by geological changes, and listen to the legend related to the Queen Mother of the West passed down by local guides.

At noon, go to the lakeside restaurant or scenic restaurant in the scenic area for lunch. It is recommended to try Xinjiang's characteristic delicacies for lunch, such as crispy and tender roasted buns, fragrant pilaf, and chewy noodles. It can not only replenish physical strength, but also feel the local food culture. The dining time is controlled within about 1 hour to avoid delaying the afternoon itinerary.

In the afternoon, go to the Queen Mother of the West Ancestral Temple. There are two ways to get to the ancestral temple: one is to take a cruise ship, which takes about 20 minutes, and the other is to walk around the lake, which takes about 40 minutes. Those with good physical strength are advised to choose walking to enjoy more lake scenery along the way, and those with poor physical strength can choose the cruise ship to save time and energy. The Queen Mother of the West Ancestral Temple is a Taoist temple built on a cliff and an important site of Taoist culture. After entering the ancestral temple, you can feel the strong Taoist cultural atmosphere. Climb to the viewing platform of the ancestral temple, you can overlook the whole lake of Tianchi with an excellent view. Here you can pray for blessings and make wishes, touch the replica of the Dinghai Shenzhen, get some blessings, and feel the perfect integration of thousands of years of Taoist culture and natural beauty.

And then, come down from Maya Mountain and go to the Feilongtan Waterfall. Feilongtan, also known as "Shuxi Stream", is a waterfall formed by the water of Tianchi pouring down. Here, water mist fills the air, especially in summer, when rainbows often appear under the sunlight, and the scenery is very spectacular. Walk along the hiking plank road of Feilongtan. The plank road is about 2 kilometers long. Along the way, the stream is clear and the forest is dense, as if you are in a natural oxygen bar. You can feel the coolness and shock of the waterfall up close, and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the cliff waterfall and the blue pool water complementing each other. Stay here for about 1 hour, hike and take photos slowly, and feel the uncanny craftsmanship of nature.

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