Northern Xinjiang 7-Day Snow Country Forests & Blue Ice Secret Realm Tour

In the morning, arrive in Urumqi and check into a downtown hotel. After putting down your luggage, stroll through Red Hill Park, climb the Red Hill Tower to overlook Urumqi’s snowy cityscape, and see the quiet look of buildings covered in white. Check in at the ice and snow sculptures inside the park and feel the winter atmosphere.In the afternoon, head to the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, browse winter-special stalls, and see handmade carpets and ethnic musical instruments looking even more distinctive against the snow. Buy a Kazakh fur hat, and taste freshly baked baked buns and steaming milk tea to ward off the cold.In the evening, have dinner on the Grand Bazaar Food Street, with hand-pulled mutton and “big plate chicken” recommended, paired with Xinjiang beer. Afterward, wander through the Grand Bazaar night views, where lanterns and snowflakes intertwine, and feel the everyday bustle of Urumqi at night.

In the morning, depart from Urumqi along the G30 expressway toward Sayram Lake, watching snowy Gobi scenery along the way. Make a brief stop at Jinghe County to enjoy a hot bowl of lamb soup with rice.In the afternoon, arrive at the Sayram Lake Scenic Area and take the sightseeing bus to tour along the lakeshore, focusing on the “blue ice core area”, where the lake surface has frozen into layers of cyan-blue ice that shine like gemstones in the sunlight. With a professional guide, walk on the ice and take photos in safe zones and observe the bubble ice beneath the surface up close. At sunset, photograph blue ice at the lake’s western shore, watching the setting sun gild the ice layers with a golden edge.In the evening, stay at a guesthouse inside the Sayram Lake Scenic Area, and have a Kazakh yurt dinner, drinking mare’s milk wine and eating hand-pulled mutton. If the weather is clear, go out to the yard to photograph the starry sky over the blue ice, with the Milky Way reflected on the frozen lake—purely dreamlike.

In the morning, photograph the morning mist at Sayram Lake, as fog drifts over the lake and ice, turning the scene into a fairyland. Then head toward Nalati via the Guozigou Bridge, watching the rime-covered forests of Guozigou, where branches are laden with white frost crystals.In the afternoon, arrive at the Nalati Snow Grassland and take the scenic bus to the “Sky Grassland”, where the grassland has turned into an endless snowfield under a blanket of white, with snow mountains stretching into the distance. Experience snowfield horseback riding, walking across the snow while listening to the sound of hooves crunching through the ice. Check in at clusters of “snow mushrooms” on the grassland—snow piled high on roofs and fences—for fairy-tale-style photos.In the evening, stay at a wooden guesthouse in Nalati Town, and enjoy a Kazakh-style clay hotpot, with lamb, frozen tofu, and Chinese cabbage to warm your body and stomach. Join the bonfire party organized by the guesthouse, dancing meshrep with locals and feeling grassland nightlife.

In the morning, depart Nalati via G217 toward Kanas, passing through the forests of the Altay region and watching pine trees laden with rime like a “snow-fir tunnel.”In the afternoon, arrive at Jiadengyu at Kanas and take the scenic bus into Kanas Village, checking into a wooden guesthouse. After a short rest, walk down to the shore of Kanas Lake, where the frozen lake surface, surrounding snow mountains, and forests form an ink-wash landscape. Wander Kanas Village, see thick layers of snow on the roofs of the wooden houses, and photograph the healing scene of “snow pressing down on the eaves.”In the evening, dine at the guesthouse on steamed Altay black fish and stir-fried wild vegetables, paired with cornbread. After dinner, stroll through the village and photograph wooden houses under the starry sky—and if you are lucky, you may even encounter the aurora.

At 6:30 in the morning, take the scenic bus from Kanas Village to Fairy Bay for sunrise mist. In winter, the mist at Fairy Bay is even denser, drifting over the lake and snowfields while trees loom in and out of sight like a living ink painting. Then continue on to Moon Bay, where the frozen river and shoreline sketch a “moon” shape, and the rime forest along the banks reflects beautifully on the ice.In the afternoon, return to Kanas Village for a Tuva family visit. Enter a traditional wooden house, drink milk tea, taste cheese, and listen to Tuva people play grassland melodies on the chuur. Stroll the village’s small folk shops and buy handmade wood carvings and embroidery as souvenirs.In the evening, have hand-pulled rice, grilled lamb skewers, and other hearty dishes at the guesthouse. After dinner, sit around the stove to chat and listen to locals share winter stories of Kanas.

In the morning, take the scenic bus from Kanas Village to Hemu Village, enjoying forest-and-snowfield scenery along the way. On arrival, check into a wooden guesthouse in Hemu Village.In the afternoon, wander Hemu Village, with a focus on Hemu Bridge, where the frozen Hemu River flows beneath and the birch forests along the banks are draped in rime. Walk into clusters of “snow mushrooms”—shapes formed where snow has piled up thickly on the roofs of wooden houses—paired with red lanterns to create a fairy-tale world. Enjoy pure winter fun with snowball fights and snowman building.In the evening, climb to a high viewpoint above Hemu Village to photograph the entire village at night, where warm yellow lights in every house blend with snow and stars. Dinner features the Tuva specialty “naren”, paired with homemade yogurt, for a truly local flavor.

In the morning, photograph the sunrise in Hemu Village, watching the sun rise behind the snow mountains and gild the snowfields and wooden houses with gold. Then stroll through the Hemu Village morning market, buying freshly baked nang and fresh mare’s milk wine as journey souvenirs.Around midday, depart Hemu Village and follow the original route back to Urumqi.In the afternoon, arrive in Urumqi. If time allows, you can go to Erdaoqiao Folk-Custom Street to buy more Xinjiang specialties. Afterwards, according to your flight / train schedule, head to Urumqi Diwopu International Airport or Urumqi Railway Station, ending this Northern Xinjiang 7-Day Snow-Country Fairy-Tale Tour.