Confucius

[Wed 28 Aug, 21:32]
PST (Gumly Gumly -17)
37. Urumqi Sept. 4-23
First time out west? If so, you'll want to head east to Turpan first. (Save Dunhuang for your next journey to the west.)
Upon arrival in Urumqi airport go straight to Turpan. You might as well make your Turpan hotel reservations now because you need to maximize your two days there (Sept. 5-6)
Sept. 6: Take the overnight train to Kashgar. I usually suggest taking the flight from Urumqi but you'll need that on the way back.
Sept. 7 Explore Kashgar and then Sept. 8 is your Sunday Market day. Sept. 9 go south to Karakuli Lake on the Karakorum Highway. Overnight in a yurt and return the next day to Kashgar or go all the way to Tashkurgan, a Tajik town near the Pakistan border and overnight there. (There's some flexibility here as you can overnight in one or the other.) There are other interesting excursions from Kashgar such as the handmade knife making village of Yengesar so another day in that vicinity would also be well spent. Fly back to Urumqi from Kashgar or take another overnight train if you wish to save money.
Rest one day in Urumqi (maybe do the provincial museum) and then do your one way Tian Chi overnighter. After your second day at Tian Chi head west to Jimusaer for a day and then begin your northern expedition toward Hanasi Lake. Plan on a couple days to get to the northern tip of Xinjiang where Hanasi Lake is located, stopping in Kazakh villages along the way. You should arrive at Hanasi Lake in time for the splendid fall foliage scenery. 2 days hiking around and then it's back to Urumqi south through Kalamay. Make sure you arrive at Hanasi Lake by Sept. 18 and depart Sept. 20. You should arrive in Kalamay Sept. 21 and then it's Urumqi on Sept. 22 to rest before your flight back to HK.
When doing budget travel in big old Xinjiang you spend a lot of time on the road. This is part of the Xinjiang experience and you will inevitably meet all of those odd characters that make Xinjiang so amusing and interesting.
Kashgar and Hanasi Lake are the best places to see in Xinjiang. Most people never have time to do both in one short trip. In fact, many tourists go to Xinjiang and only do the Urumqi area and Turpan in 4-5 day packages. I always suggest minimizing your time in Urumqi. After seeing the other places I reccommend you'll see why I'm right and ordinary Chinese tour groups are wrong.
Stick to the suggested itinerary as close as possible. You can always take an extra flight in Xinjiang if you fall behind schedule due to unforeseen circumstances because there are now airports in many remote regions.
Best wishes,
Confucius