Things to see and do Western China

The lake, between large sand dunes, is formed by spring water. The dunes of Mingshashan form a spectacle that should not be missed. Especially a day of great wind when these sand hills sing, as Marco Polo had already observed. In the rising sun and above all setting, the landscape of the sand mountains is fantastic.

From here you can make camel walks in the desert of Gobi, or "surf of the sands" or paragliding from the top of the dunes. These relatively quiet activities have now added a lot of noisy quad circuits…

This geological park consists of rock formations in the Désert desert. The site is absolutely magnificent, but the visit is disappointing, as organized "to Chinese". A place not to be missed for geology enthusiasts, less for others, especially as the price is prohibitive. A board if your tour tour takes you to: do not pay the entrance ticket and "wait" the end of the tour in the building built at the entrance - with a small museum and some restaurants. Once the buses have gone to the "tour of the site", you will have the exclusive pleasure of enjoying the magic of the Désert desert!

Lake Karakul, the father of the glaciers, reaches about 3 600 m; and you will reach it at the end of your journey on the Karakoram Road. This is to make simple. Beautiful lake, mirror of the three snow-capped mountains, which dominates: one to 6 500 m, the other to 7 546 m and finally the last to 7 720 m. A few kilometres from the border with Tajikistan, we are here in a rather unreal place. Take advantage of your time to make a long walk and why not sleep on the spot in the yurts of the nomads that populate the time of one summer. See, again and again. 

If there was only one reason to come to Zhangye, here she is. This complex - 23,000 m ² - of sumptuous temples and immense historical value (Emperor Kubilay, the first of the Yuan dynasty, would have been born), contains in its largest building a real jewel, a 34.5-meter long Buddha, which would be the longest in the world (or at least China). Built in 1098, its wooden structure, covered with a kind of plaster, has crossed the ages, no less than ten centuries in total! Besides, it's the same Buddha that Marco Polo would have seen and that he tells in his book about the World's Imagination. During the Cultural Revolution, red guards did not have the courage to deteriorate it, but they were still digging a tunnel, as to prove that Buddha sounded hollow. These minor damage was repaired afterwards and the small holes you see on the side of the huge statue are aeration. The rest of the complex presents interesting collections related to the history of the silk road and the spread of Buddhism in China.

An unavoidable visit.

This natural park offers spectacular shows of red rocks and is a good example of the geological features of the region. That said, if you take the bus between Zhangye and Xining (in Qinghai), you will see very similar landscapes. See if you travel along the Lanzhou-Dunhuang axis.

Classified since 2013 as UNESCO's World Heritage Site, this great national park is undoubtedly the only reason to go to Urumqi in summer and winter. And for cause, a visit to her will make you discover the Celestial Lake (or Lake of Paradise - Tian Chi). Located within the Tianshan National Park, about 2,000 meters above sea level, the beautiful lake du Paradis is within walking distance or cable car. We're mainly going there to take a tour of the lake, which is the occasion for a restful "fresh" joyride whatever the time in Urumqi.

Please be aware that it takes 7 hours to complete the entire lake. However, many tourist infrastructure - including a shopping mall - that has been set up on the north west shore of the lake, will avoid this part - hyper-mercantile - as much as possible and head towards the path along the south shore and is better preserved. So we'll prefer these trails already traced to avoid getting lost (unless you've decided to spend the night, which is possible in summer, in one of the many tents planned for this effect…).

Also, note that this excursion is easy to achieve but that you have to take two hours from the capital. So, to get there, it takes at least one day, especially since the surrounding countryside is splendid. Normally you will go through the tours organized by the CITS or by an agency recommended by your accommodation (all offer the same kind of service, only the price changes). In any case, take your path, on the way, when you will be offered multiple visits to "traditional minority habitats" (Kazakh and Mongols)…

Once these visits have been made, expect a very nice show (hoping that the view will be released…). Unmissable! However, regardless of temperature at Urumqi, you can expect warm clothing and waterproof clothing as the weather changes very quickly in altitude and because it is often fresh on top (a bonnet is often not luxury!).

First, you will find yourself in a long corridor (to move to the heart of the mountain with engravings representing the adventures of Sun Wukong, the hero king of the monkeys of the classic trip to the west (and who will be strangely adapted in a manga form under the title Dragon Ball…). You will then arrive in a large gallery presenting the statues of all Western robbers, such as the British Aurel Stein (1862-1943) or the German Albert von Le Coq, who redécouvrirent the site and empruntèrent many pieces, now exposed in Europe. Finally, on the floor you will finally see these famous mountains. They are in sandstone and reflect a huge heat. In the novel above, traveling to the west, our heroes managed to pass them only through the use of a magic rain… For us, not rain, but bottles of water… Try to go around 11 h when ochre colors become the most visible.