Located in the Burjin county of XinJiang, you will be absolutely blown away by the dazzling birch trees and connifers in autumn. You will also have the opportunity to trek around Kanas Lake, a beautiful crescent-shaped alpine lake.

You will also be exposed to the culture of traditions of the Kazakh and Tuvans, the cattle-breeding nomads. The latter are said to decendents of Genghis Khan’s army.

This trek will take you through forests, rivers, lakes, wooden bridges & grasslands, just to name a few of the natural landscape in this northern part of Xinjiang autonomous region. Kanas is located in the Altai mountains, just off the border with Mongolia & Siberia Russia. In this trip, you will also be able to appreciate the culture and traditions of the Kazakh & Tuvans, the cattle breeding nomads. The Tuvans are Mongolian descendants of Genghis Khan’s elite army.

The end point of the trek is the fairyland-like village of Horm (HeMu). Home to about 100 households, equally divided between the Kazakhs and Tuvans, HeMu is a paradise that is surrounded by mountains and relatively inaccessible to modern transportation. We will drive you to BaiHaBa, the most northwestern village of China. It is just next to the border with Kazakhstan. From BaiHaBa, you will trek back to Kanas Lake to end your adventure.

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Day02: Urumqi / Burqin
Drive to Burqin county in a comfortable MPV, about 630km north of Urumqi. En-route enjoy the vast desert steppes of the 2nd largest province in China (hotel)
Burqin / JiaDengYu
Continue a short drive from Burqin county to JiaDengYu (Kazakh yurts)

Day03: JiaDengYu / Junction of 2 rivers campsite1 (trek 6-7hr, 18km)
There is a small mountain pass, about 1570m, right after starting from the Kazakh yurts at JiaDengYu. It is quite a steep uphill climb here. After this pass, it is down-slope all the way to the ticketing office (entrance to area of HeMu) beside the river. After you crossed the wooden bridge, turn right & follow the trail alongside the river on its left bank

Take note that this part of the trek is rather bare. Thus, it is recommended to have your shades/caps on. There is a long & gentle stretch of upslope before you descend again. There is also a half-way guesthouse along the trek. After passing through it, the trail is generally flat & you should reach the Y-junction of HeMu river & Kanas river. There is an open grass patch & this would be an ideal camping site (camping tents)

Day04: Camp1 / HeMu village (trek 4-5hr, 17km)
An easy trek today. The gradient is almost flat & mainly downhill. After leaving Camp1, you will follow the HeMu river northwards, along the left bank of the river. There is a split-junction, take the right path & follow close to the river.

This part of the trail is still mostly bare & un-shaded. A good lunch spot would be somewhere close to the stream near the pine tree forest, after you descend a steep slope. From this point, it is just another 2hr to HeMu village. You will see HeMu on your right as you approach the big wooden HeMu bridge. Welcome to HeMu!

Day05: Rest day in HeMu village
A free and easy day for you to explore this Tuvans village, voted as the most beautiful village by the Chinese National Geographic Magazine in 2007 (guesthouse)

Day06: HeMu village / Black Lake campsite2 (trek 8-9hr, 15km)
Today is the toughest day of the trek!
After crossing the HeMu bridge, follow the horse trail/steps up to the plateau directly opposite the village. Following a northeasterly direction, trek across the flat open grass patch & arrive at the small ticketing office for Kanas Lake.

The trail continues uphill all the way towards the high-pass. It takes about 2hr to reach this high-pass. Continue along the trail, up the valley with the river on your left. There is long stretch of rocks along the bank.

This is a good place for lunch as water is easily accessible. The trail ascends further and the view here is beautiful: carpet-like grass, birch trees, yurts & small wooden huts. You should see a rocky mountain face on your right. Follow the stream up the valley until you come to a lone tree right in the middle of the valley. Trek on towards the right of this tree. Soon you will arrive at the 2450m high-pass. After this pass, you will descend down to Black Lake. There is a place to stay for the night beside the Black Lake. However, avoid the area immediately after the high-pass as the grounds are damp due to the many streams flowing through.

Day07: Black Lake / Kanas Lake (trek 7-8hr, 25km)
This part of the trek is relatively easy; mostly gentle down slopes. You will come to a depression about 1hr from the Black Lake. Cross the stream that runs through it. Continue trekking in the west direction & you will arrive at a high-point where you can overlook the flat plains far ahead. There are several yurts below, & this is a nice place to have lunch.

Follow the trail down the steppes and climb up the side of the mountain on your right. Here, you can see Thousand Lakes from the top. This stretch is scenic & you will also pass several Tuvan villages along the way. Continue your trek through a nice stretch of pine trees to arrive at a high-point. Pass this point & you will see a turquoise lake to your right. Welcome to Kanas Lake! (Kazakh home-stay)

Day08: Kanas Lake / BaiHaBa / Kanas Lake (drive 60km)
Drive to BaiHaBa to visit this most northwestern village of China, just right next to Kazakhstan border! In the evening, drive back to Kanas Lake (Kazakh home-stay)

Day10: Kanas Lake / Burqin
Take the park free shuttle to visit the various spot in Kanas Lake. Meet at JiaDengYu entrance for your transport back to Burqin (hotel)

Day11: Burqin / Urumqi
Rest and relax for the long drive back to Urumqi (hotel)

Day12: Depart Urumqi
Transfer to airport for your departure

NOTE: above is our standard itinerary. Please contact us to customize it!