Xinjiang Cities

Gongliu County is the gateway town to Kuerdening and Qiaxi in Xinjiang’s Ili valley. Where to sleep, eat, and fuel up before your valley drives each day.

Tekes County in Xinjiang’s Ili valley is the world’s only Bagua-planned town with no traffic lights, and a central base for Kalajun and Zhaosu grasslands.

Ruoqiang County is China’s largest county, where the Taklamakan Desert meets the Altun Mountains. Plan transport, timing, and visits to Miran and Loulan.

Luntai County in Xinjiang is where the Han Western Regions Protectorate began in 60 BC and where the Tarim Desert Highway starts for travellers today.

Hejing County sits above Bayinbulak and straddles the Tianshan — one of Xinjiang’s largest counties, rich in Torgut Mongol heritage, rivers and steppe.

Fuyun County in northern Xinjiang is the quiet gateway to Koktokay and the headwaters of the Irtysh, the only Chinese river that reaches the Arctic Ocean.

Qitai County was the dry dock of the Silk Road’s northern route, where 40,000 camels traded. Its old city, wheat kitchens and new airport reward a stop.

Dushanzi guide: where Xinjiang’s oil age began, with what to see, how to get there and where to stay near the Tian Shan foothills worth a visit for a day.

Midong Rice Belt guide: paddy art fields and farm country north of Urumqi, with what to see, when to go, how to get there and where to eat fresh rice.

Kokdala Xinjiang: the Ili-valley city made famous by the song Night on the Grassland, its river bridge, lavender fields, and nearby Huiyuan Ancient City.