Update. The bus station at Niabzhigou in Urumqi has been torn down. The small office round the corner that used to house the ticket office for Almaty buses looks abandoned.
I took the overnight train to Yining and have bought a bus ticket to the border at Khorgas. It leaves Yining bus station at 9.30 (time is now 9am Beijing time) and cost 25rmb. I will attempt to cross on foot or taxi/passing vehicle and update as I can't find any info of anyone having done this.
Will add further info when I get to Almaty.
Almaty-Yining-Urumqi bus: reports, Q&A
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SteveRohan
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2017 4:16 am
- x 4
Re: Bus from Urumqi (China) to Almaty (Kazakhstan)
The only bus it seems goes from Khorgas on the Chinese side to Zharkent 33km into Kazakhstan. First take the ivernight train from Urumqi to Yining, then bus to Khorgas (25rmb/2 hours).
0 x
Re: Almaty-Urumqi bus: reports, Q&A
Are you saying the Urumqi-Almaty bus got cancelled? Or they just did not want to sell you a ticket at the bus station? Or it was sold out? Are you certain of the cancellation?
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Travellingtnt
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:22 am
Re: Almaty-Urumqi bus: reports, Q&A
Hi
Does anyone know if the bus to Khorgas from Almaty crosses the border or would we then have to find a way over it as it sounds like we can’t walk? Perhaps we should get the bus that goes all the way to Ürümqi? We’re keen to split the journey to Ürümqi up a bit, could we stay in Yining and from there get a train to Ürümqi? Thanks a lot for your help
Does anyone know if the bus to Khorgas from Almaty crosses the border or would we then have to find a way over it as it sounds like we can’t walk? Perhaps we should get the bus that goes all the way to Ürümqi? We’re keen to split the journey to Ürümqi up a bit, could we stay in Yining and from there get a train to Ürümqi? Thanks a lot for your help
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Re: Almaty-Urumqi bus: reports, Q&A
We took the Almaty - Urumqi bus on 1 September 2019. Hopefully my report below can help others to plan this cross-border bus trip.
You can buy the bus ticket at Sayran Bus Station in Almaty, ticket window no. 3. Price: 16.000 Tenge. You can buy it three days in advance, not earlier. At first I thought I also had to buy a separate ticket for my luggage, but this was not the case. I would recommend to buy the bus ticket at least a day in advance. Bus departs daily, once a day: at 7.00 in the morning and it takes 24 hours (our bus took longer, 28 hours). They will open the gate to the buses at 6.45, not earlier. There is a waiting area at the station, toilets (40 Tenge) are located in a building outside.
Our bus did not depart at 07.00 but at 08.00. I did not understand why there was a delay, because everyone was on the bus. The drive to the Kazakh border took 4,5 hours. The bus parked outside the gates and everyone had to get out. A Kazakh border guard inspected the bus, while all passengers stood outside in the hot sun for 15 minutes. We then had to show one by one our passports and Chinese visa before getting back on the bus. Before continuing to the actual border control the bus first drove to a gas station (and mini market) inside the gates of the border control. We spent another hour there. Then we continued to the border control, but had to wait for 1,5 hours. Don't know why we had to wait, because there were only two of three other cars there. Maybe the border was understaffed? After a long wait we finally arrived at the Kazakh passport and baggage inspection. There was a German Sheppard sniffing all passengers.
Then it was time for the Chinese border. The passport inspection building is super modern and way too big for the number of passengers coming through (but that is the case with all Chinese government buildings). The process here was efficient and quick. They scanned our luggage twice, scanned our passports twice and I was asked questions by two different border guards. But nothing too serious. I think we were in and out within 1 hour.
Coming into the Chinese Xinjiang border, I was pretty nervous that they would ask me a million questions and would check my luggage, photos on camera, photos on laptop, browser history and photos on phone, etc. But they did not. They asked the standard question: Is this your first time coming to China? I said no, because it is my second time. And this changed everything, because from that point on they smiled and only asked what our China itinerary was going to be like. We did not have to show any hotel reservations or proof of onward travel after China. They also did not ask to see our camera photos, laptop or phone. There was another British guy on our bus and it was his first time coming to China. He was taken to another room, questioned about his itinerary and had to show his camera. But also he mentioned, the inspection was quite alright.
Overall, the Kazakhstan-China border crossing took almost 6 hours and most of this time was spent on the Kazakh side.
After the border the bus stopped for dinner in Khorgas (there were a few restaurants and you can use the toilet for 1 yuan in a small shop) and then drove on to Urumqi. Unfortunately, the bus broke down just outside Urumqi and we had to change to a different random bus on the highway. We arrived at Urumqi around 11.30 in the morning, the next day (Sept. 2).
About the bus: it is comfortable, the chairs have a handle to recline. But the person in front of you can lean back almost so far that he/she ends up in your lap and your legs are stuck. Also, you don't get a seat number. You can sit everywhere. Sounds good, but the disadvantage of this is that when you come back to the bus after a break you have to find a new spot every time.
I hope this information is useful!
You can buy the bus ticket at Sayran Bus Station in Almaty, ticket window no. 3. Price: 16.000 Tenge. You can buy it three days in advance, not earlier. At first I thought I also had to buy a separate ticket for my luggage, but this was not the case. I would recommend to buy the bus ticket at least a day in advance. Bus departs daily, once a day: at 7.00 in the morning and it takes 24 hours (our bus took longer, 28 hours). They will open the gate to the buses at 6.45, not earlier. There is a waiting area at the station, toilets (40 Tenge) are located in a building outside.
Our bus did not depart at 07.00 but at 08.00. I did not understand why there was a delay, because everyone was on the bus. The drive to the Kazakh border took 4,5 hours. The bus parked outside the gates and everyone had to get out. A Kazakh border guard inspected the bus, while all passengers stood outside in the hot sun for 15 minutes. We then had to show one by one our passports and Chinese visa before getting back on the bus. Before continuing to the actual border control the bus first drove to a gas station (and mini market) inside the gates of the border control. We spent another hour there. Then we continued to the border control, but had to wait for 1,5 hours. Don't know why we had to wait, because there were only two of three other cars there. Maybe the border was understaffed? After a long wait we finally arrived at the Kazakh passport and baggage inspection. There was a German Sheppard sniffing all passengers.
Then it was time for the Chinese border. The passport inspection building is super modern and way too big for the number of passengers coming through (but that is the case with all Chinese government buildings). The process here was efficient and quick. They scanned our luggage twice, scanned our passports twice and I was asked questions by two different border guards. But nothing too serious. I think we were in and out within 1 hour.
Coming into the Chinese Xinjiang border, I was pretty nervous that they would ask me a million questions and would check my luggage, photos on camera, photos on laptop, browser history and photos on phone, etc. But they did not. They asked the standard question: Is this your first time coming to China? I said no, because it is my second time. And this changed everything, because from that point on they smiled and only asked what our China itinerary was going to be like. We did not have to show any hotel reservations or proof of onward travel after China. They also did not ask to see our camera photos, laptop or phone. There was another British guy on our bus and it was his first time coming to China. He was taken to another room, questioned about his itinerary and had to show his camera. But also he mentioned, the inspection was quite alright.
Overall, the Kazakhstan-China border crossing took almost 6 hours and most of this time was spent on the Kazakh side.
After the border the bus stopped for dinner in Khorgas (there were a few restaurants and you can use the toilet for 1 yuan in a small shop) and then drove on to Urumqi. Unfortunately, the bus broke down just outside Urumqi and we had to change to a different random bus on the highway. We arrived at Urumqi around 11.30 in the morning, the next day (Sept. 2).
About the bus: it is comfortable, the chairs have a handle to recline. But the person in front of you can lean back almost so far that he/she ends up in your lap and your legs are stuck. Also, you don't get a seat number. You can sit everywhere. Sounds good, but the disadvantage of this is that when you come back to the bus after a break you have to find a new spot every time.
I hope this information is useful!
3 x
Re: Almaty-Urumqi bus: reports, Q&A
Thx for the report..!! may I ask why u didn't decide to go to zharkent, minibus through the border and then a train or something after to urumqi..?
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Travelgian
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:26 pm
- x 3
- x 2
Re: Yining-Almaty bus Q&A
Hi all, all being well I'll get to Khorgos (Huo'uergosi is the name used when booking on Chinese railways) in two days. Is there any update on the border crossing? I hope it is possible to get a bus ticket to Zharkent from there. Sadly I'll have to leave the silk road and head north asap. Does anyone know if there's a connection from Zharkent to Astana? By the way, I thought it would be somehow difficult to book train tickets in Xinjiang, instead I managed to do everything online and collect all tickets at the first station I went to.
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Travelgian
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:26 pm
- x 3
- x 2
Re: Yining-Almaty bus Q&A
By the way, I don't understand why many people talk about travelling to Yining and getting bus to Khorgos. Overnight train seems to arrive to Khorgos. But maybe I'm missing something..
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TravellerDeQuebec
- Posts: 17
- Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2023 10:10 pm
- x 4
- x 16
Bus or train from Almaty to China still operational?
Now that China has begun to give tourist Visas again, I am considering going through China to South Korea this summer. However, to do so I would want to get in through a border in Xinjiang.
Traditionally, there have been both trains and buses for Almaty to Urumqi (and also a bus from Almaty to Yining). I can’t find specific information for whether these are still operational or not from 2019 onwards.
Does anybody have information?
Traditionally, there have been both trains and buses for Almaty to Urumqi (and also a bus from Almaty to Yining). I can’t find specific information for whether these are still operational or not from 2019 onwards.
Does anybody have information?
0 x
Re: Bus or train from Almaty to China still operational?
All international trains from and to China have been cancelled in early 2020 due to Covid-19 and not yet been reinstated. I expect at least a handful of them to resume soon (likely trains to Laos, Vietnam and maybe Mongolia, I do not expect the direct train Moscow-Beijing to restart any time soon). Concerning Almaty-Urumqi, I'm unsure. Maybe there will be a train in summer, maybe not.
No idea about buses.
No idea about buses.
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