I'm planning on my trip in September/October and I have 1 month to 1.5 months time. I'm a Chinese passport holder.
Almaty (maybe a day trip or two) - illi (day trip to Sayram lake? Or go directly to the lake from the border, then to illi afterwards) - Urumqi - Turpan - Kashgar (train) (day trip to Tashkurgan or side trip to Khotan) - Osh (via Irkeshtam pass) - Arslanbob - Bishkek
or the other way around
Bishkek - Arslanbob - Osh (via Irkeshtam pass) - Kashgar (day trip to Tashkurgan or side trip to Khotan) - Turpan - Urumqi - illi - Sayram lake - Almaty (maybe a day trip or two)
Do you think it's doable within 1.5 months? I would like to check more nature instead of the cities.
And do these two routes have any difference, concerning the border crossing?
Thanks in advance
Help with my itinerary (Kyrgyzstan, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan)
Re: Help with my itinerary (Kyrgyzstan, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan)
That's definitely possible in 1 or 1.5 months.
I think it will be interesting to hear of your experience and impressions as (I assume) a Han Chinese in Xinjiang. In the experience of most foreigners, Uyghurs are perhaps more friendly than Han, while their relations with Han are obviously much more strained.
Anyway, I am of the firm belief that Uyghur culture in Xinjiang is more stereotypically "Central Asian" than the Russian-influenced culture in the 'stans, and that will be particularly the case for your trip given that the traditionally-nomadic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz practice a very flexible form of Islam, and Russian influence has remained extremely strong in Kazakhstan. Of the places listed on your itinerary, Osh and Arslanbob are both Uzbek-majority areas, and while Uzbeks are more conservative than Kyrgyz, they still pale in comparison to much of Xinjiang.
So in many ways I think Xinjiang will feel the most alien and foreign for you, which may also make it the most interesting. Obviously Urumqi (and the Northern Kazakh/Mongolian areas) would be the gentlest introduction to Xinjiang, while if you travel in the opposite direction Osh will serve a similar purpose. For a Westerner Osh is probably more familiar, while as a Han you'll probably find Urumqi more familiar.
If you're interested primarily in nature, then you might want to consider adding a trip to Kanas (extremely popular with Han, but you can also get away from the crowds) and a trip to Tashkurgan is pretty essential, especially since you're not going to Tajikistan and the Pamirs. I don't think you have to sacrifice Hotan in order to see Tashkurgan.
My suggestion would be to cross the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border at Kegen, which would allow you to visit the Issyk-kul area as well as Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan.
I think it will be interesting to hear of your experience and impressions as (I assume) a Han Chinese in Xinjiang. In the experience of most foreigners, Uyghurs are perhaps more friendly than Han, while their relations with Han are obviously much more strained.
Anyway, I am of the firm belief that Uyghur culture in Xinjiang is more stereotypically "Central Asian" than the Russian-influenced culture in the 'stans, and that will be particularly the case for your trip given that the traditionally-nomadic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz practice a very flexible form of Islam, and Russian influence has remained extremely strong in Kazakhstan. Of the places listed on your itinerary, Osh and Arslanbob are both Uzbek-majority areas, and while Uzbeks are more conservative than Kyrgyz, they still pale in comparison to much of Xinjiang.
So in many ways I think Xinjiang will feel the most alien and foreign for you, which may also make it the most interesting. Obviously Urumqi (and the Northern Kazakh/Mongolian areas) would be the gentlest introduction to Xinjiang, while if you travel in the opposite direction Osh will serve a similar purpose. For a Westerner Osh is probably more familiar, while as a Han you'll probably find Urumqi more familiar.
If you're interested primarily in nature, then you might want to consider adding a trip to Kanas (extremely popular with Han, but you can also get away from the crowds) and a trip to Tashkurgan is pretty essential, especially since you're not going to Tajikistan and the Pamirs. I don't think you have to sacrifice Hotan in order to see Tashkurgan.
My suggestion would be to cross the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border at Kegen, which would allow you to visit the Issyk-kul area as well as Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan.
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Re: Help with my itinerary (Kyrgyzstan, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan)
Thanks! I've been to Urumqi back in 2012. Back then I took a train from Shanghai and met a lot of nice people on the sleeper train. I think Uyghurs are quite friendly. So this time I can skip Urumqi and see more the nature.bwv812 wrote:That's definitely possible in 1 or 1.5 months.
I think it will be interesting to hear of your experience and impressions as (I assume) a Han Chinese in Xinjiang. In the experience of most foreigners, Uyghurs are perhaps more friendly than Han, while their relations with Han are obviously much more strained.
Anyway, I am of the firm belief that Uyghur culture in Xinjiang is more stereotypically "Central Asian" than the Russian-influenced culture in the 'stans, and that will be particularly the case for your trip given that the traditionally-nomadic Kazakhs and Kyrgyz practice a very flexible form of Islam, and Russian influence has remained extremely strong in Kazakhstan. Of the places listed on your itinerary, Osh and Arslanbob are both Uzbek-majority areas, and while Uzbeks are more conservative than Kyrgyz, they still pale in comparison to much of Xinjiang.
So in many ways I think Xinjiang will feel the most alien and foreign for you, which may also make it the most interesting. Obviously Urumqi (and the Northern Kazakh/Mongolian areas) would be the gentlest introduction to Xinjiang, while if you travel in the opposite direction Osh will serve a similar purpose. For a Westerner Osh is probably more familiar, while as a Han you'll probably find Urumqi more familiar.
If you're interested primarily in nature, then you might want to consider adding a trip to Kanas (extremely popular with Han, but you can also get away from the crowds) and a trip to Tashkurgan is pretty essential, especially since you're not going to Tajikistan and the Pamirs. I don't think you have to sacrifice Hotan in order to see Tashkurgan.
My suggestion would be to cross the Kyrgyz-Kazakh border at Kegen, which would allow you to visit the Issyk-kul area as well as Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan.
I've thought of Kanas but is it easier to go to Kanas from Astana? I haven't booked my tickets yet, I'll fly from Europe as Wizz air has some cheap flight to Astana but the region around doesn't seem that scenic.
I would like to include Issyk-kul but then it seem impossible to make a loop? I'm very interested in Pamir area too, I'll leave that to a bigger trip in a few years.
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Re: Help with my itinerary (Kyrgyzstan, Xinjiang, Kazakhstan)
Well, I think you need a visa for Kazakhstan, so going to Kanas from Astana would require a double-entry if you want to then go to Almaty. And I think it's going to be a lot easier to arrange transport from Urumqi than Astana, since it is popular with Chinese and not so much with Kazakhs.
Astana-Almaty-Charyn Canyon-Kegen-Karakol-Bishkek-Arslanbob-Ozgen-Osh-Kashgar-Tashkurgan-Hotan-Kuche-Turpan-Urumqi-Kanas is a possible circuit.
Astana-Almaty-Charyn Canyon-Kegen-Karakol-Bishkek-Arslanbob-Ozgen-Osh-Kashgar-Tashkurgan-Hotan-Kuche-Turpan-Urumqi-Kanas is a possible circuit.
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