Urumqi

The Silk Road

One of the world's oldest and most historically important trade routes, the Silk Road played a significant role in the development of China. Helping to build a bridge between Eastern and Western cultures, it linked traders, pilgrims, monks, soldiers and adventurers from China to the Mediterranean Sea for thousands of years. Visitors can now follow in the footsteps of these explorers and discover the achievements of ancient civilisations, whilst taking in the beauty of this rugged and remote region of China.

Urumqi

Located in a green oasis between the ice-capped Bogda Peak, the vast Salt Lake in the east, the rolling pine-covered Southern hill and the alternating fields and sand dunes of Zunggar Basin in the northwest, Ürümqi has won a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the most remote city from any sea in the world. With a fascinating mix of ethnic groups including Uighur, Manchu, Kazakh, Mongolian and Tajik, the city offers lively markets as well as the interesting History Museum of National Minorities. Located 100 kilometres east of the city, “Heaven Lake” (Tian Chi) is a large pristine lake surrounded by alpine meadows and snow-capped mountains, a refreshing change from the dry and arid deserts. Scattered amongst the slopes are the Yurt encampments used by the local Kazakh people.