Chengdu Autumn Vacation: 4 Days and 3 Nights Guide to Sayram Lake, Xinjiang is here!

The last post went viral! Thanks to the Education Bureau, this autumn came suddenly! Had an amazing time! The guide is here! Day 1: Chengdu to Yining. Spring Airlines flight at 8:15 AM, landing at Yining Airport at 12 PM. After landing, rent a car. Since it’s the off-season, car rentals are super cheap, ranging from a few dozen to 100 yuan, depending on your budget. Drive to the city and check in at Liuxing Street. The hotel is very interesting, called Faman·Tina Riad Resort Courtyard (Yining Liuxing Street branch). In the off-season, the owner even upgraded us to a room with a bathtub. It only takes 20 minutes from the airport to the hotel. Spend the afternoon strolling around Liuxing Street and enjoying the local food. Day 2: Head to Kuerdening, about 3 hours away. On the way, stop at Sala Village. There is a Swan Bay with over a hundred swans. Villagers sell corn for 5 yuan a pack, which you can use to feed the swans. It’s a stunning place with snow-capped mountains right behind it. Then continue to the destination hotel, the highlight of this trip, Bairui Camp! We stayed here too, on the mountaintop, it’s like a little Switzerland. We booked a hotel room for 1100 yuan for two people, which included attraction tickets and a hot pot dinner. The room has floor heating, a humidifier, and excellent facilities. There’s also a projector for kids to watch cartoons. The bed is large, 1.35 meters wide, perfect for two adults and two kids. At night, enjoy stargazing, snow views, hot pot, sunsets, and sunrises. Just booking the room gave us a lot of great experiences. Day 3: After an early breakfast, just 100 meters from the hotel, there’s a horse team that takes you on a snow mountain forest ride for 140 yuan per person per hour. It’s like Game of Thrones! We all set off in a grand group. Check out at 2 PM and navigate to Sayram Lake East Gate. The hotel booked is Elaine·Yilai Qianyuan Backyard Imperial Villa Hotel (Sayram Lake East Gate Scenic Area branch). The East Gate allows entry and exit, while the South Gate is exit only. The journey takes 4 hours. Once at the scenic area, drive right in. The entrance fee is 110 yuan per person. Drive wherever you like, no need to follow guides, just go where it feels beautiful. Stop to enjoy the sunset. Normally, a full circle around the lake takes 2 hours. After sunset, head back to the hotel to rest. Day 4: Come to watch the sunrise. Sunrise is at 9:30 AM sharp. Hotel breakfast is at 8:30 AM. After breakfast, head out. The pink glow lasts 2-3 minutes. The whole sky turns pink, then the sun lights up the mountains. It’s breathtaking. There are little foxes in the scenic area; you can feed them eggs, and they will come close to you. After playing until 1 PM, it’s time to head back to the city. Sayram Lake to Yining city takes only 2 hours. Then enjoy another meal and buy some local specialties. Our flight back to Chengdu is at 5:15 PM, arriving at 9 PM. Flight ticket round trip per person: 1200 yuan Hotel: 4000 yuan Car rental: 1000 yuan + fuel 500 yuan Entrance fees: 440 yuan Horse riding: 980 yuan Food and drinks: 2000 yuan For four adults and four kids, including flights, the average cost per person is about 2300 yuan. Because it’s the off-season, it’s really cheap. The Sayram Lake hotel upgraded us too. The stay was great, the food was great, no budget travel. So Xinjiang in the off-season is really worth it.