[2024 Zhaosu Attraction] Travel Guide for Zhaosu Yuhu Scenic Area (Updated Nov)
Lakes
Mountains
Address:
伊犁哈薩克自治州昭蘇縣
Opening times:
Opens at Winter 10:00-19:00
Recommended sightseeing time:
1-2 hours
Dreamland | Zhaosu Yuhu Lake.
| Zhaosu Yuhu Lake.
🌈 Today, I must share with you a breathtakingly beautiful place—Zhaosu Yuhu Lake Scenic Area. ✨
🌊 The lake water here is like a palette overturned by nature, constantly changing colors with the seasons and weather. Sometimes it's grayish-blue, sometimes azure, sometimes dark green, and sometimes milky white. Each color is mesmerizing, as if you've entered a dreamy fairy tale world. 💙
❄️ Yuhu Lake in winter has a unique charm, with the lake surface frozen, creating a stunning ice bubble spectacle. The bubbles trapped in the ice layer are like gems embedded in crystal, dazzling and brilliant. 😍
🌳 The scenic area is surrounded by green mountains and lush vegetation, with fresh air that makes you want to take a few extra breaths. It's also a paradise for water birds, with various adorable birds frolicking on the lake surface, making every photo a masterpiece. 📷
💖 The best time to visit is from May to October each year, when the lake water is at its most beautiful. Currently, the scenic area is free of charge, which is fantastic! However, some facilities within the scenic area may charge fees. 🚗 Transportation is convenient, and you can drive or hire a car to get there. It's about 45 km from Zhaosu County.
⚠️ When you visit, be mindful of the high altitude. Be sure to protect yourself from the sun and keep warm, and avoid strenuous exercise and overexertion.
💕 Come to Zhaosu Yuhu Lake and experience the charm of nature! 💞
_TI***gk
Yuhu Lake.
Yuhu Lake in Zhaosu County is a high-altitude lake located in Kaxiagaer Town, Zhaosu County, Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Features of Yuhu Lake:
- Beautiful scenery: The lake presents a unique blue color, which changes under different weather and light conditions, and is very beautiful.
- Surrounding environment: Surrounded by mountains, there are dense forests and grasslands on the mountains, which is a natural oxygen bar.
- Tourist resources: In addition to enjoying the lake view, you can also go hiking, horse riding, camping and other activities.
_1996_Angel_25
Slow Travel in Ili - 6-Day Self-Drive Trip to Tekesi and Zhaosu
The trip to Ili starts and ends in Yining City, forming a loop. The most beautiful scenery is in Tekesi and Zhaosu. The self-drive route is as follows: Yining - Tekesi Bagua City - Kalajun Scenic Area - Kuoketireke Village - Kaxiagar Township - Zhaosu Yuhu Scenic Area - Xiata Tourist Area - Zhaosu - Yining. Except for the start and end points, other places belong to the jurisdictions of Tekesi and Zhaosu. Although traveling in the vast Xinjiang, where the distance between scenic spots can be hundreds of kilometers, our journey was leisurely arranged, with stops and rests, covering only a small circle but enjoying the ultimate beauty of nature. Perhaps only Xinjiang people can have such a luxurious trip.
During this trip, two whole days were spent on the road, and these two days became the essence of the entire journey. Probably because Tekesi and Zhaosu are full of beautiful scenery, there are too many places that can be circled as scenic spots, so many free scenic spots are left for travelers to roam.
On the third day of the trip, we headed from Tekesi to Xiata. Following the advice of fellow travelers, we added Kuoketireke Village and Kaxiagar Township to our navigation, as there were no planned scenic spots for that day. We chose a slightly time-consuming route with a try-it-out attitude. Thus, we crossed the cloud-covered grasslands, passed through villages with rolling wheat waves, and saw Kazakh houses with blooming flowers in front of their doors. The Yuhu Scenic Area is very close to Kaxiagar Township, just on the way to Xiata. We took a detour and saw the small Kanas Lake. Facing the green, winding lake between the Tianshan Mountains, we sat down and enjoyed a cup of authentic American coffee. This moment of modern life in the deep mountains and forests, a short rest during a long journey, is so unique that it will always linger in my mind.
The fame of the Yizhao Highway is now as high as that of the Duku Highway. On the winding mountain road from Yining to Zhaosu, there are often car queues several kilometers long. Fortunately, we traveled in the opposite direction, from Zhaosu to Yining, which was much better. Moreover, this direction is more friendly to non-professional drivers because it is on the mountain side, not the cliff side, making it feel safer psychologically. The downside is that there are fewer stopping points, so whenever there is a place to stop, be sure to stop and enjoy the great scenery. After all, you can only catch a glimpse while driving. Coming out of the homestay in Zhaosu, even before getting on the Yizhao Highway, the roadside scenery was already breathtaking. On both sides of the road, golden wheat fields extend to the distant green mountains, with snow-capped peaks either floating with clouds or shining with golden light. The most beautiful section of the Yizhao Highway is near Zhaosu, especially from Wild Wolf Valley, Swan Valley to Baishi Peak. This section of the road is basically at an altitude of 4000 meters, shuttling between the peaks. Turning a corner, you see a vast alpine meadow, and another turn reveals a barren giant stone peak.
Kalajun was rated as the most three-dimensional grassland by "China National Geography" magazine, and I call it the most photogenic grassland. Under the light and shadow, the grassland, sheep, shepherds on horseback, blue-green slopes in the shadows, continuous tan peaks, and wandering white clouds are arranged in an orderly manner, with layers of colors, without a trace of clutter or excess, as if it were a carefully designed photo shoot by a photographer. Unfortunately, we missed the most beautiful season of blooming flowers in June.
Xiata is a scenic spot with polarized reviews. If you encounter rainy days, the muddy roads, cloud-covered peaks, and cold wind and rain will naturally make the experience very bad. Fortunately, the weather was kind to us. It rained the day we stayed in Xiata Town, and the weather forecast predicted moderate rain the next day. I was already inclined to retreat, but unexpectedly, the next morning was sometimes cloudy and sometimes sunny, just right for hiking. By 4 pm, when we left the scenic area, it was raining heavily in the mountains. Therefore, it is recommended to enter Xiata in the morning, and it is even better if you can get a self-drive ticket early. To enter the scenic spot, first take the shuttle bus, then the electric car (not included in the ticket, need to buy separately). Shortly after the electric car starts, you will see the Muzart Glacier. After that, whether riding a horse or walking, you will always be heading towards it. Looking at the nearly 7000-meter-high Khan Tengri Peak from a distance, it looks like an eagle spreading its wings or a sitting Maitreya Buddha. Although it is high above, overlooking all beings, it feels very close, perhaps because in front of it is the river formed by Tianshan snow water, the vast grassland nourished by the river, and colorful flowers.
Here is the accommodation information. The homestays and hotels we stayed in were all good and highly recommended.
1. Tekesi Our Courtyard. The homestay is very new, with a fresh and fashionable design style, equipped to a 4-star standard. The central courtyard is suitable for sitting and chatting. It is just off the street, making it convenient to walk around Bagua City. The breakfast shop "Qianyuan Backyard" recommended by the homestay is excellent, especially the zucchini pie, which is the best breakfast I had in Xinjiang. At the "Pomegranate Blossom" restaurant, we had extremely delicious lamb chops.
2. Xiata Huizhiyun Homestay. The homestay looks like an American motel from the outside, equipped to a 4-star standard. The homestay is 1 kilometer away from the Xiata Scenic Area, making it quite convenient.
3. Zhaosu Gongyue Homestay. The homestay is very new, with large rooms equipped to a 4-star standard. The whole house has excellent smart control. From the corridor on the second floor, you can see the snow-capped mountains. If you get up early, you can also see the golden mountains at sunrise. It is an excellent resting place between Yining City and Xiata. You can stay here and enter Xiata early the next day.
4. Yining City Jiangu Hotel. The hotel is newly opened, very new, with large rooms and a great location, a 15-minute walk to Liuxing Street.
Travel Tips for Scenic Spots
1. Kalajun can be self-driven. Just navigate to the self-drive entrance to buy tickets. Once inside, the self-drive route signs are very clear, so you don't have to worry about taking the wrong route. If you don't take the cable car to Kuokesu Grand Canyon, don't drive to the Kuertai cable car station, because the corner of Kalajun Lake you see there is not beautiful. Just exit the scenic area directly from the exit.
2. Xiata Scenic Area can be self-driven, but the daily quota is limited. Some tourists go to the scenic spot entrance to grab tickets as early as 6:30 in the morning. Most tourists take the scenic area transportation, shuttle bus + electric car to the transfer bridge, General Bridge. Horse riding tickets are bought at the General Bridge, directly riding to the Flower Terrace. The round trip is 240 yuan, and the one-way trip to the 4th Kara House is 120 yuan. It is about 2 kilometers from the 4th Kara House to the Flower Terrace. It is recommended that elderly people ride horses back and forth because the hiking route is rugged and muddy, making it quite strenuous. Of course, the purpose of riding a horse in Xiata is to save effort. If you want to find the feeling of galloping, you will be greatly disappointed because the horse trail is mostly gravel and muddy roads. To ensure the safety of tourists, the horse owners usually lead the horses slowly, and their speed is even slower than walking.
lincoln_hawke_83
The joy of seeing beautiful scenery, Xinjiang!!!
On the Yili loop, at Zhaosu Yuhu, who understands the joy of seeing beautiful scenery!
The beauty of Yuhu really needs to be seen in pictures; words can't describe that kind of stunning view~
The legendary filming location of Jackie Chan's movie is here, I'll go support it when it releases!
The hotel where I stayed had a great environment, and the staff's service was very nice.
I even met a celebrity and took a photo together.
Now the scenic area also offers camping, horseback riding, and other activities~
Horseback riding on the grassland, light wild riding, different routes will give you different riding experiences.
Liam Ward Liam44
Stay in a B&B on the grassland and you won’t regret it
If you don’t go to Xinjiang, Urumqi·Xinjiang, you don’t know how big China is, and if you don’t go to Ili, you don’t know the beauty of Xinjiang. If you like the scenery of grassland and river valleys, just close your eyes and enter Yili~
The 8 days and 7 nights guide to the Yili Small Ring Road is here~ We don’t want to look back, Xinjiang is really big, so we only chose niche attractions, play in depth, don’t be greedy for too much, don’t want to 🏞️ You are on the road every moment, slow travel is the way to go Really travelling! Choose the Ye Luxury Hotel for accommodation, it’s comfortable and the scenery is great! You might be cheated if you take advantage of it!
Car model selection: The space capsule Iveco model is used throughout the journey, suitable for family travel, travel with best friends, and a few people all riding in the same car~
🏞️The most attractive thing is the hotels in the scenery. I sleep until I wake up naturally every day. I really want to travel to Xinjiang for these hotels. Stay in the hotels in the scenery. You don’t have to go out and you can enjoy the scenery~
Features of Scenic Hotel
Youtu Wild Luxury Camp: Open Tangbula by lying down, with boutique B&Bs, RVs, starry sky rooms, tents... Each step brings you beautiful scenery~countless cattle and sheep, and feel the gifts of nature~
🏞️Zhaosu Yunbao Ranch Camp: A comprehensive ranch that combines Zhaosu’s natural scenery, county culture, high-yield breeding, and modern tourism. The camp has a horse theme as its core, with parent-child pastures, wild rides, equestrian teaching, regular horse racing, and grassland entertainment... Don't rush when you stay here, enjoy and play slowly~
Zhaosu Muzi Tao Yeshe Camp: Located on the bank of the beautiful Jade Lake, surrounded by magnificent mountains and verdant forests. The air here is fresh and the scenery is beautiful. The wooden house hotel is built with natural wood, retaining the original texture and natural colors, providing a unique living experience~
Huocheng Youyuan Shanyejian B&B: Enjoy a slow life, lie comfortably in the room and look at the scenery of Tianshan Mountain, and you can see the beautiful scenery when you open the window! The environment of the room is also excellent, and the supporting facilities are very complete. , once you come, you don’t want to leave.
~
Sailimu Lake Chaoke Starry Sky Camp: The most outstanding feature in the camp is the Muyun Star Observation Cabin. Lying on the bed and looking through the iconic sloping glass roof, you can realize the dream of counting stars while lying on the bed.
Itinerary reference
Depart → Urumqi
Urumqi→[Dushanzi Grand Canyon]→[Northern Section of Duku Highway]→Tangbula Grassland (6.5H drive)
Tangbula→[Horse riding to Fairy Lake (3 hours round trip)]→[Baili Gallery]-[Tianshan Flower Sea Scenic Area (Lavender)]→Zhaosu (drive
4.5H)
Sleep until you wake up naturally →[Zhaosu Wetland Park] →[Xiata Scenic Area (Muzar🏞️Special Glacier)] → Zhaosu Yuhu Lake (2H drive)
Sleep until you wake up naturally → [Yizhao Highway] → [Liuxing Street Travel Photography] → [Huanghuang Village Music Festival] → Huanghuang Village Landscape B&B (6H drive)
Sleep until you wake up naturally → [Passing through Guozigou Bridge] → [Sightseeing around Sailimu Lake (self-driving)] → Stay at Sailimu Lake Starry Sky Camp (2H drive)
Sleep until you wake up naturally → [Sailim Lake Highway (self-driving)] → Urumqi (6.5H drive)
Urumqi→Warm home
CelestialDreams555
Xinjiang Zhaosu Yuhu Lake exceeded expectations
Originally, Xinjiang Zhaosu Yuhu Lake was not part of the itinerary.
My husband said we could drive there to take a look, and after seeing Yuhu Lake, it was truly more beautiful than expected!
The weather wasn't very good, but the color of Yuhu Lake doesn't change just because it's cloudy~
It's that kind of super beautiful color
~It's great for taking photos~
The accommodation environment is good~ and there are also activities like horseback riding and camping in the scenic area that you can experience!
Lyra - Hawthorne
Colors so vibrant, not even color filters would dare to adjust them, this is Zhaosu Jade Lake
🌈 Zhaosu Jade Lake, also known as the 'Color-changing Lake',
is a magical lake hidden in the belly of the Tianshan glaciers.
Throughout the four seasons, due to different lighting, the lake water displays various colors, hence the nickname 'Color-changing Lake'. Jade Lake is a high-altitude lake in the mountainous area of Zhaosu County, Xinjiang, at an elevation of 2200 meters. The lake water changes its hue with the seasons and weather, such as turning a cyan-gray when the ice and snow melt, with clear waters and a deep blue color. The entire lake surface presents a rare blue ice appearance, which is incredibly beautiful
Penelope.Rogers@36
Jewel Secret Realm, Crystal Clear—Zhao Su Jade Lake
After seeing the flower seas, grasslands, green slopes, and snow mountains of Xinjiang, it seems that something is missing—"the lake". But in April in Yili, it's a bit difficult.
Seeing Director Zhang constantly making phone calls, we must go to Shao Su! It will definitely make up for the regret of not seeing the lake.
Zhao Su Jade Lake is a high-altitude lake full of mysterious colors and beautiful scenery. It is crystal clear and nestled in the hinterland of the Tianshan glaciers, at an altitude of about 2200 meters, surrounded by vast and magnificent snow mountains and grasslands. It is like a huge gem set between the grand canyons.
Not many people know about Jade Lake, and even fewer have visited. Free but with limited numbers is the norm for Jade Lake.
As soon as the car entered the valley, a Tiffany blue came into view. The color of this lake is so special, rich and naturally fresh. It's so unrealistically beautiful that even filters wouldn't dare to enhance it like this; the sapphire color is so stunning.
Zhao Su Jade Lake has an abundant water source, which comes from the Tianshan Muzarte Glacier and the rain from the sky. The glacier squeezes and grinds into white fine powder mixed within the ice layer. When the glacier melts, a large amount of milky meltwater enters the valley and then flows into Jade Lake.
After these powder grains settle, the water of Jade Lake, under the influence of microorganisms and the environment, presents different colors in different seasons and weather conditions, adding to the mysterious color and charming allure of Jade Lake.
The color of Jade Lake changes strangely throughout the four seasons. In early spring, the water is milky white; entering early summer, it turns light blue, and in the peak of summer, it becomes dark green; after autumn, the water is azure blue, until the end of October when the lake freezes, Jade Lake turns into a piece of 'gentle white jade'. The regular seasonal changes in the color of the lake water are extremely rare in the world, hence Zhao Su Jade Lake is also known as the 'Color-Changing Lake'.
Unexpectedly, the ice had melted early this spring, the mountains were turning green, and the lake, which is up to 90 meters deep, was so dazzling under the warm sunlight on the calm surface.
Today we have chartered the place again, for 2 hours, only our car on the several kilometers of canyon lake surface. Spread out around us are the residences of Kazakh herders, along the way, we only see the heroic posture of herder women riders and hear the clatter of horse hooves.
The car kept driving upstream of Jade Lake, the Milk River washed down from the glacier was rushing through the valley, gradually turning green and slowing down, and the sheep were leisurely grazing by the river.
In the afternoon, surrounded by mountains, Jade Lake, with the backdrop of the highland blue sky and white clouds, reflected the sunlight and clouds, changing with the clouds in the sky, the alternating light and shadow of the mountain colors under the sunlight, ever-changing, dazzling and colorful.
Everyone who has had the fortune to visit Jade Lake is captivated by its purity; it is a gift from heaven.
The mountains in front of us are tall and the water is long, with light clouds and a gentle breeze. There's a saying that goes well:
Guard a clear lake, quiet a lifetime of illusions, witness a lifetime of beauty.
R@1nb0w_Wh1sp3r3r
Why are many rivers in Xinjiang and Tibet turquoise blue?
From the perspective of a traveler, in Xinjiang, Tibet, as well as western Sichuan, and some areas of Qinghai and Gansu, because they are on the plateau, many rivers and lakes exhibit an incredible blue. One reason is that the sky is more transparent at high altitudes, and the colors are better. When the weather is clear, the rivers and lakes reflect the sky, and they appear as pure and azure as the sky itself.
Another reason is that many rivers and lakes on the plateau are close to snow-capped mountains and glaciers, which is also one of the reasons for the beautiful colors.
There is also a reason that these rivers and lakes near snow-capped mountains and glaciers are relatively deep. If the color itself is quite blue, then the deeper the water, the bluer it becomes. For example, the deepest part of Yuhu Lake near the Aheya Glacier Snow Mountain in Zhaosu, Xinjiang, is about 90 meters. The deepest part of Chongba Yongcuo near the Himalayan mountain range glaciers in Kangma, Tibet, is also about 60 meters.
Rivers generally flow through many regions, and the natural environment and depth of the water vary, so the color of the same river is different in different regions. The lakes we commonly see in cities are about 20 meters deep at most, and ordinary lakes are only a few meters deep, so there is a difference in water color. This is our intuitive feeling when traveling to different regions and lakes.
Picture 1–6 is Yuhu Lake in Zhaosu, Xinjiang
Picture 7–9 is Chongba Yongcuo in Kangma, Tibet
ABRAHAM HINES
Zhaosu, the 'Hometown of Heavenly Horses', offers an extraordinary journey in ice and snow!
Known as the 'Hometown of Heavenly Horses', Zhaosu presents a different visual effect in winter.
Visiting Zhaosu in winter, you must not miss the sight of heavenly horses trotting in the snow. The herdsmen drive the steeds to gallop on the snowy field, the horse hooves stir up the flying snow fog, presenting a magnificent scene of thousands of horses galloping in the snow, which is incredibly shocking to the viewers!
How beautiful can the lake water in Zhaosu be in winter? Yuhu gave the answer! Arrived at Yuhu at 5 pm, the leader said this is the most beautiful time of the day, the sunshine on the golden mountain and Yuhu echo each other, it's really heart-stirring!
The boundless deep azure, when it appears before your eyes, it makes me addicted at first sight, quietly falling asleep in a pool of blue star river.
BrandonMorris123.
Journey from Yili - Yining City - Zhaosu - Tekes - Turpan - Urumqi
🚗🚗🚗Travel itinerary:
Day1: Xinjiang International Bazaar
Day2: Sailimu Lake → Guozigou
Day3: Gezhouba Yuhu Scenic Area
Day4: Xata Tourist Area → Tekes Bagua City
Day5: Qiongkushitai
Day6: Duku Highway → Bayinbuluke Scenic Area → Dalongchi Tourist Scenic Area → Xiaolongchi → Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon → Kuche Palace
Day7: Jiaohe Ancient City → Turpan Library
Day8: Kumutage Desert
Day9: Diwopu International Airport