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Xinjiang · Silk Road · 13 days

Xinjiang Grand Circle

The whole region in one trip: the Turpan depression, the northern poplar forests, Kashgar and Id Kah, and the southern Taklamakan oases. Our longest route and the one that makes Xinjiang make sense as a single place.

13 days Urumqi · Turpan · Korla · Kashgar · Hotan Pace: Moderate From USD 2,180 / person 100% certified halal dining Prayer stops every day
Free quote for this route All Xinjiang routes
Overview

What the Xinjiang Grand Circle is

The whole region in one trip: the Turpan depression, the northern poplar forests, Kashgar and Id Kah, and the southern Taklamakan oases. Our longest route and the one that makes Xinjiang make sense as a single place.

This is a private departure, not a shared coach. You choose the dates, we rebuild the 13 days around them: Urumqi, Turpan, Korla, Kashgar, Hotan, in that order, with the halal restaurants and the mosques placed first and the sightseeing fitted around them.

The halal guarantee on this route: every restaurant is a certified halal restaurant with no pork and no alcohol on the premises. We send the full list with addresses before you fly, and your guide re-checks each booking the day before you eat there. Prayer is easy in Xinjiang: mosques are everywhere and halal restaurants almost always have a washroom and a clean corner for wudhu. On travel days we build in a stop at a town mosque. Id Kah in Kashgar and the Shaanxi Grand Mosque in Urumqi both accommodate women, though the women's area is usually off the main hall and your guide will show you the correct entrance.

Duration13 days
Cities5
PaceModerate
FromUSD 2,180 / person
DeparturePrivate, any date
Dining100% certified halal
Cities

Every city this route passes through

Each one with what you actually see there, what you eat, where you pray and how you arrive.

Urumqi (Xinjiang)

1 full day · May to October for the mountains; July to September for fruit. Winters are cold but the city works.

The regional capital and the most Muslim-feeling big city in China. Uyghur, Hui and Kazakh kitchens everywhere, the call to prayer audible across whole districts, and the Tian Shan snow range visible from the airport road.

Xinjiang Regional Museum — The Tarim Basin mummy galleries and the Silk Road collection. Free, air-conditioned, and a good indoor hour between Dhuhr and Asr.
Erdaoqiao bazaar — A sprawling market of dried fruit, nuts, spices, fabrics and copperwork, with a halal food hall upstairs where the whole family can eat together.
Tian Shan Heavenly Lake — A mountain lake two hours east at 1,900 m, with spruce forest, Kazakh yurts and snow peaks behind it.
Uyghur polo rice pilaf, lagman noodles, lamb skewers over charcoal, naan from the tandoor, and samosas out of the oven. Melon and grape season runs from July to October.
Yanghang Mosque — Central Urumqi, large and active, with wudhu facilities. Jumuah is the easiest of any city on this site.
Urumqi Diwopu (URC), 20 minutes from the centre. Direct flights from Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Turpan (Xinjiang)

1 full day · April to June and September to October. July and August regularly pass 40C.

The lowest and hottest place in China, a green depression in the desert fed by an underground channel system that has irrigated it for two thousand years. Grape trellises shade most of the streets.

Karez underground channels — A hand-dug network of tunnels bringing mountain water under the desert. The museum explains it well and you can walk a restored section.
Jiaohe ancient city — A whole city carved downward out of a river terrace, abandoned in the 14th century and left standing in the sun. Go early or late; there is no shade.
Grape Valley — A shaded eight-kilometre trellis corridor of vineyards, Uyghur courtyards and teahouses, and the coolest place in Turpan in August.
Uyghur lagman, polo, lamb skewers, and grapes in fifty varieties. The halal situation here is straightforward: essentially every restaurant is Muslim-run.
Turpan Emin Minaret mosque — The tallest minaret in China, built in 1777 beside a working mosque, with a brick pattern that changes with the light.
Turpan Jiaohe railway station, one hour from Urumqi by high-speed train. Turpan airport has limited flights.

Korla (Xinjiang)

1 full day · May to October. October is poplar season and worth planning around.

A modern oil-and-agriculture city on the northern rim of the Tarim Basin, and the gateway to the poplar forests and the Tianshan Grand Canyon. Clean, green and an easy one-night stop on a long Xinjiang loop.

Tianshan Grand Canyon — Red sandstone gorges with a river running through, an hour north; a walking loop that takes about three hours.
Poplar forest reserve — One of the largest stands of wild Euphrates poplar in the world, glowing gold for about three weeks every October.
Bosten Lake — The largest inland freshwater lake in Xinjiang, with reed beds, fish farms and a long shoreline drive.
Hui and Uyghur halal restaurants all over town: lagman, lamb skewers, big-plate chicken, and Korla fragrant pears from September.
Korla mosque — Central and active. Prayer rooms are standard at the highway service areas on this route.
Korla (KRL) airport with flights from Urumqi. High-speed rail from Urumqi in about three hours.

Kashgar (Xinjiang)

2 full days · May to October. August and September are fruit season; winters are mild by Xinjiang standards.

The westernmost city in China and the most Central Asian place you can reach without crossing a border. Id Kah Mosque at its heart, a live Sunday livestock market, and an old town rebuilt in earth brick where craftspeople still work.

Id Kah Mosque — The largest mosque in China, founded in 1442, opening onto a square that fills for Jumuah. Courtyard, ablution facilities and a genuinely overwhelming sense of continuity.
Sunday livestock bazaar — Out on the edge of town and unchanged in spirit for centuries: men in embroidered hats trading sheep, cattle and donkeys by hand, with a food row behind it.
Old town workshops — Coppersmiths, woodcarvers, instrument makers and hat makers working in the lanes east of Id Kah. Buy direct and watch it happen.
Kashgar is the halal capital of China in practice. Slow-roasted lamb, samosas from the tandoor, polo rice, lagman, thin-skinned dumplings, and flat peaches and pomegranates in season.
Id Kah Mosque — Right in the centre. Everything in Kashgar is arranged around its prayer times, which makes your day easy to plan.
Kashgar (KHG) airport, direct from Urumqi in two hours. Overnight trains from Urumqi are also an option if you want the journey.

Hotan (Xinjiang)

2 full days · April to June and September to October; summer is dusty and very hot.

A southern oasis city on the edge of the Taklamakan, famous for jade, silk and carpets, and culturally closer to Central Asia than to anywhere else in China. Fewer visitors reach it, which is exactly the point.

Hotan bazaar — A working market rather than a tourist one: jade traders, carpet stalls, barbers, and a food lane of lamb and naan. Sunday is the big day.
Carpet and silk workshops — Hand-knotted Hotan carpets and atlas silk are still woven here. We visit workshops where you can watch the whole process.
Yotkan ancient city — Low earth walls west of town, the remains of the old Kingdom of Khotan, best at dusk with almost nobody around.
Uyghur halal throughout: roasted lamb, pumpkin dumplings, polo, and the very good Hotan naan baked in tandoors on the street. Melons from August.
Hotan Grand Mosque — Large, active and central, with a big courtyard. Jumuah here is a genuine highlight of a southern Xinjiang trip.
Hotan (HTN) airport with flights from Urumqi and Kashgar. Also reachable overland from Kashgar in about five hours.
Day by day

How the 13 days actually run

A working skeleton, not a fixed package. We rebuild it around your dates, your prayer needs and whoever is travelling with you.

1

Arrive in Urumqi

Urumqi Diwopu (URC), 20 minutes from the centre. Direct flights from Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Your Muslim guide meets you at the gate with your name on a board. First stop is a hotel we have placed within walking distance of Yanghang Mosque, so Maghrib is a short walk rather than a negotiation. Dinner is already booked at a halal kitchen we have audited.

2

Urumqi — Xinjiang Regional Museum

The Tarim Basin mummy galleries and the Silk Road collection. Free, air-conditioned, and a good indoor hour between Dhuhr and Asr.

3

Urumqi to Turpan

Leave after Dhuhr and drive out. Turpan Jiaohe railway station, one hour from Urumqi by high-speed train. Turpan airport has limited flights. Your guide breaks the drive for salah and for food rather than at a service station of his choosing. You arrive in time for Maghrib at Turpan Emin Minaret mosque.

4

Turpan — Karez underground channels

A hand-dug network of tunnels bringing mountain water under the desert. The museum explains it well and you can walk a restored section.

5

Turpan to Korla

Set off mid-morning, once the light is good. Korla (KRL) airport with flights from Urumqi. High-speed rail from Urumqi in about three hours. We stop for salah, and lunch is a halal kitchen we have booked on the route rather than whatever is nearest the motorway. You arrive in time for Maghrib at Korla mosque.

6

Korla — Tianshan Grand Canyon

Red sandstone gorges with a river running through, an hour north; a walking loop that takes about three hours.

7

Korla to Kashgar

Depart after a late breakfast and a short walk. Kashgar (KHG) airport, direct from Urumqi in two hours. Overnight trains from Urumqi are also an option if you want the journey. The drive is broken twice: once for prayer, once for a proper halal meal, with water and a prayer mat in the vehicle. You arrive in time for Maghrib at Id Kah Mosque.

8

Kashgar — Id Kah Mosque

The largest mosque in China, founded in 1442, opening onto a square that fills for Jumuah. Courtyard, ablution facilities and a genuinely overwhelming sense of continuity.

9

Kashgar — Sunday livestock bazaar

Out on the edge of town and unchanged in spirit for centuries: men in embroidered hats trading sheep, cattle and donkeys by hand, with a food row behind it.

10

Kashgar to Hotan

Leave once Fajr and breakfast are done, and make the most of the cool hours. Hotan (HTN) airport with flights from Urumqi and Kashgar. Also reachable overland from Kashgar in about five hours. Nothing on this leg is rushed, and the vehicle carries a mat, a compass and bottled water. You arrive in time for Maghrib at Hotan Grand Mosque.

11

Hotan — Hotan bazaar

A working market rather than a tourist one: jade traders, carpet stalls, barbers, and a food lane of lamb and naan. Sunday is the big day.

12

Hotan — Carpet and silk workshops

Hand-knotted Hotan carpets and atlas silk are still woven here. We visit workshops where you can watch the whole process.

13

Depart from Hotan

A last halal breakfast, then the transfer out. Hotan (HTN) airport with flights from Urumqi and Kashgar. We hold the vehicle until your flight is called, and if you are fasting we send a breakfast box the night before.

Every day is salah-first. Urumqi, Turpan, Korla, Kashgar, Hotan each have mosques we have used before; on the driving legs your guide breaks the journey at prayer time rather than at a service station of his choosing.
Highlights

What makes this route worth the flight

Xinjiang Regional Museum

The Tarim Basin mummy galleries and the Silk Road collection. Free, air-conditioned, and a good indoor hour between Dhuhr and Asr.

Erdaoqiao bazaar

A sprawling market of dried fruit, nuts, spices, fabrics and copperwork, with a halal food hall upstairs where the whole family can eat together.

Karez underground channels

A hand-dug network of tunnels bringing mountain water under the desert. The museum explains it well and you can walk a restored section.

Jiaohe ancient city

A whole city carved downward out of a river terrace, abandoned in the 14th century and left standing in the sun. Go early or late; there is no shade.

Tianshan Grand Canyon

Red sandstone gorges with a river running through, an hour north; a walking loop that takes about three hours.

Poplar forest reserve

One of the largest stands of wild Euphrates poplar in the world, glowing gold for about three weeks every October.

Halal food

What you eat, city by city

No pork on the premises, no alcohol on the premises, and no kitchen that handles both. This is the part we audit in person.

Urumqi

Uyghur polo rice pilaf, lagman noodles, lamb skewers over charcoal, naan from the tandoor, and samosas out of the oven. Melon and grape season runs from July to October. Yanghang Mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Turpan

Uyghur lagman, polo, lamb skewers, and grapes in fifty varieties. The halal situation here is straightforward: essentially every restaurant is Muslim-run. Turpan Emin Minaret mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Korla

Hui and Uyghur halal restaurants all over town: lagman, lamb skewers, big-plate chicken, and Korla fragrant pears from September. Korla mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Kashgar

Kashgar is the halal capital of China in practice. Slow-roasted lamb, samosas from the tandoor, polo rice, lagman, thin-skinned dumplings, and flat peaches and pomegranates in season. Id Kah Mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Hotan

Uyghur halal throughout: roasted lamb, pumpkin dumplings, polo, and the very good Hotan naan baked in tandoors on the street. Melons from August. Hotan Grand Mosque is nearby, so you can pray and eat on the same street.

Fasting? Tell us and we run the route in Ramadan: suhoor boxes delivered before Fajr, slow afternoons, and iftar confirmed at a halal restaurant every single night.
Prayer

Where you pray on this route

Not a list of every mosque in the province — the ones we actually build into this itinerary, with wudhu and women’s space confirmed.

Yanghang Mosque

Urumqi

Central Urumqi, large and active, with wudhu facilities. Jumuah is the easiest of any city on this site.

The easiest major city in China for a Muslim traveller. Prayer times are posted in shop windows, hotels know the qibla direction, and nobody asks why you are stepping out.

Turpan Emin Minaret mosque

Turpan

The tallest minaret in China, built in 1777 beside a working mosque, with a brick pattern that changes with the light.

A mosque beside the minaret and others around the town. In high summer we shift everything into the early morning and the evening, which also happens to be when the light is best.

Korla mosque

Korla

Central and active. Prayer rooms are standard at the highway service areas on this route.

Straightforward in town, and the motorway service areas between Korla and Kuqa have prayer rooms, which is what makes this leg comfortable.

Id Kah Mosque

Kashgar

Right in the centre. Everything in Kashgar is arranged around its prayer times, which makes your day easy to plan.

No planning required. Your hotel will be within a few hundred metres of a mosque and food stops happen naturally around salah.

Hotan Grand Mosque

Hotan

Large, active and central, with a big courtyard. Jumuah here is a genuine highlight of a southern Xinjiang trip.

A mosque on almost every block. Your guide builds the day around Fajr and Maghrib, which is how the town already runs.

On the road: your guide carries a prayer mat, a compass and a prayer-time sheet calculated for your exact dates, and stops the vehicle rather than the prayer.
Getting there

Airports, stations and onward connections

Urumqi

Urumqi Diwopu (URC), 20 minutes from the centre. Direct flights from Beijing, Xian, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Turpan

Turpan Jiaohe railway station, one hour from Urumqi by high-speed train. Turpan airport has limited flights.

Korla

Korla (KRL) airport with flights from Urumqi. High-speed rail from Urumqi in about three hours.

Kashgar

Kashgar (KHG) airport, direct from Urumqi in two hours. Overnight trains from Urumqi are also an option if you want the journey.

Hotan

Hotan (HTN) airport with flights from Urumqi and Kashgar. Also reachable overland from Kashgar in about five hours.

Timing

When to go

Urumqi

May to October for the mountains; July to September for fruit. Winters are cold but the city works.

Turpan

April to June and September to October. July and August regularly pass 40C.

Korla

May to October. October is poplar season and worth planning around.

Kashgar

May to October. August and September are fruit season; winters are mild by Xinjiang standards.

Hotan

April to June and September to October; summer is dusty and very hot.

May, June, September and October give the best combination of temperature, clear mountain views and manageable crowds. July and August are hot on the Taklamakan side but fine on the northern slopes. Winter is very cold, and travel to certain areas can be restricted at short notice — we always confirm current conditions before you commit to flights.

What is included

Everything in the price

Certified halal breakfast, lunch and dinner every day — the full list with addresses sent before you fly
A Muslim or halal-trained guide for the entire route, plus a private vehicle and driver
Qibla-ready hotels, twin or double rooms, with a halal-friendly breakfast
All airport and station transfers, with the vehicle held until your flight is called
Entrance tickets for every sight named in the day-by-day plan
A printed prayer-time sheet calculated for your exact travel dates
Prayer mat, compass and bottled water kept in the vehicle every day
Packed halal meals on the long driving legs
24/7 WhatsApp support anywhere on the route, in English
No shopping stops, no commission detours and no hidden costs
Price note: from-prices are per person on twin share for a private party of two to four travellers. Your final quote depends on travel month, hotel grade and group size — we always send an itemised quote before any payment.
FAQ

Questions travellers ask us every week

It is private. There is no seat-in-coach departure and no joining other travellers — the vehicle, the guide and the 13 days belong to your party alone. You pick the start date and we build around it. That is also why the halal logistics work: a kitchen booking for four people is a conversation, not a contract.
Every restaurant on this route is a certified halal kitchen with no pork and no alcohol on the premises. In Urumqi, Turpan, Korla, Kashgar, Hotan we use: Uyghur polo rice pilaf, lagman noodles, lamb skewers over charcoal, naan from the tandoor, and samosas out of the oven; Uyghur lagman, polo, lamb skewers, and grapes in fifty varieties; Hui and Uyghur halal restaurants all over town: lagman, lamb skewers, big-plate chicken, and Korla fragrant pears from September; Kashgar is the halal capital of China in practice; Uyghur halal throughout: roasted lamb, pumpkin dumplings, polo, and the very good Hotan naan baked in tandoors on the street. You receive the complete list with street addresses before you fly, and your guide re-confirms each booking the day before you eat there.
Yanghang Mosque in Urumqi (Central Urumqi, large and active, with wudhu facilities. Jumuah is the easiest of any city on this site.); Turpan Emin Minaret mosque in Turpan (The tallest minaret in China, built in 1777 beside a working mosque, with a brick pattern that changes with the light.); Korla mosque in Korla (Central and active. Prayer rooms are standard at the highway service areas on this route.); Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar (Right in the centre. Everything in Kashgar is arranged around its prayer times, which makes your day easy to plan.); Hotan Grand Mosque in Hotan (Large, active and central, with a big courtyard. Jumuah here is a genuine highlight of a southern Xinjiang trip.). On the driving legs your guide breaks the journey at prayer time. Every vehicle carries a prayer mat, a compass and a sheet of prayer times calculated for your exact dates.
Expect one substantial drive between each base, usually timed to leave after Dhuhr, plus shorter local legs. Urumqi · Turpan · Korla · Kashgar · Hotan over 13 days is a comfortable fit for most families.
Yes, and we do it often. Suhoor boxes are delivered to your hotel before Fajr, afternoons are kept slow, iftar is confirmed at a certified halal restaurant every night, and we find you a mosque for Taraweeh wherever you happen to be. If you want to spend the last ten nights or Eid in one city, tell us and we will re-cut the route around it.
International flights and Chinese visas are quoted separately. Travel insurance, personal shopping, optional activities outside the plan and tips are not included — and we do not add shopping stops to make up the difference. Everything listed under What is included is genuinely in the price.

Let us plan Xinjiang Grand Circle for you

Send us your dates and who is travelling. A Muslim advisor replies within one hour during China working hours with a day-by-day halal plan for this route — restaurants, mosques, prayer times, hotels and an itemised price.

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What you get, free

  • Day-by-day halal plan for Xinjiang Grand Circle
  • Certified halal restaurant list with addresses for Urumqi · Turpan · Korla · Kashgar · Hotan
  • Mosque and prayer-time sheet for your exact dates
  • Itemised quote — hotels, guide, vehicle, tickets, meals
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