Ili 7-Day Explorer: Sayram Blue & Swan Lake Mist

Xinjiang (Yining Sailimu Lake Swan Spring Kurdish Ning Narati 7-day tour) itinerary introduction
Day 1: Yining airport pick-up
Meal: Dinner
On the first day, we arrived in Yining City. When your plane lands, our local professional tour guide and experienced driver will greet you at the airport's arrival hall and escort you to the hotel to rest and recover from the time difference. In the evening, we arranged a pick-up dinner and Uyghur song and dance performance for you at the nearly century old Six Star Street Scenic Area, where you could taste local Xinjiang cuisine and enjoy a delicious meal. Our tour guide will also provide you with a detailed introduction to the exciting itinerary for the next few days.

·Our guests' privileges:
We have reserved a seat near the stage for you during dinner, where you can watch the song and dance performance up close and interact with the actors while dancing.
When checking in, the tour guide will give everyone a disposable item bag as a gift.

The next day: Yining → Lake Selim
Meal: Breakfast
Today's attraction: Lake Selim
After breakfast, the tour guide and driver will lead everyone to drive westward for 2 and a half hours towards the beautiful Lake Selim. Sailimu Lake is the largest and highest slightly salty cold water lake in Xinjiang. Lake Selim is known as the "last tear of the Atlantic". In summer, the lake is as blue as a gem, clear and transparent, reflecting the snow capped mountains and sky. Swans swim in the lake, creating a picturesque scene.

Lunch can be enjoyed at the entrance of the Selimu Lake scenic area, and our tour guide will be happy to assist. Arriving at the Sailimu Lake scenic area, there is no need to queue up to buy tickets. We will purchase tickets online in advance to reduce waiting time. Vehicles can drive along the lake and stop at any time along the way, checking in and taking photos.
We checked into the hotel at the entrance of the scenic area in the evening.

·Our guests' privileges:
1. Here we provide you with drone aerial photography services, allowing you to take photos and reminisce with Lake Selim from another perspective.
2. Afternoon tea, including pastries and coffee, is provided by the lake for you to rest and enjoy in a warm sightseeing tent.

Day 3: Sailimu Lake → Guozigou Bridge → Huiyuan Ancient City → Yining City
Meal: Breakfast
Today's attractions: Sailimu Lake, Guozigou Bridge, Kazanqi Ethnic Village
After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, depart again from Lake Selim. At sunrise and sunset, the sky at Lake Selim appears pink. If you are willing to wake up early and depart before sunrise, you can see the pink sky and the golden mountains of sunshine. You can also see ice bubbles, ice columns, and ice pushes.

Have lunch at a suitable location along the way. Drive out from the south gate of Sailimu Lake and head towards Guozigou Bridge. Guozigou Bridge is located in the high mountain and canyon area of the western Tianshan Mountains in northern Xinjiang, with a large difference in terrain height, steep slopes, and steep terrain. The magnificent Guozigou Bridge winds like a giant dragon in the mountains.
Arrive at Huiyuan Ancient City in the afternoon. Yili was once the capital of Xinjiang, and the old city of Huiyuan located in Yili was once the largest city in Xinjiang, known as the "Little Beijing". But later, due to war and Russian invasion, the old city was destroyed. In the eighth year of Guangxu (1882), the Qing government rebuilt it. In 1842, Lin Zexu was exiled to this place by revolutionary officials because of the destructed opium in Humen and lived in Huiyuan Ancient City for two years and one month.
Then return to Yining City and go to the hotel to check in. After taking a break, we set off from Kazanqi Ethnic Village to experience the vitality of Uyghur people's lives, see the colorful doors and windows, the courtyard full of fruit trees, and the unique ethnic culture.

The fourth day: Yining City → Swan Spring → Kurdning
Meals: breakfast, dinner
Today's attractions: Swan Spring, Kurdning Forest Park
After breakfast, the tour guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel and depart for Swan Spring. 120 acres of underground hot springs surge, and the deep blue lake water will not freeze. Every winter, hundreds or thousands of swans come to admire the silver rime, hazy fairy aura, and swaying reeds together. It's such a romantic thing.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Kurdning Forest Park, which has the largest original spruce forest in Asia. Among them, the coverage rate of Xueling spruce forest exceeds 90%, with tree ages mostly between 300-400 years. Its unit storage capacity ranks among the top in the world and has been rated as the "most beautiful forest in China" by China National Geographic. In winter, this place is covered in white snow, with spruce trees hidden among the snow. There are also activities such as horseback riding and horse sledding, which can be experienced at your own expense to experience the charm of this forest up close.

·Our guests' privileges:
To save you waiting time, we offer VIP access to the Kurdning Scenic Area for self driving, eliminating the need to take shuttle buses.
2. We have arranged for you to stay at the wild luxury campsite within the scenic area. Lying in bed, you can see the silver clad cedar forest outside the window.
3. We have arranged exquisite hot pot for you as dinner, where you can taste the steaming hot pot in the snow.

Day 5: Kurdning → Narati Scenic Area → Haensai Ski Resort
Meal: Breakfast
Today's attraction: Nalati Scenic Area
After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, we headed to the Haensai Ski Resort within the Nalati Scenic Area. The overall planned area of the ski resort is 75000 square kilometers, with a maximum drop of 582 meters. There are a total of 14 ski slopes of different levels, including 3 beginner slopes, 7 intermediate slopes, and 4 advanced slopes, with a total length of nearly 13 kilometers. In addition to skiing, there are also some entertainment activities that can be chosen at your own expense, such as snow ring trails, student U-ball, snow tanks, snowmobiles, and other activities.
Staying at a luxury resort hotel within the scenic area at night, covering an area of approximately 280 acres. Equipped with a distinctive buffet restaurant, KTV, chess and card room, hot spring area SPA、 Leisure and entertainment facilities such as fitness centers. At night, you can soak in hot springs to relax and wash away the fatigue of skiing.

Day 7: Narati Grassland → Yining City
Meal: Breakfast
Today's attraction: Nalati Scenic Area
After enjoying breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Nalati Grassland. The Nalati Grassland is one of the four major alpine valley grasslands in the world, with an average elevation of 1800 meters. It has experienced various cultural periods including the Seljuk, Wusun, Xiongnu, Turkic, and Mongolian peoples. Narati is the grassland with the highest concentration of Kazakh population in the world, and has been rated by Guinness headquarters as the "grassland with the largest Kazakh population" and "grassland with the most Kazakh yurts".
The scenic area is divided into river valley grassland, aerial grassland, Tian Shen Tai, Panlong Valley Road and other routes. Today, we will go to the aerial grassland for sightseeing.

After lunch, we returned to Yining City. Arriving at the Ili River Bridge in the evening is a great place to enjoy the sunset. The Ili River has a total length of 1236 kilometers and is the largest river in Xinjiang in terms of water volume. After flowing into Kazakhstan, it eventually empties into Lake Balkhash.

Day 8: Yining Delivery
According to your flight schedule, our private tour guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel and escort you to the airport on time. Wishing you a pleasant journey, thank you for traveling with us.
If your flight is later in the day, our travel consultant will be happy to provide you with some advice to further explore the city.

The cost includes:
1. Hotel accommodation with breakfast included
2. A private tour guide who can speak English
3. Private drivers and air-conditioned vehicles
4. Welcome dinner, campsite hotpot
5. Tourist attraction tickets and ski resort tickets
The cost does not include:
1. Air or train tickets for arrival and departure
2. Entry visa fee
3. Tips for tour guides and drivers
4. Entertainment items not included in the cost