Aksu

Gateway to southern Xinjiang, with the World Heritage red-rock canyons of the Wensu Tianshan Tomur Grand Canyon, the Tacun grasslands, the millennium-old trees of Shenmu Garden and "rock-sugar heart" apples.

Aksu lies in southern Xinjiang, between the southern foot of the central Tianshan and the northern edge of the Tarim Basin. The prefecture's administrative seat is Aksu city, only about 10 km from Wensu county town, and the two are often referred to together as "A-Wen". This is the gateway to southern Xinjiang: flights from Urumqi to Aksu Hongqipo Airport take about 1.5 hours, and the Southern Xinjiang Railway and bullet trains also stop here. North of the city is the Tomur Peak National Nature Reserve, home to Jengish Chokusu (Tomur Peak, 7,443 m), the highest peak of the Tianshan; in 2013 it was inscribed as the Tomur component of the "Xinjiang Tianshan" World Natural Heritage site.

Areas to explore: ① the Wensu Tianshan Tomur Scenic Area (a top-rated 5A site), made up of three sections—the red-rock Wensu Grand Canyon, the herding village of Tacun (Tageleke Village), and Bozidun with its snow peaks, grasslands, gobi and Danxia landforms—each needing most of a day to a full day; ② the Tianshan Shenmu Garden, a grove of millennium-old trees in the gobi northwest of Wensu; ③ Aksu city—the Duolang River waterfront, the national wetland park, the prefectural museum, and the Kekeya Memorial Hall, which tells the story of afforestation in the gobi; ④ the Dolan Tribe in Awat County to the south, for desert poplars and Dolan muqam.

The best season is Sep–Oct: crisp, clear weather, poplars turning gold, and "rock-sugar heart" apple picking from late October; May–Jun is also pleasant. Jul–Aug is scorching on the plains, but Tacun and Bozidun, above 2,000 m, make cool retreats. Allow 3–4 days; self-drive or a chartered car is most convenient, as public transport between sites is scarce. Note: Xinjiang runs on Beijing time but daily life runs about 2 hours later, so most sites open after 10:00; carry your ID for site entry and hotels and expect security checks; gobi canyons have big day–night temperature swings and strong UV, and canyons may close temporarily after rain. The Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon and the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves in Kuqa are covered under the Kuqa destination.

Top sights

• Tianshan Tomur Grand Canyon – Also known as the Wensu Grand Canyon or Kuduluk Grand Canyon, this is the largest group of red-bed canyons at the southern foot of the Tian…
• Tianshan Sacred Tree Garden – An ancient grove of trees thousands of years old, sustained by spring water deep in the Gobi Desert. Poplar, elm and Euphrates poplar trees…
• Duolang River Scenic Belt – A riverside landscape belt running through the city, with parks, walkways and night lights along its banks. It is a favorite leisure spot f…
• Aksu National Wetland Park – One of the largest national wetland parks in southern Xinjiang, where around 100,000 migratory birds stop over each year among reed-fringed…
• Aksu Prefecture Museum – Home of the Aksu Prefecture Museum, which displays relics from the Kucha and Gumo cultures and the multi-ethnic history of the region.
• Kekeya Memorial Hall – Commemorates the Kekeya greening project, in which Aksu's people spent more than 30 years planting trees in the Gobi desert. The memorial i…
• Tagelake Village (Ta Village) – A Kyrgyz herding village at about 2,200 m above sea level on the edge of the Tomur Peak Nature Reserve. Grasslands, snowy peaks and log-cab…
• Bozidun Scenic Area – The southeastern section of the Tian Shan Tomur Scenic Area. Half of it is snowy peaks and grassland, and half is Gobi and red-rock Danxia…
• Dolan Tribe Scenic Area – A folk-culture scenic area of Populus euphratica forest on the banks of the Yarkand River in Awat County. It showcases Dolan muqam singing…
• Hongqipo Apple Orchards – The core production area of Aksu's ice-sugar-heart apples. In late autumn, visitors can enter the orchards to pick and taste the 'sugar-hea…

Where to eat

• Santuan Reservoir Fish Restaurant – A 17-year-old fish restaurant on Jiaoyu Road serving reservoir fish from the Bingtuan (Xinjiang Production and Construc…
• No. 3 Warehouse (Tabei Road Branch) – A Xinjiang restaurant in a converted warehouse and one of Aksu's best-known eateries. Tandoor lamb ribs and lamb hooves…