Fuhai & Ulungur Lake

Ulungur Lake, northern Xinjiang's largest lake, is known as the 'Sea of Junggar'; highlights include the Golden Beach, the 'Devil City on the Sea' by Jili Lake and traditional winter ice fishing, plus Fuhai's delicious all-fish banquets.

Fuhai County lies in the south of Xinjiang's Altay Prefecture, on the northern edge of the Junggar Basin, and its county town sits right beside Ulungur Lake, the largest lake in northern Xinjiang. Ulungur Lake consists of the large Buluntuohai to the north (locally called the 'Big Sea', with a surface area of over 800 km²) and Jili Lake (the 'Little Sea') to the south, joined by a narrow channel known as the 'Camel's Neck'. The Ulungur River flows into Jili Lake, and the whole lake is dubbed the 'Sea of Junggar'. Its waters teem with northern pike, European perch, bream and other fish, earning Fuhai the name 'Fishing Village of the Great Desert'.

Summer activities center on the lake: the Golden Beach, about 22 km north of the county town, is a 4A-rated lakeside bathing beach (on China's national tourism scale) where you can swim, ride beach buggies and take speedboats; the 'Devil City on the Sea' south of town is a yardang landscape on the shores of Jili Lake, most beautiful at sunset; and Ulungur Lake National Wetland Park draws large numbers of migratory birds in spring. The winter highlight is traditional large-net ice fishing; the Winter Fishing Cultural Tourism Festival is usually held in mid-to-late January, with rituals such as the lake-worship and net-awakening ceremony and an auction of the first fish.

The best seasons are Jun–Sep (water temperature around 20°C, warm enough to swim) and the Dec–Feb ice-fishing season (temperatures often −20 to −30°C; bring a heavy down jacket and non-slip shoes). Getting there: Fuhai Station has trains to Ürümqi and Altay, and driving via the G216/G217 is convenient; Altay City is about 1.5 hours away by car. Allow 1–2 days: one day for the Golden Beach plus sunset at the Devil City, and half a day for the wetland and an all-fish banquet in a fishing village. If you're heading north to Kanas or Koktokay, Fuhai makes a good stopover. Mosquitoes are plentiful around the lake in summer, so bring repellent for the evenings.

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