Travelling in Xinjiang

What's open

Almost all of Xinjiang is accessible to foreign travellers without special permits, including the major destinations:

• Urumqi — the regional capital, with the Erdaoqiao Bazaar, Xinjiang Regional Museum and Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) day-trip.
• Turpan — the desert oasis with the Jiaohe ruins, Bezeklik caves, Karez well system, Flaming Mountains.
• Kashgar — the western city, the Sunday Animal Bazaar, the Old Town, Apak Hoja Tomb.
• Hotan, Yarkand, Kuqa — Silk Road oases.
• Kanas Lake in the far north (Altay region).

Where additional permits are required

The Aliens' Travel Permit applies to certain border-adjacent and military zones, including:

• Tashkurgan and the Karakoram Highway south of Kashgar (close to the Pakistan border).
• Some sections of the Pamir Mountains.
• Specific border crossings (Khunjerab Pass to Pakistan, Torugart and Irkeshtam Passes to Kyrgyzstan, Khorgos to Kazakhstan).

The permit is arranged through a licensed Xinjiang travel agency, typically ¥150–¥400 per person, plus a few days' lead time.

What to expect from security checks

• ID and passport scans at the entry to many train and bus stations, large bazaars, some shopping centres, and at city limits on long-distance roads.
• Hotel check-in includes the standard PSB foreigner registration, plus more thorough document checks than elsewhere.
• Bag X-ray at metros, train stations, and many public squares.
• Photography of police, military installations, and government buildings is restricted; ask before photographing local residents.

The checks are routine and orderly — bring patience and a paper passport copy as backup. Almost no foreigner reports refusal of entry to the region or to specific cities.

Hotels and registration

Foreigners must stay in hotels licensed to register foreign guests. The list is wider than it was in 2017–18; most international-brand hotels and the major domestic chains in Urumqi, Kashgar, Hotan and Turpan are licensed. In smaller towns, ask before booking.

Practical notes

• Timing: Xinjiang officially uses Beijing time, but local life often runs on unofficial Xinjiang Time (two hours behind Beijing). Government services use Beijing time.
• Language: Mandarin is universal; Uyghur is the indigenous Turkic language, written in modified Arabic script. Translation apps are essential.
• Food: halal-default in most of the region. Lamb pilaf (polo), laghman noodles, kebabs, naan bread.
• Cash: ATMs and mobile payments work in cities; in the more remote oasis towns, cash backup is useful.
• Climate: continental extreme. Summer hot and dry (35°C+ in Turpan), winter cold (−15°C in Urumqi). Spring sandstorms.

Getting there

• Urumqi Diwopu (URC) is the main airport, with flights from all Chinese megacities.
• Kashgar (KHG) airport is reachable by direct flight from Urumqi (~1h 30m).
• HSR connects Urumqi to Lanzhou (11 hours) and the Hexi Corridor cities.

Recommended approach

For first-time visitors, a Urumqi → Turpan → Kashgar circuit, 7–10 days, gives a representative spread without venturing into the permit zones. Book a hotel that has hosted foreigners recently and confirm the registration arrangements before arrival. The licensed Xinjiang agencies — useful even for independent travellers — handle permit logistics and vehicle arrangements for trips to the Karakoram or Pamir.

Moral and reputational considerations

Some travellers — and some governments, including the UK's — have issued guidance relating to the human rights situation in Xinjiang. Whether to visit is a personal decision that is outside the scope of factual travel guidance. This page covers accessibility; travellers can form their own view on whether to go. If you are a journalist, researcher, or NGO worker, be aware that Xinjiang has specific entry considerations beyond those for tourists — the PSB awareness of foreign visitors is heightened, and working without a press credential or with a tourist visa while doing reportage carries legal risk.

Weather and seasonality

Xinjiang's climate is continental and extreme. Turpan in midsummer regularly exceeds 40°C — it is one of the hottest inhabited places in China. Kanas Lake in the north has harsh winters (−30°C). The optimal windows are: spring (April–May) for the Turpan and Kashgar areas; summer (June–August) for Kanas Lake and the northern Altay region; autumn (September–October) for all areas. Avoid Turpan in July–August unless heat is your interest.

Food in Xinjiang

Xinjiang's food culture is halal-default through most of the region, reflecting the Islamic traditions of the Uyghur population. The staples are wheat-based rather than rice-based, with a Central Asian character: laghman (hand-pulled noodles in a lamb and vegetable sauce), polo (rice pilaf with lamb and carrot), samsa (baked lamb-filled pastry), nan bread baked in tandoor ovens, and kebabs. Fruit — Hami melon, grapes, figs, pomegranates — is exceptional in the oasis cities. Chinese Han-style restaurants are available in urban areas, particularly Urumqi. Kashgar's food culture is the most distinctly Central Asian: the Sunday market food section, the kebab strips of the Old Town, and the melon stalls give an unambiguous sense of place.