The first place we visited in Xinjiang was the Heavenly Lake which is a literal translation of its Chinese name, Tian Chi(天池). The Tianshan Tianchi National Geopark is located in Fukang City, 110km east of Urumqi. It took our bus 1.5 hours to get to this place from where we stayed in Urumqi.
Our coach wound its way up the mountains until we reached the ticketing complex of the Geopark. We still had another 30km to go before we could see Heavenly Lake. You will have to pay for almost everything or service in the park which include entrance fees, shuttle services, optional cruises, optional temple visit, etc. Ours came to 190CNY/pax which was settled for by our tour guide.
Outside the ticket complex
To reach this depot from the ticket complex, it took about half an hour's ride on a shuttle bus. From this point visitors have to hike up another 1 km on foot before reaching the peak. (The hike is on proper tarred road. Vehicles can actually reach the peak but this is most probably done to avoid traffic congestion or parking problem at the Lake area).
As we reached the peak the beauty of God's creation unfolded before our eyes. The hike was indeed worthwhile.
This lake is located at 6257 ft above sea level. It covers and area of 4.9 sq kilometres and is about 100 metres at its deepest point.
Awe struck by its beauty I snapped closed to a hundred photos not realizing many are repeated shots of the same scenery. But they are all so beautiful, I didn't have the heart to delete them.
We made our way to the pier to take a cruise on the lake.
The sunlight was strong but the air was cool so the weather was just comfortable. (We were here during the 2nd week of Sept which is the beginning of autumn).
We had a better unobstructed view of the lake while cruising.
With fellow travellers
The boat stopped at a temple which is quite high up on a hill and which would be a good viewpoint. Looking at the number of steps to climb kind of scared us & we did not alight.
After the cruise we loitered around the park and visited a waterfall.
We climbed down a few hundred steps to see Feilongzaitian Waterfall about 300 metres from the lake and climbed up again. The waterfall is not that spectacular & I would say not worth the exhaustion.
In the vicinity was a stall renting out traditional attires for photography.
& there were colorful flower hats for sale.
There were a few stalls selling all types of pebbles on our way out of the park.
Kazakh yurts seen nearby.
This photo was taken while our bus was travelling down the hill.
Part 1: Overview
Part 2: Daming Palace National Heritage Park
Part 3: Hancheng Lake
Part 4: I Stayed In Howard Johnson Ginwa Plaza, Xian
Part 5: Xinjiang Where The People Speaks Mandarin With A Funny Accent
Part 7: Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar
Part 8: Hooray! 2 Nights In Cinda Hoi Tak Hotel, Urumqi
Part 9: Glimpses Of Turpan (Xinjiang)
Part 10: Karez Well
Part 11: The Ruins Of Jiohe
Part 12: The Grape Valley Of Turpan
Part 13: Nothing Comes Free!
Part 14: Emin Minaret
Part 15: Flaming Mountain
Part 16: Tuyugou Canyon
Part 17: Mazar Village Of Tuyugou Valley
Part 18: Kumtag Desert
Part 19: Turpan Maixi Laipu Hotel Review
Part 20: Xinjiang Cuisine
Part 21: The Journey To Hami
Part 22: Hami Hotel Block 6 Photo Review
Part 23 : Glimpses Of Dunhuang (Photo Gallery)
Part 24: An Amazing Desert Experience At Echoing Sand Dunes
Part 25: A Camel Ride At Echoing Sand Dunes
Part 26: An Oasis Of Flowers At Echoing Sand Dunes
Part 27: Crescent Lake
Part 28: Mogao Grottoes
Part 29: Dunhuang Fuguo Hotel Photo Review
Part 30: Jiayuguan pass
Part 31: Jiuquan Park
Part 32: 1 Night In Jiuquan Hotel
Part 33: Glimpses Of Jiuquan
Part 34: Zhangye Danxia Landform Geological Park
Part 35: My Journey From Jiuquan Into Zhangye
Part 36: Giang Buddha Temple, Zhangye
Part 37: Power Mansion Hotel, Zhangye
Part 38: The Journey Into Wuwei
Part 39: Leitei Tomb Of The Han Dynasty
Part 40: Glimpses Of Langzhou
Part 41: Langzhou Waterwheel Garden
Part 42: Only 8 Hours In Langzhou Legend Hotel
Part 43: Huaqing Hotspring
Part 44: Terracotta Warriors
Part 45: Shaanxi Sunshine Grand Theatre
4 comments :
Beautiful lake. Thanks for the great photos.
I am really enjoying your blog, thank you for creating it. Did you travel with a tour company or a private guide? Would you recommend the company/guide you traveled with? If yes, would you mind sharing the name and contact information of the company/guide. Thanks
The China Travel Agent: CITS
Add: 11th Floor Gansu Tourism Plaza, No 2 Nong minxinag Road, Lanzhao, Gansu, China
Tel: (0931)8732301
Website: www.17u.net/wd/70858
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