Ask a QuestionBecause of the special landform and climate of Iri Valley, it is known as the oasis in the desert. The whole valley is a landscape corridor with a length of 300km, where the flowers are distributed in succession. The blooming apricot flowers in Iri marks it initiates the mode of the unrivaled beauty.
From April to August, Iri Valley will be in a sea of flowers. After the blossom of apricot, the flowers of cherry, plum, and apple would follow its step, which takes turns to be the protagonist in the stage of spring. In the next few months, you would also see the Heaven Mountain red flowers, lavenders, purple perillas, rape flowers.
In Iri Valley, it locates several places - Turgen, Daxigou, Kurdening Scenic Area, all of them are famous for the apricot flowers.
Turgen belongs to Xinyuan County, 200km from Yining. When you search for information about apricot in Xinjiang, Turgen will jump on the screen, and it already became the symbol of apricot in Xinjiang.
Turgen owns the largest scale of primitive wild apricot forest, which could be chased back to the Middle Ages. Every year in April, when the spring breeze blows over the northern slope of Turgen, the mountains are decorated by the pink apricot stretches for miles.
Besides the large scale of distribution, the apricot in Tuergen is famous for what the scene it could represent to people. Since the apricot forests mainly grow on the two sides of the valley, it forms a delicate and elegant shape with rolling hillside. The apricot forest strews at random, no trace of factitious pruning, growing with their own will, which falls on the grass like pearls.
The last and the most important point that make it the top place among photographers is that the light could barely influence its beauty. With the flow of sunlight, the apricot presents a different picture even standing in the same place. It shows various images in different moments.
Tips :
Daxigou is closed to Yining with only 80km and 1.5hrs driving, and it is 270km & 3hrs driving from Tuergen. For its special climate, Daxigou has the largest scale of Prunes Cerasifera Ehrhart, and it widely plants the fruit trees more than 60 species.
After the blossom time of apricot, the flowers of cherry, prune, hawthorn and apple would blossom, and the period as long as more than a month. So even if you miss the blossom time of apricots, you still have a chance to a different view, which is not only pink but colorful. The polychrome flowers show the extreme beauty, which is brought out by the green grassland. Daxigou owns the picturesque scenery throughout the year, which is a good place for photographers.
Located in the eastern mountain area of Gongliu County, it is 180km and 3 hours driving to Yining. As a part of Heaven Mountain, Kurdening Scenic Area still keeps its mysterious to the outsiders even Heaven Mountain got its reputation of World Natural Heritage in 2013.
It is a wide mountain valley running from north to south, about 14 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide. Kurdening valley is parallel to Heaven Mountain, while most of the valleys go down from the mountain. For its unique landform, it births the unmatched scenery, but few people could feel its charm, which combines the enchanting characteristic of southeastern China and the rough of grassland.
The apricot blossoms here could not compare to the large scale in Turgen; also, it does not have the diversity of Daxigou. The apricot in Kurdening is famous for its delicacy and its countryside atmosphere for its close touch with the local farmers. The smoke curling up from kitchen chimneys, the morning mist fluttering above the valley, the glimmer of sunrise shining on the apricots, make Kurdening become a holy place that the photographers yearn for.
In line with the records, the blossom time of the apricot is at around 10th April every year. For its short blossom period of around 7 days, the photographers would head to Xinjiang in early April. The flowers in Turgen would be the first one to show its beauty, Kurdening and Daxigou would follow its step.
You would need some luck to catch the full blossom, but you still could see other flowers in Daxigou and the virgin forest in Kurdening. The whole April is the blossom time that different flowers come to the stage week after week.
Turgen, Daxigou and Kurdening all locates in Iri area and are not too far away from each other. Considering their similar blossom time, we usually recommend to include them in one tour, which allows you to shoot the different styles of flowers and enjoy the stunning view of Xinjiang's spring.
Usually, most travelers would choose to begin the trip from Urumqi, Yining or Xinyuan. Here, you would have a general understanding of how to begin the tour.
►By Flight
The nearest airport to Turgen is Nalati Airport in Xinyuan County, which is only 25km and 30 minutes driving. The flights operate every Tue, Thur and Sat.
If your schedule could not meet the flight to Xinyuan County, then you could choose to get to Yining first, where the city owns a medium location to Turgen, Daxigou and Kurdening. The flight from Urumqi to Yining operates every day.
►By Train
The nearest train station to Turgen is Yining Station. From Urumqi to Yining, you are free to choose the C Train (5 hours duration), Z Train (6 hours duration), K Train (7 to 10 hours duration). If your schedule were tight, then the overnight K Train is a good way to save time and budget.
►By Chartered Car or Self Driving
Many travelers choose to begin the trip from Urumqi and would like to visit the spots on the way to Turgen, so the chartered car or self-driving is the best way. Traveling with chartered cars allows you a different perspective to enjoy the stunning view in Xinjiang, and you are free to stop when you meet a satisfying scene for photography.
►The Recommended Transportation for Tour
The flexibility is the most important factor to ensure the photographers could catch the blossom time, so it is recommended to use the chartered car service for the whole tour. Moreover speaking, the chartered car allows you to carry the heavy photography equipment and luggage.
Comparing to the condition of accommodation in Pamir Plateau, travelers could have better experience in Iri area. Most of the hotels could satisfy the basic need for daily life, such as private rooms, independent bathroom, buffet breakfast, and heater.
Xinjiang is an autonomous region for ethnic minorities, so most of the local restaurants could only provide the local food, such as Nang, Noodles and the lamb for major dishes. If you would prefer to have western food, you could find a western restaurant in Urumqi or Yining. According to feedbacks, travelers could accept the delicious local food.
Here are the recommended tours if you were interested in taking a photography tour to Iri.
►Begin the Tour from Urumqi
If you would begin the tour from Urumqi, then you would be recommended to take the 6 Days Apricot Flower Photography Tour from Urumqi.
►Begin the Tour from Yining
If you would begin the tour from Yining, then you would be recommended to take the 4 Days Apricot Flower Photography Tour from Yining.
If you would have other specific requests, you are free to ask for our travel consultant's help to have a tailor-made tour.
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