Burqin Travel Guide

  A place for fairies
by ellyse
  • A place for fairies
      A place for fairies
    by ellyse
  • On the river
      On the river
    by ellyse
  • Rushing river
      Rushing river
    by ellyse
  • Reflection
      Reflection
    by ellyse
  • Kid in arms
      Kid in arms
    by ellyse

Explore Burqin

Things to Do  

Hanas/Kanas Lake

Hanas/Kanas Lake, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Admission costs 193 RMB for student price, 230 RMB otherwise. That includes the comfortable shuttle bus transport inside the park as well. If you can somehow prove that you're above 60 (or 65?) you can get a senior citizen ticket for half price, so it's worth trying! There's... 

Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger

Crouching Dragon, Hidden Tiger, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Ok, there's no hidden tiger here. I only wrote the title like that to make a play on the name of the blockbuster, Oscar-winning movie -- since this bend is called Crouching Dragon Bend (Wo4 Long2 Wan1).Personally I think out of the 3 major bends of Hanas Lake this's the... 

A Crescent of Water

A Crescent of Water, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Moon Bend (Yue4 Liang4 Wan1) is perhaps the most famous of the 3 major bends.There's a nice boardwalk trail that links this to Crouching Dragon Bend (Wo4 Long2 Wan1), but be warned it's a rather long walk that takes a couple of hours to properly enjoy. 

Colourful Flowers and a Bird's-Eye View

Colourful Flowers and a Bird's-Eye View, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Climb for about 20 mins uphill to Guanyu (Fish-Watching) Pavilion. At the top there're bird's-eye views of the entire lake, as well as Friendship Peak in the distance. This mountain sits on the border of China, Russia and Mongolia.Another of my fond memories comes from... 

Fairyland

Fairyland, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Out of the 3 bends, I think this one was my favourite for scenery. There're also kids (young goats), camels, eagles and cows here if you're interested in taking photos of/with these animals.Another of my fond memories comes from photographing all the different kinds of... 

Camel and Eagle Photos

Camel and Eagle Photos, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Apart from the kids (young goats), you could also pose for photos with camels and eagles. Not sure about the price. 

Kids with Kids

Kids with Kids, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  I loved the kids (human) with the kids (animals). Was fun getting a chance to hold one of the baby goats for 1 RMB... wished I had better photos to show of the experience but it was worth it anyway. :) 

Transportation  

Hanas/Kanas Lake Shuttle Buses

Hanas/Kanas Lake Shuttle Buses, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  For the shuttle buses inside the park, note that for the morning inward departures you'll have to follow the bus that you're assigned to, much the way that normal tour buses operate. This's because most of the travellers coming here are on group tours anyway. A common sight... 

Long-Distance Buses

Long-Distance Buses, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  I think the main reason for the existence of Burqin/Bu'erjin and its long-distance bus station is Hanas/Kanas Lake. ;)There're bus links to Urumqi, Kuytun, Karamay, Wu'erhe, Jimunai etc.You could also head to Altai for better connections. Buses to Altai hourly 0900--1800,... 

To Ely/Yili/Yining

To Ely/Yili/Yining, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Have to change buses at Kuytun. Seater bus departs at 0900. There's a sleeper bus departure at 2000 that doesn't originate here, thus limited number of places available. Cost for upper/lower bunk is 85/97 RMB. You can only buy tickets around 1900 and you're advised to be... 

From/To Urumqi

From/To Urumqi, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Urumqi's Nianzigou long-distance bus station on Heilongjiang Lu has a sleeper bus departure to Bu'erjin at 2100 which arrived at 0700. Cost for upper/lower bunk is 140/150 RMB.The return bus to Urumqi departs at 2000, I would advise buying this in advance. There's also a... 

To Wu'erhe Yardang Formations (aka Devil City)

To Wu'erhe Yardang Formations (aka Devil City), Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Seater bus departure 0900 (44.6 RMB), 1100 (38.1 RMB); sleeper bus departure 2000 (doesn't originate here either, 45.6/50.1 for upper/lower bunk).All bus schedules and timings are in Beijing time. The evening departures depart 1 hour earlier in winter, the timings given here... 

Share-Taxi to Hanas/Kanas Lake

Share-Taxi to Hanas/Kanas Lake, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Share-taxi Bu'erjin -- Hanas Lake for 50 RMB/person, or 200 RMB/car. (If you're starting from Altai it'll be 100 RMB/person.) The ride took about 4 hours. If you're travelling alone or in a couple, don't worry, the driver will be looking around for other travellers to make... 

Warnings and Dangers  

A Sour Taste

A Sour Taste, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Make sure to ask carefully the price of anything you buy or eat, especially at the homestays! We were stupid enough to be hit with a bill for 40 RMB/person for a plate of very oily rice (shou3 zhua1 fan4) and a bowl of noodle soup (mian4 pian4). The price breakdown was 30... 

(Non-)Existence of Toilets and Hot Showers

(Non-)Existence of Toilets and Hot Showers, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Toilet facilities at the Tuva homestays are worse than non-existent. We were advised to walk to the 5-star hotel and use the toilet there, but we didn't see it... maybe we didn't walk far enough.Also note that here're no hot showers anywhere in the park... maybe there are in... 

What to Pack  

Leaving Luggage Alone
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ellyse 427 reviews

Luggage and bags: If you have a lot of luggage, I would recommend that you drop the stuff in Burqin before you go to Jiadengyu and Hanas Lake. Luggage storage is always available at long-distance bus stations in China. This is especially the case if you're going to do any horseback trekking, which starts at Jiadengyu. On your return, you should go directly by share-taxi from Hanas Lake to Burqin without stopping at Jiadengyu at all.

Written Sep 3, 2007

Related to:
 Horse Riding
 Backpacking
 Adventure Travel

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Off The Beaten Path  

Boardwalk Trail
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Fallen trees in the river
4 more images

There's a nice boardwalk trail that leads from Moon Bend (Yue4 Liang4 Wan1) to Crouching Dragon Bend (Wo4 Long2 Wan1), be warned it's a rather long walk that takes a couple of hours to properly enjoy. Not too many people around.

Written Sep 3, 2007

Related to:
 Eco-Tourism
 National/State Park
 Hiking and Walking

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Sports & Outdoors  

Horseback Trekking (Jiadengyu - Hemu - Black Lake)

Horseback Trekking (Jiadengyu - Hemu - Black Lake), Burqin

 ellyse Says:  If you want to go on a horseback trek, you should get off the share-taxi at Jiadengyu, before the Hanas Lake park entrance. However it'll still cost 50 RMB/person from Burqin/Bu'erjin long-distance bus station.At Jiadengyu you can find horses and grooms going to Hemu... 

Rubber Rafting

Rubber Rafting, Burqin

 ellyse Says:  Rafting is also available, IIRC they cost around 120 RMB/person. Each rubber raft fits about 6-8 people. You'll be kitted out with full-body wetsuits. 

Favorites  

5-Star Toilets For Free
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ellyse 427 reviews
Is that a toilet?!

Favorite thing: The public toilets at Hanas Lake have to be one of the nicest I've seen around sights in China. They were extremely clean (still no paper though) but they close at 2000 in the evening.

Written Sep 3, 2007

Related to:
 Eco-Tourism
 Adventure Travel
 National/State Park

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Map of Burqin