Hotan, an underestimated self-driving cross-country adventure destination, was rated as one of the top ten adventure tourism destinations in China as early as the first global adventure tourism forum on 20 18.
At the end of September just past, the crossing team of "Pay tribute to the hero Hetian's ninth trip to Tibet" deeply realized how fun Hetian was! In addition to Dariya Buyi, the most difficult desert village to reach in China, Kunlun Tianlu, the most beautiful mythical corridor in southern Xinjiang, and the top-level cross-country route, the Keriya Ancient Road also crossed a secret passage that few people walked!
Exquisite secret passage is a shortcut that few people take and leads to the prosperity of the people. Minfeng is the only place to go to Niya site and the entrance to the ancient city site.
Walking in it, you can see obvious subgrade and rut marks. This is because Kunlun Mountain is rich in world-famous Hetian jade, and there are many treasures in the mountain, including rich mineral resources.
At that time, the mine car was full of buckets of ore and shuttled back and forth on this road. The weight of the car body compacted the road. At the same time, due to the dry climate, these rut marks have been preserved for a long time, so it is also a mining road.
Later, after mining was banned for some reasons, there were fewer trams coming and going, and no one had walked through the secret passage for many years.
Although it is less difficult to cross the Jingjue Secret Road than the Keliya Ancient Road, the diverse geographical features here, such as red soil, riverbed, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, grasslands, lakes ... and complicated road conditions such as gravel roads, gravel roads and wading roads, make this route extremely cross-country challenging!
And this secret passage can well connect the heroic ancient road Kriya with the ruins of Jingjue Ancient City (Niya) and Kunlun Snow Mountain. Today we are going to introduce such a super cross-country loop! (PS。 Crossing the Keriya Ancient Road and Jingjue Secret Road requires the approval and pass of the local cultural tourism bureau. )
Hotan City is a place that easily arouses people's reverie. Whether it's the hottest night market, the group city where you can feel the local people's life, the Yulong Kashi River where you can dig jade, or the grape corridor that stretches for thousands of miles ... people think that it's not just Kashgar that can represent southern Xinjiang, but Hotan.
(The picture above is to experience the local historical and cultural customs. You must not miss Hotan Tuancheng. Photography No.1)
yutian xian
Our trip started from Hotan City and came to yutian county along National Highway 3 15. Yutian county, formerly known as Jimmy, is a "land of golden jade, in the Buddhist kingdom of Khotan". Since ancient times, it has been a post station on the south road of the Silk Road, a famous commercial city and one of the important towns of Anxi in the Tang Dynasty. In the 3rd century BC, the "Jade Road" was famous all over the world, and most of the silk exported from the Central Plains to Central Asia, West Asia, Africa and Europe was transported and distributed from here.
In the long history, various cultures have merged with each other, creating dazzling ancient civilizations, including the Kunlun myth. The woodcut prints of Dandan Uhrik, the Buddhist temple in Karadun, and the steelmaking, ironmaking and architectural techniques of the ancient city of Yumulakumu (a national key cultural relic protection unit) all shine with the brilliance of historical wisdom.
Of course, in addition to places of interest, you can't miss the beautiful scenery of Yutian, Daliyabuyi, Longhu tourist area in Yaochi, the legendary place where the Queen Mother bathes, and the food street. ...
Dariyabuy
If you have enough time, I suggest you turn left in Baibazha Town, yutian county, follow the Keriya River along the desert highway, and cross the vast hinterland of Taklimakan Desert to visit Daliyabuyi, which is called "the last ancient village in the desert" by the outside world.
(The picture above shows an oasis in the desert-Buyi, Daglia, photography @ Sky Image Tintin)
The Daliyabuyi people are the last herders to stick to the desert. They live an isolated life, which means it will be difficult for them to cross the desert to reach Dariyabuyi!
However, when you taste the "Bear Valley" desert scones warmly received by the local people and enjoy the magnificent desert scenery in the depths of Taklimakan, you will feel that all this is worthwhile. ...
(The picture above shows the desert crossing the highway from the south of Kriya River to Daliyabuyi, photography @ Sky Image Tintin)
(The picture above shows the delicious "Kumeji" wrapped in mouthwatering mutton stuffing. Photo @ Yaya Yaya)
Keriya ancient road
After leaving yutian county City, you can go south along the 669 County Road and reach the starting point of the Keriya Ancient Road, the "first village in Tibet" Pulu Village, where you can take a short rest and make all kinds of preparations for the difficult crossing.
As the core section of Xinjiang's "Hetian Ninth Line Entering Tibet", Keriya Ancient Road is recognized as a challenging crossing road in the cross-country circle, with an average elevation of 5,000 meters, and few people have successfully crossed it.
Teacher Wang Tienan, an outdoor explorer in Xinjiang who has walked this road many times, said that this is the most difficult hiking route, and there is no one! "Geography of Self-driving in China" After discussing with him, Lao Mai Wolf also thinks that this is the most difficult self-driving route, and there is no one!
The ancient Keriya Road rises from an altitude of more than 2,000 meters to 5,500 meters, along which are the inaccessible scenery in the hinterland of Kunlun, such as PuLu Gu, Iwo Jima, Ashkule Volcano Group and Ashkule Lake. The highest point of the ancient road, red clay Daban (5500m above sea level) is the most dangerous zone, with a steep slope downhill1.5km, with a relative height difference of 476m!
Three-dimensional schematic diagram of the ancient Kriya road (for more information about the ancient Kriya road, please consult the viewing method by private letter or return to the dialog box to reply: Kriya) Cartography @ China Self-driving Geography.
Exquisite secret passage &; Crea River Canyon
After coming down from the red clay slab, enter the Jingjue Secret Road and walk about 10 km. We found the location here very suitable for temporary camping. It was very late when we arrived here, so we chose to camp here that night.
Walking all the way along the crea River through the crea River Canyon, the red mountains make people unable to restrain the impulse to step on the gas pedal.
This moving beauty, especially against the blue sky, makes its colors more wild and bright.
The red mountain in the canyon is a bit like Osaka in red soil, but it is different.
10 km canyon section, the mountains are gray, red and purple, and the snow-capped mountains and glaciers on both sides of the road make people feel that the distance is not far away. This special picture is magnificent and magnificent beyond words. ...
The road in the canyon is a simple road left over from the original mining. In the canyon, we drove to 60 or 70 more than once. Of course, this is when the road conditions are good. ...
This route has at least a dozen intersections. The water flow of the Keriya River in September is still very small, but some crossing points are relatively fast and the riverbed is very wide. Pay attention and you can cross it.
(The picture above shows the crossing point, photography @VIP Reader Bathing Snow Mountain Room)
In the canyon, there is also a unique landform. The mountain, which is about one kilometer long, seems to be a natural sculpture, showing all kinds of wonderful scenes, such as Buddha statues, animals and an imaginative picture scroll. Everyone enjoys different aesthetic feelings.
Here, I would like to remind friends who go to Jingjue Secret Road to drive by car. Remember to pay attention to the changes of scenery on both sides of the road when approaching the exit of the Kreiya River Canyon.
At that time, you will be shocked by what you see!
(The picture above is to remember to pay attention to the color changes of the mountains on both sides of the exit. When you go out, you go to another world. Photography @VIP Reader Bathing Snow)
Out of the crea River Canyon, we walked into this great plateau.
On the plateau grassland, there are many wild animals. Because few people visit here, the yaks and antelopes here are not afraid of people at all. When driving by, they stood there, chewing tender grass in their mouths and watching us leave with MengMeng's big eyes open.
(The picture above shows the great plateau and snow-capped mountains; Photography @VIP Readers Bath Snow Mountain Room)
Xiao er ku le&; Angge Tilekekule
Lake Nierkule, which locals say means saline-alkali lake in Uyghur, is a small plateau lake on the right side of our road.
Because the geographical location of Lake Nierkule is basically unknown, but the lakes and mountains set off by the blue sky, blue lagoon and White Lake Beach are definitely a paradise that we human beings can reach.
Compared with Lake Nierkule, we will pass another lake in front of us, which is called Lake Anjeti Recoules. This lake is much bigger than the former, and it is also a good place to enjoy the beautiful lake view.
After the Lake Angeti Recoules, it enters the canyon section, which is also the last canyon on the Jingjue Secret Road.
Kurhak rift
As we all know, the vast Kunlun Mountain spans thousands of kilometers from west to east across the border between Xinjiang and Tibet. People who cross the New Tibet Line (National Highway 2 19) know the majesty and precipitousness of Kunlun Mountain, and even more lament the vastness and breadth of its mountains.
Whether crossing the new Tibet line or crossing the heroic ancient road in Keriya, the mountain is high and the road is dangerous, and driving is very difficult.
However, there is a deep rift valley hundreds of kilometers long, which obliquely cuts Kunlun Mountain into two parts, namely Korla Ha Rift Valley.
The name comes from an abandoned ancient garrison castle named "Kuerhak" in the northern part of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa. It was once a fortress that controlled the area to Tibet, and the characteristics of the rift valley were particularly obvious in this area, hence the name.
This canyon has neither a stunning red hill nor an amazing exit like crea River Canyon.
It has a downhill slope of 5000 meters to 4000 meters.
Some readers may have said that there are some canyons and some downhill slopes in Kunlun Mountain. But what I want to say is that there are canyons and downturns in Kunlun Mountain, and the characteristics are always different.
The roads in Kulha Rift Valley are wide in some places and narrow in others, so narrow that only one car can pass. Best of all, don't worry about the car coming from the opposite side!
Mining is now prohibited, and few people know this road except the original miners, so there will be no social vehicles passing by. Come here, the sky is boundless, only you and I don't have him. ...
2 16 national highway
When we got down the canyon, we said goodbye to no man's land. Out of the canyon, it is connected to the 2 16 national highway under construction. There are many engineering vehicles on the national highway, and the dust is relatively large. Remember to pay attention to observation and speed!
Go to Minfeng along National Highway 2 16. On this road, there are endless sand seas on both sides. Although the road is asphalt and easy to walk, some sections are not easy to walk. In addition, we take the sidewalk and constantly switch between paved and unpaved roads.
If the time is just right, just when the sun goes down, you can still see the beautiful scenery of camels at sunset.
It is said that it is expected that National Highway 2 16 will be restored and opened to traffic in the first half of next year, and the time to take this road to Minfeng will be greatly shortened.
Heniya Site in Minfeng County
Minfeng, named after the auspicious phrase "Food is the most important thing for the people, and things are abundant", has a long history, and human beings have lived here for more than 7,000 years. The ancient Silk Road is the seat of one of the 36 city-states in the Western Regions.
Come to Minfeng, first experience the hospitality of Uighurs, and then go to the hinterland of Taklimakan desert, the legendary ancient city. Uighurs are very polite to people. When you visit a local host's house in summer, no matter whether you know him or not, you will invite the guests to sit on the table, set naan, all kinds of cakes, rock sugar and so on. And serve some melons and fruits, pour tea or milk tea for the guests first, and then serve it when the meal is ready.
When you arrive in Minfeng County, if you want to go to the mysterious Niya site, you need to drive along the desert highway for 72 kilometers, then turn left into the township road for about 20 kilometers, and then cross the hinterland of Taklimakan desert for about 38 kilometers to reach your destination.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Englishman Stan discovered the ruins of an ancient city on the southern edge of Taklimakan Desert and along the Niya River in Xinjiang, and unearthed various precious cultural relics that had been sealed for thousands of years. Western scholars were shocked when these cultural relics were shipped back to Britain. This is the ruins of Virginia, known as the "Pompeii City" in the East.
After strict textual research by Wang Guowei, a famous modern Chinese scholar, Niya was one of the thirty-six city-states in the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty. (PS。 As the Niya site is an unopened national key cultural relics protection unit, it needs to be approved by the local cultural management department and pay a certain amount of cultural relics maintenance fees. )
(The picture above shows crossing the sand dunes and the wreckage of Populus euphratica in the desert, picture @ "China Self-driving Geography")
Leave Minfeng, run all the way along the 3 15 national road, and you can return to Hotan on the same day.
Brief introduction of production line
Route mileage: about 1063 km.
Trip nodes: Hotan-Yutian County-Pulu Village-Subhas-Hongtudaban-Kriya River Canyon-Xiaoerkule Lake-Anjeti Recoules Lake-Kurhak Rift-Minfeng.
Travel time: 5-6 days is recommended.
Difficulty index:
Landscape index:
Best travel time: June-10.
Tips:
The first part of the line:
29 km from Hotan Lop 100 km from Qira 56 km from Yutian 94 km from Pulu Village.
The second section of the line:
50km in Pulu Village, Subhas 12km, 24km in Sulphur Daban Lake, Akesukaz 18km in Red Soil Daban 18km, and temporary camp 10km.
The third section of the line:
Minfeng 358 km temporary camp
The fourth section of the line:
Minfeng 109 km Yutian 56 km Cele 100 km Luopu 29 km Hotan
Suggested driving node
Jingjue Secret Road is a challenging cross-country self-driving crossing route. Because it is not open to the outside world, it still retains its original style. I believe you will be shocked by its charm when you come.
On the first day, I drove from Hotan to Pulu Village. As the first village in Tibet and the starting point of the Keriya ancient road, the village has built a clean and tidy tourist homestay with convenient transportation and life.
The next day, we will cross the vast no-man's land today and tomorrow, so before leaving Pulu village, remember to check the condition of vehicles, prepare camping tools and ingredients, and then we can go camping in Subas that day.
On the third day, I left Subhas, crossed the Ashkule Basin, crossed the red soil Daban, connected with the Jingjue Secret Passage, and camped in the temporary camp that night.
On the fourth day, the road condition of Jingjue Secret Road was much better than that of the ancient Kriya Road, but there were many rivers. When crossing the river, you should first measure the water depth to ensure safety before crossing. At the same time, take the gravel road to avoid scraping tires, and stay in Minfeng County that night.
On the fifth day, I left Minfeng County and returned to Hotan directly along National Highway 3 15.
The first part of the circuit diagram
Tips: Hotan Xi 'an Hotel can report the geographical name of self-driving on Line 9 with favorable price.
Challenging the ancient road of Keriya, just like climbing the summit of Mount Everest, has a window period. The best time is June, July, August, September and early June of 10. It freezes in Daban in winter and begins to melt in April.
A place worth going.
Yurungqash R.
Highlight: Yulong Kashi River, also known as Baiyu River, is a river in Xinjiang because it produces Hetian jade. Glaciers originating from the northern slope of Kunlun Mountain flow through Luopu County, where they meet with Caracas River to form Hotan River. The total length is 5 13km, and the flood season is from June to September every year.
Opening hours: all day
Admission: free.
Kurban Tulumu Memorial Hall
Highlight: kurban Tulumu Memorial Hall is the former residence of Kurban Tulum, a famous national model worker. Kurban Tulum Memorial Hall, in the form of words, pictures, audio-visual images and objects, completely reproduces Kurban Tulum's time spirit of loving China Party, socialism, hometown and labor.
Opening hours: 08:00- 18:00.
Admission: free.
Hotan night market
Highlight: Hotan Night Market is located in Renmin West Road, with an area of 4,600 square meters. It is in a narrow and closed greenhouse space, with a total length of 272 meters and placed on both sides. * * * There are 260 booths. It is said that there are 100 kinds of delicious food here. Here, as long as you can find anything you want to eat, there are all kinds of flavors and varieties, which is amazing.
Opening hours: 19:45-03:00.
Admission: free.
Damagou small Buddhist temple
Highlight: In March 2000, a shepherd boy discovered the site of a small Buddhist temple in Damagou Township, Qira County. This Buddhist temple covers an area of 4 square meters, with the door facing south. Sitting facing south, there is a lotus Buddha. The head and hands of the Buddha statue have been lost, and exquisite murals are painted on the walls. Judging from the production process of the Buddha statue, it is a relic of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, dating back to 1500- 1800.
Admission: free.
Circuit diagram in the second quarter
Tips: Due to the high altitude of the Keriya ancient road, it is recommended not to rush to the place above 4500m at once, and turn around in the mountainous area with an altitude of only1000m to adapt to the altitude. Because if your team members are not the "old plateau", or your team is not prepared for high rebellion, it is easy to high rebellion and the whole army may retreat.
Camping in Kazuo or Pakosaka on the 2nd, both places are in the canyon, which is relatively open and convenient to take water. It is very close to Pulu Village, only 10 to 20 kilometers, so it is worth adjusting the state here.
Of course, if your team members are "old plateau", or if the backlash is strong enough and the vehicle performance is good, you can step on the accelerator and go directly to the temporary camp.
When you pass the Ashkule Volcano Group, you can stop and visit here. However, it is not recommended to camp here. It's too windy here, it's on a big open board, there is no shelter, and because of volcanic ash, if you camp for one night, you will be unkempt the next day.
PS。 Crossing the Keriya Ancient Road and Jingjue Secret Road requires the approval and pass of the local cultural tourism bureau.
The third section circuit diagram
Tip: The Kerria River is a seasonal river. Take the secret passage and remember to avoid the rainy season. And at present, almost no one has driven the Jingjue Secret Passage. Even if this route is less difficult than Gukriya Road, we should make full preparations before crossing it.
A place worth going.
Niya ruins
Recommended reason: Niya site is an ancient site of Jing Guo in Han and Jin Dynasties. The site is centered on the stupa and distributed in a north-south strip along the Gangya River. The distribution range is about 25 kilometers long from north to south and 7 kilometers wide from east to west. In the meantime, 100 houses, pagodas, temples, city sites, smelting and casting sites, pottery kilns, tombs, orchards, canals, waterlogged dams and other relics are scattered.
Unfortunately, the site was first discovered by British explorer Stan, and then set foot by Americans such as Henyanton and Japanese Zuicho Tachibana. They took away a lot of cultural relics, which is another destruction of the culture of Niya site. It was not until after liberation that the China government carried out a rescue excavation of the site, among which the most famous cultural relic was a tapestry engraved with the words "Five Stars Go East for the Benefit of China".
Opening hours: Reservation is required.
Tickets: You have to pay a certain cultural relic maintenance fee.
Yuhu
Highlight: It is located next to G3 15 National Road, with parking lots and public toilets nearby. You can visit the lake, but you can't take a yacht.
Opening hours: all day
Admission: free.
Huyanglin park
Highlight: Populus euphratica is an ancient tree species left over from Tertiary. Populus euphratica has a long growth period. Due to the influence of sandstorm and drought, many Populus euphratica trees have strange shapes. There is a saying that "three thousand years will not die, and three thousand years will be immortal".
Opening hours: all day
Admission: free.
The fourth section circuit diagram
Tips: The road conditions are very good that day, so you can return to Hotan directly along the 3 15 national road. Please refer to the itinerary in the first paragraph for information about accommodation, eating, drinking and having fun.
-The road conditions will change, and the road book is for reference only-
Source/WeChat official account: self-driving geography of China.