Tested! Sharing my one-day tour guide to Tianchi Lake in Tianshan.

Tested one-day tour guide to Tianchi Lake in Tianshan Transportation: Depart from Urumqi city, about 1.5 hours by car. Free parking at the scenic area, no self-driving allowed inside. Ticket fees: Scenic area ticket + shuttle bus 155 RMB/person Other fees: Electric car in the scenic area: 10 RMB/person (optional, 800 meters walkable) Boat ride: 100 RMB/person West Queen Mother Temple: 10 RMB/person Ma Ya Mountain cable car: 220 RMB/person Opening hours: 8:00-19:00 (April 1 - October 31) 9:30-19:00 (November 1 - March 31) Recommended tour time: about 6 hours Tour sequence: First, depart from Urumqi, arrive at the entrance of Tianchi Lake scenic area in 1 hour, park the car in the parking lot, buy tickets, and go through security check. After entering the scenic area, take the shuttle bus to the Kazakh Folk Garden, about 20 minutes ride. You can see Kazakh culture along the way: Kazakh language, horsehead culture, handmade embroidery, folk dance performances, camel riding, etc. There are Xinjiang specialty foods sold in the folk garden at reasonable prices: baked buns 5 RMB, naan 10 RMB, mixed noodles 20 RMB. Then continue to take the shuttle bus to the lakeside of Tianchi, with about 30 minutes of winding mountain road. There will be a professional guide on the bus explaining the scenery along the way. You will see West Little Tianchi and Stone Gate Line along the way. After arriving at the shuttle bus terminal, you need to walk 800 meters to the lakeside of Tianchi, or you can choose to take the electric car for 10 RMB/person (personally, I think it's unnecessary). After reaching the lakeside, it's time for photo-taking. There are ethnic costumes for rent at 20 RMB/set, very cost-effective. Recommended photo spots: Tianchi Lake, West Queen Mother Temple, Dinghai Shenzhu, Ma Ya Mountain. If you want to overlook the entire Tianchi Lake, I personally recommend taking the cable car. It only takes about 8 minutes to reach the highest point. After getting off the cable car, you can choose a suitable viewing platform (free of charge) according to your physical strength to have a distant view of Bogda Snow Mountain. The Ma Ya Mountain scenic area is at an altitude of 3056 meters, and different viewing platforms will bring different visual feasts. Climbing the West Queen Mother Temple can be a bit strenuous, but it is said that making a wish and burning incense is very effective, so believers must go. Experience sharing: 1. The earlier you depart, the fewer people there are, and the better the experience. 2. Do not sleep while taking the shuttle bus, as some of the best scenery is along the way. 3. The air quality of Tianchi is very good, with a high content of negative oxygen ions, making it very suitable for deep breathing. 4. Tianchi in Tianshan is really worth it, but it requires good weather conditions. Be sure to check the weather forecast before departure and go on a sunny day.