Xinjiang’s Highway Scenic Showdown: Catching Z’s on the Ride Will Leave You Regretting

The Guozigou Highway Bridge is the essential route from Sayram Lake to Yining and also the most iconic gateway landscape of the Ili River Valley. (Photo provided by Shutterstock)

After a long journey, it's tempting to nap during the ride, but if you're still asleep when you arrive at “China’s Most Beautiful Highway,” missing the stunning scenery along the way is on you. Xinjiang’s varied terrain and landforms create diverse and ever-changing highway vistas, making it feel like a scenic showreel on wheels. The Duku Highway, known as “China’s Most Beautiful Highway,” is lined with towering mountains and deep canyons; and there’s also the Guozigou Bridge, the highest highway bridge in Xinjiang—whether you’re afraid of heights or not, it’s a drive you won’t want to miss.

% Color spectrum shifting from flames to ocean hues

Constructed over ten years, the Duku Highway stretches 561 kilometers from Dushanzi in the north to Kuqa in the south. Due to the arduous construction process, it is also regarded as a “road of heroes.” The Duku Highway mostly traverses rugged mountains and deep valleys, showcasing unique natural landscapes such as canyons, grasslands, lakes, and rivers, and serves as a golden route for boosting local nature tourism.

The Duku Highway connects many famous attractions in Xinjiang, including the “most magnificent rocky yardang formation in China”—Devil City, the mysterious Tianshan Grand Canyon, the Tianshan Big and Small Dragon Lakes, Bayinbuluke Grassland, and Nalati Grassland. Its ever-changing scenery can be described as “from flames to ocean hues,” a spectacle that has earned it the title “China’s Most Beautiful Highway.”

% Also explore the majestic 101 Provincial Highway

Having seen the sights of the Duku Highway, the 101 Provincial Highway within Xinjiang should not be underestimated. Though the road conditions are not great and it’s not a popular tourist spot, the scenery along the way is comparable to that of the Duku Highway, attracting many photography enthusiasts on a pilgrimage. Its landforms resemble Devil City, and the canyon views are spectacular and richly colorful.

% And don’t miss the highest highway bridge in Xinjiang

The Guozigou Tourist Scenic Area features perilous and undulating mountain terrain, stretching north to the shores of Sayram Lake and south to the Guozigou Canyon. Its pleasant scenery rivals that of Guilin. Among its renowned landmarks is the spectacular Guozigou Highway Bridge—the highest and largest highway bridge in Xinjiang. Spanning 700 meters in length, with a bridge deck 200 meters above the valley floor, it is the essential passage from Sayram Lake to Yining and also the most representative breathtaking view of the Ili River Valley.