Tianshan Tianchi Lake
Tianshan Tianchi Lake
4.5
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
Formerly known as Yaochi (Jade Lake), it is guarded by the stately peaks and offers a spectacular sight.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
361 reviews
Excellent
174
Very good
136
Average
34
Poor
10
Terrible
7
Bob B
Blair, WI17 contributions
May 2019
While a popular "grab a photo" site with 1000s of daily visitors, it is so much more. Plan to have time to take the boat ride or even better, a hike off into the forest surrounding the lake. It is so peaceful, really Heavenly! take your preferred snacks and beverages with you on the hike for a picnic. There are plenty of places to eat at the top by the bus stop and above. Also at the bottom of of the bus route--we had a delightful meal under the grape leaves at one of dozens of small family spots.
Written 28 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,626 contributions
Jul 2020
Awesomely beautiful views. The Heavenly Lake of Tianshan is a show of the beauty of nature, and some say, a reflection of what heaven is like.
Written 4 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Edgar K
Melbourne, Australia210 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
We recently went to Tian Chi (Tuesday 22nd Sep 2015) and wanted to post some information about our experience. Firstly, we read plenty of reviews online and were confused by the polarity of opinions about Tian Chi. People either loved it or hated it!
Overall we had a great time, and I will try to make some recommendations on how to make it an experience to remember. In summary:
- Firstly, the lake is SPECTACULAR. It is surrounded by snow-capped peaks and set in a lush forest. The scenery is stunning.
- This was the most enjoyable thing we did while staying in Urumqi.
- Go on a weekday. We went on a Tuesday and although there were a fair few tourists there, there were not enough so as to detract from the experience.
- Stay overnight in a Yurt. As others have mentioned, the vast majority of people do not stay the night and the busy period is only from around 11am to 4pm. Don't worry about missing out on a yurt. More on this below.
- Bring warm clothes. It gets very chilly at night.
- Bring earplugs if you take a direct tourist bus from the people's park.
Our day began at the north entrance to the People's Park. As the guidebooks mention, it is easy to find and a ticket seller will find you as soon as you set foot near the park (literally!). The tickets were ¥60 each and the bus left fairly quickly. I would recommend eating before you leave or taking something to eat on the bus. There was only one shop near the park that was selling dumplings, although they were tasty.
As others have written, don't expect to get a quiet ride to the park. The 'tour guide' yabbered loudly over the bus PA for the ENTIRE THREE HOURS. Admittedly we don't speak Chinese, but it may have been worse had it been in English. The bus stopped once for the restroom/snacks, and once at a shop to try to get you buy stuff. After this, we stopped at the Tian Chi main gate and we escaped from the tour group.
The main gate is a large building where you can buy tickets and go through security. The entrance fee was ¥215 pp, which we thought was very steep. This includes return transportation from the main gate to a parking lot ~700m from the lake.
After you go through security, you get straight on a bus which takes you to an (unnecessary) drop-off where you are encouraged to visit a Kazakh "cultural village" for a fee of ¥50pp. We didn't bother with this and you can take a left turn and follow the path to the next bus that will take you to the carpark near the lake.
The next bus ride will take you to 2000m above sea level and is really spectacular. If you can, get a window seat on the right side of the bus for the best views. When you get off, there will be some people offering yurts, etc. We would recommend that you avoid negotiating here (explanation later) and just walk up to the lake (approx 10 mins).
A German guy we met on the bus was approached by a yurt seller and handed a phone and Rashit (the person cited in the guidebook and online) was on the other end. He was interested in looking at the yurt and Rashit told him to take the path to the right around the lake said that he would send his son to meet us.
This is where we went a little wrong. When you get to the lake, you can either:
- Head to the left and follow the path around the lake (it eventually leads to a monastery)
- Head to the right around the lake
- Take the path that leads UP the hill away from the lake (this is where you will find ALL the yurts)
We took the path to the right around the lake and walked for about an 1/2 an hour with our heavy packs looking for yurts, to find that we should have taken the path up the hill. We never ran into Rashit's son and we were unable to find him when we arrived at the 'yurt village'.
We walked around and spoke to a couple of yurt owners and found one with a great view of the lake. The price was ¥100pp per night including meals which we thought was reasonable (we could have negotiated buy we were happy with the price). The three of us decided to stay in the same yurt, the German guy for one night and us for two nights.
Some comments about the yurts:
- The experience was awesome. We would highly recommend it.
- It gets cold. Bring warm clothes.
- Don't expect a toilet. You will need to find a tree near the yurt.
THEN... We were all talking in the yurt at about 9:30pm, getting ready for bed when the yurt owner's son came into the yurt with a couple of other young guys and handed me a phone. The guy on the other end (who I believe was Rashit) said "they want to tell you that you can't stay and have to leave". I was pretty surprised as it was completely unexpected (and already dark!) and I asked him "why" he said that he didn't know so I replied "well can you please find out!" I handed back the phone, they spoke for a few seconds and left, not to return.
The next morning, the yurt owner apologetically told us that he got in trouble with the police and we had to leave. He refunded the money for the second night. He also mentioned that none of the yurts were allowed to host foreigners. This is one explanation - another is that Rashit is trying to maintain a monopoly on foreigners in the park and was annoyed that we had stayed at another yurt. We aren't to know.
Anyway, we were satisfied with our one night and decided to head back to Urumqi. If we had stayed for another night, we would have sought to do some more walking/hiking around the area.
On the way back, we wanted to walk back to the bus stop near the "cultural village" to take in the scenery at a slower pace. We saw a trail on the map that began just slightly down from where the bus drops you off near the lake. This trail was unfortunately closed. There was possibly another path down that leaves from the lake, but we decided to take the bus down.
The bus didn't stop at the cultural village (I assume that other buses depart from here for people who walk down) and went straight to the main gate. We were very keen to not take another tour bus back to people's park, and were approached by a guy with a minivan as soon as we walked through the exit. He took us (and a number of others) to the bus station at a town called Fukan (I think) for ¥5 each. We were dropped off outside the long distance bus station and got straight into another bus going to Urumqi for ¥15.
We arrived at a bus station out of town (we don't really know where it was) and managed to catch a local bus back to Hongshan for ¥1. I imagine that you could do this in reverse if you wanted to save money, however you would need to know what you were doing.
Well I seem to have written an essay. I hope it comes in useful!!
Overall we had a great time, and I will try to make some recommendations on how to make it an experience to remember. In summary:
- Firstly, the lake is SPECTACULAR. It is surrounded by snow-capped peaks and set in a lush forest. The scenery is stunning.
- This was the most enjoyable thing we did while staying in Urumqi.
- Go on a weekday. We went on a Tuesday and although there were a fair few tourists there, there were not enough so as to detract from the experience.
- Stay overnight in a Yurt. As others have mentioned, the vast majority of people do not stay the night and the busy period is only from around 11am to 4pm. Don't worry about missing out on a yurt. More on this below.
- Bring warm clothes. It gets very chilly at night.
- Bring earplugs if you take a direct tourist bus from the people's park.
Our day began at the north entrance to the People's Park. As the guidebooks mention, it is easy to find and a ticket seller will find you as soon as you set foot near the park (literally!). The tickets were ¥60 each and the bus left fairly quickly. I would recommend eating before you leave or taking something to eat on the bus. There was only one shop near the park that was selling dumplings, although they were tasty.
As others have written, don't expect to get a quiet ride to the park. The 'tour guide' yabbered loudly over the bus PA for the ENTIRE THREE HOURS. Admittedly we don't speak Chinese, but it may have been worse had it been in English. The bus stopped once for the restroom/snacks, and once at a shop to try to get you buy stuff. After this, we stopped at the Tian Chi main gate and we escaped from the tour group.
The main gate is a large building where you can buy tickets and go through security. The entrance fee was ¥215 pp, which we thought was very steep. This includes return transportation from the main gate to a parking lot ~700m from the lake.
After you go through security, you get straight on a bus which takes you to an (unnecessary) drop-off where you are encouraged to visit a Kazakh "cultural village" for a fee of ¥50pp. We didn't bother with this and you can take a left turn and follow the path to the next bus that will take you to the carpark near the lake.
The next bus ride will take you to 2000m above sea level and is really spectacular. If you can, get a window seat on the right side of the bus for the best views. When you get off, there will be some people offering yurts, etc. We would recommend that you avoid negotiating here (explanation later) and just walk up to the lake (approx 10 mins).
A German guy we met on the bus was approached by a yurt seller and handed a phone and Rashit (the person cited in the guidebook and online) was on the other end. He was interested in looking at the yurt and Rashit told him to take the path to the right around the lake said that he would send his son to meet us.
This is where we went a little wrong. When you get to the lake, you can either:
- Head to the left and follow the path around the lake (it eventually leads to a monastery)
- Head to the right around the lake
- Take the path that leads UP the hill away from the lake (this is where you will find ALL the yurts)
We took the path to the right around the lake and walked for about an 1/2 an hour with our heavy packs looking for yurts, to find that we should have taken the path up the hill. We never ran into Rashit's son and we were unable to find him when we arrived at the 'yurt village'.
We walked around and spoke to a couple of yurt owners and found one with a great view of the lake. The price was ¥100pp per night including meals which we thought was reasonable (we could have negotiated buy we were happy with the price). The three of us decided to stay in the same yurt, the German guy for one night and us for two nights.
Some comments about the yurts:
- The experience was awesome. We would highly recommend it.
- It gets cold. Bring warm clothes.
- Don't expect a toilet. You will need to find a tree near the yurt.
THEN... We were all talking in the yurt at about 9:30pm, getting ready for bed when the yurt owner's son came into the yurt with a couple of other young guys and handed me a phone. The guy on the other end (who I believe was Rashit) said "they want to tell you that you can't stay and have to leave". I was pretty surprised as it was completely unexpected (and already dark!) and I asked him "why" he said that he didn't know so I replied "well can you please find out!" I handed back the phone, they spoke for a few seconds and left, not to return.
The next morning, the yurt owner apologetically told us that he got in trouble with the police and we had to leave. He refunded the money for the second night. He also mentioned that none of the yurts were allowed to host foreigners. This is one explanation - another is that Rashit is trying to maintain a monopoly on foreigners in the park and was annoyed that we had stayed at another yurt. We aren't to know.
Anyway, we were satisfied with our one night and decided to head back to Urumqi. If we had stayed for another night, we would have sought to do some more walking/hiking around the area.
On the way back, we wanted to walk back to the bus stop near the "cultural village" to take in the scenery at a slower pace. We saw a trail on the map that began just slightly down from where the bus drops you off near the lake. This trail was unfortunately closed. There was possibly another path down that leaves from the lake, but we decided to take the bus down.
The bus didn't stop at the cultural village (I assume that other buses depart from here for people who walk down) and went straight to the main gate. We were very keen to not take another tour bus back to people's park, and were approached by a guy with a minivan as soon as we walked through the exit. He took us (and a number of others) to the bus station at a town called Fukan (I think) for ¥5 each. We were dropped off outside the long distance bus station and got straight into another bus going to Urumqi for ¥15.
We arrived at a bus station out of town (we don't really know where it was) and managed to catch a local bus back to Hongshan for ¥1. I imagine that you could do this in reverse if you wanted to save money, however you would need to know what you were doing.
Well I seem to have written an essay. I hope it comes in useful!!
Written 2 October 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JBchina
Rotorua, New Zealand368 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
It’s a pretty little lake with some snow mountains in the background. But if you come from a foreign country it won’t be so impressive. The main issue is the huge numbers of people that go there and according the complexity of dealing with those numbers. Multiple shuttles to finally arrive at a lake that is nice but not great. Full day trip for one hour at the lake.
Written 16 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zafar Yaab
Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan132 contributions
Oct 2016 • Solo
Instead of writing about the lake I prefer to guide how to get here from Urumqi, because anyway it is a must visit place.
1. Reach at Urumqi Beijiao passenger transport terminal till before noon. As early u start as much time you can spend at lake and on the way back easily get public transport. This terminal is at Nanhu north road and reachable via brt no. 7 (last northside stop) and other buses. Need to prove identity at the enterance and ticket window. Pay 15 Rmb for Fukang and go to the coach if it is ready. There is no seat no. so sit as your wish.
2. At Fukang coach station just ask someone where is Tianchi car just after setting foot on the ground? Because this mini van has a manual ticketing system. If it is ready sit and driver will collect the 5 Rmb before start.
3. Now at a huge parking again must go through a security/identity check and enter the Park's enterance building. Buy the ticket for 215 Rmb and staright go the coach.
4. There is a break in the middle at a Kazakh model village. It is interested, if you dont want then nobody force you to buy or eat something. Just ve a look, take some photos and again sit in the coach. If it is your 1st trip then shouldnt skip it, as in other reviews it is mentioned.
5. At coach parking now you ve two options. Walk or mini cart. Walk is free but not sure about the mini. Its hardly 5 minute walk.
Now you are at the lake. Walk and explore all areas if you ve time and courage. There are sign boards in english as well. Well mantained paths and roads. Many restaurents and stalls. I didnt try anyone bcz i had evrything with me.
Hope this effort ll help you
1. Reach at Urumqi Beijiao passenger transport terminal till before noon. As early u start as much time you can spend at lake and on the way back easily get public transport. This terminal is at Nanhu north road and reachable via brt no. 7 (last northside stop) and other buses. Need to prove identity at the enterance and ticket window. Pay 15 Rmb for Fukang and go to the coach if it is ready. There is no seat no. so sit as your wish.
2. At Fukang coach station just ask someone where is Tianchi car just after setting foot on the ground? Because this mini van has a manual ticketing system. If it is ready sit and driver will collect the 5 Rmb before start.
3. Now at a huge parking again must go through a security/identity check and enter the Park's enterance building. Buy the ticket for 215 Rmb and staright go the coach.
4. There is a break in the middle at a Kazakh model village. It is interested, if you dont want then nobody force you to buy or eat something. Just ve a look, take some photos and again sit in the coach. If it is your 1st trip then shouldnt skip it, as in other reviews it is mentioned.
5. At coach parking now you ve two options. Walk or mini cart. Walk is free but not sure about the mini. Its hardly 5 minute walk.
Now you are at the lake. Walk and explore all areas if you ve time and courage. There are sign boards in english as well. Well mantained paths and roads. Many restaurents and stalls. I didnt try anyone bcz i had evrything with me.
Hope this effort ll help you
Written 7 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ScottR08
Seattle2 contributions
We are traveling in Xinjiang and scheduled a few days of sight seeing in Urumqi. If you go to Urumqi you are guaranteed to hear about Tianchi lake, also all the China guides talk about it. We have Lonely Planet which says that you can take a bus from Peoples Park (ren min gong yuan) to Tianchi. (Note: Urumqi has both Peoples Park and a place called Peoples Square) Arranging the bus was our first mistake. I am not sure if there actually is a public bus going to Tianchi, but there certainly are busses going there. When you arrive at Peoples Park you will immediately see busses and booths selling bus tickets for them. We bought tickets for a bus going to Tianchi and got on. It did in fact go to Tianchi and you’d think that would be OK. Here is what went wrong, this bus was a “lu yo” bus, roughly translated that means Party Bus. We simply wanted a ride to the lake, some time at the lake to walk around, and a ride back. That is not what you get with this bus. A Party Bus has a whole range of activities to see along the way and they really do not want you to leave the group. As a result, our time at the lake was very limited, about 2 hours, on the way back to Urumqi we stopped to eat, and stopped at 3 different locations for shopping. Even those 2 hours we had to struggle to get, we left a group of confounded Chinese people who could not understand why we wanted to leave the group to go for a walk by the lake when there was a perfectly nice guide with a red flag to follow around from one attraction to another.
Lake attractions:
You would think that going to see a beautiful mountain lake means just that, a parking lot, perhaps a visitor center, and a trail to a lake. If this is want you are looking for then you may want to take a pass on Tianchi.
At this lake you get:
A large shopping center at the parking lot.
A choice of min-bus or Gondola up to the lake.
At the top of the Gondola you are able to see the lake.
The lake has speed boats and tour boats driving around on it (it is not a large lake).
A fairly large strip mall where you can buy food and trinkets
A fairly extensive area of old style clothing for you to put on then go have your picture taken beside the lake.
The lake is half encircled by a road.
Costs:
Bus: 50 RMB round trip
Park Entry Fee: 100 RMB
Gondola ride: 35 RMB
If you are looking for a quiet experience beside a mountain lake, this is not the place to go.
Lake attractions:
You would think that going to see a beautiful mountain lake means just that, a parking lot, perhaps a visitor center, and a trail to a lake. If this is want you are looking for then you may want to take a pass on Tianchi.
At this lake you get:
A large shopping center at the parking lot.
A choice of min-bus or Gondola up to the lake.
At the top of the Gondola you are able to see the lake.
The lake has speed boats and tour boats driving around on it (it is not a large lake).
A fairly large strip mall where you can buy food and trinkets
A fairly extensive area of old style clothing for you to put on then go have your picture taken beside the lake.
The lake is half encircled by a road.
Costs:
Bus: 50 RMB round trip
Park Entry Fee: 100 RMB
Gondola ride: 35 RMB
If you are looking for a quiet experience beside a mountain lake, this is not the place to go.
Written 21 July 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
michdgc
Gold Coast, Australia24 contributions
May 2011
We took the 50 yuan (return) bus from the northgate of the People's Park, as mentioned in the 2008 Lonely Planet. Finding the bus was not difficult (in fact, a ticket-seller found us, the moment we stepped out of the taxi).
The Lonely Planet says that the lake is about 2 1/2 hours from Urumqi but it actually took us 4 hours to get there. Not long after departing the main bus depot, we stopped to pick up some passengers under an overpass on the side of a busy highway. We also made a stop at a "traditional" (ha!) yurt village where our fellow busmates dressed up in costumes and took their photo infront of the long line of tour buses parked in the carpark. We also stopped at a "traditional medicine" shop and a Chinese man from Shanghai (who spoke very good English) told us that we were lucky that we were not "forced" to get out of the bus and listen to the lecture that the rest of the group was treated to.
The lake itself is lovely enough and we walked around it a bit and took some photos of the small waterfall. The lake is touristy, although I wouldn't think it is any more touristy than scenic spots in National Parks in North America, Australia etc (for example, Lake Louise in Canada).
The restaurant serves decent quality noodles and hot tea. It poured down rain (and later snowed) the day we were there, so a hot meal was much appreciated.
It should also be mentioned that in addition to your bus fare, you need to pay an entry fee of 100 yuen each and for a shuttle bus of 35 yuen each. The Chinese people on our bus were expected to also pay for lunch, but we somehow got out of that part and were able to choose our own lunch once when we got there.
We would only recommend this attraction to a friend if they have extra time. If you are short on time, perhaps skip it.
The Lonely Planet says that the lake is about 2 1/2 hours from Urumqi but it actually took us 4 hours to get there. Not long after departing the main bus depot, we stopped to pick up some passengers under an overpass on the side of a busy highway. We also made a stop at a "traditional" (ha!) yurt village where our fellow busmates dressed up in costumes and took their photo infront of the long line of tour buses parked in the carpark. We also stopped at a "traditional medicine" shop and a Chinese man from Shanghai (who spoke very good English) told us that we were lucky that we were not "forced" to get out of the bus and listen to the lecture that the rest of the group was treated to.
The lake itself is lovely enough and we walked around it a bit and took some photos of the small waterfall. The lake is touristy, although I wouldn't think it is any more touristy than scenic spots in National Parks in North America, Australia etc (for example, Lake Louise in Canada).
The restaurant serves decent quality noodles and hot tea. It poured down rain (and later snowed) the day we were there, so a hot meal was much appreciated.
It should also be mentioned that in addition to your bus fare, you need to pay an entry fee of 100 yuen each and for a shuttle bus of 35 yuen each. The Chinese people on our bus were expected to also pay for lunch, but we somehow got out of that part and were able to choose our own lunch once when we got there.
We would only recommend this attraction to a friend if they have extra time. If you are short on time, perhaps skip it.
Written 12 May 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
suriChristchurch
Christchurch88 contributions
May 2013 • Friends
To be fair, Heavenly Lake is a beautiful scenic attraction.
I have visited twice before and I have to comment on the changes I now see and the way the Lake is being manipulated by Chinese tourism.
Heavenly Lake has been traditionally occupied by a Khazak nomadic community living life they have for centuries. Yurks, horses, livestock etc etc. Since my last trip things have changed.
1) The Khazaks have been moved to a village (ghetto) where they sing, dance and cook for busloads of visitors. Gone are the isolated yurts that you could stop off at for a visit and some drink/food and actually experience the Khazak way of life..
2) You can no longer drive to the lake. You are stopped 32km out - pay your fee (not too bad) and are herded onto buses.
3) You are forced to change buses at the Khazak ghetto (and join big queues again)
4) At the Lake the food stall area is now a bus car park. There are no food outlets up there unless a khazak grabs you for a meal in his village yurt. We desperately got a naan bread when we returned to the 32 km car park!
5) The cable car has gone - and the abundance of pagodas (ill fitting for the history/culture) are obvious
6) The Temple there (Buddhist) is interesting. But it really does not fit if you know the history.
7) I have never seen such unenthusiastic dancers and musicians as at the Khazak village (in fact the dancers were imported Uighur, not Khazaks)
8) The stone men in the village were plastic. The number of singing rocks and ash tray tree stumps has multiplied.
They have done to Heavenly Lake what Chinese tourism has previously done to Kanas Lake. Commercialised it. Arranged it to fit groups of 50 or so Chinese tourists led by a flag waving, microphone screaming tour guides, built things they expect the Chinese to like, and in doing so totally destroyed a culture.
Disappointing. At least they have not destroyed the natural beauty of the Lake -- yet!!
I have visited twice before and I have to comment on the changes I now see and the way the Lake is being manipulated by Chinese tourism.
Heavenly Lake has been traditionally occupied by a Khazak nomadic community living life they have for centuries. Yurks, horses, livestock etc etc. Since my last trip things have changed.
1) The Khazaks have been moved to a village (ghetto) where they sing, dance and cook for busloads of visitors. Gone are the isolated yurts that you could stop off at for a visit and some drink/food and actually experience the Khazak way of life..
2) You can no longer drive to the lake. You are stopped 32km out - pay your fee (not too bad) and are herded onto buses.
3) You are forced to change buses at the Khazak ghetto (and join big queues again)
4) At the Lake the food stall area is now a bus car park. There are no food outlets up there unless a khazak grabs you for a meal in his village yurt. We desperately got a naan bread when we returned to the 32 km car park!
5) The cable car has gone - and the abundance of pagodas (ill fitting for the history/culture) are obvious
6) The Temple there (Buddhist) is interesting. But it really does not fit if you know the history.
7) I have never seen such unenthusiastic dancers and musicians as at the Khazak village (in fact the dancers were imported Uighur, not Khazaks)
8) The stone men in the village were plastic. The number of singing rocks and ash tray tree stumps has multiplied.
They have done to Heavenly Lake what Chinese tourism has previously done to Kanas Lake. Commercialised it. Arranged it to fit groups of 50 or so Chinese tourists led by a flag waving, microphone screaming tour guides, built things they expect the Chinese to like, and in doing so totally destroyed a culture.
Disappointing. At least they have not destroyed the natural beauty of the Lake -- yet!!
Written 9 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Timmy T
Rennes, France3 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
Very nice place, where I recommend to spend one overnight.
As Edgar k. wrote ( see below), you can sleep in a yurt, which we did.
How to get to the park by yourself, without leaving with the Chinese tour bus from people's park:
1) take a taxi to " bijao keyen zhan" ( don't know the Chinese writing), a bus station in urumuqi.
Take a ticket to fukan (15rmb, 1.5 hour, buses running every 20 minutes)
In fukan, take a minivan to tianchi lake (5 rmb, starts when minivan is packed, 30 Min ride)
Or
2) if you plan to stay one night, call rashit (mentioned in lp guidebook), the yurt owner,(80 rmb/ pp, 3 meals included) he speaks perfect English and can help you getting there if you're a bit confused.
For the way back, there are buses going directly to urumqi ( no need to go to fukan).
I recommend to stay one night as from urumqi downtown to the top of the park, the view on the lake, it takes approximately 3 hours. Lots of people, but huge majority of them don't walk around the lake. We we're almost alone walking for 3 hours, I think it's better to start on the right side. Some parts may be closed because the water reaches the path at some points (5cm), but you can go over the fence easily and enjoy the nice sceneries.
As Edgar k. wrote ( see below), you can sleep in a yurt, which we did.
How to get to the park by yourself, without leaving with the Chinese tour bus from people's park:
1) take a taxi to " bijao keyen zhan" ( don't know the Chinese writing), a bus station in urumuqi.
Take a ticket to fukan (15rmb, 1.5 hour, buses running every 20 minutes)
In fukan, take a minivan to tianchi lake (5 rmb, starts when minivan is packed, 30 Min ride)
Or
2) if you plan to stay one night, call rashit (mentioned in lp guidebook), the yurt owner,(80 rmb/ pp, 3 meals included) he speaks perfect English and can help you getting there if you're a bit confused.
For the way back, there are buses going directly to urumqi ( no need to go to fukan).
I recommend to stay one night as from urumqi downtown to the top of the park, the view on the lake, it takes approximately 3 hours. Lots of people, but huge majority of them don't walk around the lake. We we're almost alone walking for 3 hours, I think it's better to start on the right side. Some parts may be closed because the water reaches the path at some points (5cm), but you can go over the fence easily and enjoy the nice sceneries.
Written 2 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Armand N
New Mexico, USA18 contributions
Jul 2012 • Friends
The lake itself and the views of Bogda peak and the other mountains around the lake are truly spectacular, but the whole thing has been ruined by Chinese theme-park style tourism. The entrance fee is outrageously expensive, to begin with, then the buses which shuttle you up to the lake make a shameless stop halfway where you have to get off and walk by a bunch of stalls selling junk. When you arrive at the lake, there is more junk and a boardwalk where you can dress up in Kazakh clothes to take a picture. There is a Buddhist monastery that was built apparently in the past 10 years that is horribly out of place. Tianchi is a historically Kazakh area. Kazakhs are Muslims. Why is there a Buddhist monastery? To make the lake look more like the rest of China. Because that's apparently what tourists want- everything to look the same.
If you walk all the way around the lake (plan on 7 hours) you can get away from people, and you will be rewarded. If you stay the night in a Kazakh yurt (80RMB/person) you get a few hours from 4PM to 10AM without the crowds, which is great. But the Kazakhs told us that in 2 years the government will no longer allow them to live up there in the summers, so that option may not be around much longer.
If you walk all the way around the lake (plan on 7 hours) you can get away from people, and you will be rewarded. If you stay the night in a Kazakh yurt (80RMB/person) you get a few hours from 4PM to 10AM without the crowds, which is great. But the Kazakhs told us that in 2 years the government will no longer allow them to live up there in the summers, so that option may not be around much longer.
Written 20 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tom L
Canberra, Australia
Hi, I have noticed that the lake seems to be surrounded by some beautiful mountains. Are there any trails that go through these mountains and allow visitors to get a nice view of the area? Google Maps shows a path winding through some hills to the west of the lake, but I can't tell whether this is open to tourists.
Written 25 June 2019
Hi... We visited the place almost winter over but surprisingly still cover with snow and moreover snowing at the very day. That place is awesome which worth to pay a visit.
Written 27 June 2019
Planning to visit end of November, 2018, can we stay at Yurts? How do we go bout booking one? What would the weather be like at that time? Thanks.
Written 19 October 2018
Yes, there are yurts for hire. Not sure how you book them, but its a big operation and so travel agents may have access.
I'm not sure if it would still be open - the end of November is winter, and there may well be snow by then.
Written 19 October 2018
kaztsutsumi
Tokyo, Japan
Hi folks,
On July 14th (Friday) I arrived at Urumqi Airport at midnight and on Saturday 15th (Saturday) I plan to sightseeing in Tian Chi(Heavenly Lake). As a result of looking for tours to Tian Chi, all tours leave the city early in the morning and return to the city in the evening, so we can not enter the Xinjiang Region Museum. I shall charter a taxi around noon starting from city, I am looking for someone to go to Tian Chi with me. We shall share the taxi fee !!
Written 7 July 2017
I just went 3 weeks ago to the Xinjiang Regional Museum which is really amazing! I went at 11 am with a private driver for the museum. Seeing the mummies was great.... you can see the color of their hair and tattoos on the faces. I think the museum opens at 10 am. Afterwards, we went to Tianchi lake... serene!
Written 26 June 2019
kaztsutsumi
Tokyo, Japan
こんにちは！
７月１４日（金）真夜中にウルムチ空港へ到着し、１５日（土）は１日のみウルムチの観光を予定しています。
天地へのツアーを探した結果、全てのツアーは朝早くに市内を出発し、夕方に市内へ戻るため、新疆ウイグル自治区博物館への入館ができません。お昼ごろにタクシーをチャーターし、一緒に天地に行く人を探しています。
Written 7 July 2017
A Tripadvisor member
お昼出発はオススメできません。もう1日お時間を取られた方が良いかもしれません。
Written 2 June 2018
Hi Ange/ other trip advisor users,
Can someone please recommend contacts of the yurts at Tianchi Lake? I prefer to make a booking in advance as I am arriving with some heavy equipment and can't be scouring the place for a yurt with the baggage. Many thanks!
Written 17 May 2016
Is swimming allowed in the lake? I find knows if it is a reservoir
Written 30 September 2018
Are there any public bus that gets there from the city of Urumqi? Where can i get the bus or tourist bus? how much would that be?? Timing??
Written 8 October 2015
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