Discover Xinjiang
Heavenly Lake of Tianshan (Tianchi)
天山天池
An alpine lake at about 1,900 m under the snow of Bogda Peak, ringed by spruce forest and Kazakh summer pastures. It is Urumqi's standard day trip and a UNESCO World Heritage site - genuinely beautiful, and genuinely crowded in July and August.
The story
What makes this place special
Tianchi, the Heavenly Lake, lies on the north side of the Bogda Shan range of the Tian Shan, about 30km south of Fukang and roughly 45km east of Urumqi in a straight line, reached by provincial highway 111 from Fukang. It sits at 1,907m, covers 4.9 square kilometres and reaches 105m deep, and is described as an alpine drift lake formed during the Quaternary glaciation. It is rated a national AAAAA scenic area; a plan drawn up in 2006 proposed four years of restoration work and an expansion of the tourism area from 158 to 548 square kilometres.
What you’ll discover
A long, deep lake of clear green water held between steep spruce-forested ridges, with the snow and ice of the Bogda massif at its head, which is the composition everybody photographs from the dam end. Boats cross the lake; a shoreline path and boardwalk runs along one side; above the lake are higher viewpoints reached by shuttle and, from some, chairlift, and there are Kazakh yurts set up on the slopes for food, tea and overnight stays. Access from the gate is by a long sequence of mandatory shuttle buses up the valley.
A little local insight
Good to know before you go
- The shuttle system is the thing to understand. You park far below and ride a chain of buses up, changing at interchanges, and the time this consumes is the main surprise. Allow a full day, not a morning, and go up on the first buses.
- Walk the far shore. Twenty minutes past the boat jetty on the lakeside path and the crowd thins to nothing, with the Bogda peaks ahead of you; the great majority of visitors stay within 200m of the dam viewpoint and the souvenir stalls.
- Take the boat one way and walk back, rather than returning on the boat. It gives you the lake from the water and the shore on foot for the same money and time.
- Avoid weekends and the national holidays. This is Urumqi's nearest big scenic area and on a July weekend the shuttle queues are the dominant memory of the day.
- At nearly 1,900m with a cold lake and alpine forest, it is substantially cooler than Urumqi and the weather turns fast. Take a layer and a waterproof even in July.
- The Kazakh yurt meals on the slopes are a set offering at set prices; agree what you are paying for before you sit down, and treat a yurt stay as basic rather than glamping unless it is specifically sold that way.
When to come
June to September for warm weather, green forest and the clearest water; July and August are the busiest. Late September brings autumn colour on the slopes with fewer visitors. Winter freezes the lake and the site runs a limited snow season.
Getting around
Reasonable for a mountain lake. The shuttle buses, the main viewing terraces at the dam end and the boat jetty are reached on paved, graded surfaces with some ramps, so a wheelchair user can get to the classic view and onto a boat with help. The shoreline boardwalks have steps in places and the higher viewpoints are stepped paths or chairlift. A bad knee can do the lakeside comfortably if it avoids the climbs.
Worth knowing before you go
Sections of the lakeside walking trails (the east-shore and west-to-south circuits) have been closed for construction - check before planning a walk round the lake.
Compare established providers
Check live tours and tickets
Search for Heavenly Lake of Tianshan (Tianchi) in Xinjiang. Prices, availability, payment and confirmation are handled by the booking provider.
China Travel Select does not take payment or create the reservation. Confirm the exact name, dates, inclusions and cancellation rules on the provider’s page.
Take a closer look
Maps, videos & more
Prices and hours change. These are the places to check on the day.
