Xinjiang Travel No. 44: From Burqin to Baihaba

Baihaba Kanas Scenic Area After visiting the fairytale-like town of Burqin, we drove 140 km to Baihaba, the first village in northwest China, early the next morning. If you are driving to Baihaba Village during peak season (May 1 to October 15), you need to make an appointment in advance. The daily quota is about 200 vehicles. Of these, 190 are passenger cars with a wheelbase of less than 9 meters, and 10 are RVs with less than 9 seats. You must apply online for an appointment at least one day in advance before 6:00 pm. Self-driving routes are limited to entering from the Habarheti Tourist Service Center in Habarheti County, and vehicles must be parked in the Baihaba New Village parking lot. Baihaba Village is located on the border, and you need to apply for a border pass to travel there. We didn't know this until we arrived in Burqin, so we didn't make an appointment successfully. Therefore, we set off for Baihaba as soon as the sky was bright, hoping to get a self-driving quota at the Habarheti Tourist Service Center. We drove from Burqin to the Habarheti Tourist Service Center via Provincial Highway 232 and National Highway 219. Thanks to the self-driving quota to Baihaba on that day, we were able to complete the procedures for entering Baihaba Village free of charge and arrived at the Baihaba New Village parking lot. If you don't have a self-driving quota to Baihaba, you can only park your car at the Habarheti Tourist Service Center parking lot and take a shuttle bus to Baihaba. Non-villager vehicles are not allowed in Baihaba Village. We took the village's free bus (Baihaba Route 2) from the New Village parking lot and went directly to the Baihaba Scenic Area Visitor Center. At the Visitor Center, we took the scenic area shuttle bus to the Kanas Scenic Area Visitor Center. Due to the limited time, we didn't stop at any of the scenic spots along the way from Burqin to Baihaba Village, especially after passing the Habarheti Tourist Service Center. There is only one road for self-driving to and from Baihaba, so we will visit them again on our way back.