Embarking on RV Slow Life: Xinjiang Trip – Sayram Lake

We set off from Horgos Port and sped along the G30 Lianhuo Expressway, crossing Guozigou Bridge...

Soon entering Sayram Tunnel...

As we exited the tunnel, the sapphire-blue Sayram Lake appeared before us like a dazzling, brilliant gemstone...

Sayram Lake, which means 'Lake on the Ridge' in Mongolian, was anciently called 'Clear Sea'. It is located west of Yining City in the western part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, nestled in a high mountain basin of the western Tianshan Mountains. With an elevation of 2,072 meters, it stretches about 30 km east to west, 25 km north to south, has a circumference of about 90 km, and covers an area of approximately 458 square kilometers. It is the highest-altitude, largest, and most scenic alpine cold-water lake in Xinjiang. The water is frigid and crystal clear. It is also the last place touched by warm, moist air currents from the Atlantic Ocean, earning the nickname 'the last teardrop of the Atlantic'.

Along the way, you can see the only 'Lake Center Island' in Sayram Lake...

The first scenic spot of Sayram Lake: 'Moon Bay'.

After a drive of over a hundred kilometers, we arrived at the Sayram Lake Scenic Area. The Guanlin RV Club's 'Team One' and 'Team Two' finally rendezvoused successfully in the vast parking lot of Sayram Lake. Mr. Lu, Chairman of Guanlin RV, and others had been waiting here early...

In the evening, we strolled around to familiarize ourselves with the surroundings...

We heard from fellow RV travelers: if the wind is strong at night, you can pick up fish by the lake the next morning – they are the high-nosed salmon introduced from Russia! So we made a plan to sneak into the scenic area at 7 a.m. the next morning...

Originally, Sayram Lake had no fish. In 1998, cold-water fish such as high-nosed salmon and concave-eye salmon were introduced from Russia. In 2000, the first catch of adult fish ended the history of no fish production in the lake. After ten years of development, it has become an important cold-water fish production base in Xinjiang.

The high-nosed salmon grow at depths of 30 meters in the extremely cold water of Sayram Lake, feeding on natural prey. Due to the frigid water, the lake is frozen for five months a year, so it takes 2 to 3 years for them to mature. It is said that the flesh is tender, rich, and melts in the mouth, earning it the title 'Queen of Cold-Water Fish'.

Along the clear and tranquil shore of Sayram Lake, we walked for a long time but saw no sign of any high-nosed salmon...

We didn't pick up any high-nosed salmon, but we gathered a basketful of happiness!

Next to our four RVs, inside a green protective fence, a small helicopter rested quietly. When we arrived at the Sayram Lake parking lot yesterday, we fully demonstrated the advantage of a mobile home: moving here and there, back and forth, and by evening we unanimously decided to settle here to keep it company, because this spot was relatively remote and quieter.

Today, after we came back from visiting Sayram Lake, the helicopter had flown away, then returned to refuel and flew off again... Around 8 p.m., the rain stopped and the wind died down. Everyone was busy with their own tasks. My husband was coiling the drainage hose, planning to put it on the roof before securing the solar panel safety rope, while I lay on the bed playing with my phone. Then the helicopter came back again, and some people were getting ready to record videos and take photos... Suddenly, I felt as if there was an earthquake, accompanied by a 'bang' that gave me a terrible fright. Our neighbor Sister Yang noticed something wrong with our solar panel, and my husband saw something flying off our RV roof and went to search but didn't find it. Later we discovered that our solar panel had been blown over, the booth window was broken, and one of Sister Yang's windows had vanished without a trace. It was all the helicopter's mischief! Luckily, my husband was a bit slow and had not climbed onto the roof yet, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable. Fortunately, no greater damage was done, and the solar panel had withstood the test.

Afterward, we all gradually moved far away to avoid more trouble.

The Sayram Lake parking lot is huge, with countless vehicles from all over the country traveling in Xinjiang, and many of them stay overnight. There are RVs, camper vans, off-road vehicles, sedans of all kinds; some set up tents, and some even sleep on the ground. The scenery is beautiful and the climate pleasant, but the temperature at night can be quite low. On several quiet mornings, I saw fellow travelers who had slept under the stars, shivering pitifully in the cold. At such moments, I felt so very, very lucky.

The cute little members of the RV family.

We also took the scenic area sightseeing bus to circle the vast and misty Sayram Lake, passing by Moon Bay (the closest to our camping site, within walking distance), Santai Grassland, Santai Station, then transferring at the North Gate to Swan Joy Water, Film City, Dianjiangtai, Xihai Grassland, Kele Yongzhu, Jinhua Zihui, and finally reaching Songshutou.

Sayram Lake is like a huge mirror set among the meadows and pine forests of the Tianshan Mountains. The lake before us was so clear and azure, so colorful, so intoxicating that we forgot to leave!

The magical and beautiful 'Kele Yongzhu' is a typical representative of Sayram Lake's waterscape. In the Kele bay area, there are many mountain springs, their water gushing out like strings of pearls from the gravel layers along the shore, dancing over the colorful pebble lakebed and shimmering with pearly light. 'Kele' means 'spring mouth' in Kazakh. At the mouth of the Kele bay, two symmetrical, elegantly curved sand spits protect the inlet. The water at the inlet is green as if dyed, while inside the bay, ripples shimmer with silver light.

On another beautiful morning at Sayram Lake, my girlfriends and I got up early, brought our props, and sneaked into the scenic area before 8 a.m., striking various poses to blend into the scenery, thoroughly enjoying the tranquility and grandeur of Sayram Lake...

A sailboat slowly drifted into our shots, creating a picturesque scene and perfectly complementing us.

The girl also loved exploring Sayram Lake.

Today is August 7th. Before we knew it, we had stayed at Sayram Lake for six days and explored every corner of its scenery. It was time for a club meeting to discuss whether to stay or leave and the route. After much chatter, we happily decided to head to Wenquan County tomorrow, known for its sacred mountains and holy hot springs, to soak in the hot springs and relieve fatigue.

Capture our current location at this moment...