01 / THE PHOTOGRAPHIC JOURNEY
Go beyond the view.
Ranked first among ‘China’s Ten Best Autumn Landscapes’ by Chinese National Geography, northern Xinjiang holds some of China’s most extraordinary autumn beauty. Every September, autumn winds replace Altay’s summer green with a gilded mantle: mountains glow with color, forests shimmer gold, and lakes become crystal clear, transforming the landscape into a vast oil painting rich in layers and atmosphere. Beyond the gentleness of ordinary autumn scenes, northern Xinjiang offers both breathtaking mountains and rivers and a millennia-old epic of nomadic life. Altay’s autumn livestock migration adds a vivid, deeply rooted and comforting human dimension to nature’s pure autumn colors.
Kanas Lake and its bays
Photograph autumn layers of water, forest and valleys at Kanas Lake, Fairy Bay, Moon Bay and Wolong Bay.
Baihaba and Hemu villages
Explore Baihaba, Hemu and nearby birch forests for environmental portraits and landscape compositions.
Altay livestock migration
Document pastoral life alongside northern Xinjiang's autumn scenery. Migration locations and timing await operator confirmation.
The journey in pictures
Leading photographers: CC P →
Destination illustrations · select a photo to explore
02 / IN GOOD COMPANY
A different way of seeing.
Leading photographers
CC P · View photographer profile →
CC P
Specializes in filmmaking, writing and directing, production, planning, documentary photography, portraiture and landscapes. Gold award in the folk customs category of the 4th Asia-Pacific Cup International Photography Art Exhibition. She has extensive experience directing and producing promotional films and documentaries, and leads photography trips within China and overseas each year. Her photography post-production training has included more than 400 sessions and 20,000 participant attendances for organizations including the Futian urban management bureau, the water group, the Nanshan publicity department, the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration, Peking University's MBA programme, the Hangcheng, Xixiang, Yutang and Taoyuan community offices, the Guangming New District Photography Association and the Shenzhen Senior Photographers Association.
03 / THE DAYS AHEAD
A rhythm shaped by light.
Shooting locations, accommodation and transport are subject to confirmation before departure and may change with the weather.
Note: this itinerary is for reference only. Actual arrangements may be adjusted according to local weather, transport and other conditions.
Itinerary dates and text times without their own zone use: Beijing · Asia/Shanghai。Exact times use your selected timezone; dates alone and descriptions such as “morning” are not converted.
DAY 01Sep 10 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 1: Arrive in Altay
From your departure city–Pickup at Altay Airport–Altay hotel
Accommodation:four-star hotel in Altay
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 02Sep 11 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 2: Altay–livestock migration–Burqin
Depart Altay for livestock migration photography, then continue to Burqin. Migration timing and location await operator confirmation.
Accommodation:four-star hotel in Burqin
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 03Sep 12 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 3: Kanas Airport area–migration photography–Baihaba
Migration photography is planned around Kanas Airport and along the route before continuing to Baihaba. The starting point, connections and migration arrangements await operator confirmation.
Accommodation:hotel inside Baihaba Scenic Area
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 04Sep 13 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 4: Baihaba–Tiejia Road–Jiadengyu
Baihaba–The Lone Tree–Tiejia Highway–Jiadengyu
Accommodation:four-star hotel in Jiadengyu
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 05Sep 14 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 5: Jiadengyu–Kanas Lake–Fish Viewing Pavilion
Jiadengyu–Kanas–Kanas Lake–Fish-Watching Pavilion–Overnight in Kanas
Accommodation:four-star hotel at Kanas Lake
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 06Sep 15 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 6: Kanas bays–Bulalehan Bridge–Jiadengyu
Kanas–Fairy Bay–Moon Bay–Crouching Dragon Bay–Bulalehan Bridge–Overnight in Jiadengyu (Rezen Retreat · Xiyu, Kanas Scenic Area branch)
Accommodation:Jiadengyu: planned stay at Licheng Bieyuan Xiyu Kanas Scenic Area; final hotel awaits operator confirmation.
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 07Sep 16 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 7: Jiadengyu–Hemu–birch forest–Meili Peak
Jiadengyu–Hemu–Birch Forest–Meili Peak–Overnight in Hemu
Accommodation:hotel inside Hemu Scenic Area
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 08Sep 17 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 8: Hemu–Ahe Road–Altay
Hemu–Ahe Highway–Overnight in Altay
Accommodation:four-star hotel in Altay
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefDAY 09Sep 18 · Beijing · Asia/ShanghaiDay 9: Depart from Altay
Altay Airport–Your destination–End of trip
Final arrangements follow the operator’s departure briefWhere we stay
Day 1: four-star hotel in Altay Day 2: four-star hotel in Burqin Day 3: hotel inside Baihaba Scenic Area Day 4: four-star hotel in Jiadengyu Day 5: four-star hotel at Kanas Lake Day 6: Jiadengyu: planned stay at Licheng Bieyuan Xiyu Kanas Scenic Area; final hotel awaits operator confirmation. Day 7: hotel inside Hemu Scenic Area Day 8: four-star hotel in Altay Final hotels and stay arrangements await operator confirmation.
Getting there
The instructor's outbound and return flights are: Outbound: September 10 | Shenzhen–Xi’an | CZ3213 / 08:00 / 10:45 September 10 | Xi’an–Altay | MU2377 / 17:15 / 20:45 Return: September 18 | Altay–Xi’an | MU6246 / 14:15 / 17:35 September 18 | Xi’an–Shenzhen | CZ3226 / 20:45 / 23:45 Before booking transport, please confirm the departure and travel arrangements through this website. These services are for reference and do not constitute confirmed group transport. Final services and meeting times await operator confirmation.
04 / A CLEAR PICTURE
Know what is included.
Platform service fee to be confirmed
Deposit USD 1,493.06 Original CNY 10,000 · Reference rates 2026-09-18 · Frankfurter / person
Included
Hotels: four-star hotels in almost every location (except inside scenic areas);
Meals: meal expenses throughout;
Transport: three participants per off-road vehicle;
Admission: itinerary admission tickets and shuttle buses (drive in wherever allowed; where self-drive tickets require competitive booking, we will try to obtain them and use shuttle buses if unsuccessful);
Local services: photography instruction from a local instructor;
Tour leadership: photography course fees for the accompanying instructor.
Complimentary travel accident insurance is specially provided for every participant;
Not included
Long-distance round-trip transportation between your departure city and the destination;
A single supplement applies if a roommate is unavailable or a private room is requested. The amount awaits operator confirmation.
In exceptional circumstances involving force majeure, such as natural disasters, war, strikes, airline delays or cancellations, or consular visa delays, the organizing team reserves the right to cancel or alter the itinerary. Additional expenses, including visa extensions abroad, accommodation, meals, transportation, or adjustments to national airfares, may be charged at expense. We will nevertheless do everything within our ability to minimize participants' losses;
Invoice taxes.
Service fees, supplements, taxes and the final total are subject to written confirmation.
05 / BEFORE YOU GO
Clarity before departure.
Availability and registration
This website accepts expressions of interest in this trip and does not synchronize the operator's remaining places in real time. Please contact us to confirm group departure, availability, the final quotation and booking conditions.
Cancellation and breach provisions
Participants and the organizing team may give written notice before departure to terminate the trip agreement. If notice is given more than 7 days before departure, calculated as the difference in calendar days between departure and receipt of the termination notice, neither party is liable for breach provided no actual expenses have been incurred, such as flight or high-speed rail tickets booked with both parties' knowledge. For later termination, the party terminating the agreement bears liability for breach. [Liability of the organizing team] If the organizing team announces cancellation within 7 days of departure, it must refund all fees and pay compensation: 10% of the total travel fee for notice 7–4 days before departure, including day 7; 15% for 3–1 days before; and 20% for notice on departure day. [Participant liability] Participants withdrawing within 7–4 days before departure, including day 7, must compensate the organizing team for business losses according to these percentages: 50% of the total travel fee for 7–4 days before departure; 60% for 3–1 days before; and 80% on departure day. If these percentages do not cover the organizing team's actual losses, the participant must compensate the actual losses, up to the total trip fee. After deducting the business-loss charge, the organizing team must refund the remaining travel fees within 5 working days of receiving the participant's cancellation notice.
Trip information
[Registration] Registration for this trip is confirmed upon receipt of the deposit. [Transport] 1. Flights booked by the organizing team are economy-class group tickets. Once issued, they cannot be endorsed to another carrier or refunded. 2. Actual flight, driving and boat travel times on the day apply. 3. Airlines and flight schedules above are for reference only. Changes to flight times may require minor itinerary adjustments; the departure notice takes precedence. [Accommodation] Accommodation is based on 2 people sharing 1 room. We will try to pair solo participants with another participant of the same gender. Participants who do not wish to share, or cannot be matched, must pay the single supplement for a room of their own. [Group meals] We try to choose meals suited to Chinese tastes and ensure that every guest receives an adequate portion. [Photography] 1. Photography activities follow the itinerary. In exceptional circumstances, time spent photographing each location will depend on the actual conditions that day. 2. Please read this itinerary carefully and choose a photography trip suited to your circumstances. If you give up part of the itinerary for personal reasons, including health, or request to forgo accommodation or transport, this is considered voluntary withdrawal. expenses already incurred are non-refundable. You are responsible for your personal safety while not participating in the itinerary. 3. Participants may not leave the group without permission during group photography activities, except during free time. Leaving partway through the trip is considered a breach by the participant. Unused photography activities, meals, accommodation and vehicle services are non-refundable, and the organizing team is not responsible for accidents occurring while the participant is away from the group. 4. If force majeure events such as typhoons or blizzards prevent travel according to the agreed itinerary, additional or reduced expenses following changes will be settled according to the travel agency's actual group operating expenses. [Payment adjustments] the organizing team reserves the right to adjust the amount payable if major fluctuations in international oil benchmarks cause substantial increases in fuel surcharges. If the increase is within what we can absorb, the trip fee will not be adjusted. [Departure notice] 1. The departure notice will be sent no later than 1 day before departure. If arrangements are confirmed earlier, we will notify you as soon as possible. 2. If the online itinerary differs from the departure notice, the departure notice takes precedence. [Optional activities at your own expense] Under the Tourism Law provisions prohibiting travel agencies from organizing or arranging optional activities at additional expense, guests wishing to join such activities should contact the service provider themselves for information, payment details and participation. If language difficulties lead you to ask a guide or tour leader for additional assistance, any paid or unpaid help is provided solely in that person's individual capacity, not on behalf of the organizing team or the local receiving agency. the organizing team has no involvement in the expenses, transaction amounts or service standards of free-time activities; guests bear the outcomes themselves.
Fitness, equipment and conditions
Equipment and fitness requirements will be provided by the operator.
