Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily(Reporter Jia Chunxia) news: Riding camels across desert with camel teams; Taking the all-terrain vehicle and experiencing the thrill and excitement in the sand; Camping in the desert and looking at the starry sky at night... In the desert scenic spot in Makit County, Kashi Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the wonderful desert tour project has become popular for tourism.

Photo shows tourists sightseeing in the desert scenic spot in Makit County, Kashi Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang/Jia Chunxia)

Makit County is one of the counties with the richest desert tourism resources in China. Located at 39th parallel north latitude, the scenic spot is a "road of life" through the Taklimakan Desert and is well known by many archaeologists, explorers and off-road enthusiasts. Dunes piled up to 100 meters high and fine sand provide an excellent experience for sand skiing, desert surfing, camping and other activities.

Photo shows tourists enjoy an amusement project in the desert scenic spot in Makit County, Kashi Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang/Jia Chunxia)

“Cars rushed up and down between the undulating sand dunes, which was more exciting than riding a roller coaster. It was amazing,” said Chen Tianyue, a tourist from Shenzhen. On October 30, 2023, he and his four colleagues were so excited about seeing the desert for the first time, and after experiencing the thrilling project in the desert hinterland, they rode camels in the vast desert.

It may be thrilling to tourists, but it is nothing special to a 23-year-old driver, Yusun Emaer. For two years, he rode with visitors in the desert, and the rise and fall of each hill has long been imprinted on his mind. This young man from Tovantavalkesk Village, Kumukusar Township, Makit County, came to work in the scenic spot near home in 2021, then learned to drive all-terrain vehicles here and became a driver, with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan. "The scenic spot has paved gravel roads, and also added a lot of entertainments, attracting more and more tourists now. I want to do a good job here."

Photo shows tourists sightseeing in the desert scenic spot in Makit County, Kashi Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.(Photo by Shiliuyun-Xinjiang/Jia Chunxia)

Golden populus euphratica in the scenic spot, the blue sky, and the desert form a dreamlike picture, making tourists forget to go back. In addition to the regular desert tour, the scenic spot also launched the desert camping in-depth tour project this year, and tourists can take shuttle cars to go to the campsite 30km away from the entrance of the scenic spot, enjoy the sunrise and sunset in the day, watch the stars at night, taste delicacies, and experience desert life different from their normal lives. Mamatrexiati Huje, the person in charge of the scenic spot, said that since the launch of the project in May, it has been very popular with tourists from outside Xinjiang, and camping orders have come to them continuously.

With a total area of 39,000 square kilometers, and with its rich Taklimakan Desert resources, the scenic spot has been used as the starting point of international and domestic expeditions to cross the desert and the China Taklimakan Rally many times, and has also held desert cross-country races and other events. "This year, the scenic spot has paved gravel roads, built tourist distribution centers, added tourism equipment, and constantly improved facilities and service. Up to now, the number of tourists has hit a record high of more than 270,000. In the future, we will build sightseeing capsules and star-viewing rooms at the camp site, and build a star-rated hotel nearby, so that tourists can fully experience the fun of desert adventure tour." Mamatrexiati said.

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