How to Get to Kanas | Altay Transportation

Since Kanas is far from big cities, the most efficient way to get there is by flight. There are 3 airports around Kanas, namely Burqin Kanasi Airport, Altay Airport, and Fuyun Koktokay Airport. The nearest and most recommended one is Burqin Kanasi Airport.

Burqin Kanasi Airport (布尔津喀纳斯机场, IATA: KJI, ICAO: ZWKN)

Address: Burqin County, Altay Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 中国新疆维吾尔自治区阿勒泰地区布尔津县

Burqin Kanasi Airport is about 50 kilometers away from Kanas Lake in the north. It operates about 6 airlines to/off about 9 cities, including Zhengzhou (6.5h), Urumqi (1.5h), Turpan (1h15min), Altay (35min), Yining (1h20min), Fuyun (1h), Bole (2h), etc. Learn more about Burqin Kanasi Airport: Location, Flight Schedules, Transportation>

Major Kanas Flight Schedules:

Altay Airport (阿勒泰机场, IATA: AAT, ICAO: ZWAT)

Address: National Highway 216, Altay Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 新疆阿勒泰地区阿勒泰市216国道

Altay Airport is connected with more cities than Burqin Kanasi Airport does. You can get to Altay from Korla (1h20min), Kashgar (4h), Urumqi (1h20min), Yining (1h20min), Karamay (1h15min), Tacheng (1h), Xian (4h), Chongqing (6.5h), etc.

Fuyun Koktokay Airport (富蕴可可托海机场, IATA: FYN, ICAO: ZWFY)

Address: Fuyun County, Altay Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region 新疆阿勒泰地区富蕴县

Fuyun Koktokay Airport is usually chosen by tourists planning to travel to Koktokay. It is connected with several cities, such as Urumqi (1h15min), Kanas (1h), and Karamay (1h).

Distance: about 860 km (534.4 miles)

Travel Time: about 2 hours by nonstop flight, or 14.5~24 hours by train.

By flight: Urumqi Diwopu International Airport operates 4 direct flights (1h20min) to Burqin Kanas Airport. From the airport you can take a tourist bus or charter a car (70min) to Kanas. If the flight schedule doesn't fit your itinerary, you can fly to Altay first (1h20min) and then take a car (about 5 hours) to Kanas.

By train: Tourists need to take a train (10.5 hours to 12 hours) to Altay first. After arrival, you have to take an extra drive (about 255 km, 4 hours 40 minutes) to Kanas Lake.

By car: It takes about 12.5 hours to drive from Urumqi to Kanas, which is a long journey. However, it is also a scenic drive as you will pass the wind-erosion landform in Wuerhe Ghost City in Karamay and view colorful Rainbow Beach stretching along the banks of Irtysh River in Burqin.

▶ How to Get to Urumqi | ▶ Urumqi to Kanas Flight

☛ 7 Days Classic Road Trip to Heavenly Kanas Lake from Urumqi

Hemu Village, the farthest and largest village of Tuva people, is only 70 km away from Kanas Lake. The traditional living style and unparalleled natural landscape make Hemu a perfect retreat away from the world.

Therefore, Hemu is usually traveled with Kanas. After you get to Kanas and finish the visit, you can keep driving for about 1.5 hours to get to Hemu and spend a couple of days there. If you want to get to Hemu directly, you can charter a car in Burqin (175km, nearly 4 hours’ drive from Hemu) or Altay (290km, 5.5 hours’ drive from Hemu). Burqin Kanasi Airport sometimes runs tourist buses to Hemu in the peak season or when there are many tourists.

☛ 4 Days Kanas Hemu Village Best Hiking Tour

Altay Prefecture covers a vast area of 118,000 square kilometers. The main attractions such as Kanas Lake, Hemu Village and Keketuohai National Geological Park are a little far away from each other and it is not very convenient to travel by bus as the bus schedule is not fixed and sometimes it may not operate when there are not many tourists.

The most chosen and recommended way to travel around Altay is by chartering a car. The well-paved path is overall in good condition. In winding paths there is a speed limit for safety reasons. You can take some medicine for carsickness before the road trip.

Warm Tip: The local people don’t speak English or other foreign languages, so we suggest you use the private transfer from a local travel agency like China Discovery.