Tianchi - Balikun along the Silk Road

Today we will drive from the Heavenly Lake to Balikun: the viewing location for the total solar eclipse the next day. This will be the longest driving day (approximately 7 hours). En route we will visit several historic sites along the Northern Silk Road Route with Mount Bogda standing proud on the horizon. We will visit the sites of “Bei Ting Du Hu Fu” - the highest administrative body governing the western region, set by the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Petrified Wood Park in Qitai and the Balikun Lake.

Qitai is the world’s second largest petrified wood park, only next to the one in the State of Arizona, USA, with relics of dinosaurs and miracles of nature like Gingko trees, which provided food for dinosaurs some 140 million years ago.

Balikun Lake stretches over an area of 112.15 square kilometers at an altitude of 1’585m above sea level, with yurts of Kazak people dotting the surrounding area and animals grazing.

We will stay overnight in a 3-star-hotel in Balikun Town.