Travel Notes Duku Highway: A Scenic Corridor Through the Tianshan
A road that stitches north and south
Starting at Dushanzi in Karamay and running south through the Tianshan to Kuqa in Aksu, these 500-odd km link the grasslands of the north with the desert of the south in a single drive. It is no mere corridor but a stack of a dozen landforms: you begin in canyon country and, over a pass, run straight into snow and meadow.
Nine years, one hundred sixty-eight names
Work began in 1974, built by PLA engineers and opened in 1983 — nine years all told. The construction corps blasted through cold, thin air and lost 168 men; on average a soldier lies buried for every three kilometres. The martyr monument at Qiaolma still stands, and many travellers pull over to lay flowers.
All four seasons in a day
What fascinates on the Duku is compression. Morning at Dushanzi is dry Gobi heat; cross the Heshilegen pass at 3,400 m and roadside snow hasn’t melted; push south to Qiaolma and Nalati and the meadows glow green; further on it’s the red-brown Kuqa canyon. A T-shirt plus a warm jacket both earn their place in one day.
Open only three months a year
Because it clears several passes around 4,000 m, the Duku answers to weather. Normally open early June to late September, it can close early or late with heavy snow, so always check the day’s notice before leaving. Many drivers time their trip to the first days after opening, for the snow line at its most dramatic.
The smoothest way through
Easiest is from Urumqi along the Lianhuo expressway to Dushanzi, then onto the Duku south to Kuqa — two days makes it relaxed, or run it in reverse. There is no through bus from Dushanzi to Kuqa; you piece together rides or charter, roughly 1,000–1,500 yuan a day. Beginners shouldn’t solo the long tunnels and endless curves.
Stops worth the time
Don’t plan to barrel through. Qiaolma honours the builders; Nalati and Bayanbulak are twin gems of meadow, the latter famous for the sunset over the winding Kaidu River. South, the small and large Longchi are two alpine lakes, then the red rock of the Kuqa canyon. Every stop can eat half a day.
The Duku is not merely A to B. It packs Xinjiang’s most intense faces — desolate, grand, tender — into one road, shocking you again and again in a single day. After these 500 km many say every other highway feels like a compromise.
Practical information
- Opening: early Jun to late Sep each year (weather-dependent — confirm first)
- Tickets: road free; along-route scenic areas charged separately
- Getting there: ~3 h self-drive from Urumqi to Dushanzi, or charter 1,000–1,500 yuan/day
- Tips: complex terrain, changeable weather, summer only; beginners avoid solo tunnels and curves
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