Heavenly Lake 天池 near UrumqiThe most well-known of Xinjiang’s lakes is Heavenly Lake (aka 天池 “Tian Chi”) located only a short distance from the capital of Urumqi. Although it boasts beautiful scenery including the lofty “Peak of God” (Bogeda Feng), the main draw of Heavenly Lake is how easily accessible it is. Kanas Lake 哈纳斯 in Northern XinjiangXinjiang’s most famous lake aside from Urumqi’s Heavenly Lake is Kanas Lake, located within a large natural reserve in the Altay region near the Russian border. Karakul Lake 卡拉库勒湖 near KashgarKarakul Lake, which literally means “Black Lake” in the local language, is anything but black. Because of it’s close proximity to Yining (120km north), this lake makes a great rest stop on your way to or from Urumqi.