How to: Uyghur Homestay in Xinjiang
One of the most asked questions I receive from travelers who will be heading to Xinjiang this next travel season has to do with homestays. Is it possible to do a Uyghur homestay in Xinjiang?
The answer, thankfully, is YES! There are many places where homestays are offered, including Tuyoq Valley (near Turpan) as well as outside Kashgar. Don’t mistake this with an overnight stay at a Kyrgyz yurt, which is also an incredible experience but not quite the same.
The pictures below and their descriptions, provided by fellow Xinjiang traveler Audra Santos, should whet your appetite for a homestay on your next trip to the province. Be warned, though – a homestay is very difficult to set up on your own. Your best bet is to go through a travel agency. FarWestChina recommends Old Road Tours to set up your homestay (which is who Audra used). They’ve received multiple glowing reviews from readers and have a great reputation.
The entrance to the Uyghur home in Tuyoq, a beautiful city about 40km east of Turpan. Before planning such an adventure be aware that these homes are VERY traditions. There is no running water, you sleep outside near animals, and you must use an outhouse. The experience, however, is worth it!
The beds in this particular homestay were under a grape vine trellis, which is normal for the Turpan area. The bed is usually just a raised wooden platform where traditional padded pillows and blankets are used for comfort and warmth.
Most homestays include a traditional meal to be cooked by the owners of the home. Here the meal was a noodle soup cooked by the light of a single light bulb.
The Uyghur beds after being rolled out at night. You might notice a TV in the background and wonder why they have a TV but no running water. That’s a perfectly legitimate question…and there is no good answer!
Need to use the restroom? Watch out for the cow. Audra calls this the “manger scene” and in this particular Uyghur house you had to walk through this stable area to get to the outhouse.
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Interested? You should be! Staying overnight at a local home is one of my favorite memories in Xinjiang and I recommend you give it a try. Contact a local tour guide to set up your stay for your trip this year!
More Xinjiang Travel Resources:
- Xinjiang Hotels: for those who can’t rough it
- Hiking in Xinjiang
- Which China Travel Guide Book is Best?
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Sounds like an amazing experience. I considered a stay with a family by Karakul Lake, but unfortunately I only had enough time for one day.
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Josh says: March 16th, 2011 at 1:18 am
That’s too bad! A stay in a Kazakh yurt or even one of the homes at the base of the mountain is a crazy-cool experience.
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Yay for homestays! One of the best ways to experience a country and really get to know the locals…
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Josh says: March 16th, 2011 at 1:13 am
Thanks for your comment, Jonathan! I completely agree with you…a homestay is really one of the best ways to experience a culture and get to know real people.
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I stayed with a Mongol family in Xinjiang and had a similarly interesting experience. There was a basketball court behind the house, right next to the outhouse, which was adjacent to the sheep pen.
The best part was when the neighborhood kids learned that foreigners were staying in the village. I’ve never been so popular.
One question about Uyghur homestays: Is registering with the local government required, and would your tour company take care of that? I’ve had a little trouble with border police, and that was before the latest episodes of unrest. I found that the authorities are inconsistent in their enforcement of the “no-foreigners-in-this-region” rule. A police station close to the Kazakhstan border let us go to a hot springs hotel, while one farther from the border kicked us out of a town.
Secondly, if you do have to register with the government and stay with families expecting tourists, are you sacrificing authenticity?
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Josh says: March 16th, 2011 at 1:17 am
Trevor, thanks for the questions and I like your blog. Interesting that you had the opportunity to stay with a Mongol family in Xinjiang as opposed to a Uyghur or Kazakh.
The answer to your first question is basically that it depends on where you are. If you’re near Turpan (where these pictures are from), nobody really cares. It’s the border regions, like you say, that pose the most risk. You’re always welcome to forgo registering and playing the dumb foreigner card if you get caught. There are risks, though.
I don’t see how you could really sacrifice authenticity in most cases. If anything, I think it just means that the family would be prepared for your visit (with food, places to sleep, etc.).
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Trevor Williams says: March 16th, 2011 at 1:34 am
Thanks, Josh! I’ll have to try it if I make it back to Xinjiang. Gotta love the dumb foreigner card; so useful.
Also, thanks for the kind words about the blog. Try as I might, I haven’t been able to keep it from joining the millions of others that are all but totally neglected by their owners. You’re doing a great job to keep yours going.
Best,
Trevor
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[...] from Xinjiang: Far West China gives the readers some tips on how to arrange a Uyghur homestay in Xinjiang. Written by Oiwan Lam Posted 1 March 2011 · Print version [...]
[...] Xinjiang : Far West China – Josh talks about Uyghur home stay options in China’s Xinjiang Province. [...]
Looks like a fantastic experience. I wonder if I’ll be able to sandwich camping, a homestay, and a night in a Yurt into my seven days and nights in Xinjiang?
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FarWestChina is a website dedicated to opening the door to Xinjiang, China's most mysterious province.
My name is Josh Summers and I have an unexplained passion for this region. Although I now reside in the US, I spent almost 4 years living and traveling in the region and I continue to research the history and stories Xinjiang has to tell. If you're interested there's plenty to read about Xinjiang on this website, or learn about me on my about page.
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