Heaven Lake is 110km (68 miles) east of Urumqi and a car ride from the capital will take around 3 hours. The lake is 2,000 meters (6,500ft) above sea level on the stunning Bogda mountain. This large pristine lake is surrounded by alpine meadows and snow-capped mountains. The steep Heavenly Mountains (tianshan) are densely packed with pine and cypress trees as well as fields of wild flowers and herbs. Visitors will be struck by the grandness of the natural environment and to truly enjoy the splendor of the lake, should plan on staying overnight. Many visitors choose to stay in a traditional Kazakh yurt, which is an unforgettable cultural experience. Once the tour buses have left in the late afternoon the lake is peaceful and magical. Tourists can go for strolls on the mountain paths and the more athletic can hike or ride a horse up to the glacier plains where the scenery is simply stunning.

Hongshan Park on the east bank of the Urumqi River, is a pleasant park for visitors to take energetic walks and go rowing. There are also some attractive pagodas and pavilions, the nicest of which is on the top of the hill. The panoramic views of the diverse landscape, from desert to city, and snowcapped hills, make the steep climb up the hill worth the effort.

Slightly west of Hongshan is Renmin Park, a beautiful park with plenty of trees and chirping birds. Visitors can enjoy pleasant walks in this natural setting or can rent row boats and relax on the lake. Others prefer to come early to join the locals with their morning exercises. Children will enjoy the small zoo and amusement park.

Xinjiang Regional Museum is split into 2 sections - one devoted to archeological treasures from the Silk Road and the other showcases the province minority cultures.

The Silk Road exhibits have an array of tools, coins, jade, fabrics, pots and paintings all from the area. The most dramatic and interesting exhibits are the "Mummies of Urumqi" - ancient corpses preserved and found in the desert sands. The corpses include a baby who died around 3,800 years ago, still wrapped in swaddling as well as a couple who died at different periods but were found buried together. The most famous however, is the "Luolan Beauty", a corpse of a woman believed to have died in her 40s and be of Indo-European ethnicity. Discovered in 1980 in the riverbed of the Tieban in Loulan city, the corpse is believed to be around 4,000 years old. When found, she was still clutching a small purse and wore leather and fur sandals.

The minority cultures hall introduces tourists to the lifestyle and customs of 12 minority cultures including the Uighur, Kazakh, Russian, Mongol, Kirgis, Hui, Tajik , Tatar and Ozbeck people. It has life size models of a Uighur house and different types of yurts (cloth tents used in the grasslands by the Kazakhs, Kirghiz and Mongolians). There are also household objects, handicrafts, hunting tools, musical instruments and clothing on display.