Gurbantunggut Desert

The Gurbantunggut Desert is a desert located in the northern part of Xinjiang, China. Located in the Dzungarian Basin in northern Xinjiang, it covers approximately 50,000 square kilometers (19,000 mi²), and located around 300 to 600 meters above sea level. It is China's (and Xinjiang's) second largest desert, after Taklamakan Desert, which is located in the Tarim Basin.
A remote, arid, and rugged area, Gurbantunggut Desert is separated by the Tian Shan mountains from the Ili River Basin, Turfan Depression, and the Tarim Basin of the southern Xinjiang. A chain of cities, the largest of which is Urumqi, are located within a populated strip (the route of the Lanxin Railway) south of the desert, which is irrigated by glacier-fed streams flowing from the Tian Shan. The Irtysh–Karamay Canal, constructed during the first decade of the 21st century, skirts the deserts northwestern edge; the Irtysh–Urumqi Canal crosses the desert's central part.
China National Highway 216 crosses the desert in the north-south direction, from Altay City to Ürümqi. China National Highway 217 and the Kuytun–Beitun Railway skirt it from the west and northwest.
The climate of the area is temperate, but very continental. The desert's ecological environment is very fragile, and the impact of human activities on the environment, including the building of a trans-desert highway, has been increasingly significant.
Now it is possible to visit Gurbantunggut Desert while driving from Urumqi to Kanas Lake, the travelers can view the wonderful desert landscape and wild animals, particularly the wild horses.