Karamay Travel Guide: The Ghost City and China's Oil Frontier
Karamay is an oil town in the desert of northern Xinjiang, and its name is Uyghur for "black oil". People come for one big sight: the World Ghost City (Mogui Cheng), a 5A-rated field of wind-carved yardang rock about 100 km north of the city in Urho District. The second reason is stranger and right in town: Black Oil Mountain, a cluster of asphalt mounds where crude still bubbles up through the ground, which led to the oil field's discovery in the 1950s. Two days is the right length: one for the Ghost City and one for the city's oil heritage.
The World Ghost City
Yardangs are ridges and towers sculpted by wind, with flat tops and steep sides, lined up along the prevailing wind. At the Ghost City they rise like castles, walls and animals out of the gravel desert on the northwestern edge of the Dzungarian Basin. The name comes from the noise the wind makes moving through them. The scenic area also takes in desert canyon, poplar groves and natural asphalt.
How to see it
- Getting there: About 100 to 106 km from central Karamay, roughly 1.5 hours by car along National Highway 217. Hire a car and driver or join a day tour from the city; public transport is thin.
- Inside: A scenic-area shuttle runs a loop with stops at viewpoints. Ask at the gate whether private cars are allowed inside on your date.
- Light: The colours are best at sunrise and in the last two hours before sunset, and midday is harsh and often windy. If you can, go late and stay for sunset.
- Kit: Windproof jacket, sunglasses, water and sun protection. Sandstorms can close the area.
Opening hours shift by season, and tickets and the shuttle are priced separately on the official notice. This guide doesn't quote yuan amounts.
Oil sights in the city
Karamay's history is short. One of China's largest oil fields was found here in 1955, and the city grew around it. Two short stops tell the story.
Black Oil Mountain and the No. 1 Well
Black Oil Mountain (Heiyou Shan), about 2 km northeast of the centre, is a group of asphalt mounds formed where crude has seeped out for millennia and been covered over and over by blown sand. The largest is 13 metres high. You can watch pools of black oil slowly bubble. Locals say "first came Black Oil Mountain, then the oil city."
The No. 1 Well site marks where the first well came in. It's now a plaza with the Big Oil Bubble, a polished, Cloud Gate-style sculpture surrounded by more than 200 smaller bubbles inspired by the seeps at Black Oil Mountain. It's best at sunset, and you can combine it with Black Oil Mountain in a couple of hours.
Karamay River and the city
The Karamay River runs through the centre, a man-made river built in the gobi and fed by the Irtysh–Karamay Canal, which opened in 2008. Its bridges and willow banks make a pleasant evening walk, and in recent seasons a water-screen film has been projected on it late in the evening; check whether it runs during your stay.
South of Karamay, in the Dushanzi exclave, the Dushanzi Grand Canyon is a deep river-cut gorge used as a film location, with a glass bridge and thrill rides at the rim. It's a better fit if you're driving towards Kuytun or Urumqi.
When to come to Karamay
May to early June and September to early October. The climate is extreme desert: January averages −15 °C, July nearly 28 °C, and the seasonal swing is 43 °C. Summer sun at the Ghost City is fierce; spring brings wind and dust. Winter is cold and quiet, though the yardangs under snow have their fans.
Getting in and where to stay
- Air: Karamay Guhai Airport (KRY) is 17 km south-southeast of the centre. A new terminal opened in September 2023, and a runway extension began in February 2025. Many routes connect through Urumqi.
- Rail: Karamay is on the Kuytun–Beitun railway, with a station in the city and another at Wuwu New Town to the south.
- Road: National Highway 217 runs north through the city past the Ghost City.
Stay in central Karamay near the river; there are more hotels and better food than in Urho. Sleeping in Urho itself puts you close to the yardangs for sunrise.
Eating in Karamay
Standard Xinjiang food is done well here: laghman (pulled noodles with stir-fried topping), polo (rice pilaf with lamb and carrot), lamb kebabs and big plate chicken. Most of the population is Han, so northern Chinese restaurants are common too. After the Ghost City, eat in town rather than at the scenic area.
How to arrange the route
Day 1: Arrive, walk the Karamay River, then Black Oil Mountain and the No. 1 Well at sunset.
Day 2: Drive to the Ghost City for the afternoon and stay for sunset, then return to Karamay or sleep in Urho.
Extra day: Dushanzi Grand Canyon on the way south to Urumqi. Farther north, Altay has Kanas and Hemu, which is a separate mountain trip. For ancient ruins and grape valleys you need Turpan instead.
What to cut if short on time
With one day, go straight for the Ghost City in the afternoon and catch Black Oil Mountain on the way in or out. Skip city parks.
Things to confirm before you go
- Ghost City opening hours, shuttle times and whether private cars are allowed.
- Wind and sandstorm forecasts, which can close the site.
- Sunset time, so you can plan the drive back.
- Whether the river water-screen show is running.
Frequently asked questions
How far is the Ghost City from Karamay?
About 100 km, roughly 1.5 hours by car via National Highway 217.
Is the Ghost City the same as Turpan's Flaming Mountains?
No. The Ghost City is wind-cut yardang in the Dzungarian Basin; the Flaming Mountains are red sandstone ridges in the Turpan Basin, far to the southeast.
Do I need a tour?
You don't need a guide, but you do need transport. A hired car or day tour is easiest, and the scenic area runs its own shuttle inside.
Sources
The facts in this article were checked against the following sources, retrieved September 30, 2026, and rechecked on October 18, 2026.
- Karamay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karamay
- Yardang landforms and the Karamay World Ghost City (Chinese) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/雅丹地貌
- Karamay Guhai Airport (Chinese) https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/克拉玛依古海机场
- Karamay tourism feature: Black Oil Mountain, No. 1 Well, Ghost City, Dushanzi Grand Canyon, Wenhui https://www.whb.cn/zhuzhan/cs/20230518/521767.html
- World Ghost City listing (5A, location) https://sjfw.mct.gov.cn/site/dataservice/culdetails?curId=10&id=35133
Tickets change; this article does not quote yuan amounts.
All photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under CC licenses; re-use requires attribution.
- karamay-ghost-city.jpg from File:中国新疆克拉玛依市魔鬼城 China Xinjiang, Karamay Ghost City China - panoramio.jpg, by 罗布泊, CC BY 3.0
- karamay-g217.jpg from File:G217 ghost city.jpg, by user:Yaoleilei, CC BY-SA 3.0
- karamay-river.jpg from File:Karamay river.jpg, by Rart, CC BY-SA 4.0