Since the beginning of the Mao era in 1949, populations that were once nomadic, isolated by miles of desert and mountains across the Tian Shan ranges, are now becoming highly sought after objects of tourism, attracting thousands of Chinese and worldwide travellers each year. Views from Heavenly Lake positions its audience in an 'idyllic' location around the lake, which plays host to a colourful exploration into the different ways the tourists of Heavenly Lake 'do' tourism. Through such a placing we begin to uncover the everyday lived experience of a family of Kazakhs as voluntary objects of tourism.