Southwest Xinjiang and Pamir
Desert roads, Silk Road oases and the mountains of the Pamir
Salt lakes in the desert. Two nights deep in the Taklamakan. Workshops in ancient oasis towns and a final night beside Karakul Lake.
Spend fifteen days travelling from Golmud in Qinghai through southern Xinjiang to Kashgar and the Pamir, following roads that bring the scale of western China into view.
A private journey, personally designed and guided by the founders of China Serendipity.
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We discuss your preferred dates in a personal video call and plan the journey around the season, local access conditions and your interests.
We recommend travelling outside the busy holiday periods in early October and early May. Travel during these periods can be arranged with a seasonal supplement.
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This journey includes fifteen travel days and fourteen overnight stays. We can adapt the duration and pace to your interests when planning your individual itinerary.
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We welcome you at Golmud airport or railway station. From there, all transfers and transport throughout the journey are included, ending at Kashgar airport on day fifteen.
Please coordinate your arrival and departure arrangements with us before booking your flights or train tickets.
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The price covers fifteen days and fourteen nights, based on four guests travelling together and sharing two double rooms. The total for four guests is EUR 14,600.
For two guests sharing one double room, the price is EUR 6,100 per person, with a total of EUR 12,200.
Both prices include accommodation, all meals, personal guidance, planning, a driver, transport and vehicle costs, entrance fees and required permits for the agreed itinerary.
For three or five guests, suites or changes to the itinerary, we prepare an individual quotation.
Any adjustments and their price are agreed with you before booking.
A landscape that changes your sense of distance
Our journey begins in the salt lake landscapes of Qinghai, follows the southern edge of the Taklamakan and turns into its immense interior. Beyond the desert, the oasis towns of Niya, Hotan and Yarkant lead towards Kashgar and the mountains of the Pamir.
Along the way, landscapes open into stories. Jade gathered from a riverbed. Silk woven in a workshop. A former oil worker who has made his home deep in the desert.
We leave time for these encounters and for the stops that become interesting along the road. Some days also involve longer drives, which are part of experiencing the dimensions of this region.
Salt lakes and a night beneath the stars
Lonely Space Gobi Wild Luxury Hotel
The salt lakes around Taiji Nai’er bring unexpected colour into the desert landscape. Wind shaped rock formations, open horizons and the distinctive architecture of Lonely Space give this part of the journey an almost otherworldly atmosphere.
The hotel has the feel of a moon base set among the rocks, with cliff villas and glass dome rooms forming part of its unusual design.
We spend one night here before continuing towards Mangya, its green salt lake and the road into Xinjiang.
Two nights in the heart of the desert
Tazhong and Mr Zhang
Tazhong sits deep inside the Taklamakan. Mr Zhang came here as an oil worker around twenty five years ago and has made this remote place his home.
With him, we explore an abandoned airstrip, the unusual one tree forest and the plant and animal life of the desert. His knowledge brings a human perspective to a landscape whose scale can otherwise be difficult to grasp.
We stay for two nights, leaving a full day to explore. Accommodation here is simple and clean, with a private bathroom in every room.
A final night beside the mountain lake.
The Pamir and Karakul Lake
Beyond Kashgar, the road climbs into the Pamir. Lakes, broad valleys and the glacier covered slopes of Muztagh Ata give the landscape a presence that has stayed with us since our own travels here.
Two nights in Tashkurgan provide a base for exploring the highlands, including the road towards Khunjerab Pass and the winding Panlong mountain road.
We spend the final night beside Karakul Lake, allowing time to enjoy its setting before returning towards Kashgar airport the following morning.
The shape of your journey
Golmud and the salt lakes
Arrive at Golmud airport or railway station on day one. We welcome you and accompany you to your hotel.
On day two, continue into the desert landscapes around Taiji Nai’er and spend the night at Lonely Space Gobi Wild Luxury Hotel. Day three brings the green salt lake at Mangya. If local access conditions allow, we also visit Aiken Spring, known as Devil’s Eye. Overnight in Mangya.
Ruoqiang and Tazhong
On day four, continue to Ruoqiang, visit the ruins of Milan and explore the Loulan Museum, including the ancient mummy known as the Loulan Beauty.
Day five takes us into the Taklamakan to Tazhong. Two nights here allow a full day with Mr Zhang, exploring the abandoned airstrip, the one tree forest and the desert’s distinctive natural environment.
Niya, Hotan and Yarkant
On day seven, stop overnight in Niya to divide the driving distance.
Continue to Hotan on day eight, where the jade trade and people searching the riverbed for stones connect the city with its long history as a Silk Road oasis.
Day nine brings Yarkant and visits to knife makers and Atlas silk workshops that we know from earlier journeys. We stay overnight in each town.
Kashgar
Reach Kashgar on day ten and settle into a homestay in the old town for two nights. Explore its lanes, workshops and pigeon gatherings, with time for the city’s Uyghur culture and everyday life.
We aim to place day eleven on a Sunday for the livestock market. In the afternoon, visit Shipton’s Arch before returning to Kashgar for the night. The exact travel dates are coordinated when planning your journey.
Tashkurgan and the Pamir
On day twelve, follow the mountain road into the Pamir towards Tashkurgan. Over the following days, explore Karakul Lake, the highland landscapes, Khunjerab Pass on the border with Pakistan and the winding Panlong mountain road.
Spend two nights in Tashkurgan. On day fourteen, continue to Karakul Lake for your final overnight stay. We coordinate the order of visits with the weather and local access conditions.
Kashgar airport
On day fifteen, return from Karakul Lake to Kashgar airport. The transfer takes approximately three and a half hours. Departure flights are planned from early afternoon onwards, with the exact arrangements agreed before booking.
Your journey and what it includes
From EUR 3,650 per person for fifteen days and fourteen nights
This price covers the journey described, based on four guests travelling together and sharing two double rooms. The total for four guests is EUR 14,600.
For two guests sharing one double room, the price is EUR 6,100 per person. The total for two guests is EUR 12,200.
Included
All fourteen overnight stays in the agreed rooms
Personal guidance by China Serendipity
Complete planning and booking of the journey
A driver and an SUV for two guests or a seven seat minivan for four guests
All vehicle costs, fuel, tolls and parking fees
Vehicle insurance
All meals throughout the journey
All drinks except alcohol
Entrance fees and required permits for the agreed itinerary
Oxygen for the high mountain section
Collection at Golmud airport or railway station
The final transfer to Kashgar airport
Places to stay
For most nights, we choose modern middle class hotels, often recently opened properties belonging to established Chinese hotel groups. We value cleanliness, reliable facilities and comfortable rooms after a day on the road.
Many of these hotels have washing machines, which are particularly convenient on a longer journey. Where available, we can also arrange packed breakfasts for an early departure.
The journey includes a distinctive desert hotel at Taiji Nai’er, simple clean rooms with private bathrooms in Tazhong, a homestay in Kashgar’s old town and a final overnight stay beside Karakul Lake.
Additional costs
Alcoholic drinks are charged separately.
Travel to Golmud and onward travel from Kashgar, any required visa and personal travel medical insurance are arranged and paid for by guests.
Changes to the itinerary or accommodation are quoted individually and agreed before booking.
Make this journey your own
We can adapt this journey closely to your interests, preferred pace and choice of accommodation.
In a personal video call, we discuss the route, duration and the places you would like to give more time to. You might wish to spend longer in the desert, explore the oasis towns and their workshops more deeply or allow additional days in the Pamir.
From there, we shape your individual itinerary and prepare a personal proposal. The published prices cover the journey described. Any changes and their price are agreed with you before booking.
Your journey begins with a conversation
We are Andrea and René, the founders of China Serendipity.
We live in China and personally design and guide our private journeys. Our own travels through the Taklamakan and the Pamir have given us lasting connections with these landscapes and the people who live there.
Tell us your approximate dates, how many people will travel and what has caught your interest. We will arrange a personal video call to explore the possibilities together.