Silk Road Camping
One of the best ways to experience the pristine wilderness of China is by camping! Silk Road Camping gives you a chance to experience the unbelievably starry skies and the untainted sounds of nature. Whether you're staying at a base camp or next to a remote desert, it's an experience that you'll never forget!
Where will you be camping? What should you bring? And what's provided for you on your tour?
Follow our steps, and we will introduce camping in three deserts along the Silk Road.
Camping in the Desert
Recommended Silk Road Tour:
10 Days Silk Road Tour: Xi'an to Urumqi
8 Days Adventure Tour to Qinghai&Gansu
14 Days Fascinating Maritime Silk Road to Xi'an Dunhuang and Xinjiang
Camping in Dunhuang Echoing Sand Mountain
Dunhuang, an ancient city in Gansu Province, Western China, was the gateway to what was called the "Silk Road," leading to Central Asia and Europe. One of the wonders in Dunhuang City is Echoing Sand Mountain, five kilometers (about three miles) south of downtown Dunhuang. The rolling sands make different sounds, some like orchestral music and others like thunder when someone climbs up or slides down the mountain. The huge dune is so named because its sands make sounds, which is a marvelous spectacle of nature.
Dunhuang Echoing Sand Mountain
How to Get to the Camping Base
The camping base is in the hills behind Mingsha Mountain. The person in charge of the camping base will generally send a car to pick you up in the urban area during the low season, as long as you sign up for camping. During the high travel season, they will pick you up at the designated place. Please arrive on time.
After camping, they will transfer you back to the urban area the next day, according to the number of people, using cars or buses as needed. Generally, visitors will be picked up from 17:00 to 18:30 on the same day, and activities will officially start at 20:00 so that everyone can enjoy the camping experience.
Camping Activities
Opening Time of Camping Base
Generally speaking, it is suitable for desert camping from late April to mid-October, and the camping base is closed at other times.
17:00–19:00 is the time for picking up and dropping off tourists at the camping base, according to your schedule.
At 20:00, various desert camping activities start on time. You can be among the first to experience the activities if you arrive early, and you can join at any time, but you may miss part of the experience if you are late.
Desert camping starts at about 12:30 in the evening. You can set up the tent yourself or ask the staff for help. You can also watch the sunrise if you wish, and return to the city around 7:00 the next morning.
Campfire and Desert KTV
Usually, people gather at six or seven o'clock and then enter the camp by beach motorcycle or camel ride. The leader will help you build a small tent in a private space. After dinner, you can ride a desert motorbike, go sand-skiing, or climb to the top of the mountain with your friends to watch the sunset.
The campfire party usually starts around 22:30. Tourists from all over China and around the globe gather around the bonfire to dance and sing. There are staff members to organize interesting interactive programs and liven up the party. The campfire party lasts about one and a half hours. If you are tired, you can go to the tent to rest or enjoy the beautiful starry sky.
Campfire in the Desert
Camping in Zhangye Bajaran Desert
Badain Jaran Desert, known as one of China's most beautiful deserts, boasts natural wonders such as singing sands, lakes, springs, and temples. It covers an area of almost 47,000 square kilometers, making it the fourth largest desert in the world. It has become a popular destination for Chinese and foreign tourists to travel and explore.
The regular route is to stay in the desert hinterland for one night and then leave the desert after watching the sunrise the next day.
The best time to go camping is from June to October. The interior area of the Badain Jaran Desert belongs to temperate arid and extremely arid climate zones. Its average annual temperature is 44.6°F–46.4°F. The average rainfall is 50–60 mm and is concentrated from June to August, but precipitation evaporation is 40–80 times higher than rainfall. Winter and spring have strong northwesterly winds, which occur for about 30 to 60 days a year.
Badanjaran Desert
Camping in Taklamakan Desert
The Taklamakan Desert, located in Xinjiang, China, is a desert in Central Asia. Covering an area of 270,000 square kilometers in the Tarim Basin, it is about 1,000 km long and 400 km wide and is known as one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. It is crossed at its northern and southern edges by two branches of the Silk Road, as travelers sought to avoid the arid wasteland.
Taklamakan Desert Highway
Recomended Taklamakan Desert Camping Route
Day 1 Hotan Arrival
Today you will take a flight to Hotan and meet our guide at the airport. Then we will take you to visit Hotan Bazaar. Hotan is particularly famous for its high-quality jade products, with some of the best jade in China being found along the White Jade River. We will also visit a Jade Factory to see how jade is processed and made into jewelry.
Day 2 Hotan - Desert
After breakfast, we will visit Hotan Museum, built on South Tanai Road in Khotan City in 1991. The museum has an exhibition space of about 200 square meters. After lunch, we will purchase the supplies needed to enter the desert.
Take a camel ride into the Taklamakan Desert, camp overnight, and enjoy a campfire dinner in the desert.
Our Clients in the Taklamakan Desert
Day 3 Desert - Hotan - Kashgar
After breakfast in the desert, we will drive to the next stop, Kashgar. It has been an important trading center on the ancient Silk Road and is now a multi-ethnic region. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel and check in.
Day 4 Kashgar - Karakul Lake
Today we will drive all the way to Karakul Lake, which is 3,600 meters above sea level. It is located between Mt. Mustag and Mt. Gonger, which are said to be two of the six most beautiful mountains in the world.
There are Kyrgyz settlements along the shore of Karakul Lake, including a small number of yurts about 1 km east of the bus drop-off point and a village with stone houses located on the western shores. After visiting, we will return to the downtown hotel in Kashgar.
Our Clients in the Taklamakan Desert
Day 5 Kashgar Departure
We will begin our tour of Kashgar city by wandering through the narrow, winding streets of the historic Old Town. Located in the heart of the Old Town is Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque associated with the Islamic life of the Uyghur people in China.
After visiting, we will take you to Kashgar Airport for your next destination.
Camping Tips
To ensure a memorable camping experience in nature, follow the guide below and make your camping in China a perfect experience.
a. Figure out what to bring, and choose a suitable backpack. Don't forget the tent, sleeping bag, and pillow. The size of the tent depends on how many people are staying in it.
b. To make your camping experience smooth sailing, remember that it's best to camp with others so that someone can always call for help in an emergency.
c. Slather on the sunscreen, and wear a hat and sunglasses to keep the sun out. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, too.
Camping in the Echoing Sand Mountain
