Chengdu Train: 16-Day Midsummer Northern and Southern Xinjiang

Meet at the designated station in Chengdu and board the Chengdu tourist train, travelling via Lanzhou towards Xinjiang. Your onboard host will help you settle in and introduce the 16-day journey. Check your departure information for the meeting time and train details.

Stay: Chengdu tourist train

Meals: At your own expense / Onboard meal / Onboard meal

Transport: Chengdu tourist train

Spend the day watching the scenery, relaxing and joining onboard activities. Enjoy the Sichuan-inspired interiors and service aboard this panda-themed tourist train.

Stay: Chengdu tourist train

Meals: Onboard meal / Onboard meal / Onboard meal

Transport: Chengdu tourist train

Explore Turpan's karez irrigation system and Flaming Mountains, discovering the oasis culture and striking desert scenery. Rejoin the train for Kashgar.

Stay: Chengdu tourist train

Meals: Onboard meal / Group meal / Onboard meal

Transport: Touring coach; Chengdu tourist train

Arrive in Kashgar and transfer to your hotel. Local welcome activities and a welcome banquet introduce southern Xinjiang, with time to settle in before the journey to the Pamirs.

Stay: Radisson Blu Kashgar or similar

Meals: Onboard meal / Group meal / Welcome banquet

Transport: Touring coach

Follow the Karakoram Highway to the White Sand Mountains, White Sand Lake and Karakul Lake. Take in the high-altitude lakes and snow-covered peaks before returning to Kashgar for the night.

Stay: Radisson Blu Kashgar or similar

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Group meal / Group meal

Transport: Touring coach

Visit Kashgar Old City, Id Kah Mosque and the traditional houses of Gaotai. Explore the city's lanes and cultural heritage before boarding the Chengdu for Kuqa.

Stay: Chengdu tourist train

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Group meal / Onboard meal

Transport: Touring coach; Chengdu tourist train

Visit the Tianshan Grand Canyon, then cross the Tianshan Mountains on the southern Duku Highway to Bayinbuluk. Explore the grasslands and Swan Lake area. This route depends on the highway being open to traffic.

Stay: C-Hotel Bayinbuluk or similar

Meals: Onboard meal / Group meal / Group meal

Transport: Touring coach

Follow the central Duku Highway towards the Ili Valley and explore Nalati Grassland. Summer brings broad mountain pastures, green river valleys and grazing herds.

Stay: Hotel Indigo Nalati or similar

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Group meal / Group meal

Transport: Touring coach

Visit the Tianshan flower fields to see seasonal blooms, then continue to Yining. Stroll through Liuxing Street for local food and a glimpse of the neighbourhood's diverse cultures.

Stay: InterContinental Yining or similar

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Group meal / Group meal

Transport: Touring coach

Visit Sayram Lake, surrounded by mountains and open grasslands. Continue to the station and board the Chengdu for northern Xinjiang.

Stay: Chengdu tourist train

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Group meal / Onboard meal

Transport: Touring coach; Chengdu tourist train

Travel from Beitun to Hemu to explore its Tuvan village, timber houses and river valley. Afternoon tea and a travel photography experience are included before an overnight stay in the scenic area.

Stay: Premium resort in Hemu or similar

Meals: Onboard meal / Group meal / Group meal

Transport: Touring coach; Scenic-area transport

Visit Fairy Bay, Moon Bay and Crouching Dragon Bay, then take a boat trip on Kanas Lake for views of the surrounding mountains and forest from the water.

Stay: Premium resort in Kanas or similar

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Group meal / Group meal

Transport: Touring coach; Scenic-area transport

Climb to Guanyu Pavilion for a panorama of Kanas Lake. Continue to Burqin for a river-fish banquet, then board the Chengdu at Beitun for Urumqi.

Stay: Chengdu tourist train

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Group meal / River-fish banquet

Transport: Touring coach; Chengdu tourist train

Arrive in Urumqi and travel to Heavenly Lake in the Tianshan Mountains. Enjoy views of the lake, forests and snowy peaks, then return to a hotel in Urumqi.

Stay: Wanda Vista Urumqi or similar

Meals: Onboard meal / Group meal / Group meal

Transport: Touring coach

Transfer to the station at the agreed time and board the Chengdu for the return journey. Relax over meals and onboard activities; train times follow the railway's final operating schedule.

Stay: Chengdu tourist train

Meals: Hotel breakfast / Onboard meal / Onboard meal

Transport: Touring coach; Chengdu tourist train

Arrive in Lanzhou or Chengdu at the end of your 16-day, 15-night journey through northern and southern Xinjiang. Your departure information will confirm arrival times and where to leave the train.

Stay: Journey ends; no overnight stay

Meals: Onboard meal / Onboard meal / At your own expense

Transport: Chengdu tourist train