Briefly: A 15-day trip, 7 days of trekking in the Taklimakan Desert from Daheyan on the Keriya River to Mazar Tagh near the Hotan River. This trip begins and ends in Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.

Difficulty level: Moderate. Multi-day vehicle travel, trekking, and camping in the desert.

Trip dates: Contact us to arrange a trek to fit your schedule. Recommended months to trek in the Taklimakan are March and October.

Summary:                                                                                                                                    This trip begins in Kashgar. On day two we go by four-wheel drive vehicle to Hotan (Hetian) where we stay in a hotel the first night. The next day we drive to Keriya (Yutian) and to the Keriya River. This third day we also drive about 100 kilometers north along the Keriya River into the Taklimakan Desert where we camp. The fourth day we drive further north to Daheyan, the staging point to begin the trek and where we meet our camels. Our camel drivers will be local minority Uighurs. From Daheyan we trek 7 days in the Taklimakan Desert west to the Hotan River and to a place called Mazar Tagh, which means "Graveyard Mountain" in the Uighur Language. In the area of Mazar Tagh, and throughout this trip, there will be opportunities to view and explore ancient ruins of cities and temples, remnants of the Silk Road.

After we have arrived at the Hotan River the trekking portion of our trip is complete. We board our 4WD vehicles and drive north along the Hotan River. We drive for 3 days to the northern edge of the Taklimakan to the oasis and city of Aksu. From Aksu we drive to Kashgar and the completion of this trip.

Day 1 - Meet in Kashgar, hotel.

Day 2 - Drive to Hotan, (3 meals, hotel).

Day 3 - Drive 180km to Keriya (Yutian) and continue another 100km along the Keriya River, (3 meals, camp).

Day 4 - Drive 140km to Daheyan, meet camels, (3 meals, camp).

Days 5-11 7 days trekking west from the Keriya River to Mazar Tagh (Mazatake) and the Hotan

River, (3 meals per day, camping).

Days 12-13 Drive from Mazar Tagh along the Hotan River toward Aksu, (3 meals per day, camping).

Day 14 – Drive and arrive at Aksu, (3 meals, hotel).

Day 15 – Drive to Kashgar, (3 meals, hotel), end of services.

The above is just one Taklimakan Desert trekking itinerary. It may be customized or there are many other possible desert treks. Contact us for suggestions, a cost quote or if you have any questions.