Taklamakan Desert-X-ing Trek

Itinerary Overview

Taklamakan Desert, the Desert of Death

A desert is a dangerous place. It is bleak, barren and inescapable. Sand storms are terrifying. Yet over the ages people have been drawn to the desert. Perhaps it is precisely this sense of fear that attracted explorers.

Taklamakan desert lies within the Tarim Basin in XinJiang. Covering an area of 272, 000 km square, it is one of the largest sand-only deserts in the world. The ancient silk routes pass through this region along the northern and southern edges of the desert. Oasis towns flourished and were melting pots of the cultures of the Central Asian, Han Chinese, Indian and Indo-European. Many ancient kingdoms were swallowed by the sands. Archeological work has revealed thousand-year-old mummies of an astonishing mix of ethnicity.

In this trip, you will trek 150km across the vast expanse of sand dunes spending 7 days and nights out in the desert. You will enter the desert from Hotan Prefecture. This area is an important oasis station. 2 strong rivers, Karakash River and Yurungkash River, form its water supply. Your vehicle brings you to an oasis town within the desert to begin the 7-day trek. Logistic support is provided.

We will be doing this as an exploratory adventure. So join us today to be one of the first to experience desert crossing!