Guided Xinjiang Motorcycle Tour: Taklamagan Desert Highway, Karakoram Highway and coiling dragon road All in One

About this Xinjiang motorcycle tour

Karakun Highway has the most spectacular mountain landscape on this planet. It is called Eighth Wonder of the World. We will ride the Chinese section of the Karakon Highway, and we will also challenge the 30 kilometers of the famous Colling Dragon Road with more than 600 curves. We will also ride through the China’s largest desert Taklimanan on the motorway. This ride is also a great opportunity to learn about the culture and cuisine of Xinjiang’s ethnic minorities (Uyghurs and Tajiks).

Highlights of this Xinjiang Motorcycle Tour.

• Xinjiang’s ethnic minority culture (Uyghurs and Tajiks) and cuisine
• Taklimakan Desert Highway
• Karakoram Highway China Section
• Colling Dragon Road
• Beautiful plateau lakes and snow-capped mountains above 7,500 meters

Key Information

• Road condition: 99% paved
• Motorcycles: Rental motorcycles, Kove Moto, VOGE Motor, Cyclone Moto, BMW Motorrad(limited)
• Total mileage ridden: 2300 km/1430 miles
• Daily ride: 26 – 500 km/16 – 310miles
• Riding equipment: excluding personal cycling clothing, including helmets
• Motorcycle rental deposit required, in case bike damage and traffic violations
• Includes two types of insurance

Skill Level: Between beginner and intermediate

• You need to be able to handle mountain trails.
• You need to be able to drive a variety of motorcycles skillfully.
• You need to be able to ride 5-8 hours a day.
• You need to be able to handle all kinds of bends on a touring bike, including tight switchbacks.

Dates

• March 25 – April 3, 2024
• April 8 – April 17, 2024
• May 14 – May 23, 2024
• June 3 – June 12, 2024
• July 1 – July 10, 2024
• August 5 – August 13, 2024
• September 2 – September 11, 2024
• September 16 – September 25, 2024
• October 14 – October 23, 2024

Price

• Rider shared room: 2900 USD
• Pillion: 1800 USD
• Single room supplement: 700 USD
• Minimum 4 riders, maximum 12 riders

Itinerary Overview

D1: Arrival in Kashgar
D2: Kashgar: Apply for temporary motorcycle license, get your motorcycles, Kashgar Live Stock Market Warm Up Riding
D3: Kashgar – Maralbexi County, 280km
D4: Maralbexi – Alar, 300km
D5: Alar – Hotan, 440km, desert highway
D6: Hotan – Kashgar, 500km
D7: Kashgar – Tashkurgan County, 300km
D8: Tashkurgan – Coiling Dragon Road – Tashkurgan, Loop Riding 150km
D9: Tashkurgan – Kashgar, 300km
D10: Kashgar Departure

Detailed Itinerary

D1: Arrive in Kashgar

Arrive in Kashgar, check-in hotel with your your name at the reception. Today we arranged a welcome dinner to introduce the itinerary and precautions for the next few days, and the team members got to know each other.
Meals: Dinner
Hotel: Qinibagh Hotel Kashgar

D2: Kashgar

Apply for temporary motorcycle license, get your motorcycle, Kashgar Live Stock Market Warm Up Riding.

After obtaining the temporary motorcycle license and collecting the motorcycle, we arranged a small loop ride through the Kashgar Live Stock Market in the afternoon. The warm-up ride and the visit to the Live Stock Market take about 1.5 hours.

Meals: Breakfast
Hotel: Qinibagh Hotel Kashgar

D3: Kashgar – Maralbexi County, 280km

Our destination today is that the landscape along the way is mountainous and Gobi. You can see patches of Populus euphratica trees on both sides of the road. There may also be camels crossing the road, especially in places with water sources, so be careful. Our road today is a national road, which runs parallel to highways and trains, so you can also see highways and trains.

Visit: Bachu Red Sea Scenic Area, it consists of four major scenic spots: Kashgar River Wetland, Water Park, Ancient Silk Road Station, and Populus euphratica Sea. It can be said that it combines the six characteristics of rivers, lakes, grasslands, wetlands, Gobi, and Populus euphratica forests.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Bachu Huijin Hotel

D4: Maralbexi County – Alar, 300km

Today’s destination is Arar, a city built on the edge of the desert. The landscape is similar to yesterday, with many gobi and poplar trees along the way, as well as some cotton fields. The Tarim River flows through Alar, so the vegetation in Alar is denser.

Visit: Taklimakan Desert Gate Scenic Area. Desert Gate Scenic Area currently has dozens of themed entertainment experience projects in seven major areas, including car off-road challenge area, self-driving camp, desert water play, desert food festival, sand therapy and wellness, and leisure and entertainment. It is a national desert theme park and Xinjiang Home to the top ten premium sports events. Here, you can take a hot air balloon or glider to overlook the vastness of the desert from a God’s perspective; you can ride a desert off-road vehicle to experience the thrill of desert surfing; you can ride a camel and experience the leisurely pace of a desert boat.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Alta River Garden Hotel

D5: Alar – Hotan, 450km

Today we will challenge the desert road ridin. This is an asphalt road through the Taklimakan Desert. We filled up our motorcycles before entering the desert highway, because there were no gas stations for nearly 400 kilometers behind us, and the car we rented needed to have a range of more than 400 kilometers. This desert road is very hot in summer, so you need to prevent heat stroke.

In addition to being famous for jade, Hotan also has a very famous night market, which you must not miss.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Hotan Golden Eagle International Hotel

D6: Hotan – Yengisar – Kashgar, 500km

Today we returned to Kashgar via the highway. The road conditions were very good, but the scenery was a bit monotonous. We will have a stop at Yengisar Pottery Village and Yengisar knife Village.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Qinibagh Hotel Kashgar

D7: Kashgar – Karakoram Highway KKH – Taxkorgan County, 300km, Taxkorgan altitude 3094m

Attractions along the way: Baisha Lake, Karakul Lake (enjoy the lake view, and see Kongur Tagh, Kongur Tiube and Muztag Peak from a distance), Muztag Peak Glacier Park

Starting from Kashgar, after driving 150km, we arrived at Baisha Lake. One of the reasons why Baisha Lake is so special is that it is surrounded by sand dunes. It can be said that it is like a small lake intimately embraced by the desert. Its area is relatively small, only 0.5 square kilometers, but it has stunning views.

Continuing to ride 40km further, we arrived at Karakul Lake, which glowed with a faint blue light. The tall Gonggar Peak (7,649 meters), Gonggar Jiubie Peak (7530m), Mushtag The peak (7509m) appears to be right next to the lake. At this time, the waves of Karakul Lake are as flat as a mirror, the lake is deep and clear, the blue water reflects the silver peaks, the lake and mountains merge into one, and the scenery makes people intoxicated.

Continue riding for 30 kilometers to reach Muztag Glacier Park. You need to take a sightseeing bus to enter the scenic spot. The queue time is relatively long during the peak season. We do not recommend entering the scenic spot for sightseeing.

Then ride 40km and arrive at the Taheman Township Wetland. This is a plateau meadow with groups of cattle and sheep. In the distance are the snow-capped mountains. The scenery is picturesque. You can get out of the car and take pictures when passing by. There are also two deep tree cave-like paths surrounded by poplar trees in Taheman Township. Riding a motorcycle through them is very interesting.

Finally, we ride more than 30 kilometers to reach today’s destination, Ta County. Taxkorgan is located in the southwest of Xinjiang and the east of the Pamir Plateau. The world’s second highest peak, K2, and the famous snow mountain Muztagh Peak with an altitude of 7546 meters are located in the north and south of the county. It borders Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Tashkorgan Greentree Eastern Hotel

D8: Tashkurgan – Coiling Dragon Trail – Tashkurgan, Loop Riding 150km

Loop Riding: Tashkurgan County – Coiling Dragon Trail – Waqia Township – Kaneryang Village – Bandil Blue Lake – Toglenxia Village – Stone City Golden Grass Beach – Tashkurgan County, 180km

Today we challenge the famous Coiling Dragon Trail. This road is more than 30 kilometers long and has more than 600 S-turns and many U-shaped turns. The altitude rises from 3000 to about 4100. The scenery and riding experience are both five-star. .

After the Coiling Dragon Trail, we came to Waqia Township, which has beautiful scenery and where the simple, kind and friendly Tajik people have lived here for generations.

Then we arrived at Kaneryang Village, at the starry sky park you can have a overlooking of the entire river valley and villages.，

Continue riding/driving to Bandil Blue Lake, which is like blue emerald on the Pamir Plateau. Some people say this is the most beautiful lake in the world.

Before arriving at Tashkurgan County, we stop at Tuogelunxiacun, a Tajik village not far from Tashkurgan County. It is located at the foot of the rolling snow-capped mountains. The scenery here is broad, with the snow-capped mountains and herds of cattle and sheep in the distance forming a magnificent scene.

If there is still time, let’s go to Stone City & Golden Grass Beach near the Tashkurgan County.

In the evening we returned to our hotel in Tashkurgan County.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Tashkorgan Greentree Eastern Hotel

D9: Tashkurgan County – Kashgar, 300km

Return to Kashgar along the KKH again, and experience the charm of the Pamirs and Karakoram for the second time. Return to Kashgar in the afternoon, return the motorcycle.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Hotel: Tashkorgan Greentree Eastern Hotel

D10: Departure from Kashgar

Kashgar has direct flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Urumqi, Lanzhou, Chengdu, and Nanjing.

Included Insurance

1. Compulsory motor vehicle traffic accident liability insurance: After a traffic accident, only the personal and property losses caused by the third party can be compensated. Loss of one’s own vehicle and personal injuries will not be covered. This means that if a car accident occurs, the car owner needs to bear his own losses. and repair costs. The compensation amount of this insurance is very low. For example, the maximum compensation amount for motor vehicle damage does not exceed 2,000 yuan.
2. Specialist motorcycle and car travel insurance by Asia’s No. 1 property insurance company, PICC. This insurance covers motorcycle or automobile trips within mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) at an altitude of less than 6,000 meters above sea level (valid and legally matching motorcycle or automobile driver’s licenses and driving permits must be provided for claims), motorcycle training and amateur races (driver’s licenses/driver’s licenses are not required, and accident certificates issued by motorcycle organizations or site surveillance videos must be provided for claims). Automobile Training and Amateur Racing (no driving license is required, the insured person must hold a driver’s license or a racing driver’s license issued by the relevant state licensing authority, and claims must be settled by providing proof of accident issued by an automobile organization or a video surveillance of the venue).