China Travel Forum

[Arthur]

I plan to travel over the Karakorums into China in May. The plan is to head to Golmud from Kashgar following the southern branch of the Silk road. I was wondering if permits are needed or if I am just free to jump on a bus and head off. Also can anyone recommend which towns are worth stopping off in and exploring on this route, Khotan or Yarkant for example?

[kammal]

Around the southern side of the desert your choices of stop after Khotan may anyway be dictated by bus services, although I'm sure the route has improved since I last took it. Khotan is certainly worth visiting for it's market, more resembling its original self than the one in Kashgar, and you might like to visit the carpet factory and the silk factory (just wander in). East of Khotan the towns follow much of a pattern, with a warren of adobe courtyard residences which is the original town, inhabited almost exclusively by Uighur people. Needless to say, the pleasures like in wandering around the older section, where in my experience you'll be met with considerable kindness. Expect to see donkey carts, falconers, and other traditional occupations still in every day use. I rather liked Miran (Milan), which seemed more isolated than most, and reaching which involved driving straight across the desert from Charklik (Ruoqiang). It used to be the case that crossing over into Qinghai from there and getting across to Golmud was a bit of a trial. The winding mountain road was unsurfaced, buses from Ruoqiang rare, and from Miran there was only the post office truck. If possible try not to stay at Shimian Kuang ('asbestos deposit') for reasons its name makes clear. Yousha Shan ('old sand mountain') isn't much more appealing, but if you can manage to make it there, there are bus services to Lenghu and from there to Golmud. Of course, although I'm sure things have improved, it's easier to go up the east side of the desert to Korla, east from there to Dunhuang, and south to Golmud.