The Taklamakan, China's great desert, is one of the most forbidding landscapes on Earth — yet its oases, Silk Road ruins, and dunes draw travelers to its edge. Here's your guide.
The Taklamakan covers over 330,000 square kilometers — the second-largest shifting sand desert in the world. Its name is said to mean 'the place you go in and never come out'.
The desert's edge preserves remarkable Silk Road ruins — the buried cities and Buddhist sites that testify to the trade routes that once crossed its margin.
The desert is ringed by oases — Kashgar, Hotan, and others — where rivers from the mountains sustain gardens, mulberry groves, and the famous crafts of the region.
The Taklamakan's dunes are among the world's largest and most beautiful — vast waves of sand that shift with the wind. The desert highways cross this sea.
Travelers can explore the desert's edge by road, take the desert highways, or join camel treks into the dunes. The desert is best experienced with a tour operator.
The desert is extreme — heat in summer, cold at night, and scarce water. Travel with experienced guides, carry plenty of water, and visit in spring or autumn.