Hami - Shanshan

Today we visit the ancient town of Shanshan and the Kumtag Desert. Shanshan used to be a Chinese kingdom that existed roughly from 200 BCE - 1000 CE at the north-eastern end of the Taklamakan Desert including the Great Salt Lake known as Lop Nur. Because of its strategic position controlling the Southern as well as the Main Silk Road, the kingdom was regularly contested between the Chinese and the Xiongniu, a nomadic people from Central Asia.

The Desert of Kumtag is a section of the Taklamakan Desert stretching over an area of approximately 22,8000 square kilometers. It is bordered by Dunhuang in the east and Tian Shan in the north. A noticeable feature of Kumtag Desert is the presence of large accumulations of drift-sand, especially along the foot of the crumbling desert ranges, where it rises into dunes sometimes as much as 250 feet (76m) in height.

In the evening you can either camp in the Kumtag Desert or stay overnight in a 3-star-hotel in Shanshan Town.