Today, journey through Xinjiang’s dramatic landscapes to the ancient oasis city of Turpan — a celebrated Silk Road crossroads famed for both its sun‑drenched vineyards and millennia‑old ruins. Along the way, admire the stark beauty of rugged mountains and vast desert plains that once guided caravans east and west.
As the sun begins to set, enjoy an exclusive evening tour of the atmospheric the Ancient City of Jiaohe. Walk among remarkably preserved earthen ruins, where expert commentary brings to life tales of traders and travellers who shaped history here.
Later, step aboard the prestigious Golden Eagle Silk Road Express. Each luxurious cabin offers refined privacy while gourmet dining, curated excursions and attentive service create a seamless journey through Central Asia’s most storied landscapes. More than travel, it’s an exclusive passage through history in unparalleled style.
Settle into your elegantly appointed cabin, then join fellow guests in the refined dining car for a sumptuous dinner to mark the start of your journey in true Golden Age style.
Begin with an exploration of the sun-baked ruins of Gaochang, once a flourishing capital along the Silk Road. Wander its evocative ruins, then savour a refined lunch at a local restaurant before visiting the remarkable Karez Wells, an ancient irrigation feat that sustains Turpan’s famed vineyards to this day. Finish your day with another discovery: the historic Jiaohe Post, where stories of Silk Road travellers echo through time.
Back aboard the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, dine on a gourmet menu crafted by expert chefs as the train glides across Xinjiang’s spellbinding landscapes.
Arrive in Kashgar, the Silk Road’s legendary market town where, in times long past, Turkish, Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese cultures would converge. Wander the ornately tiled Apak Khoja Mausoleum, the tomb of ancient Sufi master Muhammad Yusuf, then trace history through the labyrinthine lanes of Kashgar Old Town, alive with artisans and market scents.
After an elegant lunch, visit the Gaotai Folk Houses, private courtyards that are home to Uyghur traditions. Return to the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, where timeless comfort awaits as Kashgar’s minarets fade into twilight.
Watch dawn paint the Taklamakan Desert in a thousand hues of red, orange and gold from the comfort of your cabin before stepping into Hotan’s world of handwoven artistry. On arrival in the city of Hotan, a special treat awaits: the Atlas Silk and Carpet Workshop, where you can witness master weavers continuing techniques that have been passed down through generations.
Evening brings an exclusive night tour of Yotkan Ancient City, once the Buddhist kingdom of Khotan. Tonight you will dine under the open desert sky – and amid rose‑scented gardens – at the Hotan Rose Blossom Restaurant, one of the city’s finest restaurants.
A leisurely morning aboard the train offers time for you to savour your desert surroundings. Arriving in Ruoqiang, choose your path out of the following two options:
- Explore the Loulan Museum’s collection of rare artefacts from a lost kingdom, discovered just 120 years ago
- Walk the atmospheric ruins of Miran Ancient City, where monks carved elaborate cave temples along ancient caravan routes
Rejoin the train as it winds deeper into Xinjiang’s timeless landscapes, your private cabin acting as a front‑row seat to unfolding history.
After breakfast, enjoy a private lecture on the history of the Silk Road at the elegant DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Qinghai-Golmud followed by lunch at the hotel’s onsite restaurant. Later, you can select one of two ways to spend the afternoon:
- Marvel at the surreal beauty of the Chaerhan Salt Lake, a shimmering white expanse that vividly reflects the skies above
- Join a guided tour through Golmud, a modern crossroad city along the Silk Road
Step back aboard the train where your evening is framed by indulgent dining and spectacular panoramas.
This morning, savour a once-in-a-lifetime experience as your ride camelback across wind‑sculpted dunes to discover Crescent Lake, an improbable oasis with waters that have shimmered beneath the relentless sun for millennia.
The afternoon promises more treasures as you enter the Mogao Thousand Buddha Caves, with almost 500 grottoes adorned with intricate frescoes and sculptures. It’s a staggering feat; a tracing of almost one thousand years of devotion.
Celebrate the day’s wonders with a farewell dinner aboard the Golden Eagle Silk Road Express.
Morning brings tranquil hours aboard the train before arriving in Xining, where your Golden Eagle journey comes to an end. The capital of Qinghai province, Xining is the most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, growing originally from a trading post on the caravan route to Tibet. Here, choose one of two options:
- Explore the storied halls of Kumbum (Ta’er) Monastery, one of Tibetan Buddhism’s great centres
- Taste your way across the food-stall-packed lanes of the sprawling Shuijingxiang Market
Tonight, board the legendary Qinghai–Tibet Railway, an engineering triumph (and the world’s highest railway) that carries you skyward across windswept plateaus toward the heart of Tibet. Alternatively, you can choose to stay the night at Sofitel Xining (or similar) and fly to Lhasa in the morning.
This morning, either fly domestically to Lhasa from Xining or, if you’re still aboard the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, cross the Tanggula Mountain Pass — at 16,640 feet, its the highest railway crossing on Earth — where glaciers scrape the endless sky and China’s western wilderness takes on a quality of timelessness that must be seen to be believed.
By afternoon, arrive in Lhasa, Tibet’s spiritual and administrative capital. Check into the opulent St. Regis Lhasa Resort and unwind amid gilded interiors or the serene Iridium Spa, as prayer flags ripple on distant hills.
Ringed by snow‑capped peaks and crowned by one thousand years of devotion, Lhasa lives up to its name — the ‘Place of the Gods’. At nearly 12,000 feet, Tibet’s spiritual capital offers an air so pure it feels closer to the divine.
Acclimatise to the high altitude by beginning your day at Norbulingka, the Dalai Lama’s Summer Palace: a harmonious complex of pavilions, gilded halls and jewel‑bright gardens built in the 18th century as a sanctuary from the city’s bustle. Wander lotus‑lined ponds and shaded walkways once reserved for royalty.
Later, enjoy time at your leisure to explore Lhasa’s labyrinthine old quarters, where prayer flags flutter above narrow alleys, incense drifts from hidden chapels and centuries‑old traditions unfold around each quiet corner.
Begin at dawn where devotion never sleeps: the revered Jokhang Temple, the heart of Tibetan Buddhism and spiritual magnet for countless pilgrims. Outside, the ancient Barkhor Market encircles the shrine in a rhythmic dance of prayer wheels, incense smoke and whispered mantras.
Pause for lunch at a restaurant specialising in authentic Tibetan flavours – accompanied by local folk music – before ascending to the day’s crowning highlight: the monumental Potala Palace. Rising 13 stories from Marpo Ri Hill, its towering white walls and gilded roofs command Lhasa’s skyline – once the winter seat of the Dalai Lama and a masterpiece of 17th‑century architecture. Wander sacred halls and sunlit courtyards where statecraft and spirituality intertwined.
As twilight softens the mountain horizon, gather for an elegant farewell dinner: a final toast to your Silk Road escape.
Your journey concludes with private transfers to Lhasa Gonggar Airport (LXA), carrying memories of caravan cities, desert dawns and sacred summits.