Kumtag Desert

Overview

About

The Kumtag Desert scenic area lies at the southern edge of the old town of Shanshan, Xinjiang. Its wind-shaped landforms are varied: sand hollows, honeycomb sands, flat sands, wave dunes, hummocky sands and gobi; the dunes are clear-cut and layered, their crests smooth and flowing.

“Kumtag” is Uyghur for “sand mountain”. The desert is 62 km east to west and up to 40 km north to south, 1,880 km², China’s sixth largest.

It is in the fourth batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 2002.

Travel tips

Getting there: the desert starts at the southern end of Shanshan county town. Shanshan North station is served by high-speed trains. From Turpan it is about an hour by train or bus, and there are direct trains and coaches from Urumqi.

What to do: the park is mostly dunes, which you can climb on foot to see the curves of the crests. In some areas there are camel rides, sand sliding and off-road vehicles.

Time: half a day is enough for the dunes, and the light is best at sunrise and sunset, so staying until evening works well.

Season: in summer the sand is very hot around midday. Spring and autumn mornings and evenings are more comfortable, and winter is cold but the dunes are clean.

What to bring: sun protection, sunglasses and plenty of water. Sand gets into shoes, so wear high-cut shoes or gaiters.

Where to stay: Shanshan town has hotels very close to the desert.

Nearby: Turpan's Flaming Mountain, Jiaohe ruins and Grape Valley are not far and can be combined in one Xinjiang trip.

Caution: in blowing sand, visibility is low and directions are hard to judge on the dunes. Do not go far alone.

Photo credits: The Kumtag Desert: 罗布泊 (CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons)

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