The Panda Express Chengdu sells as a fully all-inclusive package: train berth, hotels, attraction tickets, dining, coach transfers, guide and insurance in one fare. Boarding is dual-city, at Chengdu Anjing Station or Lanzhou, on a loop that runs May to October. The regions below follow the published 2027 arc.
Chengdu · the pre-journey city
Giant Panda Breeding Base, Sichuan opera & the food
The journey starts where the train is named: pandas visited before departure, an evening of Sichuan opera, and the city's cuisine doing what it does. Chengdu is the ideal pre-journey city, and guests joining at Lanzhou can arrange the same preamble there.
The Tianshan arc · north and south
Urumqi
Xinjiang's gateway: the Grand Bazaar and Red Hill, where the operator describes Sichuan comfort meeting frontier exhilaration.
Kanas
The colour-changing lake: emerald in spring, turquoise in summer, deep blue in autumn. Tuvan settlements and eagle hunters in the surrounding valley.
Kashgar, Kuqa, Yili & Turpan
The published arc threads the ancient Silk Road oasis cities on both sides of the Tianshan: Kashgar's old city, Kuqa's Kucha heritage, the Yili valley and the Turpan oasis of karez wells and Jiaohe ruins. The exact sequence is set per sailing; confirm the day plan for your date.
The Qinghai-Gansu corridor
Hexi Corridor, Qinghai Lake & the caravan cities
The 2026 Silk Road routing added the corridor linking Tibet and inland China: the Hexi Corridor's ancient caravan cities and Qinghai Lake. The loop also positions the train conveniently for extensions to Dunhuang, Zhangye, the middle Yellow River or a Yangtze cruise, which many guests pair before or after.
Seasons and editions
- · Zhongxia Changjuan (May-Aug 2027): five departures, You Ran Ju from RMB 66,999.
- · Qiuyun Liujing (Aug-Sep 2027): two departures for the autumn light, from RMB 70,999.
- · 2028 is already open: the operator opened next-next-year bookings after the 2025 inaugural season sold out all ten departures.
Based on the operator's official WeChat releases of 5 and 26 August 2026 and the published route descriptions. The day-by-day sequence varies by sailing; entrance inclusions follow the all-inclusive fare. Confirm the written breakdown for your departure before paying a deposit.