The Splendour journey (繁华伊始) is the Silk Road Express's most frequent product and the easiest way to try the train without committing to the 17-day panorama. It runs Xining to Dunhuang in one direction or the other: one day of Qinghai monasteries and plateau choices, two nights aboard across the basin, then Dunhuang's dunes and caves. The 2027 operator's page routes the touring day via Chaka Salt Lake; the 2026 season ran a different shape, through Golmud and the Chaerhan salt flat, described below.
Transcribed from the operator's own product page (verified October 2026). Train times are indicative until the railway calendar is fixed; the tour director may adjust the order of visits.
| Day | Route & highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive Xining (about 2,200 m); welcome ceremony, private transfer to the Wanda Revel; dinner at the hotel. An optional paid first day at Qinghai Lake or Kanbula is available (RMB 3,000 per person, two guests minimum) | Xining hotel |
| 2 | Choice of five morning routes around Xining: Kumbum Monastery; Qutan Monastery (the "little Forbidden City" with Ming court murals); the Yaozigou forest family line; or the paid Qinghai Lake and Kanbula options. Board the train in the afternoon; dinner and first night aboard as the line drops into the Qaidam basin | On board |
| 3 | Chaka Salt Lake, the "mirror of the sky" (3,059 m), by private boat with a salt-lake signature drink; evening train across the basin margin toward Gansu | On board |
| 4 | Choice of three Dunhuang days: Mingsha Mountain and the Mogao Caves with two special caves (reserve about 30 days ahead with ID details); a desert-arts day with UTV dunes and the "See Dunhuang Again" show; or a full-day 4x4 gobi crossing of Han-dynasty silk-road sites. Wanda Revel, farewell dinner | Dunhuang hotel |
| 5 | Departure transfer to the airport or station | — |
In the 2026 season the same five-day frame toured the Qaidam's northern rim instead of Chaka. Published by HHtravel (Ctrip's luxury brand) and mirrored by licensed channels, that version boarded after a Kumbum morning, ran overnight to Golmud, and spent its middle days on the basin's signature landscapes: the U-shaped highway, Dongtai Jinnier Lake, the Wusute water yardangs, the vast Chaerhan (Qarhan) salt flat, and in some departures a night at a desert luxury camp before Dunhuang. Treat the stages below as the published shape rather than a guaranteed schedule; the operator has not posted its own day plan for this variant.
| Day | Published 2026 shape (channels) | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrive Xining; welcome ceremony and transfer; hotel dinner | Xining hotel |
| 2 | Kumbum Monastery with a dedicated guide; board in the mid-afternoon; night rails to Golmud | On board |
| 3 | Qaidam day from Golmud: the U-shaped highway, Dongtai Jinnier Lake and the Wusute water yardangs; some departures continue to a desert luxury camp with a bonfire evening | Camp or on board by departure |
| 4 | Chaerhan salt flat by VIP vehicle, the salt bridges and salt formations; re-board and ride to Dunhuang | On board |
| 5 | Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Lake, camel ride at dusk; the "See Dunhuang Again" show; Dunhuang hotel (channel editions extended to a sixth day for the Mogao Caves special-cave visit) | Dunhuang hotel |
The 2027 season lists 18 sailings: April 30, then July 7 through August 15, and September 30 through October 7, each direction paired with a next-day reverse. All 38 cabins have private bathrooms: the Changle twin and king rooms, eight family rooms with a child's bed, and two 22 m² Jinxiu Weiyang suites. Channel-published fares for the journey start around RMB 31,999 to 36,800 per person for twin rooms, with the suite priced per cabin; the operator's own pages do not list fares, so treat any figure as indicative until we confirm it in writing with the operator. Hotels on the 2027 plan are the Wanda Revel in Xining and Dunhuang.
Good to know. Mogao special-cave reservations need ID details about 30 days out; inside 30 days the operator applies for remaining quota and may substitute the gobi crossing day. Xining sits at 2,200 m; most guests feel nothing beyond a slower first afternoon, but plan a light arrival day. The full cabin, dining and service picture is on the Silk Road Express train page; the monasteries and basin landscapes appear in our sight guide.
Formation and cabin figures are checked against the published references below. Last reviewed .
