A continuous unfolding of China's geography: subtropical Guangzhou, the mountain-city drama of Chongqing, then north and west through the Hexi Corridor to the high plateaus and deserts of Xinjiang. The train is your fixed accommodation throughout, so there is no packing, no airports, no wasted days. The 18-day North & South Xinjiang routing, released by the operator in July 2026, is offered across the 2027 season in two editions that share the same route.
18 DAYS · APPROX. 8,000 KM · ONE LINE THROUGH NORTH & SOUTH XINJIANG
Both 2027 editions run on the same train that entered service in 2026: 25K-type stock with air-spring suspension and a 7 mm coupling gap, eighteen carriages carrying 92 guests. Twelve are sleeping cars with private bathrooms, two of them three-cabin cars holding the 6 suites and ten of them four-cabin cars holding the 40 rooms. The other six are a kitchen car, a restaurant car, the reception lobby, the observation car, a generator car and a crew dormitory.
The four public spaces carry the four-fold ceremonial order of a Hunanese academy: 云聚 Yunju for arrival, 云宴 Yunyan for dining, 云赏 Yunshang for viewing and 云栖 Yunqi for sleeping. Yuelu Academy in Changsha is the reference throughout, and the interiors mix Hunan embroidery and Yuelu motifs with the lattice flower windows and covered arcades of Guangzhou.
Two 2027 EditionsBoth 2027 editions follow the identical North & South Xinjiang routing above, with the same Altay and Yili-Kuqa multi-choice segments. They differ only in departure dates, season and per-berth fare. Choose by when you can travel and your budget.
The summer season: full wildflower grasslands and all passes open. From RMB 98,880 per person (Suite Twin 118,880).
Boarding: Guangzhou Baiyun Station, with segmented boarding also possible at Chongqing and Lanzhou
The early-autumn departure: golden larches and crisp highland light. From RMB 108,880 per person (Suite Twin 128,880).
Boarding: Guangzhou Baiyun Station, with segmented boarding also possible at Chongqing and Lanzhou
This journey offers two personalisation windows. Once chosen, the selected route runs end-to-end: routes cannot be interwoven or combined.
Altay–Hemu Highway → Hemu Village → Tea Interlude at Hemu Village → Kanas
A vast open-air gallery along a 240 km, 6-hour scenic drive, then north to Hemu, described as a sanctuary of the gods and one of China's most beautiful ancient villages. A Curated Tea Interlude and a scenic-area shuttle to the Three Bays of Kanas complete the arc.
Chonghuer Village (Kazakh home visit) → Hemu → Tiejia Highway → Baihaba → Kanas
A quieter, more ethnographic Altay. Begin at Chonghuer Village with a Kazakh family and traditional music, then continue to Hemu. Day 6 follows the Tiejia Highway (120 km, ~3 hrs) past Baihaba, on the old frontier village at the China-Kazakhstan border, before reaching Kanas.
Sayram Lake → Sea of Flowers & Nalati → Nalati–Bayanbulak (Duku) → Kiziliya (Duku)
The scenic crown: Sayram Lake, the Tianshan Sea of Flowers, then the celebrated Nalati–Bayanbulak and Duku sections, crossing the Tianshan in a single day with four seasons of scenery, ending at Kiziliya Grand Canyon.
Sayram Lake → Sea of Flowers & Nalati → Nalati Grassland → Kiziliya (train)
The gentler Yili. Same Sayram Lake and Nalati, but the Tianshan crossing is done by train: after Nalati, return to Yining and board Southern Train · White Cloud Express to Kuqa, then drive to Kiziliya Grand Canyon.
Zhaosu Highway & Jade Lake (sunset cruise) → Xiata Ancient Trail → Sayram Lake → Kiziliya (train)
The boutique itinerary. Enter the scenic Yining–Zhaosu Highway to a private chartered lake cruise on Jade Lake, then the Xiata Ancient Trail beneath the eternal snow of Xuanzang's westward journey, before a final Sayram Lake and Kiziliya by train.
The plan below follows the default Altay Route A and Yili-Kuqa Route A. If you select Route B or Route C, the relevant days swap; all other days remain identical. Meals are Cantonese-Hunan Flavours onboard unless noted.
Board Southern Train · White Cloud Express and begin a cultural journey along the Silk Road, savouring the elegance of unhurried travel. The hospitality team hosts a welcome ceremony with live band and music-and-dance performance to set the tone for the eighteen days ahead.
Afternoon: explore the Three Gorges Museum through the intertwined stories of Three Gorges civilisation, ancient Ba-Yu culture and Chongqing's urban transformation, tracing the grandeur of the Yangtze gorges and a century of mountain-city life. Evening: experience Chongqing's signature hotpot, a spirited local ritual of bold flavours, rising steam and the city's exuberant street-side character. After dinner, ascend to the Raffles City Sky Crystal Observation Deck, where rivers, mountains and towers merge into the city's celebrated three-dimensional skyline, luminous after dark. Board Southern Train · White Cloud Express for Urumqi.
As the train glides onwards, admire the far-reaching landscapes of the Hexi Corridor from your window. Join Curated Onboard Activities thoughtfully prepared by the train's hospitality team, or simply savour the pleasures of the journey. A cultural specialist also travels aboard, hosting a Silk Road Cultural Salon that brings millennia of civilisation and the landscapes beyond the window into conversation.
Midday: arrive in Urumqi and receive a welcome at the station. Afternoon: visit the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum for an immersive encounter with Silk Road treasures, interpreted by a distinguished historian. Wander through Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, a vast fortress-style marketplace alive with the ming-ling cultures of the region and the enduring mercantile spirit of the ancient Silk Road. After the visit, board Southern Train · White Cloud Express for Altay.
Route B (Day 4): Tianshan Tianchi Lake, embraced by spruce forests and framed by Bogda Peak, a storied landscape where legend meets the grandeur of Xinjiang's mountains and waters.
Morning: travel along the Altay–Hemu Highway, celebrated as a vast open-air gallery, to Hemu Village (240 km; approx. 6 hrs). If the road is impassable due to severe weather, access controls or other circumstances, an alternative route will be used. Afternoon: continue north to Hemu, often described as a sanctuary of the gods and one of China's most beautiful ancient villages. Pause for a Curated Tea Interlude and a moment of quiet ease. After dinner, settle into the hotel for the night.
Route B (Day 5): Visit Chonghuer Village, a Kazakh community where local hosts welcome you into their homes for traditional music and dance accompanied by an authentic Kazakh meal, then continue north to Hemu.
Morning: enter Hemu Village, a beautiful Tuvan settlement, and explore its river valley, alpine meadows, rustic bridge and timber homes. A Curated Tea Interlude offers time to savour the stillness. Afternoon: drive to Kanas (80 km; approx. 2 hrs), then cruise across the lake as snow peaks shimmer in its turquoise waters. After dinner, retire to your accommodation within the Kanas Scenic Area.
Route B (Day 6): Follow the Tiejia Highway to Baihaba (120 km; approx. 3 hrs), a quieter scenic road uniting snow mountains, forests and grasslands of North Xinjiang. This old frontier village on the China–Kazakhstan border is home to Tuvan and Kazakh communities living among timber homes beneath snowy peaks.
Morning: begin at an unhurried pace before taking the scenic-area shuttle to the Three Bays of Kanas (approx. 3 hrs): mist-veiled Fairy Bay, gracefully curving Moon Bay and the luminous waters of Wolong Bay. Afternoon: drive to Burqin (160 km; approx. 4 hrs) for a Living-Heritage Cold-Water Fish Banquet, an Altay speciality rooted in the Irtysh River's cold-water fishing traditions. After dinner, board Southern Train · White Cloud Express for Yining.
Morning: leave the train at Yining Station and travel to Sayram Lake (approximately 150 km; approx. 2 hrs). Afternoon: circle Sayram Lake, where sapphire waters stretch beneath reflected snow peaks in the crystalline expanse of this highland lake. After dinner, settle into your lakeside hotel.
Morning: travel to the Tianshan Sea of Flowers (approximately 90 km; approx. 1.5 hrs) to experience Yili's fragrant fields and seasonal blooms. Afternoon: continue to Nalati Grassland (approximately 250 km; approx. 4 hrs), one of the world's great alpine valleys and a heartland of Kazakh nomadic culture. Its name is traditionally understood as "the first place to see the sun". After dinner, settle into the hotel for the night.
Morning: explore Nalati Grassland (approx. 4 hrs), known as the "Green Island of the Tianshan" for its layered meadow-and-forest landscapes and deeply rooted nomadic culture. Afternoon: cross the Tianshan via the celebrated Nalati–Bayanbulak section of the Duku Highway, taking in the mountain scenery before reaching Bayanbulak Town. After dinner, settle into the hotel for the night.
Route B (Day 10): Explore Nalati Grassland (approx. 4 hrs) and return to Yining; board Southern Train · White Cloud Express for Kuqa.
Route C (Day 10): Travel to Sayram Lake (approx. 150 km; approx. 2 hrs), circle the lake and return to Yining; board Southern Train for Kuqa.
Morning: follow the southern section of the Duku Highway to Kuqa. Celebrated as one of China's most beautiful roads, it passes through rapidly changing scenery, four seasons in a single day, and a new sky every few kilometres. Afternoon: arrive at Kiziliya Grand Canyon and explore its red-rock fissures, narrow Danxia passages and ever-changing light seeped over millions of years. After dinner, board Southern Train · White Cloud Express for Kashgar.
Route B / C (Day 11): Arrive in Kuqa by train, then continue to Kiziliya Grand Canyon to explore its red-rock fissures, narrow Danxia passages and ancient play of light.
Morning: arrive early in Kashgar and follow the China-Pakistan Friendship Highway towards the Pamir Plateau, passing the Gaizi Canyon, Gaizi Post Station, Liushui River and Red Mountain. Visit Baisha Lake (approximately 40 minutes), where rolling white sand mountains meet blue highland waters and snowy peaks, a dreamlike meeting of desert and lake. Afternoon: continue to the highland town of Tashkurgan, a county bordering three countries. During a Private Tajik Family Visit, witness a national-level living-heritage eagle-flute performance and eagle dance, and encounter the plateau's distinctive eagle culture. After a Tashkurgan yak hotpot dinner, settle into the hotel for the night.
Afternoon: depart Tashkurgan for Karakul Lake (approximately 100 km; approx. 1.5 hrs). Meaning "Black Lake", this rare high-altitude lake is encircled by ice-clad peaks, with close views of the Three Giants of the Kunlun rising above 7,000 metres. Evening: return to Kashgar for a whole-roast lamb banquet, then settle into the hotel.
Morning: after breakfast, explore Kashgar Ancient City (approx. 1.5 hrs), a 5A-rated scenic area shaped by more than two millennia of history and often described as a living record of ancient western-region urban life. A Curated Tea Interlude invites a slower moment within the old quarter. Afternoon: visit Id Kah Grand Mosque, a celebrated expression of Islamic culture and a distinctive meeting of Islamic architectural form with traditional Chinese building craftsmanship. After dinner, board Southern Train · White Cloud Express for Korla.
Afternoon: arrive in Korla, known as the City of Pears. At Bayingolun Museum, explore the civilisation of Loulan, see nationally treasured Silk Road artefacts and learn of the Torghut people's historic eastward return. Continue to Bosten Lake, China's largest inland freshwater lake, travelling through reed wetlands and cruising among water lilies in an unexpectedly lush corner of South Xinjiang. Return to the city at the appointed time. After dinner, board Southern Train · White Cloud Express for Golmud.
Morning: arrive in Golmud and continue to Qarhan Salt Lake, China's largest salt lake. Cross the celebrated salt bridge and see emerald, mirror-like waters and natural salt formations within the immense geology of the Qaidam Basin. Return to the city. After dinner, board Southern Train · White Cloud Express and begin the homeward journey.
Carrying with you the splendour of the Tianshan, the grace of the Silk Road and the cultural lineage of a thousand years, begin the return journey. With mountains and rivers as its sequence and civilisation as its witness, this Silk Road passage draws to a graceful close. Southern Train · White Cloud Express looks forward to welcoming you again.
Against the 2026 debut: the train's first Xinjiang sailing left Guangzhou Baiyun Station on 7 September 2026, the only Xinjiang departure of that year, at RMB 108,880 for 云栖·揽月 Yunqi Lanyue and RMB 88,880 for 云栖·雅韵 Yunqi Yayun. Lanyue is the cabin listed below as Kuanjing.
Reference rates for the 2027 season (Tianshan Brocade, 15 July 2026 release; Golden-Wind Panorama, 31 July 2026 release). All fares are per berth, double occupancy, in RMB. Final pricing is confirmed at the time of enquiry.
RMB 118,880 / Tianshan Brocade
RMB 128,880 / Golden-Wind Panorama
Double sofa, mini-bar, mini-fridge, panoramic windows. The largest suite on Chinese luxury rails.
RMB 98,880 / Tianshan Brocade
RMB 108,880 / Golden-Wind Panorama
Private bathroom, refined fittings, classic Chinese-scholarly aesthetic.
Shares the suite with two paying guests. Same for both editions. Subject to space and operator approval.
| Departure 2027 | Edition | Boarding Cities | Suite Twin | Premium Twin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 May 2027 | Tianshan Brocade | Guangzhou · Chongqing · Lanzhou · Urumqi | 118,880 | 98,880 |
| 6 Jun 2027 | Tianshan Brocade | Guangzhou · Chongqing · Lanzhou · Urumqi | 118,880 | 98,880 |
| 26 Jun 2027 | Tianshan Brocade | Guangzhou · Chongqing · Lanzhou · Urumqi | 118,880 | 98,880 |
| 16 Jul 2027 | Tianshan Brocade | Guangzhou · Chongqing · Lanzhou · Urumqi | 118,880 | 98,880 |
| 5 Aug 2027 | Tianshan Brocade | Guangzhou · Chongqing · Lanzhou · Urumqi | 118,880 | 98,880 |
| 24 Aug 2027 | Tianshan Brocade | Guangzhou · Chongqing · Lanzhou · Urumqi | 118,880 | 98,880 |
| 14 Sep 2027 | Golden-Wind Panorama | Guangzhou · Chongqing · Lanzhou · Urumqi | 128,880 | 108,880 |
Twin-share, per berth. Solo traveller supplement: 8,000 RMB (land-only single-room supplement). Route C (Zhaosu & Xiata) surcharge: 6,000 RMB per person. Source: 南方列车·白云号 official 2027 releases (Tianshan Brocade, 15 July 2026; Golden-Wind Panorama, 31 July 2026).
What's IncludedTwo halves of Xinjiang. North of the range is landscape: the Altay, Kanas and Hemu, then the Ili valley and Sayram Lake. South is the Silk Road: Kuqa, the ancient kingdom of Kucha, Kashgar, and Tashkurgan out on the Pamir. A programme that covers both is the one worth the days. Two notes for overseas travellers: the Bayanbulak section of the Duku Highway is not open to foreign passports (Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan documents travel the full route), so those sectors run on a substitute routing for foreign-passport guests, and Tashkurgan and the Pamirs require an electronic border permit, arranged by your operator rather than by you. See the Xinjiang destination guide.
This train was specified for an overseas audience as much as a domestic one. English is the working language onboard, not an accommodation bolted on at the edges.
As the tourist train operates on a private-charter basis, the following cancellation charges apply. The departure date, stopping stations, operating route and journey duration are subject to the final passenger service order issued by the relevant railway authorities; the agency will notify travellers seven days in advance of any necessary changes.
Eighteen days. One line through North and South Xinjiang. The 2027 White Cloud Express, curated and booked for English-speaking travellers by China Expresses.
Return to the White Cloud Express overview for the train, suites, dining carriage and departures. Both 2027 editions follow this identical 18-day route.
