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Two very different Chinas, six months apart in 2019. Yunnan south to north — the Hani rice terraces at Yuanyang, Jianshui's old town, Dali and Shaxi, Tiger Leaping Gorge and Shangri-La. Then the Silk Road west — the dunes of Dunhuang, the Turpan depression, Kashgar's bazaars and the Karakoram Highway up to Karakul and Tashkurgan.

What to Know Before Travelling to Xinjiang

What to Know Before Travelling to Xinjiang

Permits, checkpoints, hotels that can and cannot take you, altitude with children, and the context you should read before deciding — from nine days on the ground.

The Karakoram Highway: Ghez Canyon, Karakul and Tashkurgan

The Karakoram Highway: Ghez Canyon, Karakul and Tashkurgan

From Kashgar at 1,300 metres to Karakul Lake at 3,650, under a 7,509-metre peak — the red walls of the Ghez canyon, the braided rivers of Tashkurgan, and what it takes to get there.

Kashgar: Old Town, Bazaars and the Sunday Livestock Market

Kashgar: Old Town, Bazaars and the Sunday Livestock Market

Green tiles, arcaded lanes, coppersmiths and a Sunday morning of yaks changing hands — four days in the far west of China, where the map runs out and Central Asia begins.

Turpan: Tuyoq, Bezeklik and the Flaming Mountains

Turpan: Tuyoq, Bezeklik and the Flaming Mountains

Two days below sea level in the Turpan depression: a mud-brick village at the bottom of a gorge, Buddhist caves above a river, red-striped mountains, and a whole city built of packed earth.

Dunhuang: Mingsha Dunes, Crescent Lake and the Yangguan Desert

Dunhuang: Mingsha Dunes, Crescent Lake and the Yangguan Desert

The dunes start where the street ends. Two days in the Gansu oasis where the Silk Road split in two — sand ridges, a crescent-shaped lake, Bactrian camels and the desert road west to Yangguan.

Silk Road China: A 9-Day Itinerary from Dunhuang to the Pamirs

Silk Road China: A 9-Day Itinerary from Dunhuang to the Pamirs

Nine days west along the old Silk Road, from the dunes of Dunhuang to a glacier lake at 3,650 metres — by night train, with a guide, and through about ten checkpoints.

Yunnan Itinerary: 11 Days from the Rice Terraces to Shangri-La

Yunnan Itinerary: 11 Days from the Rice Terraces to Shangri-La

A south-to-north route across Yunnan by train and bus, from the Hani rice terraces at 240 metres to the Tibetan plateau at 3,300 — with no hire car at any point.

Lijiang and Shangri-La: Old Town Roofs and the Tibetan Plateau

Lijiang and Shangri-La: Old Town Roofs and the Tibetan Plateau

Lijiang gets written off as a tourist trap and Shangri-La gets written off as a marketing exercise. Both judgements are lazy, and half a day in the right places undoes them.

Tiger Leaping Gorge with Kids: What Three Hours of Climbing Actually Looks Like

Tiger Leaping Gorge with Kids: What Three Hours of Climbing Actually Looks Like

The High Trail is the best-known trek in Yunnan and the question nobody answers honestly is whether children can do it. They can. Here is what it costs them, and what it gives back.

Dali and Shaxi: Bai Country by Scooter

Dali and Shaxi: Bai Country by Scooter

Dali has the lake, the pagodas and the crowds. Shaxi, three hours north, has a market square that has barely changed since the caravans stopped coming. Do both.

Jianshui: The Old Town Most Yunnan Itineraries Skip

Jianshui: The Old Town Most Yunnan Itineraries Skip

A Confucian temple, a merchant's garden of 42 courtyards, a seventeen-arch bridge and a street full of potters — Jianshui deserves two days, and almost nobody gives it one.

Yuanyang Rice Terraces: Which Viewpoint, Which Hour, Which Season

Yuanyang Rice Terraces: Which Viewpoint, Which Hour, Which Season

The Hani terraces reward precise timing more than any other sight in Yunnan. Here's where to stand, what hour to be there, and what the fields actually look like season by season.

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