China & Mongolia Railway Adventure

About this trip

Exactly what you do each day, where you sleep, and how it flows — written by us, from the real itinerary.

1. 1
   Day 1 · ShanghaiShanghai

   Welcome to Shanghai. Your trip starts with a 4 pm group meeting, leaving time to explore this city blending modern skyscrapers with older neighbourhoods. After, your leader takes you on a walking tour along the Bund to watch the skyline light up at night, then you're free to find dinner with your group.

2. 2
   Day 2 · WuxiWuxi/Shanghai

   Catch your first bullet train this morning—a 30-minute ride to Wuxi, once a water town, now a sprawling city. Walk through Huishan Ancient Town's historic streets and gardens, visit the Jichang Garden (a protected national heritage site since 1998), then train back to Shanghai for the evening.

3. 3
   Day 3 · Xi'anXi'an

   

   Bullet train to Xi'an, the old imperial capital and Silk Road starting point, now a modern city layered with history. Your leader walks you past the Bell and Drum Towers, through the Muslim Quarter's markets and shops, and you sample street food from local carts.

4. 4
   Day 4 · Xi'anXi'an

   Day trip outside Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors—thousands of individually sculpted clay soldiers, horses and chariots buried for 2000 years as part of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi's mausoleum. Return to Xi'an with a free evening; head to Tang Paradise walking street near the Big Wild Goose Pagoda if you fancy it.

5. 5
   Day 5 · BeijingGreat Wall

   

   High-speed train to Beijing, watching farmland shift to cities. You arrive and drive into countryside to a family-run guesthouse near the Great Wall. A sunset hike to the Wall itself is highly recommended for your first night.

6. 6
   Day 6 · BeijingBeijing

   Spend the day on the Great Wall itself, hiking a quieter, less-touristy section for about two hours. Built to defend against northern invaders (though it ultimately failed), this 6000 km structure stretches west from Beijing and remains one of the country's engineering marvels.

7. 7
   Day 7 · BeijingBeijing

   Head to central Beijing and explore Tiananmen Square—the world's largest downtown square and symbolic centre of Chinese power, ringed by the Gate of Heavenly Peace, Mao's Mausoleum and the Great Hall of the People. Then enter the Forbidden City, built over 500 years ago and closed to commoners until modern times, to witness Ming and Qing dynasty imperial grandeur.

8. 8
   Day 8 · BeijingBeijing

   Free day in Beijing until a 6 pm welcome meeting where you'll meet new group members joining the trip. Afterwards, your leader can point you toward Beijing duck restaurants if your group wants to eat together and get to know each other.

9. 9
   Day 9 · BeijingReshui

   Bullet train to Chifeng in Inner Mongolia, with lunch and a stop at the Chifeng Museum to learn about steppe and Mongolian culture. Then transfer to Reshui, your gateway to the grasslands, and settle in for tomorrow's exploration.

10. 10
    Day 10 · ReshuiReshui

    Explore Huanggangliang National Forest Park in the Greater Xing'an Mountains, including Huanggang Peak at 2029 m, with glacial valleys and meadows full of flowers. Afternoon visits to Asihatu Stone Forest—rare formations shaped over two million years—and the Gongge'er Grasslands where rivers wind through and wild deer roam.

11. 11
    Day 11 · Xilin HotXilinhot

    Drive to Hunshandake Sandy Land at the southern end of the Xilingol Grassland, a water desert where spring water feeds small rivers and lakes. Visit Ulihan Desert Campsite for a BBQ lunch among lakes and grasslands, then see Dali Lake—one of Inner Mongolia's four famous lakes—before heading to Xilinhot.

12. 12
    Day 12 · Xilinhot CityErlian /Trans-Mongolia Railway/ Sainshand (Border crossing into Mongolia)

    Drive from Xilinhot to Erlian by midday, stop for lunch and meet your new Mongolian leader, then board the Trans-Mongolian Railway to Sainshand. Cross the border at Zamiin-Uud and arrive after midnight.

13. 13
    Day 13 · SainshandSainshand

    Walking tour of Sainshand, visiting the Noyon Khutagt Museum displaying Buddhist artifacts that survived the Mongolian People's Republic era. Short drive to Khamriin Monastery, founded by Noyon Khutagt for its spiritual Gobi Desert energy, with caves north of it where monks meditated for 108 continuous days.

14. 14
    Day 14 · SainshandSainshand / Overnight Train

    Climb the Mountain of Wishes—locals believe wishes whispered at the top come true—for views over the valley. Visit a family of camel herders, hear about nomadic life and share a home-cooked lunch. Return to Sainshand and board an overnight train.

15. 15
    Day 15 · UlaanbaatarUlaanbaatar / Khustai National Park

    
16. 16
    Day 16 · Hustai National ParkKhustai National Park
17. 17
    Day 17 · UlaanbaatarUlaanbaatar
18. 18
    Day 18 · UlaanbaatarUlaanbaatar

What's included

• Guide: All group trips are accompanied by one of our group leader or local representative. The aim of the group leader or local representative is to take the hassle out of your travels and to help you have the best trip possible. Intrepid endeavours to provide the services of an experienced group leader or local representative however, due to the seasonality of travel, rare situations may arise where your group leader or local representative is new to a particular region or training other group leader or local representative. Your group leader or local representative will provide information on the places you are travelling through, offer suggestions for things to do and see, recommend great local eating venues and introduce you to our local friends. While not being guides in the traditional sense, you can expect them to have a broad general knowledge of the places visited on the trip, including historical, cultural, religious, and social aspects. At Intrepid we aim to support local guides who have specialised knowledge of the regions we visit. If you are interested in delving deeper into the local culture at a specific site or location then your group leader or local representative can recommend a local guide service in most of the main destinations of your trip.
• Meals: 10 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
• Transport: Train, Overnight train, Private vehicle, Metro
• Accommodation: OCCASIONAL ALTERNATIVE ACCOMMODATION: The style of accommodation indicated in the Itinerary is a guideline. On rare occasions, alternative arrangements may need to be made due to the lack of availability of rooms in our usual accommodation. A similar standard of accommodation will be used in these instances. TWIN SHARE: Accommodation on this trip is on a twin share basis, unless otherwise stated in the Itinerary. There may be times when facilities are shared, rather than ensuite, which will also be mentioned in the Itinerary if applicable. CHECK-IN TIME: Throughout the trip we request that hotels prepare rooms in time for our arrival, especially if we're arriving prior to normal check-in time. However, this isn't always possible. Instead, we can store our luggage and explore our new destination before checking in. PRE/POST TRIP ACCOMMODATION: If you've purchased pre-trip or post-trip accommodation (subject to availability), you may be required to change rooms from your trip accommodation for these extra nights. Hotel (13 nights), Guesthosue (1 night), Overnight train (1 night), Tourist ger camp (2 nights)

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Common questions