China & Mongolia Railway Adventure

18 Days | Travel along the Trans-Mongolian Railway on a truly vast adventure

From
USD $5,210
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Want an epic rail journey that takes you to some of the world’s most iconic and remote regions? This 18-day adventure might just be for you! Traverse northern China from Shanghai to Beijing on the bullet train, connecting the most iconic highlights in the country, riding a section of the Trans-Mongolian Railway as you make your way from China to Mongolia. This trip combines neon cities, ancient capitals, world wonders, Mongolian steppes and the Gobi Desert into one punchy rail journey. Watch an epic sunset up the Great Wall, spend time staying in a traditional ger campsite, join a family of camel herders for lunch and return home with truly unique travel stories to tell!

Trip overview

Map of China & Mongolia Railway Adventure including China and Mongolia
Start
Shanghai, China
Finish
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Destinations
Mongolia, China
Physical rating
Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
Style
Original
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1 - Max 16
Trip code
CBSDC
We’re in the process of figuring out how much CO2-e this trip generates. In the meantime, find out more about our climate commitments and carbon reduction target.

Why you'll love this trip
  • Travel along a section of the epic Trans-Mongolian Railway through Mongolia, following the ancient path of tea caravans. Combine this experience with a modern bullet train journey from Shanghai to Beijing and you’ve got rail adventure covered!
  • Check out the most iconic highlights in China – See the Terracotta Warriors and The Great Wall of China (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), where you can watch an epic sunset.
  • Explore China’s Inner Mongolia region and its iconic vast rolling grasslands, sandy deserts and dunes, and an otherworldly stone forest.
  • Whisper your wishes at Sainshand’s Mountain of Wishes, then learn about the nomadic way of life as you join a camel herding family for lunch.
  • Spend a full day seeing Khustai National Park, staying in traditional gers and spotting free roaming wild horses, golden eagles and more.

Is this trip right for you?
  • Accommodation at the ger camp is twin share with bedding provided, and the shared bathroom and toilet facilities are in a separate building. Shower units have installed water heaters, but please note that the water pressure may not be what you would expect in urban areas.
  • Your overnight train on this trip is in 4 berth compartments. Please note that cabins are allocated on a mixed gender basis, and depending on the group size some group members will share a cabin with passengers that are not part of our group. Sheets, pillow and a blanket are provided, and there are communal bathrooms at the end of each carriage.
  • China’s world-class sites and experiences draw large numbers of local and international travellers. We recommend a little patience and comfortable shoes as you may need to wait before entering the more popular locations on your itinerary.
  • Be prepared for some long travel days as you’ll need to cover almost 3500 km to see two countries.
  • This trip is a combination of two trips. Please review the Itinerary for details of when your fellow travellers and leader will change.

Itinerary

Map of China & Mongolia Railway Adventure including China and Mongolia

Inclusions

Meals

10 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners

Transport

Train, Overnight train, Private vehicle, Metro

Accommodation

Hotel (13 nights), Guesthosue (1 night), Overnight train (1 night), Tourist ger camp (2 nights)

Activities
  • Wuxi - Huishan Ancient Town
  • Wuxi - Jichang Garden
  • Xi'an - Muslim Quarter Walking Tour and Snack Sampling
  • Xi'an - Terracotta Warriors Tour - leader led
  • Great Wall - Sunset
  • Great Wall - Jinshanling section
  • Beijing - Forbidden City
  • Beijing - Tiananmen Square
  • Chifeng - Chifeng Museum
  • Inner Mongolia - Huanggangliang National Forest Park
  • Inner Mongolia - Asihatu Stone Forest
  • Inner Mongolia - Gongge'er Grasslands
  • Inner Mongolia - Hunshandake Sandy Land
  • Sainshand - Noyon Khutagt Museum
  • Sainshand - Khamriin Monastery, Caves & Mongolian Shambala
  • Sainshand - Mountain of Wishes
  • Sainshand - Camel Herder Family Visit & Traditional Home-cooked Lunch
  • Ulaanbaatar - Chinggis Khaan Statue
  • Khustai National Park - Leader-led Hike
  • Khustai National Park - Ungut Stone Monuments
Add on activities
  • Shanghai - Shanghai Propaganda Poster Art Centre (entrance fee) - CNY25
  • Shanghai - Yuyuan Garden (entrance fee) - CNY40
  • Shanghai - Shanghai Museum (entrance fee) - Free
  • Xi'an - Great Mosque (entrance fee) - CNY25
  • Xi'an - Bell & Drum Towers (entrance fee) - CNY50
  • Xi'an - City Wall bike hire - CNY45
  • Xi'an - Tang Dynasty Show - CNY290
  • Xi'an - Big Goose Pagoda (entrance fee) - CNY80
  • Xi'an - Little Wild Goose Pagoda - CNY50
  • Beijing - Temple of Heaven (entrance fee) - CNY40
  • Beijing - Hutong family visit - CNY150
  • Beijing - Lama Temple (entrance fee) - CNY25
  • Beijing - Acrobat show (ticket) - CNY290

Dates and availability

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Important notes

1. A single supplement is available to be booked if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement excludes Days 14 (Overnight Train), 15 and 16 (Ger camp), where you will be in shared accommodation. The single supplement is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information.
2. A scanned copy of the personal details page of your passport needs to be sent to your booking agent no later than 40 days before departure in order for us to purchase our train tickets.
3. You'll need to set up a VPN in order to access popular apps and websites including What'sapp. You'll need to set up wechat (preferred) or Alipay in order to make payments in China. Please read the Essential Trip Information thoroughly and prepare accordingly.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Read Essential Trip Information

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China & Mongolia Railway Adventure
From
USD $5,210