Tarim Desert Highway
A desert road running from Luntai through the Taklimakan Desert to Minfeng, crossing 446 km of moving dunes, with green shelter belts on both sides.
The Tarim Desert Highway runs from Luntai County in the north to Minfeng County in Hotan Prefecture in the south. It covers about 522 km in total, of which about 446 km crosses moving desert. Completed in 1995, it is one of the longest roads ever built through a moving desert.
From Luntai, the road passes the Tarim Populus euphratica Forest Park shortly after kilometer zero. It crosses the Tarim River Bridge and enters riverside poplar forest and tamarisk flats, before reaching an endless expanse of golden dunes. On both sides of the road are green shelter belts watered by drip irrigation. Every few kilometers stands a blue-roofed well house, looked after by a couple who keep the well. Tazhong Town in the middle of the route is an oil base where you can fill up and eat. At the southern end, after leaving the desert at Minfeng, you can connect to National Highway 315 east to Qiemo and Ruoqiang, or west to Hotan.
One-way travel takes 6–8 hours, so it can be done in a day. Temperatures in the desert vary widely. Ground temperatures are extremely high in summer, and spring sandstorms can suddenly reduce visibility. Fuel stations are few along the entire route (Luntai, Tazhong and Minfeng), so fill your tank before setting off. Do not leave the road to drive on the dunes, and do not damage the sand-control structures such as the straw checkerboards and reed fences. In autumn you can combine the Tarim Populus euphratica Forest with a trip along the desert highway.