Explore a little corner of the "uninhabited zone" at Dahaidao.

About Dahaidao

Dahaidao is a somewhat accessible corner of what is popularly known as the 'uninhabited zone'.

The area used to be a prehistoric sea, but the water has given way to desert. A desert filled with interesting rock formations that make for stunning sunsets.

This area used to be a core part of the silk road that led from Xinjiang to Gansu and plays host to a few ancient toll booths, post stations etc.

If you're visiting the area, you have a few options for how to do it... You could stay overnight in one of the desert glamping camps, or take the after sunset train out of the city back towards Urumqi for your next stop.

If you are staying overnight, make sure to stare at the sky. There aren't too many places where the stars are quite so clear as here.

Getting to Dahaidao

Dahaidao is not the easiest place to visit, but the views are worth it.

The closest train station is Hami, a small town that will usually only get slow trains unfortunately from Urumqi.

From there, you'll need to organise a driver to come and collect you and show you around. While you can, technically, drive yourself it is really not recommended. The area is far away from civilisation, regularly gets sandstorms and, with next to no phone signal, if you get in trouble then you're really in trouble. Even for the local drivers, the scenic area prefers to send groups with 2 cars so that there is always help.