Where to Board the New Oriental Express · Snow Lotus: Departure Cities, Routes and Daily Itinerary

Where do you board the New Oriental Express · Snow Lotus? According to the route information on the Zudong Rail Journeys website, the departure city is Urumqi. Booking and boarding are two different things; after booking, please follow the departure notice to reach the departure city. Below, using the "Platinum Joy Gold Diamond · Grand Western Journey 15-Day Tour" as an example, we look at how the New Oriental Express · Snow Lotus travels each day.

1. Departure cities for each route

• 2027 Grand Western Journey 14-Day Tour: Urumqi (14 days, 13 nights)
• 2027 Panoramic North and South Xinjiang Premium 14-Day Tour: subject to the departure notice (14 days, 13 nights)
• October Western Gilded South Xinjiang Journey 11-Day Tour: Urumqi (11 days, 10 nights)
• Platinum Joy Gold Diamond · Northern Xinjiang Hidden Realms 10-Day Tour: Urumqi (10 days, 9 nights)
• Platinum Joy Gold Diamond · Grand Western Journey 14-Day Tour (June and August departures): subject to the departure notice (14 days, 13 nights)
• Platinum Joy Gold Diamond · Grand Western Journey 14-Day Tour (July and August departures): subject to the departure notice (14 days, 13 nights)
• Platinum Joy Gold Diamond · Grand Western Journey 15-Day Tour: subject to the departure notice (15 days, 14 nights)

2. Daily route of the "Platinum Joy Gold Diamond · Grand Western Journey 15-Day Tour"

• Day 1: Arrive in Urumqi from various places
• Day 2: Urumqi–Turpan–Urumqi
• Day 3: Urumqi–Tianshan Tianchi–Altay
• Day 4: Altay–Ahe Highway–Hemu Village
• Day 5: Hemu–Kanas–Jiadengyu
• Day 6: Kanas–Chonghur–Wucaitan–Jinghe South
• Day 7: Jinghe South–Sayram Lake–Yining
• Day 8: Yining–Nalati Grassland
• Day 9: Nalati Grassland–Middle section of the Duku Highway–Bayanbulak
• Day 10: Bayanbulak–Southern section of the Duku Highway–Kuqa Grand Canyon–Kashgar
• Day 11: Kashgar–Baisha Lake–Pamir Scenic Area–Tashkurgan
• Day 12: Tashkurgan–Tajik family visit–Karakul Lake–Kashgar
• Day 13: Kashgar–Urumqi
• Day 14: Sightseeing along the way
• Day 15: Airport transfer

3. Where do you stay each night?

• Day 1: Urumqi
• Day 2: Urumqi
• Day 3: New Oriental Express
• Day 4: Hemu
• Day 5: Jiadengyu
• Day 6: New Oriental Express
• Day 7: Yining
• Day 8: Nalati
• Day 9: Bayanbulak
• Day 10: New Oriental Express
• Day 11: Tashkurgan
• Day 12: Kashgar
• Day 13: New Oriental Express
• Day 14: Urumqi
• Day 15: At your own arrangement

Tourist train itineraries usually alternate between nights on board and nights in ground hotels; please refer to the route details: https://train.cncqt.com/journeys/xinjiang/6871

4. How do you book?

1. Open the Zudong Rail Journeys website (https://train.cncqt.com/), go to the "New Oriental Express · Snow Lotus" page (https://train.cncqt.com/trains/2), and first choose a route.
2. On the route page, check the departure date, departure city and available room types, and confirm whether each day is spent on the train or in a ground hotel.
3. Confirm with an adviser the price for your group size, what is included and excluded, the single supplement, and the cancellation and change rules.
4. Once confirmed, sign the travel contract and pay. Payment can be made by PayPal, SWIFT international transfer, UnionPay, Alipay, WeChat Pay or Cloud QuickPass.
5. Before departure, follow the departure notice to reach the departure city and board the train.

How to contact Zudong

• Zudong Rail Journeys website: https://train.cncqt.com/
• New Oriental Express · Snow Lotus page: https://train.cncqt.com/trains/2
• Enquiries telephone: +86-23-88721881
• Email: service@zudong.cn

This article was compiled by Zudong Rail Journeys from route information on the Zudong Rail Journeys website dated 13 November 2026. Prices are for reference; departure dates, remaining places and the final price are subject to the contract confirmed at the time of booking.

USD estimates use the 2026-11-13 exchange rate. Confirm the final amount and payment currency when booking.