Silk Road Gobi Desert Adventure
9-17 Oct 2024 | 9-17 Mar 2026 | max 4 participants | GBP £3000 per person
This unique photography workshop, taking you into the heart of the Gobi Desert, is where you can immerse yourself in simple, delicate creativity far from the modern world and its distractions. For myself, a first visit was a life-changing experience, and I felt instantly at home, as I do in the Himalayas but differently. Its earthy and sensuous form echoes the romantic and surreal part of myself, and the body of work I created consisted as much of myself as the Gobi Desert .
We will pass hundreds of square miles of gigantic dunes, some of the world’s highest static sand dunes and rising to over 1640 feet and above a series of crystal clear lakes. This remote area is intensely sparse yet profoundly elemental and beautiful, and we’ll be camping out in the dunes for most of the nights with one or two nights beside the lake, and of course the spectacular starscapes is something you will never forget.
You will be travelling with someone well experienced in desert photography, and who has detailed cultural and practical and linguistic skills for this region, as well as being taken through this challenging terrain by an expert and experienced driver, making your journey a safe and enriching experience. The Gobi I take you into is so vast and astonishing that each journey visits not only some of the best viewpoints I know but also seeks to discover something new. Every trip is unique.
Itinerary: Day 1 Arriving Zhangye, workshop begin at group dinner; Day 2 Going to desert after breakfast, and spend the next 5 nights/days in the desert Day 7 Leave desert after morning photography, arrive Zhangye Hotel for a relaxing dinner/evening; Day 8 Visiting Danxia Landform; Day 9 Morning flight or train out of Zhangye depends on individual’s travel plan.
Meeting Point: Zhangye (I will coordinate with each participant for the best ways to get there near the planning stage, sometimes we will use Lanzhou as our meeting point, and take the train next morning to Zhangye, in this case, train ticket from Lanzhou to Zhangye will be included).
Included: All vehicle Transportation | Photography Location Entry Tickets | All meals, simple meals in the desert, we will bring lots of fruits, seeds, nuts, oats, eggs, vegetables and noddles with us | Accommodations – Single Occupancy, 5 nights in the desert will be camping, tents and sleeping mat provided, but bring your own if you have a light one | Tips for drivers
Excluded: Flights | Chinese Visa Application | Travel and Medical Insurance (required) | Alcoholic beverages | Personal equipment | Sleeping Bag – We have a few spares, please let me know if you don’t have your own
Photography Skill Level: All Levels, non-photographers welcome. However, please come with good knowledge of and capability with your equipment. We are more than happy to share our approach at each significant stop, and discuss techniques/concepts via the camera screen at the end of the day as we gathering for a drink/meal.
Fitness: You must be able to walk on sand. The photography opportunity will be good just beside the vehicle, but able to walk another mile onto top of different dunes offers even greater view.
One 50L bag for your clothes and sleeping bag; tripod and 1 camera bag will be the maximum allowance of luggage you can bring for desert trip, suitcase need to be stored in Zhangye Hotel
Booking Process
Complete Booking Form | Deposit GBP £700 or USD $700 to reserve your place after receive Invoice | Visa Application allowed from 90 days before the trip | The balance is due no later than 90 days prior to the Workshop | Packing list | Arrive Zhangye on time
SIGN UP TO THIS UNFORGETTABLE GOBI DESERT ADVENTURE
To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. William Blake
Adam Gibbs was on one of my Gobi desert workshops in 2018, and he has produced 3 videos from this 7 day trip. This video will give you a deeper sense of being there and his take on a startling group of trees beside a dried up lake. We will be visiting this and other lakes; there are believed to be 144 lakes（113 named, and 12 fresh water) in this part of Gobi desert.
