WildWall
Experiences
Ruins of Desert Cathay
“WHAT’S NEW AND EXCITING FOR TRAVELLERS IN CHINA NOW …WildWall is branching out with an intrepid ‘Frontier’ series of week-long jaunts to remote sites along the Great Wall in the provinces of Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Ningxia. Expect sand-covered fortresses, glorious Buddhist art, expert-led history lectures and plenty of Indiana Jones-style adventure.”
— lonelyplanet.com
The ‘Ruins of Desert Cathay’ tour, launched in 2021, explores the finest remaining sections of Great Walls of the Qin and Han dynasties dating from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, the western end of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, the ruins of the Khara Khoto border-fortress, remains of ancient temples and settlements in the Gobi Desert, the natural spectacle of Euphrates poplar forests, and finally the Silk Road’s ‘Caves of a Thousand Buddhas’ at Dunhuang.
The tour adopts its name from a classic account of Central Asian exploration, ‘Ruins of Desert Cathay’, published in 1912 by the British archaeologist-explorer Sir Aurel Stein. It’s the ideal name for our tour. WildWall specialises off-the-beaten track travel, because that’s what is necessary to access the remotest ruins of ancient Great Walls, forts, settlements and temples in the hills and deserts of northwestern China. En route, this expert-led overland journey explores a vast sweep of history, archeology and geography — as well as the stories behind the historical exploration of the sites themselves.
WildWall Frontier Series tours are curated and led by William Lindesay. They provide discerning travellers with unique experiences at remote and important locations that feature in the Great Wall’s 2,300-year-long story. These ambitious journeys are only possible through access privileges, detailed geographical knowledge and trusted local connections.
This Ruins of Desert Cathay tour is the flagship experience of the series. Historically, it explores four main dynastic periods: the Qin, the Han, the Xixia and the Ming. Geographically, the route of the tour unfolds in an east-to-west direction from the westernmost part of Inner Mongolia into north-western Gansu (see sketch map). For much of the way we will be following in the footsteps of three historical personages who explored these regions and their ruins, between the years 1907 and 1908: Pytor Kozlov, William Geil and Aurel Stein.
The Journey
Our journey begins in Baotou, Inner Mongolia (easily accessible via high speed trains, for example from Beijing). From Baotou we first travel north, and then west, to Ejina, then Jiayuguan and finally Dunhuang, where the tour concludes (from where there are frequent flights to major cities in China). This is a 2,000 km spectacular overland journey across the deserts of northwestern China.
Throughout the journey, travellers are regaled with a variety of relevant stories and recollections from William Lindesay, with contributions and assistance from other members of the Lindesay WildWall team, either Wu Qi (Mrs. Lindesay) and/or their sons and deputies, James Lindesay or Thomas Lindesay (depending on their availabilities).
William has travelled extensively on foot throughout China's northwestern region since 1986. He explored the Qin Great Wall in the Yin Mountains from 2002, and presented a Discovery/Science Channel documentary on the Qin Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an in the 'Unearthed' series. He has researched the explorations of Stein, Kozlov and Geil both on the ground in China, through their published works and in their ‘hometowns’ of Oxford, St. Petersburg and Doylestown (Pennsylvania) respectively, where the three explorers lived and lodged, and authored accounts of their milestone journeys.
Exploration History
During an extraordinary 16-month period between spring 1907 and summer 1908, Stein, Kozlov and Geil made Chinese history come alive and known to the world with their archeological discoveries and achievements in a ‘triangle’ between the towns of Ejina, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang.
In April 1907, the British explorer sir Aurel Stein (1863-1942) surveyed and excavated a 120-km-section of Han Dynasty Great Wall in the vicinity of the ‘Jade Gate’ (near Dunhuang), ancient border fortifications that date from the second century BC.
In May 1908, the Russian explorer Pytor Kozlov (1863-1935) unearthed a cache of Buddhist statues from the sand-buried fortress city of Khara Khoto that dates from the 11th Century AD.
In August 1908, the American explorer William Geil (1865-1925) arrived at Jiayuguan, the western terminus of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, thus completing the first recorded and documented traverse of its mainline length from Shanhaiguan in the east.
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Expertly curated and led by William Lindesay;
* Limited to 2 departures annually — spring and autumn;
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Duration of the tour is 7 days / 6 nights;
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Small groups, average group size since 2021 inauguration has been 12 persons.
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Tour price covers absolutely all costs from start and finish (except for alcoholic drinks);
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Per person price is based on the sharing of rooms, two persons per room. Single occupancy rooms can be arranged if desired, on payment of a supplement.
* Travel overland by bullet train, overnight sleeper train, Land Cruisers and coach;
* 4- and 5-star hotel accommodations throughout;
* 2 days’ of Land Cruiser travel to access off-road sites in the Gobi desert;
* Numerous field and trailside talks to make all the locations’ histories come alive;
* Three illustrated ‘happy hour’ keynote presentations in our hotels;
* Guest presentation by a leading English-speaking expert on Dunhuang’s ‘Caves of A Thousand Buddhas’;
* WildWall home-roasted coffee at amazing locations;
* Home-baked cakes and pastries during our coffee breaks;
* Travelling library of books relating to the exploration, history and archaeology of the region.
*** Departure Dates ***
Spring — May 1-7, 2025
For guests who live outside China the tour will begin in Beijing, meeting at the high-speed railway station, and include the cost of the bullet train ticket from Beijing to Baotou.
Request a Brochure
For guests living in China, the tour will begin in Baotou, as we appreciate that participants who live in various parts of China will not necessarily travel to Baotou from Beijing when it is more convenient for them to travel directly.
