On July 3, the "New Oriental Express" launched from Urumqi, Xinjiang, attracted everyone's attention. The longest journey time on this train is 14 days, and tickets cost 30,000 yuan per person, up to 50,000 yuan.
It is only open between July and October throughout the year, and only runs for 3 and a half months a year.
Nowadays, inter-provincial travel has resumed, and the "New Oriental Express" has also resumed operation. September 30 and October 24 are the last two rides of the year. The train, which departs on October 24, will welcome tourists from inside and outside Xinjiang with a new look, with prices ranging from 23,000 yuan to 47,000 yuan.
The "New Orient Express" has been running for more than 20 years, traveling on China's Silk Road, crossing the southern, northern and xinjiang borders. Previously, this train was only used to receive foreign guests, but now after the new renovation and upgrade, tourists can buy tickets to ride.
Traveling around Xinjiang by train is indeed a beautiful thing, but the price of ordinary train tickets is less than 500 yuan, and this luxury tourism train is tens of thousands of yuan, is it worth the money?
The "ceiling" of the train world
With a huge investment in the transformation of 18 carriages, the train is like a high-end luxury hotel moving in the magnificent scenery, running at night, stopping during the day, and experiencing high-end VIP travel services throughout the process.
Tourists call it "the most advanced luxury tourist train in China at present", the train only departs 5 times a year, and the route is only in Xinjiang and Xinjiang-Yinchuan section.
Source: @Urumqi Railway International Travel
What's going on here?
Double beds are just standard.
Bars open until late at night, KTV singing, Xinjiang-style gourmet bars, pianos, movies, afternoon tea, 24-hour hot showers... The whole car is covered by Wi-Fi, and each private room is equipped with a large glass viewing window, and the various scenery of Xinjiang is unobstructed.
18 carriages, divided into Supreme Gold Diamond and Deluxe Blue Diamond.
Each carriage is equipped with 4 suites for 2 people to live in, and Deluxe Blue Diamond is equipped with 7 suites per car, and each box is generally recommended for 2 people.
What are gold diamonds? 1.5 meters of luxurious bed, desk, wardrobe, safe, large glass windows with landscape, 24-hour hot water supply, separate bathroom with wet and dry, business desk, full air conditioning, all in the star hotel should have here.
What is a blue diamond? Two single beds, each car has 2 public toilets, a shower room and a powder room.
No more than 200 people travel together on each train, including 8 golden diamond carriages and 10 blue diamond carriages, with a total of about 50 working service personnel, the service ratio is nearly 3:1, and almost every 3 people can be divided into 1 car service personnel.
Different from the general train, the New Oriental Express also has 2 exclusive dining cars.
Chef service, large plates of chicken, kebabs, pepper chicken, pilaf, grilled buns... There are also Turpan grapes, hami melons, Irtysh cold-water fish, And Rob roast lamb, which are basically Xinjiang specialties.
In addition to the dining car, the train is also equipped with a bar car and other functional cars, which are not only equipped with coffee seats, TV, stereo, but even karaoke and piano.
Compared with ordinary trains, the "New Oriental Express" has greatly improved its tightness, stability and shock absorption, and it will be more comfortable to ride, so this train trip has changed from a lengthy and difficult process to a comfortable and comfortable enjoyment.
Why is it so expensive?
If the hardware facilities are only the "standard" of this tourist train, then its travel routes are even more helpful to this price.
At present, the travel line arrangement launched on the market is generally 3 days to 6 days, while the route launched by the "New Oriental Express" is 12 days to 15 days.
Taking the train from Urumqi on October 24 as an example, the 12-day journey is priced at 46,999 yuan, including 6 nights of hotel double standard accommodation, 5 nights of "New Oriental Express" Supreme Golden Diamond Suite, 18 land meals, 2 train meals, 6 hotel breakfasts and 5 train breakfasts, in addition, the entrance tickets, ground transportation, tour guide services and other expenses of all attractions in the itinerary are also included.
The unique scenery outside the car window and the destination also attracts a large wave of tourists, from southern Xinjiang to northern Xinjiang, meandering, passing through the Tianshan Tianchi Scenic Area, Urumqi Grand Bazaar, Tianshan Mysterious Grand Canyon and other tourist destinations, there are beautiful northern Xinjiang, magnificent grasslands, quiet and hidden lakes, and towering mountains.
Industry insiders pointed out that due to the restrictions of Xinjiang's geographical environment and other factors, a considerable number of local tourists will choose to travel with groups, due to the long distance between attractions, inconvenient transportation and other reasons, the pricing of group tours is also higher than that of general cities. The advent of this train solves the problem of too far away from the destination, and the scarcity of the product is the most powerful factor supporting its pricing.
Why choose to travel to Xinjiang by train?
Some netizens said that xinjiang is too large and it is more comfortable to take a train.
How big is Xinjiang? A total of 1.66 million square kilometers, accounting for 1/6 of China's total land area, about equal to 3 France. The vast geographical area, the ultra-long distance between cities and cities, scenic spots and scenic spots, are destined to make highly comfortable trains more popular.
Industry insiders pointed out that although Xinjiang airports are the largest in the country, they are all over the city, very far from the natural landscape, and the special train route extends to various small cities with the railway tracks, which is closer to the scenic landscape and greatly shortens the tour drive.
Some netizens said: "No need to carry luggage back and forth, no need to work by boat, you can sleep in a comfortable bed at night, you can get off the train to play freely during the day, and traveling to Xinjiang by train has indeed become the first choice for more and more tourists going to Xinjiang at present." ”
What are the beauties along the way?
Narathi
One of the four major alpine valley grasslands in the world. Blue sky and white clouds, snowy mountains and rivers, spruce grasslands, herdsmen's felt houses and other landscapes are staggered here, and are also known as "hanging gardens".
Sailim Lake
Xinjiang's largest alpine lake, the warm and humid atlantic air, is comfortable and pleasant until October, with wildflowers blooming in the grasslands along the lake and the blue lake water under the snow-capped mountains as beautiful as a fairyland.
Kanas
It was rated as the first place in "China's Top Ten Autumn Colors" by China National Geographic. In the autumn of October, here is the landscape fairy tale that cannot be hidden, and the world is absolutely beautiful. It is also the home of the mysterious Tuvan people, where you can immerse yourself in the local culture and folklore.
Grass wood
It is also known as "God's reserved land". In the golden autumn of October, colorful birches surround the wooden house, looming in the cooking smoke and morning fog, brilliant and quiet, like an oil painting, staging the magic of "God's palette".
Tarim poplar forest
Tarim Poplar National Forest Park, which integrates the Landscape of Tahe River, Poplar and Desert, is the oldest, largest and most primitive poplar forest reserve in the world. Every year in mid-to-late October, the best viewing period is held here.
Cocoto Sea
A small town in the Altay region of Xinjiang, it is also a primitive nomadic area for Kazakhs, where you can feel the lunch of a Kazakh family.
Zhangye Danxia landform
In China's Danxia landform, Zhangye's colorful Danxia is the most colorful and the area is the best in the country.
The mysterious Grand Canyon of the Tianshan Mountains
Set majestic, dangerous, quiet, quiet, and divine as one, surrounded by mountains on three sides, those who are immersed in it are all admired for its majesty and magnificence. The remaining murals and Chinese characters in the Aai Grottoes on the cliffs 1.4 kilometers away from the valley mouth have also added more mystery to it.
Tianshan Tianchi
The legend of the Queen Mother of the West "Yao Pond", where the snow peaks are reflected, the spruce trees are surrounded, the blue water is like a mirror, and the scenery is picturesque, which is listed on the United Nations World Natural Heritage List.
Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring
Mingsha Mountain is named after the sound of sand movement, and the crescent spring is surrounded by Mingsha Mountain, which resembles a crescent moon and is famous for "sand does not enter the spring, and the water does not dry up". There are not only beautiful scenery here, but also a rich desert experience.
Mogao Caves
Located at the western end of the Hexi Corridor, Dunhuang has 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and 2,415 clay painted sculptures, making it the largest and most abundant Buddhist art site in the world.