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Voykit pocket guide · China
Charklik, Ruoqiang
Visit Charklik if you can secure a Loulan Ruins permit; otherwise skip – 1 day for town sights, 2 days for the remote ruins.
Charklik is the main desert gateway on the Silk Road in Xinjiang. The town offers a few hotels and a museum; the remote Loulan Ruins need a costly permit and off‑road convoy, so most travellers spend a day in town and a second day only if the permit is obtained.
- Country
- China
- Best months
- Apr–Oct
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (sandstorms)
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥150–¥250 excl. bed (check) · Mid ¥250–¥400 excl. bed (check) · High ¥400+ excl. bed (check) (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Hotel double room (budget) | ¥200–¥300 |
| Loulan Museum entry | Free |
| Bus from Korla to Charklik | ¥130 (8 h) |
| Bus from Golmud to Charklik | ¥230 (14 h) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- RQH · Ruoqiang Loulan Airport
- 16 km (9.9 mi) SW of town centre; airport bus ~30 min9.9 mi (16 km) SW of town centre; airport bus ~30 min
Typical fares
- Ruoqiang Loulan Airport → town centre bus
- about ¥30, 20 min (check)
- Bus Korla → Charklik
- ¥130, 8 h
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Public bus service runs within town (since Jan 2021); taxis are available but limited. Highway 315 is the main road for hitchhiking trucks.
See and do
Known for
- Loulan Ruins
- Loulan Museum
- Silk Road gateway
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Loulan Ruins | Join a convoy from town; permit required | 2–3 h each way, plus permit processing |
Sleep
- Loulan Hotel
- from ¥300 for doubles
- Longdu Hotel
- doubles at ¥120
- Zhewen Hotel
- from ¥200 for doubles
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | 对不起duìbuqǐ |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshǎo qián? |
| Where is the toilet? | 厕所在哪里？cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Loulan Ruins require a special permit; cost up to ¥300,000 for foreigners and military approval (check).
- Sandstorms can make desert travel hazardous; avoid the Lop Desert in high‑wind periods.
- Police checkpoints on highways 315 and 218 may stop foreign vehicles.
Generally safe in town; desert travel requires permits, convoy, and awareness of sandstorms and police checkpoints.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Charklik, Ruoqiang yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Loulan Ruins
- Loulan Museum
- Silk Road gateway
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikidata – Charklik: www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123456
- Wikivoyage: Charklik (Ruoqiang), revision 5148171 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5148171
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/charklik-ruoqiang). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.