Due to China’s huge landmass climate can vary enormously across the Silk Road area. Summers are generally hot although the south of the country has a more tropical climate and rain can be experienced at any time of year. Winters are cold and dry and even in some cities such as Beijing the temperate can drop to -13°C
The Silk Road is such a vast area and there are distinct weather seasons and climates in different areas. Our tours along the Silk Road in China generally travel from East to West visiting Xian, Xiahe, Dunhuang, Turpan and Kashgar in Xinjiang, China’s Far-west Province. The best time to travel along the Chinese Silk Road is spring and autumn where the temperatures are pleasant around 25°C and there is little rain. You can travel along the Chinese Silk Road during the summer months, when the average temperature is 30°C in Kashgar and temperatures can reach 40°C in Turpan. Winter along the Silk Road are pretty harsh with cold weather below 0°C and sometimes snow, the high mountain passes are closed for tourists and the travel infrastructure is limited, so this is not a good time to travel.
Climate and weather by travel months/ seasons.
April – early July: Spring generally arrives quite late along the Silk Road but changes to summer quite rapidly with marked changes in temperature. Early spring temperatures range from 4° to 11°C and rise quickly to 14°/ 26°C towards the end of the season. The range of altitude along the Silk Road means temperatures can vary greatly between day and night. Spring brings a fantastic array of flora and is a very pretty time to travel. If you plan to cross some of the high mountain passes as part of your itinerary it’s best to plan travel from mid May.
July – August: Silk Road summer are hot, can reach 40°C plus with average of around 30°C . Compared to the rest of China Silk Road summers are generally dry with very few rainy days per month. Summer is the season of fruits especially grapes and melons and a great time to travel if you like or are comfortable travelling in hot weather.
September – October: The signs of Autumn can be witnessed and felt as early as September, but this is still the best and favoured time to travel along the Silk Road. The weather is cooler and generally dry. By October Winter is well on its way and temperatures can drop dramatically, although the colours and autumn leaves are spectacular. The first week in October is National Holiday week and we recommend that you avoid this time if possible as services are stretched by locals travelling across the country.
