Page 3 - Taklamakan Anglo-Chinese Expedition Information .docx

WHAT?
THE TAKLAMAKAN ANGLO- CHINESE EXPEDITION Only the second International Expedition in over 500 years to cross the length of the
fearsome Taklamakan Desert.
The first female-led Expedition to cross the Taklamakan Desert.
The Expedition expects to travel some 1,000 km, crossing the length of the desert from west to east.
WHERE?
THE TAKLAMAKAN DESERT
One of the world’s largest and least explored deserts of giant shifting dunes.
This central Asian desert lies in the central part of the Tarim Basin of Xinjiang Province, Western China. It is encompassed by the old Silk Road, which is forced to split on its route to and from China in order to circumnavigate this inhospitable desert.
Local populations are Turkic, Muslim, Uyghur and Chinese Han
The desert is also home to 409 vertebrates, wild camels, reptiles, & snakes.
TERRAIN & CONDITIONS
Extreme scarcity of water and sparse vegetation
Giant shifting Dunes up to 1,500 feet (450m) high making for extremely difficult and challenging terrain over which to navigate
WHEN
September 2018 Calculated crossing time 10 weeks
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