Dawakul Desert Trekking

Dawa kul (Sacred lake) Day tour or Trekking tours
Dawa kul is a sacred lake in Yoporga Town, about 130km from Kashgar, known for its power to cure disease. The story goes that one day a farmer was travelling between local villages in the area. His donkey had an injured leg and being late in the day, the man paused by the lake to let his noble animal drink its fill before sleeping in a nearby village. When morning came, the farmer was shocked to find his donkey was fit and healthy. He told others about this experience and the lake has attracted the sick and injured ever since.
Until recently, many villagers used to come to the lake to bathe and lie in the nearby sand dunes. But with local fame has come modern development and an entrance fee of 30 RMB is now levied to all visitors (including locals). Whilst growing pollution is a cause for concern, the area surrounding the lake is large and still contains some of the largest and best looking sand dunes in the Taklimakan. The area is perfect for 2 to 7 days desert trekking and we definitely recommend a visit.
Our tour(s) out to the Dawa kul begin at 7:00am local time from Kashgar and the day's events more-or-less depend on you. Along the way, we stop off at Yoporga to see a very interesting village market there (only on a Saturday). Yoporga sits about 20kms from the lake. The village is non-touristy and the donkeys of the area are particularly famous around Kashgar. When we reach Dawa kul, you can ride camels or drive local trucks (though we don't recommend the latter). As a second option, after you're done riding camels, we can also drive out to see a local Poplar forest in the desert, renown for its ancient trees. We should arrive back in Kashgar by 4:00pm local time.
We can organize longer camel trekking tours into the desert depending upon your time and budget - from 2 to 3 days tours are recommended. We have all the equipment so please feel free to call us at anytime.