China / Russia Route
6 month trip from Shanghai, China to Moscow, Russia.
Started Apr 16, 2013 and ended October 16, 2013
Our route:
List of cities where we spent the night
China (by province):
Shanghai: Shanghai
Jiangsu: Suzhou, Nanjing
Zhejiang: Hangzhou
Anhui: Tunxi, Huangshan
Jiangxi: Little Likeng, Lingjiao, Shangrao (train)
Fujian: Hukeng, Gulang Yu, Xiamen
Hong Kong SAR: Hong Kong
Macau SAR: Macau
Guangxi: Yangshuo, Dazhai, Ping’an, Guilin
Yunnan: Kunming, Dali, Shaxi, Lijiang, Qiaotou (Tiger Leaping Gorge), Shangri-la
Sichuan: Xiangcheng, Litang, Ganzi, Talam Khang, Dege, Manigango, Tagong, Kangding, Chengdu, Jiuzhaigou
Gansu: Langmusi, Xiahe, Jiayuguan
Shaanxi: Xian, Hua Shan
Henan: Luoyang, Shaolin Temple
Beijing: Beijing
Hebei: Gubeikou
Inner Mongolia: Jining
Mongolia:
Zamyn Ud (train)
Ulaanbaatar
Erdenet
Ikhuul
Khovsgol
Ulaan Uul
Taiga Baruun
Moron
Shine-Ider
Khorgo Terkiin Tsaagan Nuur (White Lake)
Tsenkher Hot Springs
Tovkhon Khiid
Rashaant (Semi Gobi)
Russia:
Ulan-Ude
Goryachinsk
Slyudanka
Arshan
Irkutsk
Khuzir (Olkhon Island)
Listvyanka
Krasnoyarsk
Tomsk
Tobolsk
Byngi (Bingi)
Yekaterinburg
Kungur
Kazan
Nizhny Novgorod
Suzdal
Kostroma
Rostov Veliky
Moscow
St. Petersburg
Vyborg
82 Liters 
Just found your itinerary!
-In Yunnan, definitely recommend spending a little time in Lijiang and doing the Tiger Leaping Gorge hike (super easy staying in guest houses)
-In Sichuan, there is an awesome national park called Jiuzhaigou (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiuzhaigou_Valley) that I really want to go to
-Xinjiang is really interesting since it is so different from the Han parts of China and the food is yummy:-) Definitely would take a little more travel but I liked it.
-The Mogao caves in Dunhuang blew me away since this is where merchants stopped to make offerings before starting on the Silk Road across the desert (Gansu)
-Lots of excellent food and art in Beijing. Let me know when you’re getting close and I’ll put you in touch with some friends
Thanks for all the recs Ben! We’ve heard great things about Lijiang/Tiger Leaping Gorge and Jiuzhaigou and will definitely be checking out those areas. Expect to visit Beijing afterwards, in July. Not sure whether we’ll make it to the Silk Road places since they’re so far northwest.