Getting There-- Khotan'sairport,10km (6 1/4 miles) west of downtown, was undergoing renovations at press time. Daily connections with Urumqi are expected. TheCAACair ticket office, on Wulumuqi Nan Lu (tel.0903/251-2178), is open from 10am to 1pm and 4 to 6pm.
The mainbus station(tel.0903/251-3533) is at Hemo Lu 5, north of town, on the south side of Highway 315. Comfortable sleeper buses at 1pm and 5pm cross the Taklamakan Desert Highway to Urumqi (1,509km/936 miles; 25 hr.; ¥367/$46). Cheaper, less comfortable sleeper buses run every 2 hours between 10am and 8pm. For Kuqa, buy a ticket to Luntai (874km/542 miles; 14 hr.; ¥147/$19). You are dropped off in the forlorn settlement of Lunnan, about 30km (19 miles) south of Luntai. A seat in a taxi to Luntai should cost ¥10 ($1.25). Ask to be dropped at the bus station (qiche zhan), where buses for Kuqa (110km/68 miles; 2 hr.; ¥10/$1.25) leave when full. A daily bus at 9am visits the oasis towns east of Khotan, stopping at Keriya (Yutian; 177km/110 miles; 3 hr.; ¥15/$1.90), Niya (Minfeng; 294km/182 miles; 5 hr.; ¥25/$3), and Charchan (Qiemo; 603km/374 miles; 11 hr.; ¥50/$6). Sleeper buses for Kashgar leave at 5:30pm, 8:30pm, and 9:15pm (509km/316 miles; 13 hr.; ¥87/$11), while hard-seat buses depart at 9am, 10am, and noon (¥57/$7.10). There are daily sleeper buses to Yining at 11am and 1pm (2,469km/1,531 miles; 3 days; ¥265/$33).
Getting Around--Taxisare plentiful and do use their meters. They charge ¥5 (65¢) for 3km (2 miles), then ¥1.30 (20¢) per kilometer.Busfare is usually ¥1 (15¢), paid to the conductor.
Tours & Guides--CITSis on the third floor of a building 180m (600 ft.) south of the Bank of China, at Tamubage Lu 23 (tel.0903/251-6090;fax 0903/202-2846). It's open from 9:30am to 1:30pm and 4 to 8pm. While rates charged for guides are reasonable, you're better off arranging your own transport.