14-Day China Silk Road Adventure: Journey Through Ancient Empires & Desert Wonders

Summary

DAY 1: Arrive in Xi'an
DAY 2 Xi'an: Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Datang Everbright City
DAY 3 Xi'an—Lanzhou by Trian: Ancient City Wall, Bell and Drum Tower, Muslim Quarter, Take train to Lanzhou
DAY 4 Lanzhou: Bingling Temple Grottoes (including a high-speed boat cruise on the Yellow River), Lanzhou Yellow River Scenic Line (Zhongshan Bridge, Yellow River Mother Statue, Waterwheel Park)
DAY 5 Lanzhou: Gansu Provincial Museum, afternoon flight to Dunhuang
DAY 6 Dunhuang: Mogao Caves, Singing Sand Dunes & Crescent Lake, Dunhuang Night Market
DAY 7 Dunhuang: Dunhuang Bookstore or Danghe River Scenic Walking Tour (City Walk), transfer to Liuyuan Station for train to Turpan
DAY 8 Turpan: Gaochang Ancient City, Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Cave, Flaming Mountain
DAY 9 Turpan—Urumqi by Vehicle: Karez Well, Emin Minaret, drive to Urumqi
DAY 10 Urumqi: Xinjiang Regional Musuem,Hongguangshan Giant Buddha, Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar
DAY 11 Urumqi—Kashgar by Flight: Livestock Market, Sunday Market, Grand Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar Ancient Town, Local Uighur Family Dinner
DAY 12 Kashgar: Opal Village, Oytagh Kunlunshan Colorful mountain range, Gaz Valley, Bulungkol Valley (white sand mountain), Karakul lake and local Kyrgyz family visit.
DAY 13 Kashgar—Urumqi by Flight: Heavenly Lake(Tianchi)
DAY 14: Urumqi Departure

DAY 1 Xi'an Arrival

Welcome to China Xi'an! Upon on your arrival in Xi'an, your Xi'an driver will pick you up at the exit of airport with a welcome sign "Your Way Holiday". And escorted you to your hotel, your guide will help you check in. The rest of the day is free on your own to relax and recover your jetlag.

DAY 2 Xi'an

After breakfast, meet you guide at your hotel lobby at appointed time and take you to Terracotta Warriors. It is known as "the eighth Wonders of the world", the museum shows a surprisingly high level in sculpture, which is listed as the most significant discovery of the 20th century. Up to now, there has discovered a total of 179 accompanying burial pits of different connotations and various shapes in Qinshihuang's Mausoleum area. The terracotta figures are life-sized. They vary in height, uniform, and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The faces appear different for each individual figure, scholars however have identified 10 basic face shapes.

After lunch, you will be transferred back to Xi'an downtown. You'll head for the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, also named Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. The pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda, located in southern Xi'an. It become the symbol of the old-line Xi'an. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty and originally had five stories. It attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion and its simple but appealing style of construction. Now the Big Wild Goose Pagoda enjoys rich Buddhist culture, profound figures, splendid architectural art,etc, so it is regarded as the gem of Chinese ancient architectural history and a sacred Buddhist land. It is both the landmark of Xi'an city and the vital place for the welcoming foreign leaders and friends.

In the evening, explore the dazzling Datang Everbright City, a vibrant pedestrian street filled with illuminated sculptures, cultural performances, and Tang-style architecture, offering a lively modern interpretation of ancient Chang’an.

Drop you off at your lovely hotel after the show ends.

DAY 3 Xi'an-Lanzhou by Train

After breakfast, drive you to visit Xi'an Ancient City Wall. As one of the UNESCO's World Heritage Site, Xi'an Ancient City Wall was built in the 14th century, under the regime of Emperor Zhuyuanzhang in Ming dynasty, had the function of protecting the cities or towns as military defense systems in ancient China. Xi'an Ancient City Wall is one of the oldest, largest and best preserved Chinese city walls, exhibits the "complete features of the rampart architecture of feudal society".

Continue to the Bell and Drum Tower Square, the symbolic center of the ancient capital, surrounded by traditional architecture and city life.

After lunch, stroll down the Muslim Quarter. The Muslim Quarter is located 100 meters west of Bell Tower, which is one of the most well-known parts of the city. The street is lined on both sides with different shapes and different size, it features silk scarves, name chops, colorful farmer's paintings, traditional Shaanxi handicrafts, like the delicate and beautiful 'paper cuts'.

At the end, transfer you to Xian train station to catch the train to Lanzhou, it takes around 3 hrs. Upon arrival, our Lanzhou local tour guide will pick you up at the exit of the train station with the sign "Your Way Holiday". Drive to your hotel for check-in, the rest day is free on your own.

DAY 4 Lanzhou

In the morning, our tour guide will meet you at your hotel lobby. Your first stop for today is Visit the spectacular Bingling Temple Grottoes, a UNESCO-listed site featuring ancient Buddhist cave sculptures carved into cliffs along the Yellow River. The journey includes a scenic high-speed boat cruise on the river.

Continue along the Lanzhou Yellow River Scenic Line, including stops at the Zhongshan Bridge, the historic first permanent bridge over the Yellow River, the symbolic Yellow River Mother Statue, and the scenic Waterwheel Park, showcasing traditional irrigation culture.

After the tour ends, drive you to your hotel.

DAY 5 Lanzhou-Dunhuang by Flight

After breakfast, our tour guide will take you to Gansu Provincial Museum. Gansu Provincial Museum, located on the banks of the Yellow River, is an integrative local history museum renowned at home and abroad for its long history and abundant and characteristic cultural relics collection. Gansu Provincial Museum has a rich collection of cultural relics, fossils and specimens with distinguished features. It houses a total of 355,364 relics. Its most unique pieces include painted pottery from the Neolithic Age; wood and bamboo documents from the Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220); Silk Road documents and treasures of the Han and Tang (AD 618-907) dynasties; and Buddhist artwork.

After lunch, transfer you to Lanzhou airport and you fly to Dunhuang. Upon on your arrival in Dunhuang, our local driver will pick you up at the exit of airport with the sign "Your Way Holiday". Drive to your hotel for checking-in.

DAY 6 Dunhuang

Explore the world-famous Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring thousands of Buddhist murals and statues spanning over 1,000 years of Silk Road art.

Then, you will have chance to ride a camel from the Echoing-Sand Dune to Crescent Lake, a miracle in the Gobi desert. Lake Crescent is known for its brilliant blue waters and exceptional clarity, caused by a lack of nitrogen in the water which inhibits the growth of algae. You will be able to reach the top from one side of the dunes and slide down the other to see the fantastic view. (Plz prepare your sunglasses to keep out the dust).

In the evening, enjoy the lively atmosphere of Dunhuang Night Market, filled with local food and cultural products.

Drop you off at your lovely hotel.

DAY 7 Dunhuang-Turpan by Train

After breakfast, enjoy a relaxed morning at the Dunhuang Bookstore or take a Danghe River Scenic City Walk, experiencing the peaceful desert town atmosphere.

Afterwards, transfer to Liuyuan Station and take a train to Turpan. Upon arrival, meet your local driver and transfer to your hotel.

DAY 8 Turpan

In the morning, your first stop is Gaochang Ancient City. Gaochang ancient city was built in the first Century BC and later became capital of the Idikut (Gaochang) Uighur Kingdom in the 8th Century.  Gaochang is considered in some sources to have been a "Chinese colony", that is, it was located in a region otherwise occupied at the time by West Eurasian peoples. A busy trading center, it was a stopping point for merchant traders traveling on the Silk Road. It was destroyed in wars during the 14th century, and old palace ruins and inside and outside cities can still be seen today.

After lunch, visit Bizeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, which used to be an important center for Buddhist worshipers under the Xizhou Huigu government of the Idikut (Gaochang) Kingdom. The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves is a complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to 14th century between the cities of Turpan and Shanshan (Loulan) at the north-east of the Taklamakan Desert near the ancient ruins of Gaochang in the Mutou Valley, a gorge in the Flaming Mountains, China. They are high on the cliffs of the west Mutou Valley under the Flaming Mountains,[1] and most of the surviving caves date from the West Uyghur kingdom around the 10th to 13th centuries.

On the way back to the hotel, stop at the Flaming Mountain, where people claimed to be hottest and driest along the silk road that "flying birds even a thousand miles away dare not to come".  They lie near the northern rim of the Taklamakan Desert and east of the city of Turpan. Their striking gullies and trenches caused by erosion of the red sandstone bedrock give the mountains a flaming appearance at certain times of the day.

At the end, drive you to your hotel.

DAY 9 Turpan-Urumqi by Vehicle

After breakfast, the first destination that you will visit is Karez Well. In Xinjiang, the greatest number of karez wells are in the Turpan Depression , where today there remain over 1100 karez wells and channels having a total length of over 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi). The local geography makes karez wells practical for agricultural irrigation and other uses.You will know the underground water supply and irrigation system.

After that, enjoy family visit of local Uygur and have lunch with them. You will learn how to make Xinjiang food and visit the vineyard. 

In the afternoon, our guide will take you to visit Emin Minaret (Sugong Pagoda) which is the biggest ancient pagoda existing in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient pagoda in the country. Appreciate sunset at Jiaohe Ancient City and have leisure walk at the valley about 40 minutes. 

At the ends, drive you to Urumqi city, around 200 km away from Turpan. 

DAY 10 Urumqi

In the morning, our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby. Drive you to visit Xinjiang Regional Musuem, our guide will show you around the museum, giving historical context and background. One highlight of the collection is the well-preserved tattooed mummies discovered in the desert nearby. Look out for the Beauty of Loulan, buried around 3,800 years ago near the town of Loulan in the Taklamakan Desert and first excavated in 1980. The hot, dry sands preserved her facial features remarkably well in her open coffin: and she is still beautiful today.

After lunch, continue your tour to the Hongguang Shan Giant Buddha, which towers over downtown Urumqi at approximately 38.8 meters (128 feet) tall. Grab a few shots before you head to the Red Hill, a traditional Chinese-style pagoda standing on the top of the hill that is the symbol of the City.

The last stop for the tour is Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar, recapture the magic of the old Silk Road with a stroll through Erdaoqiao Market, once a trading hub for merchandise from all over Central Asia. This makes a great place to shop for traditional Uighur souvenirs, and your guide can help you navigate the stalls.

Drive you back to your hotel.

DAY 11 Urumqi-Kashgar by Flight

In the early morning, you will be transferred to the airport for your flight to Kashgar, it takes around 2 hour for one way. Kashgar, it is an oasis city in Xinjiang, is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the borders of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It has a history of over 2,000 years and served as a trading post and strategically important city on the Silk Road between China, the Middle East and Europe.

Upon arrival, your local guide will wait you at the exit of the airport with a welcome signage "Your Way Holiday". And start your tour immediately. 

Firstly, enjoy the famous livestock market, which happens only on every Sunday and people bring their horses, sheep, goats, camels, cows, bulls and other livestocks to the market from all the directions for sale. It provides a great opportunity to take photos of the faces of local people, enjoy the traditional local market culture, test-drive a donkey or a horse or even make its shoes. Like opening a window, today is a real glimpse into a time lost in the annals of the Silk Road’s past and an opportunity not to be missed.

Later, move on to Sunday market main Bazaar which is considered one of the largest market in Central Asia. From fluffy sheepskin hats to rugged camel-hide boots, not to mention beads, buttons and buckets of locals. Everything – including plenty of kitchen sinks – is for sale at this fairytale bazaar. It is the best to chance to practice your bargaining skills.

After lunch, visit the Grand Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China and marvel at the intricate architecture of Kashgar's historic Apak Hoja Tomb, which is also known as Fragrant concubine tomb.

Take a leisure walk in Kashgar Ancient Town. Walking is the best way to see and understand the ancient historical parts,streets, handicraft workshops and many more;enjoy a century-old Kashgar tea house’s atmoshpere for a short break. sitting by the locals and try various medicinal teas such as those containing rose, saffron, honey and many other ingredients.

Finally wrap up our city day tour with a dinner at a local family which offers a great opportunity to deeply understand real local life, culture and traditions of Uighurs. After the dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel, your guide will help you to check in.

DAY 12 Kashgar

Today, travel along the scenic route to the Opal Village, then continue through the breathtaking Oytagh Kunlunshan Colorful Mountains.

Visit the Gaz Valley and the dramatic Bulungkol Valley (White Sand Mountain).

End the day at the stunning Karakul Lake, located beneath Muztagh Ata peak, and visit a local Kyrgyz family to experience traditional nomadic life.

DAY 13 Kashgar-Urumqi by Flight

After breakfast, our guide and driver will take you to Kashgar airport for your flight back to Urumqi. Upon arrival, your guide and driver will meet you at the exit of Urumqi airport with a sign "Your Way Holiday", and drive to Heavenly lake directly which takes about two hours.

Visit the stunning Heavenly Lake (Tianchi), an alpine lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forests, and scenic walking trails.

Your stay at the heavenly lake is your time to go boating, take photos or simply trek around the lake if you like. You can lunch together with a local Kazak family or just pay them a visit! This is certainly the easiest way to understand the life of the Kazak people in such a short time.

Drive you back to Urumqi.

DAY 14 Urumqi Departure

Our driver will pick you up from your hotel lobby at appointed time, dirve you to airport for your flight to next destinastion or back home. Your 14 Days Best China Silk Road Tour comes to end. Have a pleasent trip!

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. All transfer and city transportation 2. Air-conditioned car or van 3. Hotels specified in the itinerary, all based     on two persons sharingone standard room; 4. Meals specified in the itinerary: Western     breakfast in hotels Chinese lunch and     dinner in local restaurants 5. Sightseeing: All arrangements mentioned     in the itinerary will be covered All first     admission/entrance fees in the itinerary 6. Tour guide: Conducted by a professional     English & Chinese speaking tour guide

Price Excludes 1. International air-tickets 2. Airport departure tax. 3. International or domestic air tickets which     are not listed in the itinerary. 4. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness     or damages incurred during your trip 5. Tips to the tour guide and driver 6. Meals not specified in the itinerary. 7. Personal expenses: phone bills, laundry,     optional tours, postage, excess baggage     charge, entertainment fees out of the     itinerary. 8. Single Room Supplement.