11-Day Kashgar, Turpan, Dunhuang And Xi’an Tours

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Daily Tour 11 day
Kashgar

Tour Highlights

  • Enjoy stunning sceneries along the Karakorom Highway with Tajik and Kyrgiz people’s cultures.
  • Enjoy the old city, livestock market, grand mausoleum and the rich culture of Kashgar.
  • Visit Karez underground irrigation channels one of the three Great Projects in China.
  • Enjoy camel ride around the Crescent lake in the Gobi Desert.
  • Admire the most valuable Buddhist Treasure house of Mogao Grottoes in the World.
  • Understand the ancient history of China in Xi’an Museum.
  • Enjoy the greatest archaeological discoveries of Terra-Cotta Warriors in China.
  • Explore the ancient city of Jiaohe, which was built by dug down the ground.
Day 1, Arrive Kashgar

Activities: pick you from Kashgar airport and transfer to your hotel
Details:Our professional tour guide and driver will welcome you at Kashgar airport and transfer to your Hotel. Have a good rest after a long flight.
Kashgar, 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.

Day 2, Explore Kashgar City

Activities: Visit Grand mosque, Apak Hoja tomb (which is also called Fragrant Concubine Tomb), Old city walking tours, livestock market, Sunday market and dinner at a local Uighur family
Details:Explore the rich, endless culture of the Uighurs in Kashgar. First visit livestock market which happens on every Sunday and people bring their horses, sheep, goats, camels,cows,bulls,yaks and donkeys to the market for sale. It provides a great opportunity to take photos of the faces of local people, study traditional local market culture, test-drive a donkey or 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 chance to practice your bargaining skills.
After lunch spend some time by the 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).
We’ll also spend time in the Kashgar Old Town and have some walking tours through some ancient historical parts; Stop at a century-old tea house for a short break and taste local medicinal teas such as those containing rose, saffron, honey and many other ingredients.
Finally conclude our city tour with a dinner at a local family in old city area

Day 3, Kashgar to Tashkorgan—-Karakul Lake

Activities: Drive on KKH, Opal Village, visit Karakul Lake, Stone fort, Tajik family, Kyrgyz family Local family yurt next to the lake
Details:We set out along the Sino – Pakistan Karakorum Highway, on the Pamir plateau (the roof of the world) visit Karakul Lake (3600m above sea level) on the way. Then Keep driving till Tashkorgan .
Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county was once an important hub on the old Silk Road. The area borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan via the Kunjerab Pass and Wahan Corridor.
After arriving at Tashkurgan, you’ll have an opportunity to see the town’s ancient stone fort – still standing after 2200 years! ‘Tashkurgan’ is a translation of ‘Stone Fort.’ 
Then drive back to Karakul lake People travel to experience the lives of another cultures, which is why we spend a night in the yurt of a local Kyrgyz family and really experience another way of mountain life.

Day 4, Karakul Lake to Kashgar

Activities: Hiking around lake and drive back kashgar
Details:The lake sits at the foot of the notorious Muztagh Ata ( 7546m ) and Gongur ( 7719m ) Mountains. ‘Muztagh Ata’ means Father of the Ice Mountains, it is one of the most beautiful and mysterious mountains in the world.
Trekking and hiking around Karakul lake for whole morning and drive back to kashgar in the afternoon.

Day 5, Kashgar to Urumqi and visit Heavenly Lake

Activities: Take morning flight to Urumqi at 11:00/12:00 and visit Heavenly lake.
Details:After breakfast our guide and driver from Kashgar will see you off at Kashgar airport and another local guide and driver will expect you at Urumqi airport, then drive to Heavenly lake directly which takes about two hours.
Heavenly lake offers some great hiking routes through the valleys on wooden pathways or up to the mountains top as you like.
Your stay at the heavenly lake is the time to go for boating, take photos or simply trek around the lake. You can have lunch 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.
when you are ready, drive to Urumqi for about 2 hours and check into Hotel.

Day 6, Urumqi to Turpan

Activities: Drive to Turpan after breakfast and visit Idikut (Gaochang) ancient city, Toyuq village and Flaming Mountains.
Details:After breakfast, drive on the first-class highway to Turpan for about 2:30-3:00 hours. Once you arrive Turpan first check into the hotel, then we start our wonderful day in Turpan with a visit to the ancient city of Idikut (Gaochang). The city was built in the first Century BC and later became capital of the Idikut (Gaochang) Uighur Kingdom in the 8th Century.

We enjoy seeing this ancient city for about 40 minutes and then drive to Toyuq village, an old, beautiful and timeless village with a friendly Uighur community. Here we visit several local families and have tea with a local family in their home. This could be the highlight of your tour today.

On the way back to the hotel we will stop on the roadside for photos of Flaming Mountain which people claimed to be the hottest and driest along the silk road that “flying birds even a thousand miles away dare not to come”.

Day 7, Turpan to Dunhuang

Activities: Visit Yargul (Jiaohe) Ancient city, Karez underground Irrigations system and Emin Minaret, Take overnight soft sleeper train to Dunhuang
Details:Following breakfast at the Hotel we start our wonderful day in Turpan. Our special itinerary today includes sightseeing in Turpan and take overnight train to Dunhuang.
First visit Yargul (Jiaohe) Ancient City which is one of the best preserved ancient cities in China. The ruins of the buildings are divided into temples, civilian dwellings and government offices. Workshops, residential houses and the streets are still visible and time there is a time spent in a long lost world.
After an hour of seeing around the ancient city, we’ll head on to see the world famous Karez Underground Irrigation System, unique to this part of the world. The system is considered as one of the three great projects in China with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.
Then visit Emin Suliman minaret which is a magnificent combination of ancient Uighur and Islamic architecture. It is the tallest ancient tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient minaret in the country. Locals call it “pure tower.”
End of the day take overnight soft sleeper train to Dunhuang which is about 10: 00 hours journey.

Day 8, Dunhuang For Whole Day

Activities: Arrive in Dunhuang train station in the morning and visit Mogao Grottoes, Museum, Crescent Lake and Mingsha Echo-sand Mountain
Details:Our Dunhuang local guide welcomes you holding your name in front of the Dunhuang train station and first have breakfast then go for sight-seeing.
We drive to Mogao Grottoes which were constructed over a millennium from the 4th to 14th centuries. The caves are also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves with two distinctions of being one of the most notable grottoes in China as well as the best-preserved treasure house of Buddhist arts, sutras, murals and sculptures in the world.
After lunch, visit Dunhuang Museum which exhibits relics excavated from the local area, such as papers, coins, a model of the Great Wall as it appeared during the Han Dynasty.
Then drive to Mysterious Crescent lake which its name derives from the crescent moon, shaped by the small pool of spring water between two large sand dunes. Here you’ll have chance to ride camels across the sand dunes of Sounding Sand mountain which makes sounds when the wind blows.
We highly recommend you to stay till Sunset over the high sand dunes before going back to hotel

Day 9, Dunhuang to Xi’an

Activities: Take morning flight to Xi’an and visit Xi’an city wall and Provincial Museum
Details:Our guide and driver from Dunhuang see you off at Dunhuang Airport and another Knowledgeable and friendly local guide will meet you with experienced driver at Xi’an airport and transfer to Xi’an city which is about 1.5 hours driving distance.
First have lunch and then drive to Xi’an city wall which is the symbol of Xi’an and the most ancient existing city wall in China until today. We spend a few hours by walking around or riding bicycle at this CITY WALL as your desire.
Finally visit Shanxi provincial Museum which is one of the first largest state museums with modern facilities in China. The museum houses over 370,000 items, including murals, paintings, potteries, coins, bronze, gold and silver objects. The modern museum was built between 1983 and 2001 and its appearance recalls the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty.

Day 10, Explore Xi’an For Whole Day

Activities: Visit Terra-Cotta Warriors; Bell Tower; Wild Goose Pagoda and Hui Mosque
Details:After breakfast, we start our wonderful one day tour with a visit to Terra-Cotta Warriors which is one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. This site is about an hour drive from Xi’an city.
After lunch Visit Bell tower which is located in downtown area. it is a Chinese traditional building and geographical center of the ancient capital, best preserved and largest wooden tower in China.
After an hour here we continue our tour to wild goose Pagoda which is a well preserved ancient holy building for Buddhism.
Finally visit Hui grand mosque located in Hui minority area, construction of the mosque has rich Chinese features combined with Arabic style. It is one of the oldest and largest mosque in China.

Day 11, Xi’an to your Next destination

Activities: See you off at Xi’an airport
Details:Today is the last day of your tour with us, so we hope this tour shouldn’t be the last. We strive to make every day of your time with us the one that you’ll always remember and if you’d like to book some other tours please Contact us for more information

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