9-Day Silk Road Experience

9-Day Silk Road Experience

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 Appak Hoja Mausoleum (Fragrant Concubine Tomb), Livestock Market and bazaar
Details:Appak Hoja Mausoleum: is the biggest Sufi leaders family tombs of five generations in Xinjiang.also known as fragrant concubines tomb in Chinese whose grand daughter was the concubine of Emperor Qianlong.
This is a very huge garden area which has many historical buildings from 17th century. this visit takes around 2 hours to understand the history of this leader and his family connections with Qing dynasty. Enjoy all the historical buildings of Taj Mahal style Mausoleum, doctrine hall, mosque, old entrance gate and exquisitely decorated small mosque. a good example of architectural art of locals.
Livestock market: This market happens on every Sunday is sure to be the most interesting highlight of your tour today. 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 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.
There is a bustling bazaar and local-style restaurants around the market, which you cannot find in other places

Day 3, Day Trip to Karakul Lake

Activities: Drive along the KKH, Stop at Opal Village, Oytagh Kunlunshan Colorful mountain range, Gaz Valley and check point, Bulungkol Valley (white sand mountain), Karakul lake and local Kyrgyz family visit.
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). The lake sits at the foot of the notorious, Muztagh Ata (7546m) and Gongur (7719m) mountains. ‘Muztagh Ata’ means Father of the Ice Mountains and is one the most beautiful and mysterious mountains in the world. Return by late afternoon to Kashgar.

Day 4, Explore Kashgar city/Overnight train to Turpan

Activities: Visit Grand mosque, Handcraft Street , Old city walking tours and take soft sleeper overnight train to Turpan
Details:Explore the rich, endless culture of the Uighurs in Kashgar. Spend some time by the Id Kah mosque, the largest mosque in China and waling around handcraft street which is the most distinctive part of the urban area of Kashgar, which is also called the Ostang Boyi Handicraft Street and gathers different kind of handicraft workshops and stalls, It has become a boutique exhibition area.
After lunch, We’ll 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 such as those containing rose, saffron, honey and other ingredients.
Finally take soft sleeper overnight train to Turpan (about 12-14 hours train journey)

Day 5, Turpan For Whole Day

Activities: Visit Yargul (Jiaohe) Ancient city,Toyuq village,Flaming Mountains Karez underground Irrigations system and Emin Minaret
Details:After breakfast,we start our tour in Turpan with a visit to 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 walking around the ancient city,Move on to Toyuq village, an old, beautiful and timeless village with a friendly Uighur community. Here we visit several local families and have lunch with a local family in their home. This could be the highlight of your tour today.
After lunch we’ll head on to see the world famous Karez 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.
On the way we will stop at the Flaming Mountains 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” (just on the road side for photo)
Finally 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.”

Day 6, Turpan to Dunhuang By Fast Speed Train

Activities: Take fast speed train to Dunhuang and visit Crescent Lake and Mingsha Echo-sand Mountain.
Details:After breakfast at the hotel, take fast speed train to Dunhuang which takes around 3.00 hours. Our guide and driver from Dunhuang will pick up you from Liuyuan train station and then drive to Dunhuang city.
First have lunch and then visit 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 (camel is on your own expenses). you could enjoy the sunset and back to hotel later

Day 7, Dunhuang to Xi’an

Activities: Enjoy the sunrise (on a good day), Pack up and ride the camels out of the desert, shower at the hotel and then visit Mogao Grottoes before taking flight to Xi’an (19:10/22:45)
Details:Enjoy the sunrise over the high sand dunes and then pack up the tents, sleeping bags on the camel and ride the same camels out of the desert.
First have a shower at a hotel to get rid of the sands and dusts from the desert, but the memory stays forever.
Then Continue to Mogao Grottoes which were constructed over a millennium ago 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 art, sutras, murals and sculptures in the world.
Finally take evening flight to Xi’an at 19:10/22:45
Our driver from Xi’an will pick up you from Xi’an airport and transfer to your hotel

Day 8, 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 9, 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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