15-day Silk Road tours

travel-route
Daily Tour 5 day
Xi'an

Tour Highlights

  • Enjoy the beautiful scenery of Heavenly Lake with life of Kazaks at Tianshan Mountain.
  • Experience one of the most adventurous highways with stunning views in the world.
  • Immerse yourself in the streets of the Old City of Kashgar.
  • Entertain the liveness of the famous Livestock Market.
  • Experience the live ancient Tuyuk Village with a lunch at a local house.
  • Enjoy ancient cities perspectives by walking in the streets of Jaohe and Gaochang.
  • Admire the most valuable Buddhist Treasure house of Mogao Grottoes in the World.
  • Visit the most western end of the Great Wall with Jiayuguan Pass
  • Explore the ancient capital of China.
  • Visit a unique combination Chinese and Islamic architecture of the Great Mosque of Xi’an.
  • Discover the mystery of underground Terracotta Army.
  • Enjoy the Rain Bow Mountain Geopark.
  • Admire the oldest Wooden Pagoda and the largest reclining Buddha Temples in China
Day 1, Arrive in Xi’an

Activities: Pick up you from airport and transfer to your Hotel
Details:Our professional, friendly local guide will meet you with experienced driver at the airport and transfer to your hotel. It takes about one hour to your hotel from airport. Rest of the day is your time to explore this ancient city by yourself.
It is said, if you want to see 800 years of China’s history, visit Beijing; if you want to see 3000 years of China’s history, go to Xi’an. The root of Chinese history and culture remains there. It used to be the ancient capital of many dynasties and the starting point of Silk Road of China.

Day 2, 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 3, Xi’an to Zhangye

Activities: Visit Xi’an city wall and take a bullet train to Zhangye
Details:After breakfast visit the 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 as your like (on your own expenses). Then drive to Xi’an railway station for taking a bullet train to Zhangye which takes about 7:00 hours.
Our driver will pick up you from Zhangye railway station and transfer to your hotel

Day 4, Zhangye Tours

Activities: Visit Wooden temple pagoda; Matisi temple; Zhangye Danxia Geopark;
Details:After breakfast, we will visit Wooden temple pagoda which has a long history and rebuilt in 1926; then drive to Matisi temple, 80KM 2Hs and has about 1600 years history; There are about 70 Buddhist grottoes since most grottoes were carved from the mountain tourists need to go up to the mountain, the lane is quite narrow;
After lunch drive to Zhangye Danxia geopark (rain bow mountain ) where we see different colors and the view is different at different times ;the scenery is really fantastic and incredible. It is the best representative of China’s colorful Danxia landform and the largest Danxia landscape in an arid area, with a wide variety of landforms.
Finally drive back to Hotel and stay overnight in Zhangye

Day 5, Zhangye to Jiayuguan

Activities: Take bullet train to Jiayuguan and Visit Jiayuguan Fort, Great Wall Museum, Over-Hanging Cliff Great Wall and Wei-jin Ancient Tomb
Details:After breakfast we transfer to the train station and take the fast train to Jiayuguan, Upon arrival in Jiayuguan we are transferred to a local restaurant for lunch.
After lunch, we explore Jiayuguan Pass (Jiayuguan Fort) also known as the “Impregnable Pass under Heaven”. Jiayuguan is located on the western end of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty and is considered the most magnificent and well-preserved pass among over a thousand passes along the Great Wall. Later we visit the Great Wall Museum for a historical overview of the Great Wall, and then the Over-Hanging Cliff Great Wall. Situated outside of the city, this suspended wall is a part of the Great Wall and was originally built on a ridge at a 45-degree angle. We end this fascinating day with a visit to the Wei-Jin ancient tombs. Built between the 3rd and 5th centuries during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it is renowned as the largest subterranean art gallery in the world and houses a great deal of colorful murals.

Day 6, Jiayuguan to Dunhuang

Activities: After breakfast Drive to Dunhuang and visit Crescent lake
Details:After breakfast at the hotel , Drive to Dunhuang which takes around 5 hours. Once arrive in Dunhuang 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). If you like you can stay till sunset and back to the hotel later

Day 7, Dunhuang to Turpan

Activities: After breakfast Visit Mogao Grottoes; After lunch fast speed train to Turpan
Details:We spend the whole morning at 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.
After lunch drive Dunhuang fast speed train station for your journey to Turpan which is about 3:30 hours train ride. Our Turpan local driver/guide will pick up you from Turpan railway station and transfer to your hotel

Day 8, Turpan For Whole Day

Activities: Visit Bezeklik Thousand Buddha caves, Tuyuq village, Karez underground Irrigations system and Emin Minaret
Details:After breakfast drive to Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves which used to be an important center for Buddhist worshipers under the Xizhou Huigu government of the Idikut (Gaochang) Kingdom. In these caves, people created works of art depicting daily life and religion. The region has experienced changes in rules, invasions and immigrations, so people from different cultures left different artworks here.
Then Move on to Toyup 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 drive 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.” 

On the way back stop on the roadside for taking 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 9, Turpan To Urumqi

Activities: Visit Yargul (Jiaohe) Ancient city and Turpan Museum, after lunch drive to Urumqi
Details:After breakfast,we start our tour in Turpan with a 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 and residential houses in the streets are still visible and time there is time spent in a world long disappeared.
After an hour of walking around the city area, we’ll push on to visit Turpan Museum which displays some items from the Tang dynasty excavated from the Astana Graves and some ancient Ruins around Turpan. Items include ancient silks, clothes and preserved corpses, even some several thousand years old mummies.
After lunch drive to Urumqi and stay overnight

Day 10, Day Trip To Heavenly Lake And Evening Flight To Kashgar

Activities: Visit Heavenly lake and take evening flight to Kashgar
Details:Our guide and driver see you at the hotel lobby and Leave for Heavenly Lake after breakfast which is 115 kms (71 Miles) over two hours by vehicle. Your stay at the heavenly lake is the time to ride horses, go for boating, take photos or simply trek around the lake for as long as you like. 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. Whenever you are finished at the lake, our driver will drop off you at Urumqi airport for your flight to Kashgar.
Another driver will pick up you from Kashgar airport and transfer to your hotel.

Day 11, Explore Kashgar City

Activities: Visit Grand mosque, Handcraft Street and Old city walking tours
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.

Day 12, Kashgar to Tashkorgan

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
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 Mountain and is one of the most beautiful and mysterious mountains in the world.
Lunch will be at the lake side restaurant as your like.
You can stop along the way at good spots for photos as much as you like or hiking around Karakul lake for a few hours. Our driver and guide never mind for your many stops or spending time for hiking
Arrive Tashkorgan in the late afternoon and stay overnight.

Day 13, Tashkorgan to Kashgar

Activities: Visit Stone Fort, Tajik village, Hike on the Grassland and drive back to Kashgar after lunch
Details: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 breakfast, 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.’ Later Hike on the grassland next to the Stone Fort.
After lunch, drive back to Kashgar and you can make stops along the way if you like.

Day 14, Explore Kashgar city

Activities: Visit Appak Hoja Mausoleum (Fragrant Concubine Tomb), Livestock Market, Sunday Market
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.
Sunday Bazaar: It is said “you can find everything except chicken milk at this bazaar” as this bazaar is one of the largest in Central Asia. “From fluffy sheepskin hats to rugged camel-hide boots, not to mention beads, buttons and buckets of local lard, everything – including plenty of kitchen sinks – is for sale at this fairytale bazaar. It is the best chance to practice your bargaining skills.”

Day 15, Kashgar to Torugart Pass

Activities: Transfer to Torugart pass 170Kms (106 Miles)
Details:Your private guide and driver will meet you at your hotel at agreed time and depart for Torugart pass;
First stop at Topa Immigration where they check all permit documents which should be prepared by our company and given to your guide (you don’t need to worry about it). Here they also check your Kyrgyz visa (that is ok if you don’t need visa for Kyrgyzstan)
It is another 2:00-2:30 hours driving (110kms) from Topa to the border where you will meet your Kyrgyz guide/driver.

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