12Days Urumqi/Turpan/Dunhuang/Jiayuguan/Zhangye/Xining/Lanzhou/ Xian Silk Road Tours

Welcome to Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and the farthest land from any ocean.  It is the heaven of travelers for its beautiful natural scenery, profound cultural deposits and special local customs and practices. Upon arrival, be transferred to the hotel and check in. The rest of day is free at leisure.

We will drive 1.5 hours to entrance of the Heavenly Lake about 08:30, following is the 40-minutes shuttle bus twisting through the picturesque Tianshan mountains to the edge of the Lake. Either Trek around the lake, enjoy the boating cruise, or even take the cable car to the explore the Maya Mountain for the incredible view of Bogoda Peak.

Lunch will be arranged in the Yurt of the local Kazakhs. Back to Urumqi and head to Grand International Bazaar where you can watch Uygur dance show and taste local delicacies.

With an early start today at 08:00. Drive all the way to Oasis Turpan that we will pass by the wind power station and vast Gobi desert in 3hrs.

Our first stop is BezkIlik Thousand Buddha Caves located in the center of  Flaming Mountain.Then continue to Tuyoq Valley, an ancient oasis-village. We will have lunch in the local Uighur family before exploring this traditional village surrounded by the impressive grape trellis and the stories of the adventurers all of the world.

About 3pm, head up to the Karez Well irrigation system that produce the best melons and grapes in China. Following is the visiting to Sugong Minaret, a conduit for cultural exchange between different ethnic and religious groups. 

Today's tour end up with the 2hrs's exploration of Jiaohe Ruins,resembles Pompei,but 300 years older, a Chinese archaeological site found in the Yarnaz Valley, 10 km west of the city of Turpan and a natural fortress located atop a steep cliff on a leaf-shaped plateau between two deep river valleys where you can experience the way of life of the Uighur ancestors.

If the group is less than 4 persons,we may use high-speed train for transfer. 

Morning after breakfast, 3hrs train ride to Dunhuang to visit Echoing Sand Mountain, where you can ride the camels for 40mins to experience the beautiful desert scenery in the sunset.

After an extraordinary day, freshen up and enjoy a good dinner, we continue to appreciate the bustling Shazhou Night Markets dotted with special commodities and souvenirs.

Today we are going to appreciate the Holy Center of Buddhism Culture and Art-UNESCO of Mogao Grottoes, enjoying the 40mins 4D movie to learn the development of the grottoes and then we will be escorted by the professional guides from Mogao to enjoy the the 8 caves mainly.

Afterwards, say farewell to Dunhuang as we will drive 3-4hrs to Jiayuguan, a city with profound history and culture relics. Check in the hotel and rest of the day is free at leisure.

Today we begin our journey to the Jiayuguan Fortress. Standing among vast desert and surrounded by rolling mountains,it looks like a dignified general guarding the grand land. It was constructed with the most integrated defensive system. It was also an important traffic hub along the Silk Road, the oldest worldwide trading route.

After that, you will explore the Great Wall Museum, which was opened to the public in October 1989 and it is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way. Continue the sightseeing to renowned underground gallery Weijin Tombs. There we can enjoy lifelike and succinct wall paintings covering a wide range of subjects including politics, economics, culture, military affairs, folk customs, and science and technology during the Wei and Jin periods (4AD)

After lunch, we will drive 3hrs to the masterpiece of nature Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, which is situated in the north of Qilian mountains with a distance of 40 km from east Zhangye city. You will be marveled by the colorful layers of mountain ridges in the 4hr's adventure to the different platforms.

After 1hr's visiting to the 900-years old Grand Buddha Temple, it is one of the important temples along the silk road, experiencing the impressive Buddha culture and architectural treasures.

Then take a high-speed train to Xining. Upon arrival, transfer you to the hotel and check in

Departure early around 07:00. we will drive 3hrs to Qinghai Lake with the stunning view along the way. You will be amazed by the scenery of this highland lake, it is also interesting to see the grazing animals - sheep, goats, duos, horses .You can ride a bike or cruise around the lake to taking in the wonderful landscape here. then we will take you to visit Ta'er monastery (Kumbum Monastery), which is the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Northwest China, and enjoys a high reputation in China and Southeast Asia.

Back to Xining and take a fast train to Lanzhou (2hrs). Check in the hotel and have a good rest.

With a early start today, we will arrive Binglings Temple at 09:30 after 1.5hrs' driving. Taking the 40mins fast boat to the inside of the park , enjoy the variety of artworks in different styles and observe the social situations and customs in ancient times when seeing the stone sculptures and appreciate the miracle of Buddha caves.

We will then head back to downtown to visit the the first bridge of the Yellow River's Mother Statue consisting of "a mother" and "a baby boy" which symbolizes the mother of the Yellow River nurturing the Chinese nation.

Say good bye to Lanzhou and take the 3hrs train ride to Xi'an. Greeted by the guide and visit Shaanxi Museum, one of the major museums in China. It is home to numerous unearthed cultural artifacts and represents the imposing image of a 13-dynasties capital. 

Afterwards, drive to the Ancient City Wall, the most well-preserved city wall and the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. You will have a bird's-eye view of panorama of Xi’an city when wandering along the city wall

In the evening, enjoy a delicious dinner and have a good rest in the hotel.

Today is an another day to explore the history and culture in Xi'an.

Tour starts at 08:00 and then drives about 1 hour to the countryside of the Xi'an city and visits the most imposing historic site Terracotta Warriors, the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century.

After lunch in the local restaurant, head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda with 7 floors in total. It is the traditional Chinese style decorated with some Buddha statues, where Tourists can see variety of Buddha statues and have panoramic Xi'an city at the top floor.

Continue our sightseeing of the popular Muslim Street, Relax with free wandering along the street when tasting he local delicacies and experiencing the local lifestyle. Then drive to the hotel and have a good rest.

Today our journey comes to an end after a good breakfast. You will be transferred to the airport or train station based on your schedule.