20 Days Panoramic China Silk Road Adventure

Nihao, welcome to Beijing, the capital of China. Be transferred to the hotel. Relax and prepare for your Natural wonders and Culture Adventure.

As the most famous and popular site, we will start early at 7:00 before the big groups arrive. After 2hr's driving, enjoy the cable car ride to the wall is peaceful and scenic. It is a fantastic experience to walking on the well-maintained wall where you also need a lot of water or an umbrella in the 2hr's visiting. Lunch will be arranged in the courtyard at the foot of the Great Wall.

Drive back to the city and visit the Bird's Nest National Stadium and Water Cube Aquatic Centre en route. Back hotel around 6pm.

Today is another day to explore culture and history in Beijing.

At 08:00, we will pay a visit to Tianan Men Square for 30 mintes, Continue the 3hrs exploration in Forbidden City, also called Palace Museum. Walk on the steps of the most magnificent and splendid palace complex in China. Feel the enchant atmosphere or to foresee the Emperors were ruling this great county. The Hollywood Movie“The Last Emperor” highly recommended before your visiting

After Lunch in the local Restaurant, make our way to Temple of Heaven,1-2hrs walking through the vast beautiful park to enjoy the impressive architecture and interesting story of the Chinese Emperors prayed for good harvest 

Our final stop is the Summer Palace, a imperial garden consisting of vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in China. You can take the boat cross the island and then walk over to the temple on the hill. The climb up the stairs might be bit tired but so worth to enjoy incredible view from the top.

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

Say farewell to Beijing as we will take flight to Luoyang, the ancient capital with profound history and culture in China.

Drive 2hrs to Shaolin Temple, a fascinating place to learn about the origins of Buddhism and the discipline of Kung Fu. You will be amazed by the pagoda forest celebrating numerous eminent monks over 1200 years. 20mins Kung Fu Show bring all those action movies to life

Following a lunch in the traditional restaurant,drive all the way to the World Heritage of Longmen Grottoes with a treasure house of ancient Buddhist cave art to represent the high point of Chinese stone carving. Take the cart into the park and 10mins walking to the view platform wher you get the most amazing view of the tallest Buddha witnessed the spiritual power and wonder of the ancient artistry.

We will catch morning fast train to Xi'an for 1.5 hrs. Greeted by our colleague in train station of Xi'an. Our journey starts with the visiting to Shaanxi Museum, a treasure trove for anyone interested in the art facts of Chinese history. Exhibits numerous unearthed cultural artifacts and represents the imposing image of a 13-dynasties capital.

Afterwards, head up to the Ancient City Wall, the most well-preserved city wall and the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. It is an amazing to wander along the city wall with the bird's-eye view of Xi'an.

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.

We first visit 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 a variety of Buddha statues and have panoramic Xi'an city at the top floor. 

Thereafter, we will board on the fast train to Tianshui about 2 hrs.

Today we will journey to visit Maijishan Grottoes, a network of caves and walkways carved into the cliff side, where we can enjoy Buddhist artwork and exquisite clay sculpture art. A trail for tourists has been made all around this mountain to give them the chance to visit the grottoes nestled inside the mountain itself. The path is a little bit dangerous especially if the above mentioned trail is packed with tourists. So please tightly hold the handrail for your safety

Discover another site to the hometown of Chinese ancestors --- Fu Xi Temple that boasts ten historic buildings including the theatrical stage, archways, the main gate, the instrumental gate, Congenital Temple, Taiji Temple, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and Laihe Hal. You can experience the most mysterious and primitive philosophic symbols--eight tri-grams created by Fu Xi.

Then take bullet train to the capital city of Gansu-Lanzhou. Relax with free time for the rest of the day. 

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.

At twilight, take high-speed train to Zhangye to check in the hotel for a good rest.

After 1hr's drive to the 900-year old Grand Buddha Temple, experiencing the impressive Buddha culture and architectural treasures.

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.

Afterwards, 3hrs drive to Jiayuguan for a refreshing dinner and a good rest.

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: an inner city, an outer city, and a moat. Besides functioning as a frontier military fortress, 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. Thereafter, we are going to visit the Great Wall on the Cliff, The wall here was built on the ridge with a gradient of 45 degrees. It is high in the air and it looks as if it fell down from the top of the hill. So people refer to this section of the Great Wall as the "Suspended Wall". 

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 today's trip, we will drive you to Dunhuang.

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.

Then continue driving to Dunhuang to visit Echoing Sand Mountain, where you can ride the camels for 40mins to experience the beautiful desert scenery in the sunset. It is also fun to climb up to the top of the sand dune by the ladders to have the bird-view of the park and slide down to the bottom.

Afterwards, say farewell to Dunhuang as we will take high-speed train to Turpan

Our first stop is 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. Following is the visiting to Sugong Minaret, a conduit for cultural exchange between different ethnic and religious groups.

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 Uygur ancestors

After breakfast, drive to Urumqi. Today we head to Xinjiang Regional Museum, home to many archaeological treasures of the Silk Road and Xinjiang's minority cultures. You will learn about the history of Xinjiang and its peculiar ethnic customs. 

After lunch, you will visit Grand International Bazaar where you can watch Uygur dance show and taste local delicacies.

After breakfast, 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.

Say goodbye to Urumqi, be transferred to take the flight to Kuqa, an ancient Buddhist kingdom located and a commercial hub of the Silk Road. Upon arrival, pick up to check in the hotel.

Today there is an option to visit  Kizilgaha Beacon Tower. Locating 10 km outside Kuqa, the Kizilgaha Beacon Tower provide security for traveling caravans on the Silk Road and prevent enemy invasions. Round earth tower built with a wooden roof, it rises to the sky in the middle of the desert landscape as typical scenery of the region. 

Then continue your trip to downtown and stroll around the Kuqa Old City to explore the local lifestyle.

Today is another day to explore Buddhist culture in Kuqa.

Enjoying a delicious breakfast, drive to Subashi Ruins, considered a religious place and reflecting its past glory. There you can experience an exotic sight more than one thousand years ago.

Drive back to Aksu and catch a short flight to Kashagr, an ancient city with special local cultural and ethnic characteristics along the Silk Road.

Today you will enjoy a full day excursion of Kashgar. Pay a visit to Id Kah Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and the most sacred mosque for the locals to practise their Islamic activities at 09:00. Continue the visiting to Old Town at 10:30 with the open ceremony of Maxilap show. Come and Join the exciting movement in this well-preserved Uighur residential area.

Our speciality: Relaxing in the Hundred-years Tea house,taste the local rose tea and nang-bread!

After Lunch in the local Restaurant. Then drive to Sunday Bazaar that is combined two section. The covered bazaar sells the clothing, nuts, household goods and many things out of your imagination.The outdoor Animal Bazaar is the first bazaar we visit, where the farmers and buyers arriving by donkey cart, truck, bicycle, horseback, motorbike or on foot, with their animals. It's loud, lively and cheerful as they arrive. It is quite interesting to witness their typical methods of bargin.Return to hotel for the night and have a good rest.

Today we will adventure to Taxkorgan, a town in the far west of Xinjiang Province in China, bordering Pakistani, Tajik, and Afghani.This region is commonly known as the main road of the "old Silk Road" the main route leading from China to West Asia.

On the way, you can experience beautiful Karakul Lake where the herds of livestock around the lakeside are reflected in lake Kirghiz herdsmen usually settle down and graze their herds before shuttling you onward to Kashgar.

Stay one night and explore its peculiar folk customs of Tajik nationality. Taste snack and milk tea provided by local herdsman and spend your rest of day at leisure.

Today say farewell to Taxkorgan and return to Kashgar. On the way, you will have stunning views of the great Pamir Plateau and pass by sand dunes, mountains and sandstone valleys.

There are no activities planned for Kashgar today. You will be transferred to take flight based on your schedule. Look forward to your next journey China.