16 Days Culture Diversity of the Silk Road Tour

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. Pay a visit 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 buffet in the hotel, transfer to the ariport to take the flight to Kuqa. We will head to our first step, Kizil Grottoes, which is a typical representative of Qiuci Grottoes. 

And then visit the 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 Subash Ruins to experience an exotic sight more than one thousand years ago.

Today stroll around the Kuqa Old Town to explore the local lifestyle, say hello to the kids who are playing, give a smile to the senior man resting under the tree, taste the local cuisine.

Be transferred to the train station to take the train to Turpan.

After breakfast, the good day begins. First we drive to Tuyoq Village which is an ancient oasis-village in the Taklamakan desert, 70 km east of Turpan in a lush valley cutting into the Flaming Mountains and famous for its seedless grapes and a number of ancient Buddhist meditation caves nearby containing frescos. Then we make our way to Bezekilik Thousand Buddha Caves which are a complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to 14th century between the cities of Turpan and Shanshan (Loulan) at the northeast of the Taklamakan Desert near the ancient ruins of Gaochang in the Mutou Valley. Finally our scenic bus will take you to Astana Tombs, a complex of an ancient tomb where you can see many well- preserved aretifacts including mummies. 

Today you will have a full day to explore this fertile oasis. Pay a visit to 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. Afterwards explore Jiaohe Ruins, resembles Pompeii, but 300 years older, where you can experience the way of life of the Uighur ancestors.

Be transferred to the train station and take the express train to Hami

Today we will pay a visit to Hami Mausoleum, which is the graveyard of Hami royal family in the past dynasties, and also an important cultural relic of Islamic architecture in China. Then transfer to train station, take the train to Dunhaung, upon arrival,head 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.

Today we are going to appreciate the Holy Center of Buddhism Culture and Art-UNESCO of Mogao Grottoes. First, you will watch two movies to get a rough idea of the history of the Silk Road and the Mogao Grottoes. Then take the sightseeing bus to the original cave area, where a professional expositor will lead you to visit seven caves.

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

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)

Full day in Badain Jaran Desert which has the world's highest sand mountains, with the magnificent Mingsha area, scattered Lake oases, endless Shahai springs and mysterious desert temples to name just a few. These peculiar and charming landscapes have made it an ideal place for desert exploration, tourism and photography in recent years.

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

After visiting, we will back way for Zhangye Linze County. Enjoy the scenery of Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, you will be marveled by the colorful layers of mountain ridges in the 4hr's adventure to the different platforms.

Our first stop is Matisi Temple ( Horseshoe Temple ), The temple was named by the court as "Puguang Temple" in the 14th year of yongle Period in Ming Dynasty. It houses a saddle and one dragon gown given by some emperor in Qing Dynasty. 

Afterwards, take the train to Xining. Situated on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and heavily populated by minority groups, Xining has earned a reputation as one of the more mysterious and diverse cities in China.

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.

After visiting, we will transfer to Tongren for rest

Today pay a visit to Wu Tun Si Monastery, which has the collected many Rebkong fine artworks. The murals, embroideries, paintings and sculptures are lively, colorful and exquisite, which well present the fluency and rhythm of the painting lines.

Long Wu Si Monastery is one of the major monasteries in Amdo Tibet, "Longwu" bears the Tibetan meaning of "place of farming". First funded as a Sakya Monastery at the beginning of 14th Century and later in 17th century it became a Gelugpa monastery.

After visiting, transfer to Xiahe for rest

Today we will arrange the English Speaking Lama guide you through the Labrang monastery, the most populous monks outside of Tibet. You will stay at Thangka Sunning Terrace that is one of a good place to view the monastery and surrounding scenery. Inside the monastery, apart from magnificent Buddha stupas and wall paintings, prayer wheels are also the must-see spot. The whole monastery is surrounded by wheels, walk along the corridor, rotate the wheels and pray for chasing away the troubles.

The view of yaks roaming in the Songke Grasslands amid green pastures is something to behold. In this area, nomadic people can still be found singing their traditional songs and this is often one of the highlights of any visit to Tibet. Then visit the Tibetan family and wear Tibetan cloth, drink milk tea and sample hand-grabbed mutton.

Be transferred to Linxia for rest

With a early start today, we will drive to Lanzhou, upon arrival, visit Binlings Temple 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 Gansu Museum, which is the biggest comprehensive museum in the province. It is one of the best sights in the city and a visit is well worthwhile.

It's time to say farewell to Lanzhou. After a pleasant breakfast, we will transfer you to the airport for the flight back to your hometown or next destination. Bon voyage!