11 Days Silk Road Tour from Xi'an to Urumqi

You will arrange for your international flight to Xi'an, and our tour guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel and check you in. After that, you will have free time for the remainder of the day to do a little exploration at your leisure.

Morning enjoy your nice buffet breakfast at the hotel. then drive to the countryside of the Xi'an city about 1hrs, we will visit the most impressive historic site Terracotta Warriors which are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Lintong, It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Believe you will be amazed by the culture and history to get a feeling back to Qing Dynasty during the 3hrs experience. （No flash when take photos)

Lunch will be in the local restaurant, we will continue the sightseeing to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda built to house Buddhist scriptures collected by a Chinese Monk. Big Wild Goose Pagoda has 7 floors in total. Architecture is traditional Chinese style decorating with some Buddha statues. Tourists can see variety of Buddha statues and see the whole Xi’an city at the top floor. and then explore the Muslim Street, Relax with free walking along the street tasting he local delicious food and exploring the local lifestyle.

Today we will spend a whole day exploring culture and customer in Xi'an. we will go to the Xi’an Museum, which composed of three parts including museum, site of Jianfu Temple in Tang Dynasty and Historical and Cultural Park of Small Wild Goose Pagoda, with museum, tower, temple and park enhancing each other’s beauty and bringing out the best in each other, being distinctive among museums in China and the rare national grade I museum integrating world cultural heritage, historical and cultural relics under state protection, ancient architectural complex and modern exhibition hall.  

Afterwards, drive you to the Ancient City Wall, This is the most complete city wall that has survived in China as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. you will enter the city wall through the ticket gate. After the visiting, you will be transferred to the train station to take the express train to Lanzhou.

This morning, we will pay a visit to the White Pagoda Park located in the north of Lanzhou City, which owes its name to the amazing White Pagoda within it, is pure white from top to bottom with the exception of the green top which greatly enhances the glamour of the whole building.

After the visiting, you will be transferred to Wuwei by car. When arrival, we will head to visit Leitai Han Tomb, it is a large brick-and-stone structure built during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. A total of two hundred and twenty-one pieces of relics were unearthed from the tomb. 

Depart from the hotel and drive all the way to Zhangye. we will proceed to visit the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park,  which is the most typical arid area of northern China. Ribbons of reds, oranges and yellows slice through the rock, to create a rainbow vista contained only by the contours of the jagged mountain peaks. so many people also call it "Rainbow Mountain".

Today travel to Jiayuguan and we will accompany you to climb the Jiayuguan pass upon your arrival. This Ming Dynasty fort guards the strategic Jiayuguan pass, at the western end of the Great Wall–this was the last section built by the Ming Dynasty. and visit the The Great Wall Museum, which was opened to visitor in October 1989 and it is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way. (There are many steps from one tower to the other, please consider if are able to walk and climb about 2hrs). 

This morning, we will visit Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, this UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of the great artistic and religious wonders of the world and it is famous for its exquisite murals and various sculptures inside the caves, which was built in different dynasties, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art, enjoy the Silk Road Movies in the visitor Center about 40 mins before our exploration into the Grottoes.The professional guide from the Mogao will bring you to 8 grottoes with their special torch so that you  have clear view of the murals and paintings. （Note: No photos and Video in the caves). The visiting time is around 4hrs including movie.

After that, we will head up to Echoing Sand Mountain&Crescent Lake. When there is wild wind, the sands will be blown up and make loud sound, while the sound sounds like being produced by some ancient musical instrument when blew by breeze, There is also a Crescent Lake that  has been in existence for hundreds of years without ever being buried by the sand. Riding the camel as the Silk Road Caravan in the vast desert is highly recommended (approximately 40mins). Please bring your sunglasses and and mask to keep out the dust
In the evening, you will enjoy the walking tour to the Shazhou Night Market, the most bustling place of Dunhuang at night. It's easy to lose our sense of time wonder the market while enjoy your leisure time and taste some local cuisine.

Enjoy your leisure time in Dunhuang. You can have a rest in the hotel or walk around the city. Then following a lunch in the local restaurant, we will drive all the way to Liuyuan Station to take an express train to Turpan.

Today we will start our journey from Turpan. A must and first visit is the oldest Uighur village Tuyoq Village located in the very center of Flaming Mountain Canyon. It used to be the holy site of Buddhism and Islam. The village consists of Canyon scenery, Maza tomb and the old buildings of the ancient village. then drive you to explore Karez Well, A special irrigation system that the locals make full use of the topography of Turpan to draw the underground water to irrigate their farmland ingeniously. The tour today end up to enjoy the scenery of Jiaohe Ruins with a history of 2,300 years lies between two rivers on a loess plateau atop a cliff of over 30m. It is one of the best preserved ruins of its ancient era in China, it was included in the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014.

After the visiting, drive back to Urumqi for overnight stay.

Driving to the picturesque Heavenly Lake, which is surrounded by the snow mountains, blooming wildflowers, evergreen pine trees. Trekking along the lake in the fresh air. or you can explore further uo to the Maya Mountain by the cable car to enjoy the magnificent view of the Mountains.

Afterwards, transfer back to Urumqi about the other 1.5hrs, visit the Xinjiang International Bazaar, the largest bazaar in Urumqi. You'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and almost anything that you can imagine.

Breakfast, transfer to the airport to catch your flight back to your sweet home.It has been a great silk road holiday and we look forward to seeing you another China trip.