21 Days China Silk Road Tour: Beijing to Urumqi

Arrival in Beijing, our guide will greet you at the airport and transfer to hotel. Beijing, the capital of People' s Republic of China, is a fascinating place for tourists home and abroad. As one of China's four ancient capitals, with its profound history of 3000 years, Beijing is the cultural, political, and historical center of China. It is widely considered to be one of the most magnificent cities in the world.

Start our heritage tours today. This morning, you will take a short stroll on Tiananmen Square, is the spiritual heart of the world's most populous country, stretching a vast 440,000 square metres.

Continue to visit, you can discover the splendid Forbidden City with its palace complex of 9,999 rooms across 72 hectares, surrounded by a six-meter deep moat and a ten-meter wall. It gives new meaning to the word “epic”.

In the afternoon, our tour guide will bring you to visit the Summer Palace, it is an imperial garden consisting of a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in China. You can take the boat across the island and then walk over to the temple on the hill. The climb up the stairs might be a bit tired but so worth to enjoy the incredible view from the top.

There is an old saying: 'Who has never been to the Great Wall is not a hero'. The Great Wall is too awesome to miss when you travel in China. Today, it will take about 2 hours to the Mutianyu Great Wall, which is comparatively fewer crowds. Here is quite steep, so a round-way cable car is included for you to go up and down easily and safely. On the wall, you can do moderate hiking further up to enjoy the spectacular landscape. After that, you will visit Changling Tomb and a jade shop on your way back to the city.

Let's start the local exploration, today you are going to appreciate the stupendous Temple of Heaven - a vast sacred place to perform ceremonial rites on behalf of the Chinese nation, and now is a refreshment place for the locals to enjoy their free time. Then you can stroll along the narrow Hutongs to get a glimpse of local life,.

After visiting,transfer you to train station to take the train to Pingyao.

Drive out of the town to visit Wang Family Courtyard House, the castle-like grand residence of distinctive Shanxi architecture. Wang Family Courtyard House has a nickname — the Forbidden City in Folk. Different from the famous Qiao's Family Compound, the Wang family was an official family, which had a higher social status. The family's generations lasted for over 300 years and built the compound that is approximately 250,000 square meters in size, among which 45,000 square meters (one fifth) is open to tourists. There are 123 courtyards and 1,118 rooms. You will spend about two hours there.

Afterwards, you will back to Pingyao Ancient Town and visit some cultural sites, such as the Ancient City Wall, Rishengchang Exchange Shop and Ming and Qing Street. Rest of the day is yours to explore.

After breakfass,you will be free to walk along the Pingyao Ancient City.

After visiting, say goodbye to Pingyao, and then your driver will take you to the train station to Xian.

Tour starts at 08:00 and then drive 1 hour to get close to the incredible Terracotta Warriors in China’s first Emperor’s Tomb built 2300 years ago,the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century.

After lunch in the local restaurant, head to ancient architecture and a holy place for Buddhists.- Big Goose Pagoda,The restored Buddha and building are beautiful with spectacular timber work and gilded features are recently built by donors, they make a fine job of explaining the role of Buddhism in China’s history.

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

After breakfast, head to visit the Shaanxi Province 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.

Then take the flight to Zhangye. Be transferred to the hotel. Relax and prepare for your Natural wonders and Culture Adventure.

Morning we will visit 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. 

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 breakfast at the hotel, our professional tour guide will bring you to visit the Grand Buddha Temple, which is one of the important travel destinations of the Silk Road, where you can visit the largest indoor clay statue of Buddha in China and the exquisite mural sculptures plus the ancient buildings.

Then drive all the way to Jiayuguan,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". 

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)

After breakfast, 4hrs driving to Dunhuang to visit Echoing Sand Mountain, where you can ride the camels for 40mins to experience the beautiful desert scenery.

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

After breakfast, let's visit the world famous Mogao Grottoes, which was designated as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO for its 1600 years accumulated cultural, architectural, and art treasures. There remains 492 cave temple and 45000 square meters of frescos. According to Tang Dynasty records, a monk had witnessed onsite a vision of thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays. Thus inspired, he started the caves construction work that spanned ten dynasties. Mogao Caves are commonly known as the Caves of a Thousand Buddhas. At 17:00hr, we embark the 'China Orient Express' Charter Luxury Train to Turpan.

Our first stop is Bezkilik Thousand Buddha Caves located in the center of Flaming Mountains.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 Uygur ancestors.

Drive to the capital city of Xinjiang- Urumqi. Relax with free time for the rest of the day. If the group is less than 4 persons, we may use high-speed train for transfer.

Morning enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and then we will drive you to the airport and take the flight to the next stop Kashgar. 

Upon arrival, we will bring you to downtown hotel and check in.

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!

Continue to visit Handicraft street, gathered hundreds of handicraft workshops, which has become a boutique exhibition for handicraft in Kashgar and Central Asia.

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.

Today, you will 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.

In the afternoon, catch the flight to the capital city of Xinjiang- Urumqi. Met and greeted in airport be transferred to hotel. Relax with free time for the rest of the day.

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 Xinjiang Regional Museum, where are 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. If time allowed, you will visit Grand International Bazaar and have dinner there.

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