18 Days Silk Road In-Depth Tour

Today your travel begins with a welcome meeting at airport. After checking in the hotel, rest of your time is free to explore the Charming Xi'an, an ancient city with a long history and colourful culture. There are many historical sites worth visiting.

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

We will visit Shanxi 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.

Then we will take the express train to Tianshui after a wonderful day in Xi'an. 

Tianshui is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization, also the earliest place to establish the city and county in Chinese history. Today we will first explore the World Heritage-Maji Mountain Grottoes, a network of caves and walkways carved into the cliffside, adorned in colorful Buddhist artwork within. It is famous for its exquisite clay sculpture art. 

In the afternoon, continue the visiting to Fuxi Temple, One of the famous ancient buildings in Northwest China, also known as Taihao Palace, as well as Renzhong Temple. Ten historic buildings in the temple include the theatrical stage, archways, the main gate, the instrumental gate, Congenital Temple, Taiji Temple, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and Laihe Hall. Tianshui is rumored to be the birthplace of Fuxi and N-wa, Here will be the best place to learn the Fuxi culture.

We will take a 2-hour train journey to Lanzhou after an exploration in Fuxi Temple.

This morning we will drive you to Liujiaxia Reservoir and then transfer a speedboat to our first site Binglingsi Thousand Buddha Caves, which is close to Liujiaxia Reservoir, These caves stretch for 200 meters, were built during the Western Qin, North Wei, Sui, Tang, and Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties (between the 3rd and 18th centuries).

Travel back to downtown in the afternoon, we will come to the Yellow River's Mother Sculpture, 6 meters long, 2.2 meters wide, 2.6 meters high, and weighs more than 40 tons. It is composed of a "mother" and a "baby boy". there are many locals here for walking, dancing and exercising. You can not only explore the long history of Gansu Province, but also experience the local lifestyle.

After a full day trip, you will back to the hotel and have a good night in Lanzhou. 

Take the bullet train to Zhangye. Relax and prepare for your Natural wonders and Culture Adventure. Giant Buddha Temple, it is one of the important temples along 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.

We will drive 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.

3hrs driving to Jiayuguan. Upon arrival, the tour will start from the Jiayuguan pass, 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. 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, economies, culture, military affairs, folk customs, and science and technology during the Wei and Jin periods (4AD)

Continue west to Dunhuang, then visit Echoing Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake, 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.

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.

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 and we will take high-speed train to Turpan.

With an early start today our first stop Tuyoq Valley, an ancient oasis-village. We will have lunch in the local Uygur 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. 

We will leave for Korla in this morning. "Korla" means "overlook" in Uyghur language, which is famous for its "Korla fragrant pear", also known as "Pear City". It is the throat of the ancient Silk Road and one of the birthplaces of Western Region culture.

Visit the Iron Gate upon arrival which was a very important pass in the ancient Silk Road. and then Walking along the Peacock River after dinner to feel the local's city life style.

Afterwards, enjoy a walking tour at The Peacock River, the most beautiful scenery in this city, also the "Mother River" in Korla.

Say farewell after a wonderful day in Korla. We will drive you to Kuqa, a historical and cultural city, a large number of cultural relics and historic sites such as ancient city walls, ancient temples, caves, ancient smelting sites, and ancient tombs are preserved in the territory.

Arrival in the afteroon, the tour will begin from the Kuqa Mosque, which is a place of worship for the people of Islam. it is the second largest temple in Xinjiang after Kashgar Idigar Mosque.

then stroll around the Kuqa Old Town, to experience the life in the old town, taste the local cuisine. 

Our first stop is  Kizil Grottoes, a typical representative of Qiuci Grottoes, which is located on the northern bank of the Muzat River 65 kilometers west of Kuqa and the earliest major Buddhist cave complex in China. Walk through the caves and enjoy Buddhist cultural feast across centuries.

And then visit the Tianshan Great Canyon, which is the excellent geological park all over the world. It recorded the whole process of crustal movement in Xinjiang during the past 400 million years. The fascination of the "Tianshan Grand Canyon" lies not only in its magnificence and danger, but in its depth, tranquility, and mystery.

We will pick you up from the hotel lobby and drive to Hotan along the Taklamakan Desert Highway, the largest desert in China. It is the longest and earliest desert highway in the world that runs through the floating desert. It is also the center of the ancient Silk Road. 

For centuries, silk route traders plodded across the desert, taking many days to cross. but now travel through the desert in just a few hours. we will pass through a small part of this breathtaking landscape today. 

Upon arrival, We will spend a night in Hotan.

The journey will begin from the Hotan Museum, the main exhibition “Khotan Historical Relics Exhibition” displays potteries, wooden wares, textiles, sculptures and building components from ancient sites and tombs in Khotan area, totaling over 200 specimens. They mirror the important position and role Hotan occupied and played on the Silk Road.

Then continue our tour to Malikawat Ruins, which is located on the western bank of the Yurung-kash River, 25 kilometers to the southwest of Khotan City, with a mountain on the west and the Kunlun Mountains on the south. 

After the visiting, we will travel to Kashgar for overnight stay.

The tour starts with the nice buffet in the hotel, drives about 4hrs to Karakul Lake around 09:00.

After 1hr's driving, we will stop at Opal village for a rest where you may stroll around the local bazaar with the feeling of the traditional local lifestyle.

Continue to enjoy the majestic views of the Sand dunes, mountains, and sandstone valley along the Karakorum Highway, the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Himalayas. It is the world's tallest cross-border roads and most thrilling corridors.Trekking around the Karakul Lake with enjoy the magnificent landscape and the nomadic lifestyle of the local Kirghiz in their yurts.

Back to Kashgar in the afternoon.

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

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. It is quite interesting to witness their typical methods of bargin.  Return to hotel for the night and have a good rest!

Today our journey comes to an end after a good breakfast. based on your schedule, you will be transferred to the airport for your onward flight. Bon voyage!