8 Days Dunhuang to Lanzhou Tour

Welcome to Dunhuang, the well-known ancient cities along the Silk Road. Upon you arrive at Dunhuang Train Station/Airport, our tour guide will meet you and escort you to your hotel. Have a good rest and be ready for the next day's adventure.

After a pleasant breakfast, we specially arrange Dunhuang experts and professors who'll introduce this exotic city in detail to you.The Crescent Lake & Singing Sand Mountains is an oasis Gobi desert, surrounded by numerous sand dunes, reaching a relative height of 250 meters (820 feet). The Mingsha Shan is so named for the sound of the wind whipping off the dunes. After dinner, we move to Dunhuang Night market - bustling Shazhou Night Market. Never miss its tasty snacks, local specialties, and crafts etc.

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. After visiting, we will drive to Jiayuguan for overnight stay.

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. It was also an important traffic hub along the Silk Road, the oldest worldwide trading route.

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 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.

Morning we will visit the Grand Buddha Temple, which is the important place of the Silk Road. The Temple is the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province of the Western Xia (1038-1227) period. China's largest reclining Buddha is well preserved in this temple. afternoon, you will be transferred to the station to take the express train to Lanzhou.

After breakfast, the day begins with Bingling Temple where you will see the air trestle road and various grottoes Then we will take you to explore Xiahe,  home  to  the  famed  Labrang  Tibetan  Buddhist  monastery,  one  of  the  largest  Tibetan  Buddhist  monasteries outside the Tibet Autonomous Region.

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.

We will then head back to Lanzhou, uupon arrival, transfer 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.

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!