22 Days Great Silk Road Tour from Bishkek to Xi’an

Today you will take an international flight to Bishkek, we will meet you at the airport, transfer to the hotel and check in. Have a good rest

Your guide will pick you up at Manas International Airport and driv to the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, just a 30-minute drive from the airport. Today is a travel of Bishkek including visiting Pobeda Square (Victory Square), Duboviy Park (Oak Park), Central Ala-Too Square, the History Museum, National Philharmonic, and many others places of interest. But no tour of Bishkek is complete without visiting our Asian Bazaar! We will show it to you today and you will be able to take a lot of dynamic photos of bustling local life. This bazaar is a noisy and colorful tapestry of fabrics, produce, and people selling and buying goods. Traditional dinner will be served at 7 p.m. You will spend the night in a hotel.

After breakfast, we will leave Bishkek and we will drive to the Issyk Kul. On the way we will visit Burana Tower (minaret from the 11th century) and an Open Air Museum of Balbans (stone warriors). Burana Tower was used during the Great Silk Road as a sign for travelers that there was a city to have a rest. You can still see the outlines of the old city around the tower. Nearby you will see balbals. These grave stones that look like warriors were made in honor of brave soldiers that died for their Motherland. You will have time in Bishkek to go for a walk. In the evening, you will have a good rest in hotel near the Issyk Kul

After breakfast you will be transferred to the Tash Rabat Caravanserai on the Great Silk Road (Stone Castle from the 14th century). The building is unique. Tash Rabat is located at the very heart of Tian Shan Mountains. Tash Rabat was built of stone blocks inside a mountain at an elevation of 3200 m above sea level. In total there are 31 rooms in the mountain. The walls are 1 m thick. There are also underground prison cells formerly used to incarcerate thieves in ancient times. 

Overnight will be spent in yurts near Tash Rabat Caravanserai.

Be transferred to the border at the Torugart pass. Drive to Kashgar.

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.

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

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 train to the capital city of Xinjiang- Urumqi.

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.

Morning drive to Turpan, 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.

Say goodbye to Turpan then 4 hours train ride to Liuyuan Station. Another 2hrs to Echoing Sand Mountain, where you can ride the camels for 40mins to experience the beautiful dessert scenery.

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

Witness the historical relics and spectacular landscapes near Dunhuang. In the morning, you are going to visit The Great Wall of the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). You will see that it was built using layers of desert plant stems and gravel, which is quite different from the bricks used in other sections of the Great Wall.

Afterwards, you will also have a chance to visit Yumen Pass ( Jade Gate Pass ), which was once used as one of the west gates out of China during the Han Dynasty. It has been badly damaged by the shifting sands but still highlights the splendour of this magnificent architectural structure.

In the afternoon, you can explore Yadan National Geological Park. Geological Park is famous for its nighttime sounds and vivid rocks in various shapes that look like animals or world-famous attractions. If you want, you can stay there until sunset.

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. Thereafter, 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". 

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 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 we will head to visit the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, which is 64.7 kilometres (One hour) , it is situated in the north of Qilian mountains. The area includes the colour hills in Linze country, ice hills, Danxia GanZhou District and PingShan lake. The scenic Danxia, is a distance of 40 km from east Zhangye city, north from Linze county town by 20 km, this is the most typical arid area of northern China. 

Be transferred to the train station and take the train to Lanzhou

With a early start today, 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. Continue tour at 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. Visit the Waterwheel Garden. Originated from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the waterwheel is the oldest irrigation tool in Yellow River area of Lanzhou. The Waterwheel Garden is a theme garden exhibiting the waterwheel culture.

Then pay a visit to the White Pagoda Park, located in the north of Lanzhou City, owes its name to the amazing White Pagoda within it.

Let's start our Lanzhou in-depth tours today. As one of the important cities along the ancient Silk Road, Lanzhou has preserved many cultural heritages. With an early start today, we will visit the Binglings Temple. 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.

Later, You will be driven to Xiahe, upon arrival, check in the hotel and have a good 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 Sangke 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.

After visiting, drive back to Lanzhou

After lunch, you will visit 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 the panorama of Xi'an city when wandering along the city wall.

Followed by the ancient Bell Tower, it is the most well-preserved ancient military defensive systems and the landmark of Xi'an. It is amazing to wander along the city wall with the bird's-eye view of the whole city.

In the afternoon, you will tour the Great Mosque and Muslim Quarter, Relax with free wandering along the street when tasting the local delicacies and experiencing the local lifestyle.

Tour starts at 08:00 and then drive about 1 hour to the countryside of the Xi'an city and visit the most imposing historic site Terracotta Warriors, the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century, and pay avisit to the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, situated underneath a 76-meter-tall tomb mound shaped like a truncated pyramid, which was constructed over 38 years.

Continue to Huaqing Hot Spring, also witnessed the famous romance of emperor Xuanzong and his concubine Yang Guifei. From here we can also enjoy the scenery of Li Mountains, the witness of the history of the Chinese nation. Evening we will enjoy the show “The Song of Everlasting Sorrow”, which is the milestone works in our country's contemporary large-scale vocal music works.

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

We will visit Shaanxi 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.

Later, you will 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 a variety of Buddha statues and have panoramic Xi'an city on the top floor.

In the evening, have a good rest in the hotel.

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