15 Days West China Adventure Tour to Xinjiang and Gansu

Welcome to Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and the farthest land from any ocean.  It is the heaven of travelers for its beautiful natural scenery, profound cultural deposits and special local customs and practices. Upon arrival, be transferred to the hotel and check in. The rest of day is free at leisure.

In the morning,you will catch the flight to Naraty.After check in hotel,drive you to see a typical river bed grassland—Naraty Grassland, one of four famous grassland in the world.

Prairie is as beautiful as in a poem or a picture. There are springs densely distributed here. Every year, from May to September, with flowers all blossoming out here and numerous herds gathering around, a great number of tourists domestic and abroad are attracted here. The Narat Prairie is also called "Deer Garden" in history and an ideal place for people of the pasture to exchange materials and hold cultural activities.

Ride the horse in the vast grassland. Explore the traditional Kazakh way of life is also an activity that you can't miss in this place.

Enjoy the sunrise in the morning and head to Bayinbuluk by car(3hrs) to explore another grassland scenery in Bayanbulak Grassland, which is the second largest grassland in China. There are verdant grass, flock of sheep and various plants. A fairyland which is worth for you to spend your time here. Then we are going to Swan Lake, the unique natural reserve for swan in China. It is the paradise of flocks of wild swan.

Please note you will need special Xinjiang Travel Permit to Bayinbuluk which will be applied 4months in prior. 

Today we leave Bayinbuluk Grassland for Kuqa along the Dushanzi-kuqa highway with 3 hours ride. On the road we can enjoy the stunning scenery.

On arrival, visit the Tianshan Great Canyon, the excellent geological park all over the world. It recorded the whole process of crustal movement in Xinjiang during the past 400 million years.

After lunch, continue to visit Kuqa Mosque, the second Mosque in Xinjiang, situated to the north of the old city of Kuqa county downtown. At dusk, wander around the Kuqa Old Town to explore the local culture and history.

In the evening, taste local delicacies before having a good rest in the hotel

Today is another day to explore Buddhist culture in Kuqa.

Enjoying a delicious breakfast, drive to Subashi Ruins, considered a religious place and reflecting its past glory. There you can experience an exotic sight more than one thousand years ago.

Drive about to the train station and take the train to Kashgar, an ancient city with special local cultural and ethnic characteristics along the Silk Road.

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

Then drive to Sunday Bazaar 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.

Thereafter, catch the night flight to the capital city of Xinjiang - Urumqi (2hrs).

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.

In the morning, After that, Start the trip off with the 3hours driving to Turpan, passing by Salt Lake and the wind power station which is the largest one in Asia spreading at the foot of Tianshan Mountain. Following glimpse of Salt Lake in Dabancheng. We'll be amazed by the histroical sites and oasis land of 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 four parts: Canyon scenery, Thousand Buddha Caves, Maza tomb and the old buildings of the ancient village. Following a lunch in the traditional Uighur family in their grape yard, then we will proceed to visit the Bezeklik Grottoes, it has always been the Buddhist Center of Gaochang area, there are 57 existing caves and murals for you to visit. From here you can also enjoy the outlook of Flaming Mountains around the grottoes. The tour today end up to enjoy the sunset 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 include in the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014.

Take the morning train to Dunhuang, we visit beautiful Crescent Lake & Singing Sand Mountains.The Crescent Lake 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, 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.

Take the morning train to Lanzhou,then we will arrive Binlings Temple at 09:30 after 1.5hrs' driving. 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.

After lunch by the side of Reservoir, we will drive 3 or 4 hours to Xiahe which is an ethnically-Tibetan county in Gansu. Upon arrival, head to visit the natural picturesque pasture-Songke Grassland. Throw yourself into a sea of green, bath in the warm sunshine and see the Tibetan nomads graze their drove. Then visit Tibetan family and wear tibetan cloth, drink milk tea and sample hand-grabbed mutton.

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 downtown 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!