Best 14 Days China Silk Road Tour

Summary

Day 1 Xian Arrival
Day 2 Xian: Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Xian Dumpling Banquet, Tang Dynasty Dance Show
Day 3 Xian-Lanzhou: Shaanxi History Museum, Xian Ancient City Wall, Muslim Quarter, Train to Lanzhou
Day 4 Lanzhou-Xiahe-Lanzhou: Bingling temple, Liujiaxia Reservoir
Day 5 Lanzhou-Dunhuang: Labrang Monastery, Fly to Dunhuang
Day 6 Dunhuang: Lake Crescent, Ride Camel, Echoing-Sand Dune, Yumenguan Pass
Day 7 Dunhuang-Turpan: Mogao Grottos, Take overnight train to Turpan
Day 8 Turpan: Gaochang Ancient City, Toyuk village, Bezeklik Cave, Flaming Mountain
Day 9 Turpan-Urumqi: Turpan to Urumqi by train, Emin Minaret, Karez Well
Day 10 Urumqi: Xinjiang Regional Museum, Hongguang Shan Giant Buddha, Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar
Day 11 Urumqi-Kashgar: Urumqi to Kashgar by flight, Livestock Market, Sunnday Market, Grand Id Kah mosque, Old Town walking tours, Local Uighur family Dinner
Day 12 Kashgar: Karakul lake
Day 13 Kashar-Urumqi: Kashar to Urumqi by train, Heavenly Lake(Tianchi)
Day 14 Urumqi Departure

Day 1 Xian Arrival

Upon your arrival in Xian, our local Xian tour guide will greet you at the exit of Xian International Airport (based on your requirement), you will find a welcome signage "China Private Tour" and escorted you to your hotel immediately, our guide will help you to check-in.

The rest of the day is free on your own to recover the jetlage.

Day 2. Xian

Firstly, drive you to Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, it known as “the eighth Wonders of the world”, the museum shows a surprisingly high level in sculpture which is listed as the most significant discovery of the 20th century. Up to now, there has discovered a total of 179 accompanying burial pits of different connotations and various shapes in Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum area. The discovery of these pits has provided all important significance in the research of the burial system of the Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum, the characteristics structures and characteristics of the burial pits. However, what makes people feel amazing is that of all the burial pits, none has been found survived from being burnt down. 

Your lunch is arranged at local restaurant with tasting local cuisine. Such as Liangpi, it is made from rice, this cold noodle dish is a summer favourite through Shaanxi province as well as other places around China. These rice noodles are covered with vinegar, chili, salt, garlic, bean sprouts and small lumps of tofu.Roujiamo,this is the Chinese hamburger. Basically it’s a small oven baked bread bun that is sliced open and filled with slowly braised shredded pork and small pieces of fat. I personally prefer to ask for the ‘Chun Shou Rou Jia Mo’ which is the same thing only this time they use lean meat and it’ll probably only cost you about one or two yuan more. Clearly this is one dish you can’t buy at Muslim street. It will be a Sample but typical and local.

After lunch, you will visit Big Wild Goose Pagoda, also named Giant Wild Goose Pagoda. It is a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi'and became the symbol of the old-line Xi'an. It was built in 652 during the Tang dynasty and originally had five stories. The structure was rebuilt in 704 during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, and its exterior brick facade was renovated during the Ming dynasty. The Big Wild Goose Pagoda attracts numerous visitors for its fame in the Buddhist religion and its simple but appealing style of construction. It is rated as a National Key Cultural Relic Preserve. One of the pagoda's many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveler Xuanzang.

At around 6:00pm, your guide will take you to taste Xi'an Dumpling for Dinner, which is famous in Xi'an. Our guide will lead you to Shaanxi Grand Opera House and help you find your seat for the most famous Xi'an Dumpling Dinner within the Opera House.In Xian, a must for visitors to try is the delicious dumplings. While tasting those dumplings, customers will be astonished by the cooks' smart cooking methods include steaming, boiling, pan-frying, deep frying, and roasting. It seems that all of the indigenous meat and vegetables can be used for the dumplings' stuffing, such as pork, mutton, beef as well as celery, radish, cabbages, etc. Nowadays, by the cooks' continuously improving, the dumpling has been one of the local best foods to entertain visitors from home and abroad..

After dinner, you will enjoy the local colorful and splendid Tang Dynasty Dance Show, which is a performance of music and dance that imitate the Tang Dynasty over one thousand-year ago. The Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show, a wonderful performance of the ancient music and dance, is a must when you visit Xian.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 3 Xian-Lanzhou

After breakfast, drive you to visit Shaanxi History Museum, the museum mainly displays the historical relics excavated inside Shaanxi Province. The unearthed historical artifacts exhibition is divided into different blocks in time order according to dynasties each artifact belongs to.

Next, pay a visit for Xian Ancient City Wall. As one of the UNESCO's World Heritage Site, Xi'an Ancient City Wall was built in the 14th century, under the regime of Emperor Zhuyuanzhang in Ming dynasty, had the function of protecting the cities or towns as military defense systems in ancient China. Xi'an Ancient City Wall is one of the oldest, largest and best preserved Chinese city walls.

After lunch, transfer to Xian train station to catch the train to Lanzhou. Upon arrival, our Lanzhou guide will wait for you at the exit of station with the sign"China Private Tour".Drive to your hotel for check-in, the rest day is free on your own.

Day 4 Lanzhou-Xiahe-Lanzhou

After breakfast, drive to Xiahe City. The first stop in Liujiaxia small town for visiting Bingling Grottos which filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves and caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River.

You will have a simple lunch along the road.

Follow our guide, you will take a boat from Liujiaxia town to Bingling temple which takes about one hour to get there through Liujiaxia Reservoir and we spend about 2 hours to explore the sculptures, carvings and frescoes. which is an outstanding examples of Buddhist artwork. Our driver will be Waiting for us on the other side of the Reservoir and keep driving to Xiahe through many small beautiful villages.

Upon arrival at Xiahe, check into the hotel and have a short rest then dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 5 Lanzhou-Dunhuang

After breakfast, drive you to visit Labrang Monastery. Labrang is the largest and most famous Buddhist monastery in the Amdo region. Read this post for more information about this fascinating place. Established in 1709, Labrang housed over 4000 monks at its peak, but now only has around 1500 monks with another couple of hundred lay students. Located in the Gansu Part of Amdo, Labrang is considered the cultural heart of Amdo Tibetan culture along with nearby town of Rebkong. Labrang is one of the “Great Six” Gelukpa sect monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism.

After the tour, transfer to Lanzhou airport to catch your flight to Dunhuang. Upon arrival at Dunhuang, our guide will wait for you at the exit of airport with the sign "China Priavte Tour". Drive to your hotel for checking-in.

Day 6 Dunhuang

Today, you will have the chance to ride a camel along the Echoing-Sand Dune to Lake Crescent, a miracle in the Gobi desert. Lake Crescent is known for its brilliant blue waters and exceptional clarity, caused by a lack of nitrogen in the water which inhibits the growth of algae. You will be able to reach the top from one side of the dunes and slide down the other to see the fantastic view. (Plz prepare your sunglasses to keep out the dust).

Lunch is arranged at local restaurant.

In the afternoon, drive you to visit Yumenguan Pass, which is strategic pass on the ancient Silk Road. And then take you back to your hotel.

Day 7 Dunhuang-Turpan

After breakfast, the first stop is Mogao Grottos, which are also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, form a system of 492 temples 25 km (16 mi) southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu province, China. The caves may also be known as the Dunhuang Caves. The caves contain some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years. The Mogao Caves are the best known of the Chinese Buddhist grottoes and, along with Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes, are one of the three famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China.

After lunch, free on your own for a while to walk around and for photograph and then take you to Dunhuang train station for the overnight train to Turpan. You will be greeted by our local guide at the exit with a welcome signage and escorted to your hotel directly.

Day 8 Turpan

After breakfast, you will start an exciting day in Turpan with a visit to the ancient city of Idikut (Gaochang). The city was built in the first Century BC and later became capital of the Idikut (Gaochang) Uighur Kingdom in the 8th Century. We’ll enjoy seeing the ancient city for about one hour.

Then move on to Toyuk village, an old, beautiful and timeless village with a friendly Uighur community. Here we visit several local families and have lunch with a local family at their home. This could be the highlight of your tour of the day.

After lunch we visit Bizeklik Thousand Buddha caves which used to be an important center for Buddhist worshipers under the Xizhou Huigu government of the Idikut (Gaochang) Kingdom.

On the way back to the hotel we will stop at the Flaming Mountain which people claimed to be hottest and driest along the silk road that “flying birds even a thousand miles away dare not to come”

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 9 Turpan-Urumqi

In the morning, our guide and drive will pick you up from your hotel, drive around 200 km to Urumqi city. It takes around 2 hours. The first place you will visit is Karez Well. In Xinjiang, the greatest number of karez wells are in the Turpan Depression , where today there remain over 1100 karez wells and channels having a total length of over 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi). The local geography makes karez wells practical for agricultural irrigation and other uses.You will know the underground water supply and irrigation system.

After that, enjoy family visit of local Uygur and have lunch with them. You will learn how to make Xinjiang food and visit the vineyard. 

In the afternoon, our guide will take you to visit Emin Minaret (Sugong Pagoda) which is the biggest ancient pagoda existing in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient pagoda in the country. Appreciate sunset at Jiaohe Ancient City and have leisure walk at the valley about 40 minutes. 

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel in Urumqi. Free on your own to explore the nightlife.

Day 10 Urumqi

In the morning, our guide will meet you at your hotel lobby. Drive you to visit Xinjiang Regional Musuem, our guide will show you around the museum, giving historical context and background. One highlight of the collection is the well-preserved tattooed mummies discovered in the desert nearby. Look out for the Beauty of Loulan, buried around 3,800 years ago near the town of Loulan in the Taklamakan Desert and first excavated in 1980. The hot, dry sands preserved her facial features remarkably well in her open coffin: and she is still beautiful today.

After lunch, continue your tour to the Hongguang Shan Giant Buddha, which towers over downtown Urumqi at approximately 38.8 meters (128 feet) tall. Grab a few shots before you head to the Red Hill, a traditional Chinese-style pagoda standing on the top of the hill that is the symbol of the City.

The last stop for the tour is Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar, recapture the magic of the old Silk Road with a stroll through Erdaoqiao Market, once a trading hub for merchandise from all over Central Asia. This makes a great place to shop for traditional Uighur souvenirs, and your guide can help you navigate the stalls.

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 11 Urumqi-Kashgar

In the early, our guide will pick you up from your hotel and drive you to Urumiqi for your flight to Kashgar, it takes around 2 hour fly. Kashgar, it is an oasis city in Xinjiang, is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the borders of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It has a history of over 2000 years and served as a trading post and strategically important city on the Silk Road between China, the Middle East and Europe.

When your arrive in Kashgar, first enjoy the famous livestock market which happens only on every Sunday and people bring their horses, sheep, goats, camels, cows, bulls and other livestocks to the market from all the directions for sale. It provides a great opportunity to take photos of the faces of local people, enjoy the traditional local market culture, test-drive a donkey or a horse or even make its shoes. Like opening a window, today is a real glimpse into a time lost in the annals of the Silk Road’s past and an opportunity not to be missed.

Later move on to Sunday market main Bazaar which is considered one of the largest market in Central Asia. From fluffy sheepskin hats to rugged camel-hide boots, not to mention beads, buttons and buckets of locals. Everything – including plenty of kitchen sinks – is for sale at this fairytale bazaar. It is the best to chance to practice your bargaining skills.

After lunch, visit the Grand Id Kah mosque, the largest mosque in China and marvel at the intricate architecture of Kashgar's historic Apak Hoja Tomb, which is also known as Fragrant concubine tomb.

You will enjoy the Old Town of Kashgar by walk. walking is the best way to see and understand the ancient historical parts, streets, handicraft workshops and many more;enjoy a century-old Kashgar tea house’s atmoshpere for a short break. sitting by the locals and try various medicinal teas such as those containing rose, saffron, honey and many other ingredients.

Finally wrap up our city day tour with a dinner at a local family which offers a great opportunity to deeply understand real local life, culture and traditions of Uighurs. After the dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 12 Kashgar

Today, after breakfast, we set out along the Sino – Pakistan Karakorum Highway, on the Pamir plateau (the roof of the world) visit Karakul Lake (3600m above sea level). The lake sits at the foot of the notorious, Muztagh Ata (7546m) and Gongur (7719m) mountains. ‘Muztagh Ata’ means Father of the Ice Mountains and is one of the most beautiful and mysterious mountains in the world. You also have a chance to pay a visit for local Kyrgyz family, to know the local lifestyle.

Free on your own for a while and return to Kashgar at a suitable time

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 13 Kashar-Urumqi

After breakfast our guide and driver will take you to Kashgar airport for your flight back to Urumqi and another local guide and driver will meet you at the exit of Urumqi airport with a sign "China Priavte Tour", then drive to Heavenly lake directly which takes about two hours.

Heavenly lake offers some great hiking routes through the valleys on wooden pathways or up to the mountains as you like.

Your stay at the heavenly lake is your time to go boating, take photos or simply trek around the lake if you like. You can lunch together with a local Kazak family or just pay them a visit! This is certainly the easiest way to understand the life of the Kazak people in such a short time.

When you are ready drive to Urumqi for about 2 hours and back to hotel after dinner.

Day 14 Urumqi Departure

Our driver will pick you up from your hotel lobby at appointed time, drive you to airport for your flight to next destinastion or back home. Your 14 Days Best China Silk Road Tour comes to end. Have a pleasent trip!

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. All transfer and city transportation 2. Air-conditioned car or van 3. Hotels specified in the itinerary, all based     on two persons sharingone standard room; 4. Meals specified in the itinerary: Western     breakfast in hotels Chinese lunch and     dinner in local restaurants 5. Sightseeing: All arrangements mentioned     in the itinerary will be covered All first     admission/entrance fees in the itinerary 6. Tour guide: Conducted by a professional     tour guide

Price Excludes 1. International air-tickets 2. Airport departure tax. 3. International or domestic air tickets which     are not listed in the itinerary. 4. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness     or damages incurred during your trip 5. Tips to the tour guide and driver 6. Meals not specified in the itinerary. 7. Personal expenses: phone bills, laundry,     optional tours, postage, excess baggage     charge, entertainment fees out of the     itinerary. 8. Single Room Supplement.