Silk Road Tours to Urumqi, Kashgar and Turpan / 7 days

Day 1 Arrive at Urumqi (Meals: -/-/-)

You will be met at the airport in Urumqi by our Discoverchinatours guide, and driven to your hotel. The rest of the time is free for you to explore the city.

Day 2 Urumqi (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Heavenly Lake / Heavenly Mountain

After an early breakfast, we set off for Heavenly Lake and Heavenly Mountain.

• Heaven Lake: Situated in the Tianshan range, 115 km northeast of Urumqi, at an elevation of 1980m, Tianchi Lake is one of the main tourist attractions in China.

Day 3 Urumqi Kashgar (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Hongshan Park / Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum / Erdaoqiao Bazaar

You will pay a full day visit to Hongshan Park, Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum and Erdaoqiao Bazaar. As sunset approaches, you will be transferred to the airport to Kashgar. Upon your arrival in Kashgar, be met and transferred to your hotel.

• Red Hill (Hong Shan): From Red Hill (Hong Shan), 910 metres or 3,000 feet high, on the east bank of the Urumqi River, there is a panoramic view of the city.
• Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum : This museum houses an impressive collection of exhibits, covering artifacts and relics from more than 12 minority groups.

Day 4 Kashgar Urumqi (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Fragrant Concubine Tomb / Id Kah Mosque / Sunday Bazaar

You will spend the day touring around the city, including visits to Fragrant Concubine Tomb, Id Kah Mosque, Sunday Bazaar. Then take evening flight back to Urumqi. Upon your arrival in Urumqi, be met and transferred to your hotel.

• Fragrant Concubine Tomb (Xiangfei Tomb): It is a monumental hall, finished in 1640, with a large dome of dazzling glazed green tiles.
• Id Kah Mosque: This mosque, the largest one in China, can accommodate 20,000 people, and almost certainly the most active, in the country. You can even hear the call to prayer booming around the city centr-a rare sound in China.
• Sunday Bazaar: Once a week Kashgar's population serlls by 50,000 as perple from across the area stream into the Sunday morning bazaar. On Sundays, thousands of farmers driving carts flock from the countryside to the great Kashgar bazaar around Aizilaiti Lu, east of the Tuman River.

Day 5 Urumqi - Turpan via van (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Nanshan Grassland (White Poplar Gully)

After an early breakfast, we set off for Nanshan Grassland (White Poplar Gully). We will then head to Turpan by private vehicle, which takes about 3 hours riding.

• Nanshan Grassland (White Poplar Gully): Screened by snow-capped peaks and dotted with tall and straight dragon spruce trees, it is an ideal place to have an excursion.

Day 6 Turpan (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)Ruins / Flaming Mountains / Astana Tombs / Karez Wells / Grape Valley (Putao Gou) / Emin Minaret

In the morning, we visit the most well-known landmark of Turpan, Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)Ruins, Flame Mountain, Astana Tombs, Karez Wells, Grape Valley and Emin Minaret (Emin Ta).

• Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)Ruins: Located in the Yarnaz Valley 13 kilometers (8 miles) west of Turpan Jiaohe was used to be the capital of the State of South Cheshi, one of the 31 states in the Western Region.
• Flaming Mountains: When the sun's rays beat down in mid-afternoon, the red rocks on the crisscross gullies and ravines reflect and the heat is intense as if the hillsides were engulfed by tongues of fire, hence the name.
• Astana Tombs: These graves lie 40 kilometers (25 miles) southeast of Turpan, 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) from the ancient city of Gaochang. The imperial dead of Gaochang and noble officials were buried here. The tombs have been blessed with centuries of dry weather.
• Karez Wells: Karez is a massive underground network of tunnels, which was put into use in the last 20 centuries. The ancient Karez system is comprised of a series of wells and linking underground channels that uses gravity to bring ground water to the surface, usually far from the source.
• Grape Valley (Putao Gou): At the western base of Flaming Mountains, there is a well-known vineyards and fruit trees - Grape Valley. The grapes are dried in hundreds of ingenious outbuildings ventilated by the open brickwork of their walls, creating the sweet raisins for which Turpan is renowned.
• Emin Minaret: The Emin Minaret (Emin Ta), just 2km east of Turpan, is both a mosque and minaret tower that was built in 1778 by the local Muslim ruler, Emin Hoja.

Day 7 Turpan to Next City (Meals: B/-/-)

Enjoy some free time or indulge in some shopping before your flight to next destination.

End of Service!