Silk Road Tours to Urumqi, Kashgar, Turpan, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Lanzhou, Xiahe, Xi'an 15 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 - Dunhuang via evening train/soft sleeper (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)Ruins / Flame Mountain / Astana Tombs / Karez Wells / Grape Valley / Emin Minaret (Emin Ta)

In the morning, you will visit the most well-known landmark of Turpan, Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)Ruins, Flame Mountain, Astana Tombs, Karez Wells, Grape Valley and Emin Minaret (Emin Ta). After that, you will be transferred to the train station directly to Dunhuang. Your homestay tonight is on the train.

• 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 Dunhuang (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Mogao Grottos / Mingsha Hill / Crescent Lake

Upon arriving in Dunhuang, you will have breakfast and then take a full day tour to visit Mogao Grottos, Folk Culture Museum, Crescent Lake and Roaring Mingsha Hill.

• Mogao Grottos: In China, it is one of the three famous rock grottos and regarded as a storehouse of the Buddhist art in the world.
• Mingsha Hill: Mingsha Hill offers the best picture-book desert scenery that travellers are likely to see along the entire length of the Silk Road.
• Crescent Lake: Yueya Spring is near the northern foot of Mingsha Hill in the southern suburbs of Dunhuang City. It is shaped like a crescent moon, and its clear water is surrounded by grass.

Day 8 Dunhuang (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: The Hecang Fortress / Yumenguan / Yangguan

You will start the day with a visit to Yumenguan, the Great Wall in Han Dynasty, The Hecang Fortress and Yang Gate。

• The Hecang Fortress: hidden in the Gobi Desert twenty kilometers from Yumenguan Pass at the west, was originally the important quartermaster depot.
• Yumenguan: Yumenguan lies about 80 kilometres (50 miles) northwest of Dunhuang. Its name came from the fact that jade from Hotan in Xinjiang entered Central China through this pass.
• Yangguan: Yangguan lies 75 kilometres (47 miles) southwest of Dunhuang but consists of only the ruins of a high beacon tower. It's named Yangguan because it borders the southern part of Yumenguan Pass.

Day 9 Dunhuang - Jiayuguan via evening train/soft sleeper

Sightseeing: Jiayuguan Pass / Overhanging Great Wall / Wei Jin Tombs

In the morning, we spend about 5 hours on bus driving to Jiayuguan, then visit Jiayuguan Pass, Overhanging Great Wall and Wei Jin Tombs. In the evening, you will be transferred to the train station to Lanzhou. Your homestay tonight is on the train.

• Jiayuguan Pass: This is the most impressive site in the Hexi Corridor because it is the western ending point of the Great Wall.
• Overhanging Great Wall: From the upper tower high on a ridge you get a sweeping view of the desert, the oasis of Jiayuguan and the glittering snow-capped peaks in the distance.
• Wei Jin Tombs: Wei Jin Tombs locates in the desert 20km east of Jiayuguan, but only one is currently open to tourists. This place consists of ancient tombs with original wall paintings.

Day 10 Lanzhou (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Bingling Si / Gansu Provincial Museum

Upon arriving in Dunhuang in the morning, you will have breakfast and then take a full day tour to visit Binglin Si and Gansu Provincial Museum.

• Bingling Si: Located 75km south-west of Lanzhou, Binglingsi is an important Buddhist cave complex dating from the 5th century and one of the most unusual sights in Gunsu.
• Gansu Provincial Museum: It has interesting collection, including an outstanding Tang Dynasty Warrior made from earth ware and the bronze Flying horse of Wuwei, 2000 years old and still with its accompanying procession of horses and chariots.

Day 11 Lanzhou - Xiahe via van (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Labrang Lamasery

In the morning, we spend 7 or 8 hours on bus driving into Xiahe, then stroll along Labrang Lamasery.

• Labrang Lamasery (LABULENG SI): It is one of the six largest religious temples of the Gelug Sect of China's Lamaism, second only to Potala Palace in Lhasa at Tibet. The lamasery covers 202 acres and has more than 10,000 halls and accommodates over 3,000 lamas.

Day 12 Xiahe - Lanzhou via van (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Wuquan Park / White Pagoda Hill

You will be met and start early this morning back to Lanzhou. After sampling some delicious local specialties for lunch, you will go to visit Wuquan Park and White Pagoda Hill in Lanzhou city.

• Wuquan Park: Located at the northern foot of Gaolan Mountain in Lanzhou, Five-Spring Mountain is 5,250 feet above sea level. It was so named because there are five springs in the mountain.
• White Pagoda Hill: On the top of the hill is Baita Si (White Pagoda temple), which was built duting Yuan dynasty, you can get a good view across the city.

Day 13 Lanzhou Xi'an (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: The Ancient City Wall / Bell Tower / Provincial Museum

After breakfast, you will be met in the lobby and drive to the airport to take a short flight to Xi'an. Upon your arrival in Xi'an, you will be greeted warmly by our guide and visit the City Wall, Bell Tower and Provincial Museum.

• The Ancient City Wall: An extension of the old Tang Dynasty structure boasting the most complete city wall that survives through Chinese long history.
• The Bell Tower: The emblem of Xi'an city.
• The Provincial Museum: One of the main museums in China which holds numerous unearthed cultural relics of China.

Day 14 Xi'an (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses / Big Wild Goose Pagoda

In the morning, we visit the most well-known landmark of Xi'an, Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses and Big Wild Goose Pagoda.

• The Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses: The greatest archaeological findings of the century: the army of terra-cotta warriors and the bronze chariots entombed in vast underground vaults at emperor Qin's tomb.
• The Wild Goose Pagoda: The pagoda where widely renowned Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) stored his classics brought from India.

Day 15 Xi'an to Next City (Meals: B/-/-)

Feel free until be met and transferred to the airport for the flight to next destination.

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