Silk Road Tours to Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi 8 days

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

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

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

Sightseeing: Mogao Grottos / Folk Culture Museum / Crescent Lake / Roaring Mingsha Hill

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 3 Dunhuang - Turpan via evening train (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: 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. In the evening, you will be transferred to the train station to Turpan. Your homestay tonight is on the train.

• 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 4 Turpan (Meals: B/L/-)

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

Upon arriving in Dunhuang, you will have breakfast and then take a full day tour to 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 5 Turpan - Urumqi via van (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Nanshan Grassland

In the morning, you will spend about 5 hours on private van driving to Urumqi. Arrive in Urumqi,you first freshen up at the hotel before visit Nanshan Grassland.

• 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 Urumqi (Meals: B/L/-)

Sightseeing: Heaven Lake and 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 7 Urumqi (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.

• 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 8 Urumqi to Next City (Meals: B/-/-)

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

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