7 Days Xining, Chaka, Zhangye, Dunhuang Program

Day 1: TBA - Xining

Program：your guide will meet you at Xining Airport/Railway Station and transfer you from downtown Xining to the hotel. Discover the city for yourself for the rest of the day.

Accommodation: Xining Nature Inn**** or similar
Meals: N/A

Day 2: Xining - Chaka

Program: after breakfast, we will visit Kumbum Monastery, and then, drive from Xining Chaka Salt Lake (about 316 km, 4.5 hours driving). After touring, we will accommodate in Chaka Town.

-- Kumbum Monastery:
Kumbum Monastery (Te'er Monastery) is our country Lamaism (Tibetan Buddhism) Gelugpa (Yellow Sect) founder Tsongkhapa birthplace. Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism is one of six major monasteries; it covers an area of ??about 600 acres, it is the center of activity of Tibetan Buddhism in northwest. It is also a national key cultural relics protection unit. Monastery first built early Ming Dynasty Jiajing thirty-nine year (AD 1560), there are 400 years history till now.
There are three specialties in Kumbum Monastery - mural, barbola and Butter Sculpture.

-- Chaka Salt Lake:
Originally the Chaka Salt Lake (Chaka yanhu) was part of the ocean in primordial times, and it was formed during the intense crust activity that resulted in the formation of the largest plateau in the world, the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The highlight of the lake is its reflective surfaces, that mirror the passing clouds, the distant mountains and the nomad´s tents and herds that can be found all around the area. Tourists can take the train to the salt farm, watching the mining of salt, and admiring various salt crystals in the shape of pearls, corals, snowflakes, and mushrooms.

Accommodation: Chaka Jinling Haoxuan Hotel**** or similar
Meals: breakfast

Day 3: Chaka – Qinghai Lake - Zhangye

Program: after breakfast, we will drive (150 km, about 2.5 hours driving) from Chaka Town to Qinghai Lake. After the touring there, we will drive to Zhangye (about 400 km, 7 hours driving).

-- Qinghai Lake:
Qinghai Lake is called "blue sea" in Tibetan. Located in the northeast of Qinghai Tibet Plateau and Qinghai Province, it is the largest inland lake in China. It is formed by the fault subsidence between Datong Mountain, Riyue mountain and South Mountain of Qinghai.

Accommodation: Zhangye Xiyu International Hotel **** or similar
Meals: breakfast

Day 4: Zhangye

Program: Today we will have all day program in Zhangye to Giant Buddha Temple and Danxia National Geological Park for the “Rainbow Mountains:

-- Giant Buddha Temple:
The temple was first built in 1098 during the Western Xia Dynasty. It gets the name because of the largest indoor clay recumbent Buddha statue of China in the temple. In 1996, the temple was listed by the State Council as a major historic and cultural site under state protection.
The temple consists of archway-style gate, Hall of Four Heavenly Kings, Main Hall Recumbent Buddha and so on. The two-story main hall is 33 meters tall. The clay statue of Sakyamuni is the largest indoor clay Buddha statue in China.

-- Danxia National Geological Park:
The scenic spot is mainly developed from 135 million to 65 million years of Cretaceous "red layer", thick layer of conglomerate and sandstone by tectonic movement, water and wind erosion. Thousands of cliffs and mountains are all bright red and reddish brown.

Accommodation: Zhangye Xiyu International Hotel **** or similar
Meals: breakfast

Day 5: Zhangye - Dunhuang

Program: Take the flight from Zhangye to Dunhuang in the morning. In the afternoon, visit Dunes of the Singing Sands and Crescent Moon Lake.

-- Dunes of the Singing Sands:
Dunes of the Singing Sands (Mingshashan) offers the best picture-book desert scenery. The dune, surrounded by rolling ridges and precipitous cliffs, reaches a relative height of 250 meters. Seen from afar, the mountain is just like a golden dragon winding its way over the horizon. As you approach you become aware that the sand has many colors ranging from red to yellow, green, black and white.
A wonderful view across the rolling desert sands towards the oasis comes to your sight after reach the top. When sliding down along the sands, it will make sound of "rumbling sands" or the sound of thunder or a drum-roll as the wind sweeps across the sands. Some say that the sand is singing, while to others it is like an echo and this is how the mountain gets its name.

-- Crescent Moon Lake:
Near the Dunes of Singing Sands, and it is said to be the point where the oasis meets the desert. Crescent Moon Lake is a natural spring fed pond measuring about 240 meters from east to west, and 50 meters from north to south.
Today it has an average depth of about 2.4 meters, although in past times all of the dimensions of the lake were larger. In all of the years the desert has never filled up the lake. This was maybe due to the pattern of the winds, or maybe magic or the gods.


Accommodation:  Dunhuang Legend Hotel **** or similar
Meals: breakfast

Day 6: Dunhuang

Program: In the morning, we will visit the amazing Mogao Grottoes, after that, we will visit Yangguan pass.

-- Mogao Grottoes:
Situated at a strategic point along the Silk Route, at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural and intellectual influences, the 492 cells and cave sanctuaries in Mogao are famous for their statues and wall paintings, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art.
They contain 45,000 square meters of murals 2,415 painted statues, and five wooden structures. The colored paintings of the Mogao Grottoes feature hold lines, bright colors, and superb composition. Those made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907) are particularly brilliant. Themes of the murals range for Buddha portraits and Buddhist stories to fairy tales and pictures of worshipers. A large number of historical documents dating from the Middle Ages were also discovered in a cave where Buddhist scriptures were stored. The study of these valuable materials, along with paintings and statues, has become a subject of worldwide research.

-- Yangguan Pass:
Yangguan lies 75 kilometers (47 miles) southwest of Dunhuang but consists of only the ruins of a high beacon tower. It is built to defend against the attacks of other minority nationalities in 121BC of the Western Han Dynasty. It´s named Yangguan because it borders the southern part of Yumenguan Pass.
Yangguan Pass once was the gateway to the Xiyu area and an important pass on the Silk Road. Eminent Buddhist monk Xuan Zang set foot there on his return to Chang´ An (Xian) from India. During that period.

Accommodation: Dunhuang Legend Hotel **** or similar
Meals: breakfast

Day 7: Dunhuang – TBA (Shanghai or Guilin)

Program: transfer you to the airport as your flight schedule.

End of service!

Accommodation: N/A
Meals: breakfast