12-Day Silk Road Tours from Xi'an

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive in Xi’an. O/N Xi'an.
1 stop
1
Upon your flight landing, your local tour guide will wait you by holding a welcome board with your name and transfer to hotel. Rest of the day is your own time to explore this ancient city by yourself. It is said that if you want to see 800 years of China’s history, visit Beijing; if you want to see 3000 years of China’s history go to Xi’an. The root of Chinese history and culture remains there. It used to be the ancient capital of many dynasties and the starting point of the Silk Road in China.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 2
Xi'an. O/N Xi'an.
5 stops
2
Xi'an
In the morning, your tour guide can meet you at your Xi'an hotel lobby at 9:00am then transfer to Terracotta Warriors Museum, need 80 minutes driving,45km.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
3
The Museum of Qin Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses
Your guide will reserve tickets for you online in advance and help you skip the line at the entrance of the Museum. Following your guide, you will explore the Terracotta Warriors Museum by visiting the three excavated pits, as well as the Bronze Chariots and Horses Exhibition Hall. Although the clay warriors and horses have been buried for more than 2,200 years, they are still vivid with distinct appearances. You will spend at least two and a half hours to see this amazing site.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
4
Small Goose Pagoda
Next, you will transfer to Small Wild Goose Pagoda which is located inside Jianfu Temple, about one kilometer south of Xi'an city proper. It is one of the two famous and important Buddhist pagodas erected in the Tang Dynasty about 1300 years ago. Small Wild Goose Pagoda and its large neighbor, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, are two important Buddhist sites, dating back to the Tang Dynasty, 1300 years ago. The two pagodas were a symbol of Chang'an (Constant Peace) city. Xi'an (West Peace) was called Chang'an until the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when Beijing became the capital of China. Chang'an had served as the capital for ten dynasties.
40 minutes • Admission ticket free
5
Xi'an City Wall (Chengqiang)
After the lunch, you will transfer to city wall. You can walking or cycling around the wall, the bike fees you pay locally if you do that. The first landmark visitors will encounter in Xian is the ancient City Wall, which stretches round the old city. It is also one of the most famous attractions in Xian. Today, this wall represents one of the oldest and best preserved Chinese city walls, as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world.
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission ticket included
6
Muslim Quarter
Your last stop will be the Muslim Bazaar, the most thriving area of the city. If you are interested, you can explore the bazaar at your own pace and then return to the hotel by yourself. Your guide will give you directions for returning to your hotel. The Great Mosque and the Bell and Drum Tower Square are within walking distance of the Bazaar. There are many boutique stores at fair prices in Bazaar and also a number of excellent choices of food for dinner.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
Day 3
Xi'an - Dunhuang by flight. O/N Dunhuang.
4 stops
7
Today, you will take the morning flight to Dunhuang. Your driver and guide will meet you at the hotel lobby and takes you to the airport. The airport is about 40km from the city and it takes about an hour by car.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
8
Upon arrival at Dunhuang, you will be picked up on time with your local guide and transferred to the Dunhuang hotel.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
9
After checking in, you will go to the Mysterious Crescent lake which its name derives from the crescent moon shaped by the small pool of spring water between two large sand dunes. Here you could slide down on the Sounding sand dunes to see if you can hear the sound from sand dunes. The Crescent lake also Known to the world as “the first spring in the desert”, no-one can explain the formation of such a geological oddity.visit would be a great experience. crescent lake is like a crescent moon, which is nestled in the vast desert for thousands of years, its water is very clear, sweet.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
10
Mingsha Shan - Echoing-Sand Mountain
Afterwards,visit to the Singing Sand Mountains (Mingsha Mountain) where you can experience sand surfing and camel riding( on your own expenses). Mingsha Mountain starts from Mogao Caves in the east, 40 kilometers long from east to west, and 20 kilometers from south to north.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 4
Dunhuang - Turpan by train. O/N Turpan.
4 stops
11
Dunhuang
Your guide will pick you up at the lobby of your hotel at around 09:00 in the morning. You will be escorted to the well-known Mogao Grottoes in around 30 minutes ride.
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
12
Mogao Caves
The Mogao Grottoes, which were constructed over a millennium ago, from the 4th to 14th centuries. The caves are also known as the Thousand Buddha Caves has two distinctions of being one of the most notable grottoes in China as well as the best-preserved treasure house of Buddhist art, sutras, murals and sculptures in the world.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
13
At the lunch, Take the fast speed train to Turpan( 16:35pm-19:56pm).
1 hour • Admission ticket free
14
Upon arrival at Turpan train station, your local tour guide will wait you by holding a welcome board with your name and transfer to hotel.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 5
Turpan. O/N Turpan.
4 stops
15
Ancient City of Gaochang (Kharakhoja)
You start your exciting day in Turpan with a visit to the ancient city of Idikut (Gaochang). The city was first 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 and then Move on to Toyuq village, an old, beautiful and timeless village with a friendly Uighur community. Here you visit several local families and have lunch with a local family at their home. This could be the highlight of your day tour.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
16
After lunch you 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.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
17
On the way back to the hotel you will stop at the Flaming Mountains which people claimed to be hottest and driest along the silk road that “flying birds even a thousand miles away dare not to come”.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
18
Turpan
At the end, your guide will escort you to your hotel.
17 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 6
Turpan - Urumqi by car. O/N Urumqi.
4 stops
19
Ancient City of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto)
Following the breakfast at the Hotel you start your another memorable day in Turpan. Your special itinerary today includes sightseeing in Turpan and drive to Urumqi after Lunch. First you visit Yargul (Jiaohe) Ancient city which is one of the best preserved ancient cities in China , the ruins of the buildings are divided into temples, civilian dwellings and government offices, workshops and residential houses are still visible and time there is a time spent in a long lost world.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
20
Karez System
After an hour of visiting around the ancient city, we’ll head to see the world famous Karez irrigation system, unique to this part of the world. The system is considered as one of the three great projects in China with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
21
Then visit Emin Suliman minaret which is a magnificent combination of ancient Uighur and Islamic architecture.It is the tallest ancient tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient minaret in the country. Locals call it “pure tower”.
40 minutes • Admission ticket included
22
After lunch drive to Urumqi which is 180Kms and takes about 2.5-3 hours.
17 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 7
Urumqi - Kashgar by flight. O/N Kashgar.
2 stops
23
Your guide and driver will see you at the hotel lobby and Leave for Heavenly Lake after breakfast which is 115 kms (71 Miles)takes over two hours by vehicle. Your stay at the heavenly lake is your time to ride horses, go boating, (on your own expense)take photos or simply trek around the lake for as long as you like. You can have lunch 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. Whenever you are finished at the lake, your driver will see you off at Urumqi airport for your flight to Kashgar.
3 hours • Admission ticket included
24
Upon arrival at Kashgar, you will be picked up on time and transferred to the Kashgar hotel.
30 minutes • Admission ticket free
Day 8
Kashgar. O/N Kashgar.
2 stops
25
Abakh Hoja Tomb
Your private local guide will pick you up from your hotel lobby at 10:00am Beijing time. You will take the city tour by the the first stop to view the entrance of Kashgar Old Town greeting performance depending on the performance time. Then you will visit the Apa Hoja Mausoleum which was built in 1640 by local Imam for his father, and later it became a family graveyard to bury 72 people for 5 generations. The mausoleum is impressive for its delicate Uyghur architectural style including the blue tiles, the dome and the minaret.
1 hour • Admission ticket included
26
Next, you will visit Kashgar old town to explore the interesting area where there are old houses for shops, workshops, restaurants, bakery, and tea houses etc. It displays the long history and vivid lifestyle in Kashgar from ancient Silk Road period to today. Handicraft Street is a must-see section in the old town, where the huge music instruments and bronze vessels are very impressive. You might taste some local snacks here, such as Nang Bread, grilled eggs, dried fruits etc.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 9
Kashgar - Tashkorgan. O/N Tashkorgan
2 stops
27
Kashgar
Today's activities is: Drive along the Karakoram Highway, visit Opal village, Bulongkol lake, Karakul alke
10 minutes • Admission ticket free
28
After breakfast you will have the whole morning for hike around the lake or horse rides (Your own expenses). You can visit local villages and homes of local people and start driving to Tashkorgan after lunch. For the travelers, a journey along the KKH is a wonder and self-discovery. It’s soaring peaks and untamed wilderness truly dramatizes a sense of life without limits and yet still hold the promise of more to come. Wake up along the whispering shores of a jewel among sleeping giants. On the way we drive through Subash Pass from where you can see better view of the valley and beautiful peaks of Muztagh Ata and Konger. If you prefer, our driver and guide will stop at Tagharma village to enjoy the beautiful grassland with colorful trees and a local Tajik family visit.
10 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 10
Tashkorgan - Kashgar. O/N Kashgar.
2 stops
29
After breakfast you’ll visit the town’s ancient Stone Fort – still standing after 2200 years! ‘Tashkurgan’ means ‘Fort made out of stones’ Later Hike on the grassland next to the Stone Fort. The Tashkurgan Tajik autonomous county was once an important hub on the old Silk Road. The area borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan via the Kunjerab Pass and the Wahan Corridor.
3 hours • Admission ticket free
30
Kashgar
After lunch drive back to Kashgar and you can have stops at the missed scenes along the way if you like.
17 hours • Admission ticket free
Day 11
Kashgar. O/N Kashgar.
3 stops
31
Explore the rich, endless culture of the Uighurs 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.
2 hours • Admission ticket free
32
Kashgar Bazaar
Later moving 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 chance to practice your bargaining skills.
1 hour • Admission ticket free
33
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). We’ll 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 atmosphere for a short break. sit by locals and try various medicinal teas such as those containing rose, saffron, honey and many other ingredients. Finally, we wrap up one 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.
2 hours • Admission ticket included
Day 12
Kashgar departure. The tour end.
1 stop
34
Today is the last day of your tour with us, so we hope this tour shouldn’t be the last. We strive to make every day of your time with us the one that you’ll always remember
2 hours • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• This package tour NOT for the chinese new year festival and Chinese gold week festival(Oct 1-7), due to no room available and very expensive

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