Tour Map

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Overview

Depart from the starting point of ancient silk road - Xi'an and keep going west to Xinjiang. You will be amazed by the marvelous historic relics and grottoes on the road. Then you will understand why there are so many poems singing for the unique scenery in northwestern China have been created by the numerous talented poets in Chinese history. This 10 days tour will bing you to visit the wonder cities of Gansu and Xinjiang.

Highlights

  • Visit the well-known world wonder - Terracotta Warriors and learn about the authentic ancient China in Shaanxi History Museum in Xi'an

  • Appreciate the magic frescos in the UNESCO world heritage site – Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang

  • Walk around the oldest Uygur village - Tuyoq Village to feel the rich history of the ancient silk road.

  • Immerse yourself in the Heavenly Lake where to see the majestic snow mountains reflected on the mirror-like lake surface and the nomadic life of Kazakh people.

Itinerary

Day 1Arrive in Xi’an, airport transfer.

Our nice guide will meet you at the airport and then be transferred to the hotel for rest.

Day 2Xi’an

After breakfast take the Xi’an Tour and visit the Terracotta Warriors,the Big Wild Goose Temple.

Terracotta Warriors :are the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century. Work is ongoing at this site, which is around 1.5 kilometers east of Emperor Qin Shi Huang's Mausoleum in Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi Province. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China.Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 (in 246 BC), Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China, had begun to work for his mausoleum.

Big Wild Goose Temple:Situated in Da Ci'En (Great Kindness and Grace) Temple, about four kilometers from the urban center, Big Wild Goose Pagoda is one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China. The Pagoda was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) for the study of Buddhist scriptures.


Day 3Xi’an

After breakfast visit the Shanxi Provincial Museum, Ancient City Wall and Grand Mosque

Shanxi Provincial Museum is considered one of the birth places of Chinese culture, the capital of thirteen dynasties and has its own unique history and cultural features. The Shaanxi History Museum in Xian, regarded as “the pearl of ancient dynasties and house of Chinese treasures”, gives a miniature overview of the thousands of years of Chinese history and the splendid ancient cultures of olden times.

Ancient City Wall which was initially built as a military defense system over 600 years ago. Nowadays, it is a popular travel destination. Ascending the City Wall, you could appreciate the magnificent ancient constructions, admire the surrounding urban landscape and watch the locals doing exercises or entertaining themselves at its foot.

Day 4Xi’an -Jiayuguan

After breakfast take the flight to Jiayuguan and then visit The Jiayuguan Pass, The Great Wall on the Cliff.

The Jiayuguan Pass : Jiayuguan Pass stands in the southwest part of Jiayuguan City, about 6 km away from downtown. The castle was begun in 1372 in the Ming Dynasty and located in the Jiayu Highland, hence its name Jiayuguan Pass. It is situated between the Wenshu and Heishan Mountains at the foot of Jiayuguan Hill of Qilian Mountain.

The Great Wall on the Cliff : The Suspended Wall is a part of the Great Wall. The wall here was built on the ridge with the gradient of 45 degrees. It is high in the air and it looks as if it fell down from the top of the hill. So people refer to this section of the Great Wall as the "Suspended Wall". The Suspended Wall, the extension of the walls at the Jiayuguan Pass towards the north, was an integral part of the ancient defense system at the Jiayuguan Pass.

Day 5Jiayuguan - Dunhuang

After breakfast head to Dunhuang and visit the Yulin Grottoes en route and visit the Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake where you will experience the silk road Caravan upon arrive in Dunhuang. After dinner visit the Shazhou Night market.

MEchoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake:Located 5 km (about three miles) south of Dunhuang City, the Echoing-Sand Mountain, for many Chinese well known as Mingsha Mountain, is celebrated for the sound of the moving sand. In 1994 it was acclaimed as the national key scenic spot. Together with the Crescent Springand the Mogao Caves, the Echoing-Sand Mountain is most popular sitein Dunhuang travel.You may wonder why the sand makes these different sounds. There is a legend that says how, in ancient times, a general with many soldiers came here to fight in a war with their enemies.

Day 6Dunhuang-Turpan

After breakfast visit the Mogao Grottoes (Mogao Caves) and after lunch take the Express train to Turpan. Upon arrival transfer to your hotel for check in and overnight.

Mogao Grottoes:The traveler finds the Mogao Caves, a shrine of Buddhist art treasures, 25 km (15.5miles) from downtown Dunhuang on the eastern slope of Mingsha Shan (Mount Echoing Sand). A network of plank reinforced roads plying north to south 1600 meters (5, 249 feet) long lead to the cave openings, which are stacked five stories high some reaching up to 50 meters (164 feet). By the way, Mogao means high up in the desert.According to Tang Dynasty records, a monk had witnessed onside a vision of thousand Buddhas under showers of golden rays. Thus inspired, he started the caves construction work that spanned ten dynasties.

Day 7Turpan

Today you will Visit Jiaohe Ancient City, Astana Tombs, Tuyoq Village and The Flaming Mountain.

Jiaohe Ruins is located on a mesa in willow leaf shape between the Yarnaz River valleys 10 kilometers to the west of Turpan City. running from northwest to southeast, 1760 meters long and 300 meters across at the widest part.  of the residents lived in the Gaochang City in the Jin-Tang times.. Between 1959 and 1975, a great number of cultural relics have been unearthed, including Chinese documents, textiles, epitaphs, coins, clay sculptures, pottery, wooden wares, silk-paintings, crops and foods ,etc Known as “the Underground Museum.

Tuyoq Valley,constructed in eastern and western cliffs in Tuyoq valley . more than 40 caves, there are 10 preserving murals. They are considered to be the earliest caves in Turpan, Murals are mostly damaged, but unique in style.

The Flaming Mountain:The Flaming Mountain is a legendary mountain, running from Shanshan County on west, 98 kilometers in length and 9 kilometers across, with a relative height of 500 meters and the highest peak 831.7 meters. The mountain is a branch range of the Bogda Mountain , formed in the orogenic movements of the Himalayas .


Day 8Turpan - Urumqi

After breakfast visit Karez Well, Sugong Minaret,then back to Urumqi .check in hotel upon arrival.

Karez Irrigation System,The Karez System is a unique irrigation system in Turpan, which, taking advantage of the slopes, draws the underground water to flow by itself to irrigate farmland. It consists of four parts: vertical wells, underground channels, ground canals and small reservoirs

Sugong Minaret was built in the 41st year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty,It is an embodiment of the ancient architectural arts of the Uygur nationality. The tower is 37 meters high and 10 meters in diameter at the base. The body of the tower is cylindroid in shape, built with bricks arranged in various symmetrical patterns.

Day 9Urumqi

After breakfast, visit the Xinjiang Regional Museum and then drive about 1.5hr(120km) to Heavenly lake which is located in the deep of Tianshan Mountain Ranges. In the evening, visit the International market.

Xinjiang Regional Museum, which is the main institution to collect and investigate the unearthed cultural relics and specimens in Xinjiang. There are more than 50 thousand pieces of various kinds of cultural relics stored in the museum, among them, the ancient mummies represented by ‘the Loulan Beauty', manuscripts in Chinese, Kharosthi, Qiuci, Yanji, Tibetan, Uigurian and other characters prevailed in ancient Western Regions, the silk ,wool, cotton and hemp fabrics and folk retainment, etc., are unusual tidbits in the world. 

Heavenly Lake which is a long and narrow gourd-shaped moraine lake, 3400 meters long, about 1500 meters wide, 105 meters at the deepest point, with an average depth of 40 meters, covering an area of about 5.9 square kilometers. There are eight beautiful scenic spots in the lake scenic area, they are “A Ray of Stone Gate”, “Dragon's Pool and Green Moon”, “Magic Needle for Guarding the See”, “Three Stones Bearing the Sky”, “the Snowcapped Southern Mountain”, “Pine Billows in Western Mountain”, “the Hanging Waterfall”, and the “Sea Peak's Sunrise”. Enjoy the experience of the lifestyle of the local Kazaks in the deep of Tianshan Mountain. 

Day 10Urumqi-Shanghai

Today you will be free in the morning and around 13:00 you will be transferred to the airport and take the flight back to sweet home.

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Client's Reviews

  • Reviewed on May 02, 2016

    Denis

    from France

    I hope all is well with you.Many thanks for your good wishes. Hope that you also enjoyed a great mother's day yesterday.I am attaching our overdue feedback for our tours of Dunhuang and Tulufan. Many thanks again for organizing this for us, we had a great time there, and this will stay long in our memories.Will recommend your services to friends and relatives.

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