- info@xinjiangtravel.org
- +86 135 6583 4056
Map. Click to Enlarge
Let the luxury train—the China Oriental Express (also known as Shangri-la Express) take you back to the Silk Road dating back to over 1000 years ago, to explore the best attractions of ancient Silk Road in 2025! With the fabulous design and intimate services on the Express, as well as the various haunting sights along Silk Road, we promise that you'll be dazzled!
Premium Services: The Silk Road Express redefines luxury travel with its unparalleled premium services.
Ultimate Fine Dining Experience: The train boasts a world-class restaurant car, where passengers can savor gourmet meals crafted by renowned chefs using the finest locally sourced ingredients.
Picturesque Natural Scenery: The journey is a visual feast, offering tourists with the world's most stunning landscapes.
Unique Cultural Experience: Along the route, passengers have the opportunity to disembark and engage in immersive experiences that showcase the heritage and traditions of the regions they traverse.
Welcome to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. Getting off the plane, you will find our tour guide is already waiting for you at the airport. Along the way to your hotel, you can enjoy the charming natural scenery and learn more about the history, culture and customs of the vast region from the guide. And you can get a nice rest once arriving at the hotel.
Your stop will be taken to visit the Heavenly Lake. The Lake will offer you picturesque scenery that earns it the name of the “Yaochi” (a fairyland in a Chinese myth). Trekking, and taking the cruise or the cable car to the Maya Mountains, you'll harvest an incredible view of Bogoda Peak. After dinner, you will take on the marvellous Oriental Express to Yining City.
Today's Sayram Lake must be a surprise to you. Please, get ready for it. It will captivate your heart with its crystal-clear turquoise waters which reflect the vast blue. And you can stroll around the lake and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery. About 3 hours later, you will be driven to the stronghold-like Horgos Port. For the unique geographic location, it serves as China's gateway to Central Asia and beyond. Seeing that, you'll understand the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative.
Yining is still waiting for you to explore today. Finishing breakfast, you will set off to the Fushou Mountain at Daxigou. The scenery there is charming in all seasons, especially in April when you can enjoy the sea of apricot blossoms and the whole view of Daxigou by walking along the trestle path around the mountain. Having a day hiking or walking, you must be tried. Considering that, the guide will take you back to the city where there is a site popular among social influencers--Liuxing Street. You can stroll along the lively promenade where shops adorned with intricate Islamic architecture lined up on both sides, or browse through a dazzling array of handicrafts, from hand-woven carpets to exquisite jade carvings. Let the rhythmic melodies of dutar and tambourine fill the air as you soak in the vibrant atmosphere. Then you will take on the Express again to Korla.
Today will be a culture-exploring trip. After picking you up from the Korla station, the car will take you to the Lop Nur People Village for a two-hour tour.You can travel through China's most pristine poplar forest reserve, take a sightseeing bus through the Tarim River to visit the Goddess Lake deep in the desert, or ride a camel to experience China's first mobile desert. Also you will be hospitably welcomed by the Luo Nurs at their home, and you can ask them about the key to longevity as there are many centenarians. Hours later, you will be at the Bosten Lake, the source of life, together with the Mongolian tribe forming a fantastic picture. And you will also hear touching legends and unique customs. After that, you will take on the Express again to Kashgar.
In the morning, as the train slowly pulls in, you have arrived in Kashgar in the morning. Then you will be driven to the much well-known Karakul Lake which means the “Black Sea Lake”. It is one of the few highland lakes in the world. On the way, you will get a closer look at the remarkable Bulunkou Lake, Mount Kongur Tiube and Muztagh Ata. Over the Lake, you are suggested to take a walk around, immersing yourself in the marvellous natural beauty. And the final stop will be in the history-telling Stone City in the north of Tashkurgan County. It once functioned as a stronghold along the ancient Silk Road which you can't miss. And what's amazing outside the Stone City is the Jincao Beach. Just embrace the sunset with your arms, and have nice photos there, sure you will retain unforgettable memories.
Let's continue the tour in Tashkurgan where you will be warmly welcomed by the local Tajik families and experience their culture and lifestyle. Then you will be taken by your driver to the Baisha Lake which has a picturesque natural scenery, with the snow-capped mountains with the lakes and rivers at its bottom, forming a grand and imposing spectacle.
You'll officially usher your day with a visit to the Kashgar Ancient City standing for over 2,000 years. Walking on the crisscrossed streets, you will automatically be impressed by the exotic vibe around here. What is the most attractive is the world's largest existing complex of earth buildings inside. Here is also the home of Uyghurs who will welcome you with their singing and dancing. The next stop is the Id Kah Mosque built in 1442 which is not only the largest mosque in Xinjiang, but also the largest mosque across the country. And then you'll visit the Abak Hoja Tomb, also known as the Fragrant Concubine Garden. Here you will be introduced about the amazing stories throughout the Concubine, and please do have a closer look at the exquisite glazed tiles outside the tombs are an embodiment of the Uyghur aesthetic value. After dinner, the Express will take you back to Kuqa.
Arriving in Kuqa, you'll be taken to the first attraction-- the Tianshan Grand Canyon, also known as a living museum of geological evolution history in Xinjiang. What makes it charming is not only its magnificence and precipitousness, but also its tranquility, mysteriousness and serene. The main scenic spots include Tianshui Lake, Green Dragon Bay, Zhaobi Mountain, Jiasi Daban Sightseeing Area, Swan Lake and Qiaoya Meadow, which you can't miss. Apart from that, you can also harvest a camel-riding experience, and observe the life of the nomad.
As there are two more attractions left to visit, thus there is no reason for you to leave the city today. The first is the Kizil Caves, also known as the second “Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes”. It is a unique case all over the world. Large-scale, rich contents and the long history of Buddhist arts have won Kizil Caves a glorious title of “Art Treasury”. Significantly, it is a brilliant cultural heritage property of Buddhism transmission in China and the eastern and western cultural fusion on the ancient Silk Road. What's else you can't miss is the Kuqa Royal Palace, an ancient architectural complex that blends history and culture, bearing witness to the glorious past of the southern Xinjiang region. And you can stroll along the Rzestan Street and admire the ancient architecture that combines Chinese and Western elements. In the mention of Kuqa, you can't miss the Kuqa Naan City. Naan is an indispensable traditional food for Xinjiang people. Naan in Kuqa is very special, large and thin. Having a bite, you'll find this kind of bread is soft and slightly chewy, with a tender interior that offers a comforting, doughy feel. That's the schedule for today, and the train will take you back to Urumqi.
Today here comes the end of your whole journey. The Express will take you back to Urumqi and our local guide will transport you to the airport or the train station.
| Adult(Age:8-80) Price/p.p | Child(Age:4-7) Price/p.p | Infant(Age:0-3) Price/p.p |
| $ 2700 | $ 1170 | Free |
All the accommodations（hotels and room on the Express） listed in the itinerary
All the meals listed in the itinerary, including local speciality meals
Tickets for all the attractions included
Excellent tour guides
Travel service liability
The transportation fees from your residence to Urumqi.
Personal expenses(services not included mentioned in the itinerary).
Reservation
We do not accept reservations from people having serious high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma or other severe diseases.
If you are over 70 years old, you need a physical examination report within half a year；if you are over 75 years old, you need to be accompanied by your family members.
Deposit/Refund
Reservation of the berths on the train is based on the list, the deposit for the Blue Diamond Box is 10,000 yuan per person; and the berth is reserved for 24 hours, and will be cleared if no advanced payment is made in 24 hours.
The final payment must be paid in full 30 days before the tour starts.
If it is not paid in full for any personal reasons, it will be regarded as automatic abandonment and the deposit will not be refunded.
Reservations made less than 30 days before the departure date must be made with full payment.
Loss of empty berths: the whole train will be booked by us in advance. Thus,the deposit cannot be returned. We the travel agency will deduct 10000 yuan / berth for a empty four-people Blue Diamond Box, 20000 yuan/berth for a empty two-people Blue Diamond Box (the cost is not for the full price of the ticket, thus we have the right to continue to use the berth, please understand).
15-29 days (including the 29th day) before the departure date, 60% of the contract amount will be charged;
80% of the contract amount will be charged 1-14 days (including the 14th day) before the departure date;
Cancellation on the day of departure will be charged 100% of the contract amount.
With the contract signed, there is no reschedule and transship for the Express taking, and there is no refund if you cannot join us.
If there is a cancellation of the tour, there is no refunds, or any other tours of the same class provided. When for weather, flight cancellation, road collapse, and other force majeures, the tour has to be canceled, but all the costs will not be borne by the agency!
The above itinerary is just for reference. If there is no attraction reduction and no lowered standard of service, the agency can make corresponding adjustments to the actual situation. train specific opening, arrival and departure time to the final order of the Railway Bureau and the station scheduling shall prevail.
If the Express comes late or early(not caused by the agency), there will be an adjustment of the itinerary according to the actual situation and no reduction of the attractions or lowered standard of service, but all the losses should be personal.
When the Express can not be operated on time for the policy reasons of the Express or the lower than expected number of tourists, the regular train service or full refund will be provided.
The price for the itinerary is unified, and there is no ticket discount or refunds!
All the hotels we selected are 4 star well-located in the city center with good and proper breakfast for our clients. 3star hotel in some remote towns where 4stars are not avilable. NO SMOKING rooms will be booked for you
Our guides are very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful. And our group tours will be escorted from Xinjiang China Travel.
Generally speaking End March—End Oct are the best time to visit Xinjiang. From mid April to mid of August is the best time to explore the vast grassland in Yili River valley which borders with Kazakhstan.Mid may to Mid Oct is the best time to explore north Xinjiang of Kanas Nature park. End March to Mid June, Sept and Oct are the perfect season to South Xinjiang for its pleasant weather and sweet fruits. No need to worry about high altitude along the Xinjiang. We will prepare Oxygen bags if required. We offer beneficial Cancellation Policy to our customers.
