10 Days Silk Road Travel from Urumqi to Bishkek via Kashgar

Please arrange for the international flight to get to Urumqi. We will meet you at the airport, transfer you to the hotel and check you in.

After Breakfast, we will meet you at the hotel and then drive you to visit the Heavenly Lake, a picturesque Alpine lake, 2000m up in the Tianshan mountain range. Heavenly Lake 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.
After the exploration of the Heavenly Lake, we will drive back to Urumqi, and continue your journey at the Xinjiang International Bazaar, the largest bazaar in Urumqi. You'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and almost anything that you can imagine.

After breakfast, the good day begins. A must and first visit is the oldest Uighur village Tuyoq Village located in the very center of Flaming Mountain Canyon. It used to be the holy site of Buddhism and Islam. The village consists of four parts: Canyon scenery, Thousand Buddha Caves, Maza tomb and the old buildings of the ancient village.

Jiaohe Ruins,resembles Pompei,but 300 years older, a Chinese archaeological site found in the Yarnaz Valley, 10 km west of the city of Turpan and a natural fortress located atop a steep cliff on a leaf-shaped plateau between two deep river valleys where you can experience the way of life of the Uighur ancestors.

In the morning, we'll start our wonderful morning tour of Karez Well irrigation system that produces the best melons and grapes in China.

The following is a visiting to Sugong Minaret, a conduit for cultural exchange between different ethnic and religious groups.

Having lunch in the local restaurant, Say goodbye to this amazing city, we will head to Urumqi.And we will transfer you to the airport catch the flight to Kashgar.

Today you will enjoy a full day excursion of Kashgar. The first stop is the Old Town. Come and join the exciting movement in this well-preserved Uighur residential area. Our speciality: relaxing in the Hundred-years Tea House, taste the local rose tea and nang-bread! As a Mausoleum of the descendants of an Islamic sage, it was built around 1640 AD. 

Then we will visit the Idigar Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and the most sacred mosque for the locals to practise their Islamic activities.

Next we are going to the Apakh Hoja Tomb ( Xiangfei Tomb ) is the largest and most influential Islamic burial Place in Xinjiang and a fundamental cultural relic unit under the protection of the Autonomous Region.

Experience beautiful Karakul Lake where the herds of livestock around the lakeside are reflected in lake Kirghiz herdsmen usually settle down and graze their herds.

You can enjoy the magnificent Bulongkol Lake also known as Baisha Mountain (white Sand Mountain) is located in the Pamir Plateau, a large plateau in the Pamir mountain range at an altitude of about 3500 to 5000m with mountains up to more than 7000m, located next to the Karakoram Highway, so it is one of the must stop spot on the way to Karakul lake and Taxkorgan. This view shows the central part of the plateau from the southeast covering Tajikistan in the center, Eastern China on the right and Afghanistan as well as northern Pakistan on the foreground left. 

After breakfast in the hotel, you will head to the Torugart Pass. our guide will help you clear up the issues on the custom and your Kyrgyz guide will meet you on the Chinese-Kyrgyz border. The road will go along mountain gorges at the most remote areas of Kyrgyzstan. 

On the way from Torugart to Naryn we will admire the view of the third largest lake in Kyrgyzstan – Chatyr kul Lake. It is an endorheic alpine lake in the Tian Shan mountains in At-Bashi District of Naryn Province, Kyrgyzstan; it lies in the lower part of Chatyr-Kul Depression near the Torugart Pass border crossing into China. The name of the lake means “Celestial Lake” in Kyrgyz. The lake and 2 km buffer zone around it is part of the Karatal-Japyryk State Nature Reserve. The water of Chatyr Kul Lake is yellowish-green with water transparency of up to 4 metres (13 ft). The mineralization of the lake ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 milligrams per liter (chloride, hydrocarbonate, sodium and magnesium type of mineralization).

Early in the morning you will be transferred by car from Naryn to Bishkek city (400 km). The road itself from Naryn to Bishkek is just amazing! You will drive along mountain roads and on the way you will move over few high passes. The highest one is called Dolon pass. It is 3030 meters high above the sea level! 

You will be possible to meet real nomads who still live in yurts. Yurts are collapsible nomadic dwellings that are made of felt and wood without using a single nail. You will be shocked by the beauty of our mountains that stayed almost untouched till nowadays.

Then we will arrive at Kochkor Village. In there you will have lunch with a local family and find out more about Kyrgyz people. They will show you the way our national felt carpets are produced. You even can create your own carpet together with them! 

Also you will visit a small local Handicraft Museum. At this place you will get acquainted with nomadic traditions. Then we will meet in the mountains an Eagle hunter and he will show the way he hunts. On our way to Bishkek, we will visit Burana Tower (minaret from the 11th century) and an open air museum of Balbals (stone warriors). In the capital you will have dinner in a national restaurant.

After breakfast take your city tour. Visiting of the central Ala-Too Square,  the central square іn Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The square wаs built іn 1984 tо celebrate the 60th anniversary оf the Kyrgyz SSR, аt whіch tіme а massive statue оf Lenin wаs placed іn the square's center. The statue оf Lenin wаs moved іn 2003 tо а smaller square іn the city, аnd а new statue called Erkindik (Freedom) wаs installed іn іts place.

Then you will visit Duboviy Park (Oak Park), full of strollers on warm Sundays, has a few open-air cafés and some neglected modern sculpture and funnily enough, century-old oaks. Where Erkindik prospektisi (Freedom Ave) enters the park, there is an open-air art gallery. 

Afterwards visit Pobeda Square (Victory Square), the History Museum, National philharmonic and Asian Bazaar, is very colorful and noisy. People sell there all kinds of goods. You will walk there about an hour to see local people, goods, fruits, vegetables, meat store, and other things! On this bazaar you will see very interesting people that come from villages to sell their goods.many others places of interest. During this day we will show you our main squares and buildings that were made at Soviet time.

Airport transfer will be arranged. Thanks for visiting the ancient silk road.Looking forward to seeing you next time！