15 Days North Xinjiang and Silk Road Adventure

Our guide and driver will meet you at the airport. Welcome to Urumqi, the first city on our Silk Road trip. Then you will be transferred to the hotel and the rest of the day is for you to relax and prepare for our Natural Wonder and Culture Adventure.

After breakfast, you will be picked up at your hotel.

Then, enjoy the tour of the picturesque Heavenly Lake, 2000m up in the Tianshan mountain range. It is surrounded by the snow mountains, blooming wildflowers and evergreen pine trees. After 40-minute scenic shuttle bus ride that twists though the dramatic mountains, you can either walk to the lakeside in 10mins or take the electronic cart. There are 3 options suggested. Boat cruise to take the incredible view of Tianshan Mountain; Trek along the lake in the fresh air; or you can explore further to the Maya Mountain by the cable car to enjoy the magnificent view of the Mountains.

After the visiting, we will continue the journey to Fuhai. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to the downtown hotel for overnight stay.

Arrangements for today make for the experience of a lifetime.

We will first drive to visit the most beautiful Tuwa village -- Hemu village, which is one of the famous Tuwa villages. Arriving at the entrance of Hemu, we still have to change the shuttle bus to the village. Here we would like to suggest you leave your big luggage in our coach and take your must stuff.

Tranquil village, herds of cattle and sheep, as well as warm and hospitable locals. What a beautiful and mysterious place! If you want to experience the life of Tuwa people, they will very welcome you to visit their family.

Exciting day! We will drive along the mountain road to the amazing Kanas Nature Reserve, one of the best places in Xinjiang where you can not only enjoy the magnificent mountains and lakes, but also visit the snow-capped icebergs. Then you will have plenty of time to trek around the well-known Three Bays (Moon Bay, Dragon Bay, Immortal Bay), enjoy the most beautiful mountain lake you have never seen. The lake takes on different colors following the four seasons of the year, sometimes it's crystal blue, sometimes it's dark green or even gray.

When we get off the shuttle bus, we can continue the shuttle bus tour to Fish Pavilion for a bird's eye view of Kanas Lake and its surrounding. Or you can experience the cruise if you are interested in.

Later afternoon we will check into the hotel, enjoy your dinner and have a good rest!

This morning, we will head to Karamay, the famous oil city, and travel along the Gurbantunggut Desert to the Urho Ghost City, also known as "Wuerhe Wind City", a unique wind-eroded geological area commonly referred to as "wind city" because of the frequent howling winds.

This is the most beautiful Yadan Landform in the region. When we arrive at the entrance, we will take the shuttle bus to visit the entire Ghost city, which is shaped like a small train.

Enjoy the sunrise and beautiful scenery along the way. Today we will drive about 5 hours back to Urumqi. After arriving, check in first. Then you can have a rest at the hotel or enjoy your leisure time in Urumqi on your own.

Today in the morning, we will drive about 3 hours to Turpan to start your Uygur culture exploration tour!

We will firstly visit the oldest Uygur village in the world -- Tuyoq Village. The village is located in the center of Flaming Mountain Canyon. If you are familiar with the legend “Journey to The West”, you must have heard about this place! Yes, it is said to be the hottest place in China. In the village, you will get to know the authentic life of Uygur people living in northern Xinjiang by having a family visit and also have the opportunity to taste the sweetest fruit juice in China.

We will then drive to take a look at an even older historic relics -- Jiaohe Ruins. It is a 2300 years old ruins with the a reputation of the oriental Pompeii and was included in the World Heritage List on 22nd, June, 2014. Although the ancient civilization has disappeared due to the changes year after year, we can still feel its original charms by walking through these relics.

Early in the morning, take a bullet train to Dunhuang Liuyuan South Station.

Upon arrival, we will pick you up and transfer you to Dunhuang downtown. After a short break, head to Echoing Sand Mountain. When there is wild wind, the sands will be blown up and make a loud sound. There is also a Crescent Lake that has been in existence for hundreds of years without ever being buried by the sand. The camel riding in the vast desert and sand sliding are highly recommended.

In the evening, we will take a walk in the Shazhou Night Market, which is a distinctive local attraction. You can taste the local cuisine and relax here. In addition to local specialties, there are many handicrafts waiting for you to discover.

Today is another day for culture adventure.

You will meet your guide at the hotel lobby. Our first stop is the "cultural treasure"--Mogao Grottoes. Start with the 4D movie tracing back to the thousands of years Chinese history. Then we will visit 8 grottoes with the introducing of the professional guide. Here you can enjoy the magnificent grottoes and mural art, and get to know the history of Buddhism in Dunhuang through explanation and film display, which is the best option for tourists to travel here.

Then we will head to Jiayuguan for overnight stay.

*Reminder: the climate in Jiayuguan may a bit dry, remember to drink water in time.

After breakfast, we will drive to Zhangye.

Before departure, go to visit the Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass), the western end of the Great Wall built in Ming Dynasty. It is known as “the First and Greatest Pass under Heaven”, and best preserved and most magnificent military fort in China. Then we will drive 7 miles away for the Overhanging Great Wall. It got the name for riding on a mountain ridge that is 45 degrees from vertical and resembling a huge dragon.

Continue the drive to Zhangye. You will embrace the splendid sunset in Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park. Don't miss the stunning scenery! The mountains in the park are called “Rainbow Mountain”. Because the rock weathering zones are eroded to different extent, when sunlight shines down on the surface, they reflect it in different ways to show in different colors. Ribbons of red, orange and yellow on the rock has created a rainbow like scenery.

Get up early to catch the stunning sunrise. Continue our trip to Mati Temple, which was built in Jin Dynasty. We will drive about 2hrs to the site. A series of horse shoe prints are visible in Grotto 9, which are said to be left by a heaven horse. Therefore, the temple was named for the horseshoe prints left by the legendary heaven horse, which become the treasure of the temple.

After the visiting, we will drive to Zhangye west train station to catch the high-speed train to Xining for overnight stay.

Morning excursion starts from Ta'er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery). The whole monastery is surrounded by wheels. Here, you can walk along the corridor, rotate the wheels and pray for blessings. Butter sculpture is one of the "Three Wonders of Art" of Ta'er Monastery. It is a variety of artistic boutiques, such as statues of Buddha, figures, landscapes, pavilions, birds, animals, flowers and trees, which are made of butter.

Then drive to Qinghai Lake, and we will ride the bikes around the beautiful Qinghai Lake after 2hrs driving, or have the light trekking in the cole flower sea. It's no exaggeration to say that Qinghai Lake is a miracle that is endowed by a deity.

Another delighted day is coming. Morning we will catch the high-speed train to Xi'an.

Upon arrival, visit the most imposing historic site Terracotta Warriors, the most significant archaeological 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. It is a sight not to be missed by any visitor to China. Believe you will be amazed by the culture and history to get a feeling back to Qin Dynasty during the 3hrs experience.

Afterwards, head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda with 7 floors in total. It is a traditional Chinese style pagoda decorated with some Buddha statues, where Tourists can see a variety of Buddha statues and catch a panoramic view of Xi'an city at the top floor.

In the evening, we will have a wonderful evening and night in Datang Ever bright City. You will be overwhelmed by the tremendous background music and the fascinating lighting. Immerse yourself in the rich and colorful culture of the ancient Tang dynasty!

Today we will spend a whole day exploring culture and customer in Xi'an.

Our first stop is the Ancient City Wall, the most complete city wall that has survived in China as well being one of the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. You will enter the city wall through the ticket gate.

After visiting, wander through the tight and interesting Muslim Quarter to experience the local lifestyle. Street vendors here sell all sorts of goods such as souvenirs, hand crafted products and local snacks.

Today you will say farewell to Xi'an, and we will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight back to your sweet home. It has been a great holiday and we look forward to seeing you another China trip!