7 Days Tour Package to Xinjiang

You are arriving at Irkestam border or Turgart Border border today, our  guide and driver will meet you there and transer you to hotel check in, have a good rest and feel free to do some explorations at your pleasure.

After breakfast at the hotel, we will take a drive on the China and Pakistan highway to visit Karakul Lake and enjoy Pamir landscape. Karakul lake is the highest lake of  Pamir plateau whose altitude is 3600m. It is located near the junction of the Pamir, Tianshan and Kunlun Mountain ranges. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztag Ata (7546m), Kongur Tagh (7,649m) and Kongur Tiube (7,530 m). The lake is popular among travelers for its beautiful scenery and the clarity of its reflection in the water, whose color ranges from a dark green to azure and light blue. There are two Kirgiz settlements along the shore of Karakul Lake, a small number of yurts about 1km east of the bus drop-off point and a village with stone houses located on the western shortest.

Enjoy a delicious morning buffet, and we are ready for exploring the ancient city Kashgar today. Firstly, we will visit Sunday Bazaar, (livestock Market), traffic near this big market are choked on Sundays with farmers and buyers arriving by donkey cart, truck, bicycle, horseback, motorbike or on foot with their animals. It's loud, lively and cheerful as they arrive, eat breakfast, set up their animals and check out the action. Cattle, sheep (they definitely look different), goats, donkeys, horses have their own sections; sellers show their animals are "good eaters"(most go as livestock not meat) and the entire experience is fascinating. 

Then we will walk in the streets of Old town, this trip will provide a sense of what this legendary Central Asian hub was like in the days when the Silk Road was at its zenith. 500-year old remnants of the city wall, narrow lanes and colorful multi-ethnic crowds combine to make Kashgar's historic district a highlight of any visit to the city. After that, we will visit Id Kah Mosque, It is the large Mosque in China and most famous one in Xinjiang. The Mosque started to build in the mid of fifteenth century, and has gradually developed to the present size. Id K ah Mosque, with about 16800 square meters in area, consisting of Pray Hall, the Koran teaching Hall, The Corridor, the Arches and other buildings attaching to it. The Pray Hall of the mosque can hold 4000 prayers is supported by 140 carved wooden pillars.The buildings of Id Kah Mosque look magnificent and solemn, and display the artistic styles of Islamic mosque architectures. Then we will continue to visit Apak Hoja Tomb, This Mazar is the holiest place in Xinjiang and an architectural treasure . Built in 1640 , it is reminiscent of the Central Asian artistic style of Samarkand or Isfahan . A handsome blue-and-white tiled gate leads into the compound, which includes a small religious school and the Abakh Khoja family tomb. The latter is domed and faced with multi - colored tiles. I t most complete Islamic tomb of the Qing Dynasty up-to-now in China. And then, we will hang around Handicraft streetStreets.

After checking out of your hotel, your guide meets you to begin your day touring of Heavenly Lake, Erdaoqiao Market & International Bazaar. Heavenly Lake is a long and narrow gourd-shaped moraine lake located 110km from Urumqi, it is 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”. After the sightseeing, we are heading back to Urumqi and visit Erdaoqiao Market & International Bazaar, Erdaoqiao is 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. On Sunday, there are more stalls and more goods to buy than any other day. The old streets around the bazaar are really worth seeing.Here is the most welcomed place by tourist especialy by ladies where they can buy some traditional yugur make up cosmetic.

After breakfast, your guide picks you up from the hotel for a day of enlightenment and adventure.  Your first stop is Karez Irrigation 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. 

Around 20mins drive from the Karez Well is Sugong Minaret,Located in Mura Village 2 kilometers to the east of the city of Turpan, the Tower 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 on the outer wall. The tower has 14 windows and a spiral stairs inside it leading to the top. After that, we will continue our tour to 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. The city includes city gates, streets and lanes, government office, temples, domestic houses, cave houses, wells, and an underground temple.

Today we will get one step further to Turpan's history and hospitality by visiting Bezklik Grottoes, Astana Tombs and Tuyoq village. Bezklik Grottoes is located 50 kilometers to the east of Turfan City . “Bezeklik”means “a place with beautiful decoration”. There are 83 numbered caves; among them 40 preserved murals totaling 1200 square meters. These caves are first excavated in Qu`s Gaochang period. The exising caves were reconstructed or newly extended by Uighurian people. In some caves one can find that Buddhish murals are painted on Manichean murals. Themes of the murals are mainly the stories about causes. After that, we will continue to visit Astana Tombs, which located over 40 kilometers to the southeast of Turfan City , covering an area of 10 square kilometers, the Astana Tombs are the graveyard of the residents lived in the Gaochang City in the Jin-Tang times, including large sized family graveyard. Between 1959 and 1975,here had been excavated 13 times, 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., and total number of them reaches tens thousands. Known as “the Underground Museum.We will visit a Local Uyger Family with Vineyard for lunch. Turpan is a kingdom of Grapes, all the local uyger families plant the grapes at the back of their house. Local Uyger family visiting is a special experience for you to know their lifestyle in the fireland.

It is time to say goodbye, airport transfer after breakfast. The last week have been a glorious adventure. You have made a lifetime's worth of precious memories, but you left Xinjiang & the silkroad with so much unexplored.