23 days Xinjiang Grand Tour

Meet guide & take the sightseeing of Urumqi which means the beautiful pastureland in Mongolian Language. It is the largest city in China's western interior. Check into the hotel upon arrival. we will have a group dinner. We will arrange the airport transfer based on your flight time.

In the morning, you will visit the Xinjiang Museum and then head to Burqin along the National Road NO 216. and visit the Five colored Bay . Xinjiang Museumthe museum 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 Westen Regions, the silk ,wool, cotton and hemp fabrics and folk rainment, etc., are unusual tidbits in the world.

After breakfast Visit Kanas Lake, cruises on the lake and visit Tuwa Tribe village
Kanas Lakethe most beautiful mountain lake you have never seen. It is the latest lake open to all tourists in China and has attained a reputation as “the tourism pearl of Mountain Altai”. 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, you may find it containing many colors setting off each another at a time, thus it has got a name as the color-changing lake.
Tuwa Tribe  A Mongolian tribe called Tuwa lives on the south bank of the Kanas Lake. Believing in Lamaism, it is a valiant ethic minority with a long history. Tuwa people speak Turkish, resembling the language of Kazakh, and live on hunting and graze. They also have a special folk custom.

Visit the Hemu village and Enjoy the Horse Riding there(1 hour)
Hemu Village It is one of the three residences of the Tuva Mongol in China. The Tuva Mongol is believed to be the offspring of the troops of Genghis Khan when he crusaded west. The Tuva Mongol of Hemu Village lives in frame houses half-buried in the ground to resist the chillness of winter. They believe in Buddhism and have well preserved the traditional beliefs of their tribe. Religious and traditional festivals are always jolly and busy, while the landscape tempts every visitor come back to experience the wildness of natu

Drive to Karamay. Visit Ghost City
Karamay("black oil" in the Uygur language) became famous in the 1950s for petroleum production. Oil and natural gas are Karamay's main mineral resources. The city has such tourist attractions as the Wurhe Ghost City, Mt. Black Oil Park, and the No. 1 Well, and so on.
Ghost City the most beautiful Yardan landform in this region.The movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”has left you a deep impression of the multi-colored bay where the heroine Ziyi was hidden, this special desert scene shot in the movie is located at the Gobi desert.

Drive to Sarym Lake and overnight in local Mongolian Yurt.
Sarym Lake In the spring，summer and autumn the sapphire water of the lake seems to meet the sky in the distance．The pasture is a charming scene of flourishing trees，waving grass，and wildflowers that are reflected in the clear water of the lake．As well as the local Kazaks with their yurts, variety of the cattle and sheep.

Drive to Yili and visit Hurgos border, enjoy the beautiful scenery of Fruit valley.
Fruit Gully there are numerous pine trees, and rivers and brooks converge here flanking by numerous ridges and peaks. Known as the "1st scene of Ili", the gully has a pleasant cool weather in summer and autumn, and the ground is covered with flowers with bees and butterflies flying and dancing among them. Countless fruits hanging from the branches of the trees on the hillsides, pure white snow far and near, together with flocks of sheep and yurts scattering in the gully here and there compose a beautiful picture of grassland. Head to Yili, known as the "beyond the Great Wall Jiangnan,"

After breakfast drive along the National Highway runs across the Tianshan Mountains to visit the Naraty Grassland. Furthermore, Nalat Grassland boasts sub-alpine belt, and it has been a famous pasture land ever since the ancient times，and there are wide river valley, high mountains，the crisscrossed deep gores，the flourishing forest and open grassland．It is crowned as“air pasture'and“garden highway”

After breakfast drive to Bayinbuluk and enjoy the beautiful landscape there.BayinbulukSwan Lake Natural Reserve lies in Bayinbuluk grassland，taking up 1,000 square kilometers. In 1986 it was listed by the State as the national nature reserve．It is a paradise of flocks of swan. The swans are like white sails wandering on the lake，carefree and contenting themselves．Therefore it is offered the name“Swan Lake”．

Drive on 217national road to Kuqa and experience the beautiful view in Tianshan Mountain
Tianshan Mountainsis magnificent in scenery and rich in natural resource. And spruce trees are seen everywhere in the mountain areas. Also Tianshan Mountain has the largest area of glaciers in China, the area of glaciers takes 16% of the total in the country. The glaciers, like huge solid reservoirs, melt together with snow in summer time, and the water fills the valleys, and it flows into Yili River, Aksu River, Manas River and Urumqi River. And the water nourishes the basins and oases in North and South Xinjiang. And in the mountains, there is a plenty of mineral reserves and forestry resources, about 400700hectares in area.

Today you will take the whole day tour in Kucha which is famous for the Grottoes and the Qiuci Culture.visit the Subashi ruins, kuqa Mosque, Kuqa old town.
Kuqa MosqueIt is located in the north of the old city of Kucha and covers an area of 1165 square meters. With a capacity of 3000 people, it is the second largest mosque in Xinjiang, The mosque consists of a main worshiping hall, a small worshiping hall, a minaret, a qubbah, a religious court and hostels, etc. The mosque is a representative of Uygur architectural art of the Qing Dynasty.
Subashi ruins The site is located on the ridges on both sides of Kucha River and 23 kilometers tto the north of Kucha City .“Subashi”means “headwater of a river”. It is composed of two parts divided by the river. With a lot of ruins of stupas, temples and grottoes from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the end of the T`ang Dynasty, the site is the biggest site of Buddhist temples in Xinjiang.

Visit Great Tianshan Canyon, Kizil Grottoes, Drive to Aksu
Kizil Grottoes the caves were excavated on the cliff of Qul-tagh Mountain by the Muzart River, as the earlist caves in Xinjiang, they care also the earlist ones in China. The contents of these paintings are very rich. Including jataka stories, Budda’s life story and the stories about karma.
Great Tianshan Canyon Known as the most stunning Canyon in China, five thousand meters in total length, and two hundred meters in average depth, the Grand Canyon was once the ancient river course for Kucha River. We will take a half an hour walk in the Grand Canyon to experience the gorgeous scenery

Head to Kashgar and visit the Idigar Mosque, Handicraft street.
Id Kah Mosque: which 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 Kah 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. 
Handicraft streetStreets near this big market are choked on Sundays with farmers and buyers arriving by donkey cart, truck, bicycle, horseback, Ute, 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 and fun.

After breakfast take the drive on the China and Pakistan highway to visit the Karakul Lake and enjoy the Pamir landscape.
Karakorum high way: It is 1200 kilometers almost Sino Pakistan—Chinese friendship high way build since 1976. Ancient Silk Road Merchants often run Via over Karakorum, Wahan corridor with Hindi Kush Mountain to India, Pakistan until Iran. On the road, enjoy the scenery of the Mt. Muztag, Taxkorgan, Persian language that means, stone castle, the brave Tajiks people lives on the Pamir more than 2000 year with nomadic life. Visit Stone fortress, Tajiks National art gallery museum and walk around the pastureland to see Local Tajiks customs.
Karakul LakeAt an altitude of 3,600 m. it is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau, 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).

Visit Stone city, Honjirap Border. Old Town
Stone CityBuilt on a mound of 20 meters high (about 67 feet high), all that remains of the Stone City today are some parts of the periphery of city, such as the gate, city wall whereas the buildings inside the city had all collapsed. However you can still enjoy the view of the ruined city, the surrounding snow-crowned mountains, grasslands, rivers and even the flavor of national traits of the Tajik people.
Honjirap border which means "red wall"in Tajik language,while "blood ditch"in Uygur language.From ancient time up to now,it has always been the natural barrier that is insurmountable .In this place where oxygen is only 48% of the plain and there are just 60 frost free days,how can the soldiers and officers of Honjirap Border Inspection Station manage to live and work? The magnificence of the plateau and the indomitance of the soldiers and officers are fixed into Honjirap's picture
Old town Kashgar is an ancient city, and in walking the streets of its Old Town, 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.

Today you will visit ?Sunday Bazaar, Apak Hoja Tomb, and then head to Yarkent and visit the Yarkent Old Town, Yarkent King Tombs upon arrival 
Sunday Bazaar (livestock Market) Streets near this big market are choked on Sundays with farmers and buyers arriving by donkey cart, truck, bicycle, horseback, ute, 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.
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. 
Yarkent Old Town,It is the best preserved old town in Xinjiang, which is the main shopping center for the locals so that you can enjoy the authentic handicrafts for the local Uygers and know more about their daily life.
Yarkent King and Amanishan Tomb,This city forms an oasis at the western end of the Taklimakan desert as a trade center. Mainly inhabited by Turkic-speaking Muslims, it has more than 120 mosques. The Uygurs are excellent at dancing. The "12 Mukams" (opera) is an epic comprising more than 340 classic songs and folk dances

In the morning visit the Karsu Desert and enjoy the camel riding. visit Atlas Silk Workshop.
The Atlas Silk Workshopis open every day and tours are free, and demonstrate the entire process from cocoon to weaving. Which has a showroom where you can buy Atlas silk by the meter or made into scarves, bags, dresses and other items.

After breakfast visit Khotan Museum, The King of Fig Tree.and then head to Mingfeng County 
Khotan MuseumBuilt at South Tanai Road, Khotan City in 1991, the museum has a floor space for exhibition of about 200 square meters. Besides wooden tablets, the main exhibition “Khotan Historical Relics Exhibition” displays potteries, wooden wares, textiles, sculptures and building components from ancient sites and tombs in Khotan area, totaling over 200 specimens. Among them the Kharosthi and Hotanese tablets, wool fabrics and various sculptures are of distinctive Khotan feature. They mirror the important position and role Khotan occupied and played on the Silk Road.

After the early breakfast drive on the Taklamkan Desert Highway and enjoy the Diversifolious poplars Park
Taklamkan Desert HighwayIt is the biggest moving desert in the world and most of the people believe that it has buried most of good civilizations among the central Asia. It has occupied land more than 345,000 square km, Taklamakan in local Uyghur language means “Tha desert which buried some places under”, and after some western explorers explore this desert on the early of 20th century, they have given another meaning which is“One go, but never come back”. 
Diversifolious poplars Parkit is located in the north of Taklimakan Desert, the middle portion of Tarim River, There are sights of Tarim River, the poplar trees, the desert and the oil industry. It is a good a tourist resort of sightseeing, entertainment, adventure, scientific expedition and vacation.

Visit Iron Gate pass, Local Uyger Show in the Grape Trellies
Iron Gate passan ancient strategic gateway constructed at the entrance of the Peacock River Gorge. 
Uyger ShowThe folk dance in Turfan is famous for its grace, nature, lightness and cheerfulness. Under grape trellises in summer, loud and clear sounds of tambourines and Suona horns, graceful dance, and affecting “Meshrep”can clear up the hotness and refresh you after you journey.

Today you will visit Bezklik Grottoes, Astana Tombs, flaming mountain, Tuyoq village. Local Uyger Family
Bezklik Grottoes   It 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.
Astana Tombs, 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.
Local Uyger Family with VineyardTurpan 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.

Visit Jiaohe Ruined city, Karez Irrigation System ,Turpan Minority Souvenir and Carpet Shop and in the afternoon back to Urumqi
Jiaohe Ruined   The Jiaohe Ruins is located on a mesa in willow leaf shape between the Yarnaz River valleys 10 kilometers to the west of Turfan 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. 
Karez Irrigation SystemThe Karez System is a unique irrigation system in Turfan, 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 reservois
Turpan Minority Souvenir and Carpet ShopLocated at the suburb of Turpan, mainly manages the Xinjiang carpet, the Hetian jade, some Xinjiang famous raw material for medicine as well as introduces Xinjiang's traveling class books.

After break fast You will be transferred to the airport based on your flight time