Highlights

The price is based on 2 persons in a private tour for 4star hotel

● Visit the impressive Sunday market in Kashgar and enjoy the tea at a 100-year-old tea house

● Marvel Karakul Lake, a high-altitude lake set at the foot of snowcapped Muztagh Ata (7,546m) and Kongur Tagh (7,719m)

● Drive along the Karakom Highway to enjoy the amazing Pamir Plateau

● Visit the Local Uyghur Family in the ancient Tuyoq village in Turpan

● Discover the famous Mogao Caves which was built up from 4th Century AD

● Explore the splendid Danxia Rainbow Mountain in Zhangye 

● Meet Buddhist monks and nomads in the Qinghai of China’s wild west

ITINERARY Close All

Day 1Kashgar Arrival

Welcome to Kashgar, the ancient city with special local cultural and ethnic characteristics along the Silk Road. Be transferred to the hotel. Relax and prepare for your Natural Wonder and Culture Adventure.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Kashgar
Altitude: 1289m

Day 2Visit Karakul Lake then Drive to Taxkorgan (320 kms)

In the morning, enjoy your nice buffet breakfast. At 09:00 your guide and driver will meet you at hotel lobby to start the adventure. Driving on the China and Pakistan highway about 4hrs to enjoy the landscape of Pamirs Plateau.40mins driving. we stop in the Opal village to visit the traditional bustling bazaar


On the way, you can 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 before shuttling you onward to Taxkorgan.


Stay one night and explore its peculiar folk customs of Tajik nationality. Taste snack and milk tea provided by local herdsman and spend your rest of day at leisure.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Taxkorgan
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 3100m
  • Karakul Lake

  • Karakul Lake

Day 3Back to Kashgar

Driving back to Kashgar. On the way, you will visit the Stone Fortress. The city is oval in shape and the city walls were built with sun-dried bricks on stone foundation. It is 1285 meters in circumference outside. Walking around the pastureland to see Local Tajiks customs.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Kashgar
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1289m
  • Stone Fortress

  • Taxkorgan

Day 4Kahgar City Tour

Today you will enjoy a full day excursion of Kashgar. Pay a visit to Id Kah Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and the most sacred mosque for the locals to practise their Islamic activities at 09:00. Continue the visiting to Old Town at 10:30 with the open ceremony of Maxilap show. 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!


After Lunch in the local Restaurant. Continue to visit the Handicraft street, it gathered hundreds of handicraft workshops, which has become a boutique exhibition for handicraft in Kashgar and Central Asia.


Then drive to Sunday Bazaar that is combined two section. The covered bazaar sells the clothing, nuts, household goods and many things out of your imagination. It is quite interesting to witness their typical methods of bargin.  Return to hotel for the night and have a good rest!

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Kashgar
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1289m
  • Old Town

  • Handicrafts Street.jpeg

Day 5Flight to Hotan

After breakfast, we will take the flight to Hotan, the first site we will visit today is The Atlas Silk Workshop is 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. Then visit Carpet Factory, Khotan carpet is a part of orient national handwork, various in types, beautiful in manners, elegant in patterns and bright in color. Among them the carpets with designs of Anagu Kaqiman, Ilikent, and etc., totaling 8 kinds, are in international traveling traders`good graces. Next, we are going to visit Hotan Museum, built 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.

Traffic: Car+Flight
Hotel: Overnight in Hotan
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1300m
  • Silk Factory

  • Carpet Factory

Day 6Drive to Kuqa

After breakfast, our driver will drive along the Taklamkan Desert Highway which 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. You will have a chance to appreciate the vast desert and a beautiful scenery. Continue to Kuqa to your hotel and have a good rest !


Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Kuqa
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1072m
  • Taklamkan.jpeg

  • Taklamkan.jpeg

Day 7Visit Kizil Grottoes and Tianshan Great Canyon

After buffet in the hotel and we will head to our first step, Kizil Grottoes, which is a typical representative of Qiuci Grottoes. And then visit the Tianshan Great Canyon, which is the excellent geological park all over the world. It recorded the whole process of crustal movement in Xinjiang during the past 400 million years. Then we will explore Kuqa Old Town, say hello to the kids who are playing, give a smile to the senior man resting under the tree, taste the local cuisine.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Kuqa
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1072m
  • Kizil Grottoes

  • Tianshan Great Canyon

Day 8Visit Kuqa Old Town then Train to Turpan

Today is another day to explore Kuqa.

Enjoying a delicious breakfast, we will travel to local bazaar where you can enjoy your leisure time and taste some local cuisine, then pay a visit to Kuqa Old Town, to explore the local folk customs and lifestyle.

After visiting, take the train to Turpan, an ancient city with special local cultural and ethnic characteristics along the Silk Road.

Traffic: Car+Train
Hotel: Overnight on the soft sleeper train
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1600m
  • Kuqa Old Town

  • Kuqa

Day 9Turpan City Tour

Arrive in Turpan, the good day begins. First we drive to Tuyoq Village which is an ancient oasis-village in the Taklamakan desert, 70 km east of Turpan in a lush valley cutting into the Flaming Mountains and famous for its seedless grapes and a number of ancient Buddhist meditation caves nearby containing frescos. Then we make our way to Bezekilik Thousand Buddha Caves which are a complex of Buddhist cave grottos dating from the 5th to 14th century between the cities of Turpan and Shanshan (Loulan) at the northeast of the Taklamakan Desert near the ancient ruins of Gaochang in the Mutou Valley. Finally our scenic bus will take you to Astana Tombs, a complex of an ancient tomb where you can see many well- preserved aretifacts including mummies. 

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Turpan
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 36m
  • Flaming Moutains

  • Astana Tombs

Day 10Turpan City Tour

Today you will have a full day to explore this fertile oasis. Pay a visit to Karez Well irrigation system that produce the best melons and grapes in China. Following is the visiting to Sugong Minaret, a conduit for cultural exchange between different ethnic and religious groups.


Afterwards explore Jiaohe Ruins, resembles Pompeii, but 300 years older, where you can experience the way of life of the Uighur ancestors.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Turpan
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 36m
  • Sugong Minaret

  • Karez Well

Day 11Train to Dunhuang

After a pleasant breakfast, take the train to Dunhuang, upon arrival, head to Echoing Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake. When there is wild wind, the sands will be blown up and make a loud sound, while the sound sounds like being produced by some ancient musical instrument when blown by the breeze, There is also a Crescent Lake that has been in existence for hundreds of years without ever being buried by the sand. Riding the camel as the Silk Road Caravan in the vast desert is highly recommended (approximately 40mins). Please bring your sunglasses and mask to keep out the dust

In the evening, you can walk around and taste Gansu delicacies at the Shazhou Night Market, the most bustling place of Dunhuang at night. It's easy to lose our sense of time wonder the market.

Traffic: Car+Train
Hotel: Overnight in Dunhuang
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1138m
  • Echoing Sand Mountain

  • Shazhou Night Market

Day 12Dunhuang City Tour

Today we will spend a whole day to explore the geological landscape of Dunhuang. 

The first site we will visit is the Yumenguan Pass, it got the name because the famous Khotan jade entered the Dunhuang from here. Yumenguan pass and Yangguan pass were the two critical defensive passes protecting Dunhuang from invasion from the West about thousands of year ago. From here you can not only learn more history and culture about the ancient Silk Road, but also learn many famous poems of Tang Dynasty. 

Thereafter, we will travel to the amazing Yardang National Geological Park, also called "Yadan Ghost City", which is the largest one of Yadan Landform found so far. The park stretches twenty-five kilometers from north to south and about two kilometers from east to west. It features the unique and wonderful scenes and landscapes of Gobi desert.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Dunhuang
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1138m
  • Yadan National Geological Park

  • Yumenguan Pass

Day 13Visit Mogao Grottoes then Drive to Jiayuguan (370 kms)

Today we are going to appreciate the Holy Center of Buddhism Culture and Art-UNESCO of Mogao Grottoes, enjoying the 40mins 4D movie to learn the development of the grottoes and then we will be escorted by the professional guides from Mogao to enjoy the the 8 caves mainly.


Afterwards, say farewell to Dunhuang as we will drive 3-4hrs to Jiayuguan, a city with profound history and culture relics. Check in the hotel and rest of the day is free at leisure.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Jiayuguan
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1462m
  • Mogao Grottoes

  • Mogao Grottoes

Day 14Visit Jiayuguan pass then Drive to Zhangye (223 kms)

Today we begin our journey to the Jiayuguan Fortress. Standing among vast desert and surrounded by rolling mountains,it looks like a dignified general guarding the grand land. It was constructed with the most integrated defensive system. It was also an important traffic hub along the Silk Road, the oldest worldwide trading route.


After lunch, we will drive 3hrs to the masterpiece of nature Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, which is situated in the north of Qilian mountains with a distance of 40 km from east Zhangye city. You will be marveled by the colorful layers of mountain ridges in the 4hr's adventure to the different platforms.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Zhangye
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1400m
  • Zhangye Danxia

  • Jiayuguan Pass

Day 15Zhangye City Tour then Drive to Badan Jaran Desert

After enjoy the nice breakfast at the hotel, today, our tour guide will take you to visit the Grand Buddha Temple, it is one of the important temples along the silk road, where you can experience the ancient religious art. 

Thereafter, our next stop is Matisi Temple ( Horseshoe Temple ), The temple was named by the court as "Puguang Temple" in the 14th year of yongle Period in Ming Dynasty. It houses a saddle and one dragon gown given by some emperor in Qing Dynasty. 

After visiting, we will transfer to Badan Jaran Desert for rest

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Zhangye
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 1400m
  • Grand Buddha Temple

  • Mati Temple

Day 16Visit Badan Jaran Desert then drive to Zhangye, Train to Xining

Full day in Badain Jaran Desert which has the world's highest sand mountains, with the magnificent Mingsha area, scattered Lake oases, endless Shahai springs and mysterious desert temples to name just a few. These peculiar and charming landscapes have made it an ideal place for desert exploration, tourism and photography in recent years. After visiting, we will back way for Zhangye Linze County.

Be transferred to train station to take the train to Xining

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Xining
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 2261m
  • Badanjaran Desert

  • Badanjaran Desert

Day 17Visit Ta'er Monastery and Qinghai Lake

Situated on the edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and heavily populated by minority groups, Xining has earned a reputation as one of the more mysterious and diverse cities in China.

The Qinghai Lake trip generally includes a stop at Xining's other gem, after enjoy your nice buffet breakfast at the hotel,then we will take you to visit Ta'er monastery (Kumbum Monastery), which is the centre of Tibetan Buddhism in Northwest China, and enjoys a high reputation in China and Southeast Asia. Next, travel to the beautiful Qinghai Lake, This is the largest inland salt water lake in China. It is no exaggeration to say that Qinghai Lake is a miracle that is endowed by a deity. Outside, He encircled the lake with four continuous mountains and extends broad grassland at the foot of them. Inside, like a master baker, He decorated the water with many little islands. All these natural attractions come together perfectly to form a Xanadu on earth to win many tourists' favour.

Traffic: Car
Hotel: Overnight in Xining
Meals: Breakfast
Altitude: 3196m
  • Ta'er Monastery

  • Qinghai Lake

Day 18End of Tour

Today you will say goodbye to Xining, be transferred based on your flight or train schedule. Wish you a pleasant journey home!

Traffic: Car
Hotel: No accommodation
Meals: Breakfast

INCLUDES

  • Private transportation through out the itinerary. SRT will arrange for all travelers to be met on arrival and seen off on departure based on your flight info.

  • Shared accommodations in well located, tourist to superior class hotels include breakfast, service charge and government tax.

  • All entrance fees(shuttle bus) sightseeing; excursions and activities as per the itinerary

  • Domestic flight from Kashgar to Hotan

  • 2nd class train from Turpan to Dunhuang (Liuyuan Station), Zhangye to Xining listed in the itinerary

  • Overnight soft sleeper train from Kuqa to Turpan

  • Private friendly and professional English-Speaking guides (French, Italy, Russian, German can be arranged per your request)

  • Visa support letter for you to apply Chinese visa easily.

  • Travel and health insurance when travel with us.

  • 8, A 24/7 helpline while you are traveling.

EXCLUDES

  • International flight arrive in Kashgar and leave from Xining not indicated.

  • Food, Lunch or dinner not specified

  • Tips or gratuities for guides and drivers

  • Personal expenses and the other tours or activities not mentioned

TRIP NOTES

  • We will upgrade trains to 1st class where available if book the tour 5 months in advance of departure.

  • There is no problem to travel Silk Road during Ramadan.

  • Complimentary 2 bottles of water each person on daily use.

Transportation

We will use business MPV to luxurious coaches and trains.

Accommodation

All the hotels we selected are 4-5star well-located in the city center with good and proper breakfast for our clients.

Guides

Our guides are very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful. And our group tours will be escorted from SRT.

Climate and Altitude

Generally speaking Mid March—End Oct are the best time to visit Silk Road. And we strongly suggest you come in May, June, October to avoid the heat and crowd. No need to worry about high altitude along the Silk Road. We will prepare Oxygen bags if the package includes Xiahe, Qinghai Lake and Taxkorgan County.

We offer beneficial Cancellation Policy to our customers.