15 Days Discover the Buddhism on the Silk Road

Welcome to Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and the farthest land from any ocean.  It is the heaven of travelers for its beautiful natural scenery, profound cultural deposits and special local customs and practices. Upon arrival, be transferred to the hotel and check in. The rest of day is free at leisure.

We will drive 1.5 hours to entrance of the Heavenly Lake about 08:30, following is the 40-minutes shuttle bus twisting through the picturesque Tianshan mountains to the edge of the Lake. Either Trek around the lake, enjoy the boating cruise, or even take the cable car to the explore the Maya Mountain for the incredible view of Bogoda Peak.

Lunch will be arranged in the Yurt of the local Kazakhs. Back to Urumqi and head to Xinjiang Regional Museum, where are many archaeological treasures of the Silk Road and Xinjiang's minority cultures. You will learn about the history of Xinjiang and its peculiar ethnic customs. If time allowed, you will visit Grand International Bazaar and have dinner there.

With an early start today at 08:00. Drive all the way to Oasis Turpan that we will pass by the wind power station and vast Gobi desert in 3hrs.

Our first stop Tuyoq Valley, an ancient oasis-village. We will have lunch in the local Uygur family before exploring this traditional village surrounded by the impressive grape trellis and the stories of the adventurers all of the world.

About 3pm, head up to the 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.

Today's tour end up with the 2hrs's exploration of 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 Uygur ancestors.

Say goodbye to Turpan then 4 hours train ride to Dunhuang Liuyuan Station. Another 2hrs to Echoing Sand Mountain, where you can ride the camels for 40mins to experience the beautiful dessert scenery.

After an extraordinary day, freshen up and enjoy a good dinner, we continue to appreciate the bustling Shazhou Night Markets dotted with special commodities and souvenirs.

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.

Then Continue tour to the Jiayuguan, you will visit the non-touristy Yulin Grottoes built from 7-14AD after 2hrs driving, relax walking by the side of the Yulin River and enjoy 6-7 caves which paintings are generally in good shape,especially the green blue colour of paintings are original and very rare.

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.

Continue the sightseeing to renowned underground gallery Weijin Tombs. There we can enjoy lifelike and succinct wall paintings covering a wide range of subjects including politics, economics, culture, military affairs, folk customs, and science and technology during the Wei and Jin periods (4AD)

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.

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. 

Set on the edge of the Gobi Desert, Wuwei may seem like an unlikely place to find an oasis of Buddhism and historical relics. the tour will begin from the Leitai Han Tomb, it is a large brick-and-stone structure built during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. A total of two hundred and twenty-one pieces of relics were unearthed from the tomb. 

Let's continue to visit, later we are going to the Tiantishan Grottoes, also known as Temple of Giant Buddha. The grottoes are situated on the Huangyang River, about 60 km south of Wuwei (originally Liangzhou) and it was excavated during the Northern Liang dynasty (397–439 CE) when you entering the scenic area you will see some Buddha Statues and exquisite murals, that will definitely feast your eyes.

Transfer to Lanzhou for overnight stay

With a early start today, we will arrive Binlings Temple at 09:30 after 1.5hrs' driving. Taking the 40mins fast boat to the inside of the park , enjoy the variety of artworks in different styles and observe the social situations and customs in ancient times when seeing the stone sculptures and appreciate the miracle of Buddha caves. 

We will then head back to downtown to visit Gansu Museum, which is the biggest comprehensive museum in the province. It is one of the best sights in the city and a visit is well worthwhile. Continue tour at the Yellow River's Mother Statue consisting of “a mother” and “a baby boy” which symbolizes the mother of the Yellow River nurturing the Chinese nation.

Our day trip will start with taking the Bullet Train to Tianshui, it is one of the significant silk road cities located along the Wei River. It's about a 1.5 hours train ride into the city. When you arrive at the Tianshui, our professional tour guide will bring you to visit the Maji Mountain Grottoes, a network of caves and walkways carved into the cliffside, adorned in colourful Buddhist artwork within. It is famous for its exquisite clay sculpture art. Thereafter, continue our journey, we are going to visit the Fuxi Temple, also known as Taihao Palace, as well as Renzhong Temple, it is one of the famous ancient buildings in Northwest China. Meanwhile, there are ten historic buildings in the temple including the theatrical stage, archways, the main gate, the instrumental gate, Congenital Temple, Taiji Temple, Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and Laihe Hall. Here is the best place to learn the Fuxi culture. then bus transfer to the hotel, you will spend the night in Tianshui and depart in the morning.

Say farewell to Tianshui as we will take an express train to Luoyang, the ancient capital with profound history and culture in China.

Drive 2hrs to Shaolin Temple, a fascinating place to learn about the origins of Buddhism and the discipline of Kung Fu. You will be amazed by the pagoda forest celebrating numerous eminent monks over 1200 years. 20mins Kung Fu Show bring all those action movies to life

After breakfast, a wonderful day begins with Longmen Grottoes, one of the finest examples of Chinese Buddhist art, which are as many as 100,000 statues within the 2,345 caves, ranging from an 1 inch (25 mm) to 57 feet (17 m) in height and nearly 2,500 stelaes and inscriptions. This is a visual feast for those who 'd like to visit Buddhist statues. Departing from Lomgmen Grottoes, we will head out to White Horse Temple (Baima Temple), considered by most believers as "the cradle of Chinese Buddhism" where you can enjoy all kinds of statues.

Then, we take a train to Xi'an

Tour starts at 08:00 and then drive 1 hour to get close to the incredible Terracotta Warriors in China's first Emperor's Tomb built 2300 years ago, the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century. 

After lunch in the local restaurant, head to ancient architecture and a holy place for Buddhists-Big Goose Pagoda. The restored Buddha and building are beautiful with spectacular timber work and gilded features are recently built by donors, they make a fine job of explaining the role of Buddhism in China's history. 

Afterwards, drive to the Ancient City Wall, the most well-preserved city wall and the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. You will have a bird's-eye view of panorama of Xi'an city when wandering along the city wall

Then back the hotel and you must have a good sleep after this long day.

Today is an another day to explore the history and culture in Xi'an.

We will visit Shaanxi Museum, one of the major museums in China. It is home to numerous unearthed cultural artifacts and represents the imposing image of a 13-dynasties capital.

Then proceed the journey to Famen Temple, which is renowned for storing the veritable Finger Bone of the Sakyamuni Buddha. The Famen Temple underground palace is the largest underground palace seen so far. It has unearthed many Buddhism treasures and more than 2,000 national treasures of Tang Dynasty.

Today our journey comes to an end after a good breakfast. You will be transferred to the airport or train station based on your schedule.