28 Days Silk Road Tour to Xi'an, Gansu and Xinjiang by Luxurious Coach

Welcome to charming Xian, an ancient city with a long history and colorful culture. There are many historical sites worth visiting. your driver and guide will meet and transfer you to check in the hotel. Relax and prepare for your Silk Road trip.

Today we will explore ancient Xi'an. First we pay a visit to Shaanxi History Museum, a treasure trove for anyone interested in the art facts of Chinese history. Exhibits numerous unearthed cultural artifacts and represents the imposing image of a 13-dynasties capital.

Afterwards, head up to the Ancient City Wall, the most well-preserved city wall and the largest ancient military defensive systems in the world. Followed by the ancient Bell Tower, it is the most well-preserved ancient military defensive systems and the landmark of Xi'an. It is amazing to wander along the city wall with the bird's-eye view of the whole city. Tonight we will arrange the Dumpling Banquet with Culture show for you. 

Today is an another day to explore the history and culture in 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 Wild 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, wandering through the tight and interesting Muslim Quarter to experience the local lifestyle. Street vendors selling all sorts of goods from souvenirs, hand crafted products and local snacks. You need to bargain with the vendors if you are buying goods.

After breakfast, we will drive about 4hrs to Tianshui which is one of the most significant trading post along the silk road. 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.

After breakfast, we will pick you up from the hotel and take you to our next stop: Wuwei. upon arrival, visit the Confucius Temple, which is also known as Holy Temple or Confucian Temple. known as “the Top among the Academies in Longxi.” Confucious’ Temple, facing the south, is composed of three sets of buildings, the east, the central and the west. Then head to 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 including gold, sliver, copper, iron, bone, stone and pottery.

Today we will head to colorful Zhangye. Located in the middle of Hexi Corridor. the rest of the day is for you to relax and refresh, you can either have rest in the hotel or go to the Giant Buddha Temple, and it is also recommended to do the light trekking in Zhangye National wetland Park close to our hotel.

*Reminder: today, the hotel will provide laundry service for everyone.

After breakfast we will head to Mati Temple where were built in Jin Dynasty. A series of horse shoe prints are visible in Grotto 9, which are said to be left by a heaven horse. As a result, the temple was named for the horseshoe prints left by the legendary heaven horse, which become the treasure of the temple. 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.

Today we will depart from the hotel and and drive to Jiayuguan ,taking you to visit the Jiayuguan pass. This Ming Dynasty fort guards the strategic Jiayuguan pass, at the western end of the Great Wall – this was the last section built by the Ming Dynasty. After that, you will explore the Great Wall Museum, which was opened to the public in October 1989 and it is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way. As one of the tour destinations along the silk road, the Overhanging Great Wall is the best place where you can visit the culture of the ancient Silk Road and the Great Wall plus the ancient weapons exhibition in Jiayuguan. Say farewell to Jiayuguan and then we will drive all the way to the next stop Dunhuang. 

Morning meet your guide and driver at the hotel, Then head up to the Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, this UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of the great artistic and religious wonders of the world and it is famous for its exquisite murals and various sculptures inside the caves, which was built in different dynasties, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art, enjoy the Silk Road Movies in the visitor Center about 40 mins before our exploration into the Grottoes.（Note: No photos and Video in the caves). The visiting time is around 4hrs including movie.

Thereafter, we will proceed the tour to visit Echoing Sand Mountain&Crescent Lake. When there is wild wind, the sands will be blown up and make loud sound, while the sound sounds like being produced by some ancient musical instrument when blew by breeze. Riding the camel as the Silk Road Caravan in the vast desert is highly recommended (approximately 40mins). Please bring your sunglasses and and mask to keep out the dust.

You will enjoy a walking tour to the Shazhou Night Market, the most bustling place of Dunhuang at night. It's easy to lose our sense of time wonder the market while enjoy your leisure time and taste some local cuisine. 

Today we will arrange the Gala dinner in the desert with the stunning view of sunset.

After these days of travel, you need to have a good rest. Today you can move freely in the hotel and make sufficient preparations for tomorrow's travel.

Today we enter into Hami Xinjiang by driving across the largest Yardan landform in the China. Because of strong water corrosion and fierce wind erosion, aseries of parallel ditches and ditch ridges have formed in the clay rock area, which looks loke“buildings”and“alleys”in the city. Hami ,leaning against the Tianshan Mountains in the north and facing vast desert in the south, is situated in the eastern part of Xinjiang.The special local products, such as Hami Melon, big Chinese date of Wupu, hop, etc., are not only taken as great pride by local people, but also famous all over the country.

Morning breakfast at the hotel, we will drive about 1hr to visit the stunning grassland of Balikun where inhabited by the local Kazakhs, being a guest in their yurt and tasting the nice milk tea and snacks, learning more about their nomadic life now. After lunch we will visit we will drive to Turpan, an important town on the ancient silk road, also one of the centers of the Uighur cultures. Visit the oldest Uighur village Tuyoq Village located in the very center of Flaming Mountain Canyon. It used to be the holy site of Buddhism and Islam. The village consists of four parts: Canyon scenery, Maza tomb and the old buildings of the ancient village.

Morning depart from the hotel, we will head to the Karez Well, which is special kind of irrigation system, here you can not only visit this ancient irrigation system, but also get rid of the heat of summer. Then explore the Sugong Minaret, the largest Islamic minaret in China built in 1778. in the late afternoon, enjoy the sunset of Jiaohe Ruins with a history of 2,300 years lies between two rivers on a loess plateau atop a cliff of over 30m. It is one of the best preserved ruins of its ancient era in China, it was include in the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014.Then transfer to the hotel and have a good rest.

Today is the other free day for you to relax and explore this city. Stroll in the street, taste local food and fresh fruits. Enjoy your leisure time in Turpan.

*Reminder: today, the hotel will provide laundry service for everyone.

Morning enjoy your breakfast at the hotel and then we will drive in the deep of Tianshan Mountain to Korla, known as the City of Pears and the City of Petroleum. It is the important part of the ancient Silk Road and also the one of the birthplaces of Western Region culture. You will take a exploration at the Iron Gate upon arrival which was a very important pass in the ancient Silk Road. According to textual research, it was set up in Jin Dynasty. Because it is situated in a strategic point and difficult to access, the barrier is vividly called “Iron Gate Barrier”.

Next, we will drive 1.5 hours to discover Bosten Lake, the largest inland freshwater lake in China. Bosten Lake means "oasis" in Uighur. Surrounded by lush reeds, the natural scenery of Bosten Lake is beautiful. Later in the day, we will walking along the Peacock River after dinner to feel the local’s city life style. 

In the morning, enjoy your nice buffet breakfast. We will drive 4 hours to Kuqa to explore the spectacular Tianshan Grand Canyon, which is also known as the Kizilia Grand Canyon, and "Kizilia" is Uyghur, meaning "red cliffs". It is formed from reddish brown rocks that have been eroded by nature's wind and rain for billions of years. Under sunlight, it resembles clusters of burning flames.

After that, we will drive to local hotel downtown for overnight stay.

After breakfast, today’s journey will start from the Kizil Grottoes. As the one of the four grottoes in China, it is the oldest one, but many architectures and murals are in well preservation. Here you will learn more about the culture and history of Buddhism and ancient Qiuci Kingdom.

After lunch, continue our trip to the Kuqa Mosque, which is the second largest mosque in Xinjiang after the Id gar Mosque in Kashgar. It is one of the few Islamic judicial institutions in Xinjiang. Ending today’s sightseeing, we are going to drive to Alaer for overnight stay. Alaer is located in the Aksu region of Xinjiang, starting from the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains in the north and reaching the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the south.

After breakfast, we will drive to Hotan. Located at the northern foot of the Karakorgan Range and on the southern fringe of the Taklamakan Desert, Hotan is an oasis lying in the Tarim Basin, just north of the Kunlun Mountains, which are crossed by the Sanju Pass, and the Hindu-tagh, and lchi passes. You can take a break or enjoy the scenery on the way. 

Upon arrival, we are going to visit the Rewak Ruins. Built in the 2nd to 3rd centuries AD, it is the historical relics of the early introduction of Buddhism to China. It has played an important role in economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, as well as in the dissemination of Western Buddhism.

After breakfast, we will start our first stop at Hotan Museum, which currently stores 9499 cultural relics, exhibits, and over 600 books. Most of these precious cultural relics were excavated and obtained by archaeologists in the Hotan area, with a small portion donated by local people. Therefore, it is a comprehensive museum.

Then head to Jade River which is also called Baiyu River because of its production of Hotan Jade. You can spend some time here looking for beautiful uncarved jade. Wish you good luck!

Continue our trip to discover the vast Taklamakan Desert. It is the largest desert in China, the tenth largest desert in the world, and also the second largest mobile desert in the world. Here, various exciting desert activities are waiting for you. Light hiking in the desert, camel riding, barbecue, cold bear, bonfire, sand skiing... All your imagination about desert can come true here. 

In the morning, after enjoying your nice buffet breakfast. Tour guide and driver will meet you at hotel lobby and drive you to Yarkant County, which is a famous historical and cultural city integrating cultural landscape and natural landscape, Central Asian culture and Western culture.

Upon arrival, take your time to have lunch in local specialty restaurants and take a short break. After that, we are going to watch the performance of the intangible cultural heritage of Uyghur on Ikki Muqam. It is a large-scale traditional classical music of the Uyghur ethnic group, which combines songs, poetry, music, dance, singing, and playing.

After breakfast in the morning, tour guide and driver will drive you to visit Amanisha Khan Memorial Mausoleum first. It fully embodies the recognized contemporary image of Muqam Master and poet Amani Shahan, as well as the architecture and carving art of the Uyghur people. 

Next, we are going to visit Yarkent Jami Mosque. With over 100 floral and lunar patterns on its painted ceiling,it not only fully showcases the superb architectural art of the Uyghur people, but also makes this ancient building more spectacular.

Later in the afternoon, say goodbye to Yarkent and we will drive about 2hrs to Kashgar for overnight stay.

Kashgar is an exotic city with many surprises hidden. Today is free for you to explore the whole city. Either stroll around or have a cup of tea in the old tea house. You can enjoy your time in the old city and take many awesome pictures.

*Reminder: today, the hotel will provide laundry service for everyone.

Enjoy your buffet breakfast then driving on the China and Pakistan highway about 4hrs to the landscape of Pamirs Plateau. Explore 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. The following day will be spent exploring the stunning landscape surrounding the highway, and we will drive to Taxkrogan County for overnight stay.

The journey began with an exploration of 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 metres in circumference outside. Over the past few years, new wooden pathways have been constructed to allow tourist to walk these beautiful grasslands, known as the Golden Grasslands. From here you can get even better photos of the Stone Fortress. Walking around the pastureland to see Local Tajiks customs. there are yurts and frame houses of Tajik ethnic group providing rooms and board for visitors. You can also go out on the small rafts and enjoy yourselves in the scenic area. A reception center there facilitates rentals, yachts, camels, horses etc.

After that, We will travel back to Kashgar in the afternoon.

Today we will do full day Kashgar city excursion. Around 09:00, we will visit the Idigar Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and the most sacred mosque for the locals to practise their Islamic activities. Around 10:30 we have to visit the Old Town when the open ceremony ready to greeting all the tourists with the culture show, further exploration to the special culture and experience the lifestyle with the arrangements of the visiting to the local Uighur Family. Lunch arranged in the local Restaurant.

Continue our trip to explore the Sunday bazaar which is combined two section. The covered bazaar sells the clothing, nuts, household goods and many things out of your imagination.The outdoor Animal Bazar is the first bazaar we visit, where the 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. It is quite interesting to witness their typical methods of bargin. Kashgar city tour ends with the wandering to the bustling Handicraft street, dazzling jewelry, primitive pottery, unique musical instrument, daily resources of the locals.

In the later afternoon, we are going to visit Abakh Hoja Tomb. Legend has it that there was a woman buried here named Ipar Khan, who was the beloved consort of Emperor Qianlong. Due to her common aroma of wild jujube flowers, people called her "Xiangfei". And today’s journey will end here, drive back to your hotel.

Up to now, we’ve been 16 cities along Silk Road. Good for you! It’s really a wonderful and meaningful journey. Silk Road has not only promoted cultural and trade exchanges in ancient times, but also served as a bridge for inheritance of modern international culture.

After this unforgettable journey, it’s time for you to have a rest. Today is free for you to explore the whole city. Either stroll around this exotic city or look for local yummy food. Enjoy your time in the old city.

After breakfast in he morning, say goodbye to Kashgar and driver will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight to Beijing, shanghai or Guangzhou. Upon arrival, there will be driver with a welcome board to pick you up and drive you to local hotel check in. The rest of the day is to explore the city that you’ve picked. Have a nice day!

After breakfast in he morning, it’s time to end our Silk Road trip. Driver will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight. Wish you have a pleasant journey home! Looking forward to seeing you in next China tour!