11 Days Silk Road Xinjiang Tour

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.

The tour starts with the nice buffet in the hotel, drives about 4hrs to Karakul Lake around 09:00.

After 1hr's driving, we will stop at Opal village for a rest where you may stroll around the local bazaar with the feeling of the traditional local lifestyle.

Continue to enjoy the majestic views of the Sand dunes, mountains, and sandstone valley along the Karakorum Highway, the Hindu Kush Mountains and the Himalayas. It is the world's tallest cross-border roads and most thrilling corridors.Trekking around the Karakul Lake with enjoy the magnificent landscape and the nomadic lifestyle of the local Kirghiz in their yurts.

Back to Kashgar in the afternoon.

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. 

Following a lunch in local restaurant, you will 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.The outdoor Animal Bazaar 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.

In the afternoon, catch the flight to the capital city of Xinjiang- Urumqi. Met and greeted in airport be transferred to hotel. Relax with free time for the rest of the day.

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 local restaurant. Back to Urumqi and head to Xinjiang International Bazaar and have dinner there, which 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. 

The journey today will begin from Xinjiang Regional Museum, which is a large integrated museum and center for the collection and study of cultural relics in Xinjiang. One of the halls exhibits the costumes, festivals, celebration, marriage wedding & funeral rites, tools, food, religion, lifestyle, and more folk customs of 12 ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang. The historical exhibition covers silk, cotton, embroidery, pottery, porcelain, iron & bronze wares, tomb clay figures, coins, stone inscriptions, literature writings, weapons, and more relics. 

After visiting, Drive all the way to Oasis Turpan that we will pass by the wind power station and vast Gobi desert in 3hrs. Then continue to 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.

This morning, 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.

If the group is less than 4 persons, we may use high-speed train for transfer.

Say goodbye to Turpan and then 4 hours train ride to Liuyuan Station, Dunhuang. Drive another 2hours to the 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-UESCO 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 and we will transfer to have a flight to Xi'an- the ancient capital of China with profound history and culture. Our local guide will greet and bring you to check in the hotel.

Tour starts at 08:00 and then drive about 1 hour to the countryside of the Xi'an city and visit the most imposing historic site Terracotta Warriors, the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century.

After lunch in the local restaurant, head to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda with 7 floors in total. It is the traditional Chinese style decorated with some Buddha statues, where Tourists can see variety of Buddha statues and have panoramic Xi'an city at the top floor.

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

We will visit Shanxi 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.

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. Afterwards, wandering through the tight and interesting Muslim Quarter Streets 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.

In the evening, enjoy a delicious dinner and have a good rest in the hotel.

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.