China Silk Road Deep Tour

Our guide will meet you at the airport and then you will be transferred to your hotel. Have a good rest and prepare to start your wonderful China Silk Road Tour.

Beijing is the capital city of China and it is also a top China tourist city. You will visit the Tian’anmen Square and Forbidden City (closed each Monday) in the morning. There is a grand flag-raising ceremony in Tiananmen Square every day. In the morning, when the upper edge of the sun is level with the horizon of Tiananmen Square, it is time to raise the national flag. The Forbidden City is the most famous royal palace in China. Although it is 600 years old, it is still magnificent and majestic. And now it is a grand national museum. You will visit the hall where ancient emperors work and live. Do not miss the story of ancient Chinese emperors and his concubines. After lunch, you will visit the Temple of Heaven. Chinese people are in awe of heaven and earth, so the ancient Chinese emperors will hold rituals to do heaven worship at the Temple of Heaven every year. Nowadays, the Temple of Heaven has become a park for people.

Today we will drive about 1.5 hours to visit the Great Wall. We will suggest you wear comfortable shoes today. The Great Wall is a symbol of Chinese civilization. This is a rare large-scale defense project in human history. You will climb on the Great Wall and touch the brick with thousands of years of history. Do not forget to take some photos and record this unforgettable moment. After lunch, we will drive back to the city center. And on the way back you will have a chance to visit the Bird Nest and the Water Cube from outside. Bird Nest and Water Cube are famous for their unique building structure. They were used to be Olympic stadiums in 2008.

Today you will take an estimated flight CZ6908 12:05/16:15 to Urumqi. Your guide will meet you at the airport and then you will be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the time will be yours. You can walk around the city.

After breakfast, we will drive about 6 hours to Korla. But don’t worry we will arrange a comfortable vehicle for you. Korla is an important city on the ancient Silk Road. And it is also one of the cities where the culture of China's western regions originated. We will take you to visit the Iron Gate Pass. Silk Road will go into a gorge through this pass along the Peacock River. Because of the special location, it's also important militarily. Now there is a reservoir built on the riverside.

Today we will drive about 3 hours to Kuqa. Kuqa is one of the cities which contain lots of relics of the ancient Silk Road. We will take you to visit the Subashi Temple Ruins. This is the Largest Buddhist temple ruins in Xinjiang. In the Tang dynasty, the famous monk Xuanzang has stayed here for 2 months on the way to India. Many ancient coins, Buddhist scripture, clay sculptures of the Buddha and murals were founded here.

After breakfast, we will take you to visit the Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves. It is the earliest caves in China. It was first carved in the 3rd century AD. Its construction lasted until the 9th century AD. At that time, Buddhism has been introduced to Xijiang province through Silk Road. So there are rich Buddhist murals and sculptures in the caves. After lunch, we will drive about 4 hours to Aksu.

Today we will drive about 6 hours to Kashgar which is a good preserved old city on the Silk Road. You can enjoy the scenery along the way. 

After breakfast, we will visit the Abakh Khoja Tomb. It is a mausoleum of the Islamic holy family with a 350-year history. The exterior walls and ceiling of the tomb are all veneered with green glazed tiles, and some yellow or blue tiles painted with various patterns are mixed. It is well worth visiting. In the afternoon, we will go and visit the Id Kah Mosque. It is the largest mosque in China. This is a typical Arabic style building. Its gate is made of yellow bricks. It looks refreshing and eye-catching. After hundreds of years of ups and downs, it still has not faded its brilliance. After that, you will go and visit the Sunday Market. You can taste delicious local food here.

After breakfast, we will drive about 3 hours to the Karakuri Lake. It is a rare plateau lake in the world. It is not large but very beautiful. Surrounded by snow mountains, this lake looks quiet and holy. You will see kinds of yurts and wooden houses on the lakeside. Local meals will be your lunch. After the visit, we will drive back to Kashgar.

Today we will drive about 7 hours to Hetian which is rich in jade. On the way to Hetian, you will visit the Yarkant King Mausoleum. This is a well-preserved king mausoleum built in 1533 and the total size of the mausoleum is about 1050 square meters. Yarkant used to be the Islamic local government established in Xinjiang in the Ming Dynasty. So you will see particular Islamic decorative patterns on the mausoleum. Then you will arrive in Hetian.

As a transportation junction on the ancient Silk Road, Hetian is also a big silk market. According to the record, there was a trade caravan that purchased 4,300 pieces of silk one time. All of the silk was exported to Central Asia, the Middle East and Mediterranean Coastal Countries. Therefore, you will visit a Silk Village in Hetian. After that, we will continue to drive eastward. It may take 3 hours to Minfeng. Have a good rest tonight.

After breakfast, we will start an amazing day. Preparing your sunglasses and camera and we will drive through the Takla Makan Desert today! As the largest desert in China, Takla Makan Desert is with a long history and rich culture. The ancient Silk Road was passed by the whole south part of Takla Makan Desert. So you can imagine how bustling it was at that time. “Takla Makan” means the city underground in Chinese. Some people believe that there is a city buried under the vast desert. Today we will drive about 9 hours and then we will arrive in Korla.

This morning we will drive about 5 hours to Turpan. Turpan is a city with more than 4,000-year history. It is also an important city on the ancient Silk Road. Affected by the Silk Road, many cultures are mixed here in Turpan. According to the relics and records excavated from Turpan, more than 18 kinds of old words and 25 kinds of languages have been used here. 

This morning, we will take you to visit the Jiaohe Ruins. Jiaohe City was the central city of Turpan from the 2nd Century BC to the 14th AD. Until now you can still see its complete layout. There is a clear district division such as the Living district, temple district, tomb district and so on. After lunch, we will visit the Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves. Because of the Silk Road, Buddhist culture in Turpan is rich and colorful. There are different shapes of Buddha sculpture and 40 murals in the caves. The Buddhas on the mural are with a benevolent and kind countenance. Kind reminder: Please understand that for protecting the relics, part of the carved is No Flashing area. And then we will drive to visit the Flaming Mountains. There are two reasons for how this mountain got its name. One is that this place is the hottest place in China. When you stand on the foot of Flaming Mountain, you will feel the heatwave just like the mountain is firing. The other is that rock on the mountain is reddish-brown. So the mountain looks like flaming under the sunlight.

After breakfast, you will take an estimated train D2706 10:59/14:25 to Dunhuang. Your guide will pick you from the train station and then you will be transferred to your hotel. Have a good rest there. 

In the morning, you will visit the world-famous Mogao Grottoes. Mogao Grottoes is famous for its scale and rich Buddhist relics. The paint of Dunhuang frescoes and sculptures are made of ore grinding. That is why the existing frescoes are still colorful after thousand of years. If you visit the No.329 cave, you will find the frescoes on the ceiling of the cave are brightly colored and the blue color on the Buddha sculpture is very eye-catching. After lunch, you will visit the Echoing-sand Dune and Crescent Lake. You may have visited the desert in some other places. But have you ever seen this kind of desert which can make sounds when the wind blows? And I am sure you have visited many lakes and springs. But Have you ever seen the lake in the middle of a vast desert? Do not miss the wonders in Dunhuang.

After breakfast, we will take you to visit the Dunhuang Museum. If you want to know more about the city, you should visit its museum. And if you want to know more about the Silk Road, you should visit the Dunhuang Museum. There are 5 exhibition halls and you will read about the development, prosperity and decline of the ancient Silk Road. After lunch, you will take estimated flight Mu2216 15:35/17:45 to Xi’an. Our guide will meet you at the airport and then you will be transferred to your hotel.

After breakfast, you will visit the world-famous Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum. Until now the total number of terra-cotta warriors, horses and chariot which were excavated is about 8,000. Although it is a huge number, all the warriors are with different looks. Experts even found the armour they wear is in different decorative patterns. So we can see the terracotta handcraft technology is advanced. After breakfast, we will go and visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. It is the pagoda where the Buddhist scriptures brought by Xuanzang from India are stored. And the Pattra-leaf scriptures in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda is also rare in the world. It is said that there are less than 10 people who can read the words on the Pattra-leaf scriptures. Compared with the historical pagoda, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda square is full of modern elements. If you are lucky, you may see the musical fountain show there.

In the morning, you will visit the old City Wall. It is the well-preserved old city wall in Xi’an. You will take a bike on the city wall. It will be a leisure morning. After lunch, you will take an estimated flight HO1212 15:00/17:20 to Shanghai. Our guide will pick you up from the airport and then you will be transferred to your hotel.

Shanghai is an international metropolis that combines history and modernization. In the morning, you will visit the Yu Garden (It is closed each Monday). It is the typical garden in the south of China. Classical building style together with delicate decoration makes this garden much more charming. After lunch, you will visit the Shanghai Tower. It is the tallest building in Shanghai. You will take the elevator to the 118th floor and have an overview of Shanghai city. And then we will take you to Nanjing Road which is the most famous shopping street in Shanghai. You can walk around and buy some gifts for your friends.

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the airport and fly back to your sweet home. 

Our service will end here.