DAY01:

LANZHOU
Fly to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. Visit the Silk Road Museum and gain an overview of the many trading routes between the East and West. Spend the night in Lanzhou.

DAY02:

LANZHOU - LABRANG
Marvel at the changes in the countryside as you travel from Lanzhou on the plains up to the Xiahe region, where Tibetans, Muslims and Chinese people live together in harmony. In the late afternoon, arrive at Labrang Monastery, one of the six largest Gelupa monasteries where 1,000 monks still live. Spend the night in Labrang.

DAY03:

LABRANG
Visit the monastery. Learn more about the ancient culture of Tibet by visiting Tibetan houses, viewing an exhibition of yak butter sculptures and a performance of Tibetan opera (weather permitting). Return to the monastery to observe the evening prayer service. Spend the night in Labrang.

DAY04:

LABRANG - LANZHOU
Drive back to Lanzhou. Rest and wander the town’s main streets. Spend the night in Lanzhou.

DAY05:

LANZHOU - XINING
Transfer to the train station to take the train to Xining, capital of the Qinghai province. The journey is four and a half hours. In the afternoon, visit the unique Beishan Taoist Temple or the largest open market in the city. Spend the night in Xining.

DAY06:

XINING
Take an excursion to Qinghai Lake, a massive body of water covering 4,317 square kilometres. The lake is home to many varieties of migratory birds. Visit a nomad family living in a yurt. Spend the night in Xining.

DAY07:

XINING - LANZHOU
Return to Lanzhou by road. Spend the night in Lanzhou.

DAY08:

LANZHOU - DUNHUANG
Transfer to the airport for your one-and-a-half hour flight to Dunhuang. Spend the night in Dunhuang.

DAY09:

DUNHUANG – TURPAN
Visit the UNESCO World Heritage listed Mogao Grottoes where there are more than 492 caves depicting the lives of Buddha and Buddhist saints. The sight is one of the four most important sites of Buddhist art in China. In the afternoon, transfer to the train station and depart on a 12-hour night train to Turpan. Spend the night on the train.

DAY10:

TURPAN
Arrive in Turpan. Check into your hotel and have breakfast before setting off to go sightseeing. Visit Gaochang, the site of a ruined, ancient oasis city on the northern rim of the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert. Be amazed by the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, a complex of caves featuring Buddhist art dating from the 5th to 14th century. Spend the night in Turpan.

DAY11:

TURPAN - URUMQI
Learn about the Karez underground irrigation system that allows people to farm in the desert and visit the Valley of the Grapes where fruit has been grown for many centuries. Visit the ruins of the ancient city of Jiaohe which were recently listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list of Silk Road Sites. In the afternoon, drive about three hours to the capital of Xinjiang, Urumqi. Spend the night in Urumqi.

DAY12:

URUMQI - HOTAN
Then transfer to the airport for your flight to Hotan, a Silk Road town known for silk and jade. Spend the night in Hotan.

DAY13:

HOTAN
Visit small workshops which trade in silk, paper, jade and silver, as well as a carpet factory and the city’s open market. Spend the night in Hotan.

DAY14:

HOTAN - KASHGAR
Drive 500 kilometres across the Taklamakan desert to the ancient trading town of Kashgar. Stop in an oasis in the middle of the desert for lunch. Spend the night in Kashgar.

DAY15:

KASHGAR
Wander through the spectacular Grand Bazaar of Kashgar. The farmers of the region still gather there to buy and sell livestock, fabric, food and clothing. Spend the night in Kashgar.

DAY16:

KASHGAR – LAKE KARAKULI
Take a day excursion on the Karakoram Highway to a junction of the Pamir, Tian Shan and Kunlun mountain ranges to see the famous Lake Karakuli. The lake is known as the Celestial Mirror due to the clarity of reflections in the water, whose colour ranges from a dark green to light blue. Spend a night in a tent near the lake.

DAY17:

LAKE KARAKULI - KASHGARR - URUMQI
Return to Kashgar. Visit the largest mosque in China, Id Kah Mosque, which was built in 1442. Visit the Tomb of Muslim saint Abakh Hoja who spread Islam within China. It is now considered the most holy Muslim site in Xinjiang. Then transfer to the airport for your flight to Urumqi. Spend the night in Urumqi.

DAY18:

URUMQI
You have a free morning until your transfer to airport to catch a flight to your next destination.

Enquiry