Silk Road Grottos Tour 18D

Welcome to Beijing, the capital of P.R.China. Upon arrival, you will be met and transferred to Beijing hotel. 

City sightseeing in Beijing, including Tian'anmen Square, the  Forbidden City, and Lama Temple
- Tian'anmen Square: the biggest city square in the world which is located in the center of the city Beijing. - Forbidden City: It used to be the royal palace from 1420 to 1912. There were 24 emperors lived here, therefore numerous priceless relics are housed here.
- Lama Temple: Built in 1694AD, it is the biggest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing.
Note: Due to the daily visitors limitation of the Forbidden City, we will change to visit Temple of Heaven if no tickets are availed for it (it sells the entrance tickets 7 days before). As The Forbidden City closes on Mondays, we will switch the visiting day if it is Monday.

Visit Great Wall Badaling in the morning. Then you will be transferred to railway station to catch bullet train to Luoyang. Upon arrival, transferred to hotel.

Today you will visit Longmen Grottos, and Shaolin Temple in Luoyang. 

-Longmen Grottos: Site of UNESCO, has huge statue of Buddha, and people believed it was the face of Wuzetian Empress in Tang Dynasty. 

-Shaolin Temple: a renowned temple for Chinese Kungfu.

Take 2-hour bullet train to Xi'an in the morning. Visit Old City Wall, Muslim Quarter, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. 

-Old City Wall: Nearly 14km, build in 6 hundred years ago, the old City Wall of Xi'an is a perfect place to know the long history of China. 

-Big Wild Goose Pagoda: It was build 1500 years ago in Tang Dynasty, still well preserved. You can have a bird view of the city when you climb up.

This morning you will take the fantastic tour to Terra-cotta warriors that is one-hour car ride from Xian. There are 3 exhibition halls presenting various warriors and horses that were made 2200 years ago.

This afternoon you will move to visit the Small Wild Goose Pagoda this afternoon, which was constructed in 707AD in early Tang Dynasty. 

Later, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Take a car ride to Famen Monastery to view the temple for the holy relic of Buddha, the finger of Sakyamuni(the relic is not always exhibited, you may not see it). Then drive or take bullet train to Tianshui depending on group size.

Today you will visit one of the four well-known grottoes in China, Maiji Grottos. It is situated on the Maiji Mountain with different colorful statures of Buddha, each of them has amazing facial expression.

Afterwards you will head to Lanzhou by vehicle or fast train depending on group size.

Today you will take a 2-hour car ride to Linxia where you will take ferry to sail across the Liujiaxia Reservoir to view the Binglingsi Grottos that was built beside the Yellow River. There are various Buddha Statues with the stunning scenery around the Grottos are amazing.

Afterwards, you will be transferred for another 2 hours to the hotel in Xiahe (Labrang).

Visit Labrang Monastery in the morning, which is one of the six biggest Tibetan monasteries, presents typical Tibetan Budhism culture.

In the afternoon, transferred to Lanzhou airport to catch a flight heading for Dunhuang.

In the morning, you will visit Mogao Caves, the gem of the ancient Silk Road. The early history of Mogao can be track back to the 4th century, and built many times in the histoty. The colorful fresco, statues in Mogao Caves display various stories about Buddhism.

Afterwards, you will visit the Yulin Grottos in Guazhou County, which has less frescos but interesting to view.

In the evening, you can explore the night market or watch the Dunhuang performance at the theater.

Visit Crescent Moon Spring, Mingsha Sand Dunes in the morning. Afterwards, you will take 2-hour ride to Liuyuan where you will catch 3-hour bullet train to Turpan.

Turpan is a hub on the ancient Silk Road, and there are lots of historical sites that are renowned for its well-preserved conditions. 

Today you will visit Bezklik Thousand Buddha Caves, Astana Ancient Tombs, the Ancient City of Jiaohe and Gaochang, and Toyuk Valley.

You will local food like noodles or pilaf at the lunchtime.

Today you will visit Karez Irrigation System, and Emin Minaret with a local guide. Then you willcatch overnight train to Kuqa.

This morning you will take one-hour ride along the ancient Silk Road to Kizil Caves, the earliest one in China, which was built 1700 years ago and still can see the colorful frescos and paintings in the caves. The Kizil is famous for its various Jataka stories that were painted on the diamond paintings. 

Later, you will head another one hour to explore the red Tianshan Mysterious Canyon, that is a 5-km long canyon in the southern Tianshan Mountains.

Afterwards you will be transferred back to Kuqa hotel.

Today you will visit the Subash Temple ruin, which was a renowned Buddhism temple in Tang Dynasty 1300 years ago. There are pagodas, halls, rooms, and walls that can tell this site used to be a huge temple. The famous monk Xuanzang in Tang Dynasty had stayed in Subash and described the temple in his journey Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang. 

Then you will visit the old town of Kuqa and Kuqa Mosque, which are different from the new city. Later you can wander around the local bazaar to view the fresh fruits, tea, snacks, and clothes etc.

Moreover, you will visit Kizilcara Beacon Tower that was built in Han Dynasty about 2000 years ago, which was the oldest well-protected beacon tower in Northern Silk Road.

In the evening you will catch overnight train to Kashgar.

Today it is a busy day to explore Kashgar with a local guide. You will take the city tour by the first stop to visit the Apa Hoja Mausoleum which was built in 1640 by local Imam for his father, and later it became a family graveyard to bury 72 people for 5 generations. The mausoleum is impressive for its delicate Uyghur architectural style including the blue tiles, the dome and the minaret. 

Next, you will visit Kashgar old town to explore the interesting area where there are old houses for shops, workshops, restaurants, bakery, and tea houses etc. It displays the long history and vivid lifestyle in Kashgar from ancient Silk Road period to today. Handicraft Street is a must-see section in the old town, where the huge music instruments and bronze vessels are very impressive. You might taste some local snacks here, such as Nang Bread, grilled eggs, dried fruits etc. before visiting the old Id Ghar Mosque, the biggest mosque in Xinjiang. Enter the mosque at non-praying time to appreciate its architecture and decor, please wear long pants and cover the shoulders for ladies while visiting this mosque. 

Lunch is arranged at a local Uyghur's house for you to taste the authentic and traditional Uyghur food including nang bread, hand-stretched noodles, and pilau...etc. 

The animal bazaar is relocated near Kashgar Airport and opens only on Sundays. If it is Sunday, you will also visit the Animal Bazaar.

When your tour is finished, you will be transferred back to your hotel.

Transferred to Kashagr airport to catch your flight heading for your next destination, where the wonderful Silk Road tour concludes.