Essential Silk Road 12D

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

Today you will take 2-hour ride to the  Mutianyu Great Wall, which was built 600 years ago in the early Ming Dynasty. You can choose walk up or take cable car up to the Great Wall, and view the imposing ancient Chinese military construction. The impressive Wall extends like a dragon on the top of the endless mountains. It is a nice walk on the Wall to enjoy the fantastic scenery.

Lunch is included at local restaurant before moving back to Beijing hotel.

You will visit the biggest city square in the world, the Tiananmen Square. Then walk to The Forbidden City, the biggest palace in the world. Explore the main buildings with a local guide in the palace. Then you will catch 5-hour bullet train to Xian after included lunch. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to hotel. 

This morning you will take the fantastic tour to Terra-cotta Warriors that is one-hour car ride from Xian. There are 4 exhibition halls presenting various warriors and horses that were make 2200 years ago, and each warrior has unique face.

This afternoon you will move to visit the 14-km old City Wall in Xian, which was built in Ming Dynasty and still well preserved. You can walk, or ride bike on the wall to view the old city and modern city in and out of the city wall. 

Later, you will visit the Muslim Quarter in the city center, which is situated near Bell and Drum Tower. There are shops, snack stands, market, and restaurants in this area, and it is nice to view the bustling street here.

Today you will fly to Zhangye from Xian. 

Upon arrival, you will visit the impressive Zhangye Rainbow Danxia that is a colorful mountain with red, yellow, black, green, and blue etc. As a popular attraction, Rainbow Danxia is very busy in summer and you need to take the sightseeing bus at the entrance to visit different sections of the Danxia Mount.

Take about 2-hour ride to Jiagyuan this morning. Visit the military fortress Jiayuguan Fort and climb up the imposing Overhanging Great Wall this afternoon.

Take 5-hour ride to Dunhuang in the morning, and view the stunning snow-capped Qilian Mountains, Gobi Desert and Oasis towns on the way. Then wander around the Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Moon Spring in the afternoon. You have opportunity to ride camel at the sand dunes. 

You can explore the night market or watch Dunhuang performance copied from Mogao Caves this evening.

In the morning, you will visit Mogao Caves, the gem of the ancient Silk Road. The early history of Mogao Caves can be tracked back to the 4th century, and built many times in the histoty. The colorful fresco, statues in Mogao Caves display various stories about Buddhism.
After lunch, you will take 2-hour car ride to Liuyuan station where you will catch 3-hour bullet train to Turpan. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to hotel. Turpan is a basin in Xinjiang Province, and renowned for its hottest weather in China.

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, Karez Irrigation System, and Emin Minaret with a local guide. 

You may taste some dried fruits and eat Uyghur food at the lunchtime.

You will take a 3-hour ride to Urumqi where you will visit Xinjiang Museum(Close on Mondays), mummies are a must-see in it, particularly Loulan Beauty and Xiaohe Beauty. 

Afterwards you will be transferred to visit the stunning Heavenly Lake.

Then you will be transferred to the hotel in Urumqi for a rest. 

Today it is a busy day, you will take an early flight to Kashagr. 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. 

In the afternoon, you will wander around the Grand Bazaar in Kashgar, which is well known in Central Asia for its colorful and lively market. As a Uyghur saying goes that you can buy everything except for your parents. There are more people in the afternoon, because the farmers will drive to here from different area in the morning and buy things in the afternoon at the market. Actually the bazaar opens every day, and more people on Sunday. The animal bazaar is relocated near Kashgar Airport and opens only on Sundays. So if it is Sunday, you will also visit the Animal Bazaar as well.

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