Tour Cities:XianDunhuangTurpanUrumqiKashgarBeijing
Tour Code:ACT-Silkroad-01

The 10 days Great Silk Road Tour for tourist silk road culture and nature interests to visit Xi'an Ancient City Wall, Hecang Military Depot, Jiayuguan Pass, Mogao Grottoes, Echoing-Sand Mountain, Crescent Moon Lake, Karez Channels, Flaming Mountain, Mount Nan Pasture, Sunday Bazaar, Abakh Khoja Tomb, Karakul Lake...

Day 1Arrival/Xian

Meals: L
Sites Visited: Ancient City Wall, Shaanxi Provincial Museum

Meet your guide and driver at the Xian airport, and then transfer to the hotel. After that, pay a visit to the Xi'an Ancient City Wall and the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. Xi'an Ancient City Wall was onstructed about 600 years ago during the Ming Dynasty. If time permits, you can travel around on the wall and have a panoramic view of the city. There is a galaxy of fine artistic and cultural articles collected in the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum. Among the vast array of the antiquities, it contains exquisitely bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, vivid pottery figurines of various postures in different dynasties, rare gold and silver wares of Han and Tang dynasties and peculiar mural paintings in Tang tombs, all of which are the finest part that can never be missed.


Ancient City Wall

Day 2Xian

Meals: B,L
Sites Visited: Banpo Neolithic Village, Terra Cotta Warriors & Horses , Big Wild Goose Pagoda

Full-day visit to the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses (include golf carts), the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Banpo Neolithic Village. Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses: The orderly arranged warriors and horses, finely-made bronze weapons and Bronze Chariots and Horses will show you the mighty forces and advanced manufacture of the Qin Dynasty (about 2,200 years ago). From the hairstyle and clothing, you can also have a glimpse of the custom of that period. Big Wild Goose Pagoda: Located in the south of the city, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda has witnessed the development of Xian since it was built in the Tang Dynasty, more than 1,300 years ago. Banpo Neolithic Village: The ruins of this 6000 year-old village represents the earliest signs of human habitation around Xian. In the evening, enjoy the Tang Dynasty Song and Dance Show at Tang Yuegong Theatre.


Banpo Neolithic Village

Day 3Xian/Dunhuang

Meals: B,L

In the morning, be escorted to the airport for the flight to Dunhuang. Be met and transferred to the hotel. Then visit the Hecang Military Depot followed by the Great Wall of the Han dynasty. Hecang Military Depot, hidden twenty kilometers from Yumenguan Pass, was once a vital supply depot for the Chinese military. The Great Wall ends at the West Lake of Dunhuang, over 311 miles west to Jiayuguan Pass. It was built to consolidate the safety of the frontier region as well as exploring ways to do business with western region.

Day 4Dunhuang/Turpan

Meals: B,L
Sites Visited: Mingsha Shan Echo Sand Dunes , Crescent Moon Lake , Mogao Caves

After breakfast, you are picked up to see the Mogao Grottoes. The Mogao Grottoes or Mogao Caves, housing the ancient thousand buddhas and mural paintings, are the famous Dunhuang highligh of buddhist art treasures shrine on the north-west Silk Road China. After that, ride the camel to see the Echoing-Sand Mountain (where you will observe a very curious natural phenomenon), and then proceed to visit the Crescent Moon Lake. Crescent Moon Lake, called as Yueyaquan in Chinese, is a crescent-shaped pool in the oasis, 5 km southwest of the city Dunhuang. After the sightseeing, be transferred to train station for the overnight train (with soft sleeper) to Turpan.


Mingsha Shan Echo Sand Dunes

Day 5Turpan

Meals: B,L

Transfer to your hotel from the train station. After breakfast, drive to visit the Suleiman's Minaret (aka Sugong Pagoda), the Grape Valley, the Karez Channels and Astana Tombs, lastly, pass through the legendary Flaming Mountain. Sugong Pagoda, a stone tablet at its entrance cites the reason for the pagoda's construction in Wei and Han characters. Grape valley, lying on the western slopes of the Flaming Mountains in Turpan Depression, one can see nothing but glowing barren red sand. Only the Grape Valley, presenting a world of unique beauty, is a striking contrast with the hot, dry and barren outside. Karez Channels is one of China's three greatest feats of ancient engineering, along with the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. Construction began on this ancient irrigation system during the Han Dynasty and as the Silk Road developed, methods of construction found their way to Central Asia and Persia. Astana Tombs is a large site 37 km southeast of present-day Turpan. It served mainly as the cemetery for the descendents of Chinese settlers in Gaochang from the 4th century to the first half of the 8th century. Flaming Mountain is a barren, eroded, red sandstone mountain. The erosion of the sandstone rock has given the mountain an appearance of being on fire.

Day 6Turpan/Urumqi

Meals: B,L

After breakfast, transfer to Urumqi. Then visit the Terai Camp, Mount Nan Pasture (aka Nanshan Grasslands). Terai Camp: A special experience of Kazak nomad life here, have a cup of milk tea and taste some really local food. Nanshan Grasslands are a natural paradise, with scenery and surroundings such as natural spruce forest on snow mountain, wild animals such as snow leopard, wild goat, red deer and palm bear are running on the grasslands, beautiful birds are flying in the sky, which are similar to that at Heaven Lake.

Day 7Urumqi/Kashgar

Meals: B,L
Sites Visited: Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar Bazaar , Abakh Khoja Mausoleum

In the morning, take flight to Kashgar. Check into the hotel, and then visit the Etigar Mosque (aka Id Kah Mosque) , Sunday Bazaar, and the Abakh Khoja Tomb. The Id Kah Mosque is located on the central square in Kashgar As the biggest mosque in China, it is a group of old Islamic constructions with strong ethnic style and religious features. Located in the city east, Kashgar Grand Bazaar or Sunday Bazaar shows the glory of the largest international trade market or fair on ancient China Silk Road. The Abakh Khoja Tomb, 5 km northeast of Kashgar, is a masterpiece of Uyghur architecture and the holiest Muslim site built in the early 17th century as the tomb of Muhammad Yusuf in Xinjiang China Silk Road.





Id Kah Mosque

Day 8Kashgar

Meals: B,L

Make a full-day excursion to the beautiful Karakul Lake. The Karakul Lake is a paradise of bonfire night parties for boy and girl khalkhas with tourists. The party is full of songs and dances, as well as good smell of roast lamb skewers.

Day 9Kashgar/Beijing

Meals: B

Fly directly to Beijing. At the Beijing airport, be met and transferred to the hotel.

Day 10Beijing/Departure

Meals: B

After breakfast, you will be driven to the airport to take a flight home.

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Price Includes:

Transportation & Private Transfers:

Transportation cost covers all the domestic airfare of economy class with airport tax, train tickets between the cities as the itinerary specified.

 

Transfer between airports, railway station, hotels and scenic spots for sightseeing around the cities that are specified by the itinerary with private air conditioned vehicle with driver and English-speaking guide. Separate arrivals and departures will incur extra charges.

 

Entrance Fees:

All entrance fees to the scenic spots listed in the itinerary. The final arrangement will be determined by private tour guides depends on the real-time local circumstances wheather are beyond the control of Access China Travel. We will adhere to the original itinerary as accurately as possible. 

 

Normal Meals:

All normal meals as the itinerary specified: B = breakfast, L = Lunch, D = dinner in local  restaurant. Breakfasts are served in hotel, breakfasts have Chinese or Western style for your option; Lunches are served in carefully selected quality local Chinese restaurants with best service, your lunches will be ordered by your guide catering to your preferences within normal standard. Dinners as the itinerary specified will be also served in local Chinese restaurants. The meal quotation is normalized. If you have any special request about meals, like vegetarian, famous rare dishes, Indian food or more, please inform us in advance. For the unspecified dinners, you will have dinner on your own. Feel free to ask your local guide for suggestions or recommendation.

 

Private Sightseeing Escort:

Normal sightseeing activities as the itinerary listed will be escorted with English-speaking guide. The English-speaking guide and driver in each city are with you throughout the entire itinerary around that city. They do not fly with you from one city to another.

 

Hotel Accommodation:

Hotel service criterion: two adults share on one standard twin/double-bed room; solo traveler who want to occupy one twin/double-bed room assigned is required for extra single supplement rate. A single room is available on prior request at an additional cost; if a recommended hotel unavailable, it will be replaced by one of the same class. All hotels as the itinerary listed serve daily western or Chinese breakfast. All rooms are air-conditioned with private facilities unless specified.

 

Tour Arrangements:

The tour cost includes the planning, handling, booking, operation and communication charges.

 

Service Charge & Government Taxes

Price Excludes:

International airfare or train tickets for entry or exit China, unless that is noted or required otherwise.
Visa Fees, passport application or renewal fee.
Excess Baggage Charges.

 

Personal Expenses:

Expenses of a purely personal nature such as excess luggage fees, laundry, drinks, fax, telephone call, optional activities (shows) and meals, beverages...

 

Meals:

Any meal are not specified in the itinerary with "B", "L" or "D".

 

Any extra cost caused by the changes of natural disasters, fires, weather, government and local authority orders, politics, strikes, war, riots, quarantine, custom regulations; as well as tourist law violation, accident damages or injury incurred out of Access China Travel control.

 

Gratuities:

Tips to guides, escort, drivers bellman, etc.