10-Day Silk Road Real Tour

Detailed Itinerary

• Day 1: Arrive at Xining (No meals)

  Take your flight from home to Xining. Start your unique adventure to West-north China from the capital city. Be transferred to hotel and have a good rest in our well selective hotel.

  Recommended Hotel: Xining Licheng Ruixuan Hotel ****

• Day 2:  Xining-Qinghai Lake (Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight: Ta'er Lamasery and Qinghai Lake

  Today you will visit the top 2 attractions of Xining, Ta’er Lamasery and Qinghai Lake. You will enjoy the murals and butter sculptures as the most famous artistic treasures of the lamasery. Then be transferred to Qinghai Lake to enjoy breathtaking scenery with amid mountains and vast grassland.

  Recommended Hotel: In Qinghai Lake Area

  

• Day 3:  Qinghai Lake - Chaka Salt Lake (Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight: Chaka Salt Lake

  Start with a 2-hour drive from Qinghai Lake to Chaka Salt Lake, known as “Mirror of the Sky”.  You also can choose to experience the tourist train at the lake to explore the lake and its surrounding by stopping at various points, providing excellent opportunities for photography. Drive back to Xining and stay overnight at Xining.

  Recommended Hotel: Xining Licheng Ruixuan Hotel ****

  

• Day 4:  Xining to Zhangye(Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight: Zhangye National Geopark

  Continue your tour to the west by taking a bullet train from Xining to Zhangye(2 hours). After arrival, you will visit Zhangye National Geopark to see Qicai Danxia landform that are the result of sandstone and other minerals being pressed together in layers and then uplifted and folded by tectonic activity.

  Recommended Hotel: Zhangye Huacheng International Hotel ****

  

• Day 5:  Zhangye to Dunhuang(Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight:  Giant Buddha Temple

  A half day tour to the Giant Buddha Temple in Zhangye where you will see the largest reclining Buddha in China with 34.5 meters (113 feet) long and 7.5 meters (25 feet) wide. Then take a bullet train heading to Dunhuang(4.5 hours). You can enjoy the picturesque scenery unfold along the Silk Road on the way.

  Recommended Hotel: Dunhuang Guofu Hotel ****

• Day 6 Dunhuang(Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight: Mogao Caves and Echoing-Sand Mountain

  A visit to the Mogao Caves is definitely your highlight of whole tour. Over 2000 sculptures spanning over a thousand years and vibrant artworks are lively displayed in front of you. Memorize them by your own eyes and feelings. Then you will go to another landmark in Dunhuang, Echoing-Sand Mountain. The vast golden dunes rise dramatically next to crescent-shaped Crescent Lake, creating a stunning desert landscape.

  Recommended Hotel:Dunhuang Guofu Hotel ****

  

• Day 7:  Dunhuang to Turpan(Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight: Yumen Pass and the Great Wall of the Han

  On the way from Dunhuang to Liuyuan railway station, you will visit Yumen Pass and the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty. Different from famous Ming Dynasty Great Wall in Beijing, the Han Great Wall is much older and mostly ruined by thousands of years wars. Then take a bullet from Liuyuan railway station to Turpan(3.5 hours). Be met by your guide at the Turpan railway station and transferred to hotel. Turpan is a good choice of the silk road tour for your exploration to trading journeying between ancient China and the West.

  Recommended Hotel: Ji Hotel ****

  

• Day 8:  Turpan(Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight: Jiaohe Ruins, Tuyugou Village and Flaming Mountains

  You will have a full day tour to Jiaohe Ruins, Tuyugou Village and Flaming Mountains. Delve into the past at the Jiaohe Ruins, immerse yourself in Tuyougou Village and feel the scorching sun on  the Flaming Mountains. Every moment is unique and cherish.

  Recommended Hotel: Ji Hotel ****

• Day 9:  Turpan to Urumqi(Breakfast/Lunch)

  Highlight: Heavenly Lake, Tianshan Mountains and International Bazaar

  Today you’ll be transferred back to Urumqi, the last stop of the Silk Road. You will visit Heavenly Lake and Tianshan Mountains for its alpine scenery and majestic Bogda Peak in the background. Go to find something local at the International Bazaar in Urumqi. You can see architectural beauty, diverse products, culinary delights, and live performances.

  Recommended Hotel: Excemon Xinjiang Yilite Hotel ****

  

• Day 10: Depart from Urumqi  (Breakfast)

  Be transferred to Urumqi airport to take a flight home. Your China tour will end soon but your memory of China will last for days.