10 Days China Silk Road Group Tour from Lanzhou to Urumqi
Tour Overview
This 10-day China Silk Road small group tour takes you through ancient landscapes and cultural treasures, from Lanzhou’s Yellow River to Heavenly Lake in Urumqi. Along the way, see the rainbow-colored Zhangye Danxia landforms, ancient Jiayuguan Pass, and breathtaking Mogao Caves.
Discover the desert wonders of Dunhuang and Turpan, including the Jiaohe Ruins and Karez Wells. Ancient temples, pagodas, and archaeological sites… just immerse yourself in the unique history and beauty of China’s Silk Road region.
Highlights of this tour
- Walk along Lanzhou’s Bund for cultural landmarks – the Zhongshan Bridge and Waterwheel Garden, and Yellow River Mother Sculpture.
- Marvel at the multi-colored ridges of Rainbow Mountains that glow at sunset.
- Visit the First Pass Under Heaven and hike the Overhanging Great Wall.
- Explore ancient Buddhist caves with over 45,000 murals and 2,400 sculptures.
- Enjoy Heavenly Lake view under snowy mountains and lush forests within the Tianshan Mountain.
- Discover the Jiaohe Ruins, Karez Wells, and Sugong Pagoda, marvels of ancient civilization in Turpan.
Basic Trip Information
Travel Route: Lanzhou-Zhangye-Dunhuang-Urumqi-Turpan
Travel Length: 10 Days and 9 Nights
Tour Code:
Group Size: Only your family or group
Suitable for: Culture & history explorers
Departure: Any day you want
Your tour – quick look
Day 1-4 Lanzhou to Zhangye Tour
On the arrival day, take a stroll along the Yellow River Custom Tourist Line. Travel to Zhangye by high-speed train to visit the Mati Temple, Giant Buddha Temple, and Rainbow Mountain Scenic Area. Stay an overnight in Kaoshan Tent and then explore the Binggou Danxia Scenic Area before traveling to Jiayuguan for Jiayuguan Pass and Overhanging Great Wall.
Day 5-6 Dunhuang Tour
Spend two days on the highlights of Dunhuang – Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring, Shazhou Night Market, and the UNESCO-listed Mogao Caves. Take a high-speed train to Urumqi.
Day 7 Urumqi Day Tour
A whole day exploration of the beautiful Heavenly Lake (with optional boat trip), modern Xinjiang Region Museum rich in well-preserved collections, and the lively Xinjiang International Bazaar.
Day 8-10 Turpan Tour
Drive for 3 hours to visit the ancient civilization including Jiaohe Ruins, Karez Wells, Sugong Pagoda, Tuyugou Valley, Gaochang Ruins, and Astana Tombs. Later travel back to Urumqi for departure.
Day-to-day Itinerary
Day 1 Lanzhou Arrival
A Stroll along the Yellow River Custom Tourist Line
A Warm Welcome! Upon your arrival, your driver will pick you up and then send you to your downtown hotel for check-in.
At around 17:00 in the afternoon, your guide will take you for a stroll along the Yellow River Custom Tourist Line – known as the “Bund of Lanzhou”. You can see a series of culture-related attractions such as the Yellow River Mother Sculpture, Waterwheel Garden, Zhongshan Iron Bridge, White Pagoda Hill, etc. Later, the tour guide brings you to a must-visit food street to sample traditional Lanzhou flavors (pay by yourself).
Meal: N/A
Accommodation: in Lanzhou
Day 2 Lanzhou to Zhangye by High-speed Train
Climb to the Top of the Grotto for Qilian Mountain Views
After breakfast, pack all your belongings and check out. Then you will be sent to the railway station for a high-speed train to Zhangye (around 3 hours).
In the afternoon, your guide will lead you to Mati Temple. It’s a large grotto complex, more than 1,600 years old. Legend had it that there was a supernatural horse which quaffed water here and marked its hoof. Mati (Horse Hoof) Temple is so-named after it. The Thirty-three Heaven Grottoes and the Thousand Buddha Caves are not-to-be-missed sights. The tourists are required to climb up some narrow passages, which will be fun, and at the top, there will be an impressive view over the Qilian Mountains. After the visit, drive you to the hotel for a good rest.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Zhangye
Day 3 Zhangye’s Highlights
Capture the Colorful Mountains at Sunset
We will spend this morning visiting the landmark of Zhangye – the Giant Buddha Temple. This temple is frequently known as the ”Temple of the Reclining Buddha” as it contains the largest indoor clay reclining buddha in the country (34.5 metres long!). You may look for other scarce Buddhist scriptures and murals too, but you will also hear smart explanations from your guide on the religious significance of them.
After lunch, depart for Zhangye Danxia National Geopark to visit the Rainbow Mountain Scenic Area. Four observation decks offer great views of the colorful Danxia landforms, where fiery red, creamy orange, and bright yellow sandstone ridges resemble “an over-turned palette from heaven”. The colors of the mountains are particularly vibrant at sunset (7:30 pm in summer / 6 pm in winter).
Following the tour, we proceed to Kaoshan Tent near Rainbow Mountain to stay overnight. Tents offer shared bathroom facilities instead of private ones.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Kaoshan Tent
Day 4 Zhangye to Jiayuguan
Ascend the Western End of the Ming Great Wall
After breakfast, head to Binggou Danxia Scenic Area also in Danxia National Geological Park, famed for its sculpted landscapes. Dawn is the prime time to visit (for sunrise scenery). Though the hues are subtler than Rainbow Mountain’s, the unique formations invite creative appreciation of geological wonders.
Drive for about 2.5 hours to Jiayuguan Pass, the western end of the Ming Great Wall famous as the ”First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven”. This rammed-earth fortress has stunning buildings like the Arrow Tower, Enemy Tower, and Corner Tower. You can look out over the surrounding desert plains from within and beyond its gates. Take a stroll along the battlements to appreciate its tactical military design and catch a glimpse of its past.
Afterward, move to the Overhanging Great Wall. Built along the mountainside, it seems like a dragon hanging from a cliff. It is easy to hike along the steep steps. There are remains of old relics, some towers and city walls. After all visits, escort you to the hotel for check-in.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Jiayuguan
Day 5 Jiayuguan to Dunhuang
Have Fun at Interesting Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring
After breakfast, drive for about 4 hours to Dunhuang. Upon arrival, have lunch and check in at the local hotel for a rest.
In the late afternoon, go to explore the interesting Mingsha Mountain and Crescent Spring, where golden dunes encircle a tranquil spring. This is rarely breathtaking desert landscape. Visitors can ride camels across the undulating sands, or pay extra on site for more thrilling activities like desert off-road. The sand sliding is free and just enjoy yourself. At sunset, the dunes glow in vibrant orange-red hues, mirrored in the spring water, which is a photographer’s moment.
As night falls, immerse yourself in Shazhou Night Market for tasting the grilled lamb skewers, steamed buns, Apricot Peel Water, and buy as you like handcrafted souvenirs under lantern-lit stalls.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 6 Dunhuang to Urumqi by Bullet Train
Admire the Silk Road Buddhist Art at Mogao Caves
Today’s highlight takes you to the UNESCO-listed Mogao Caves, a jewel of Silk Road Buddhist art. Excavated between the 4th-14th centuries, this 1,000-year-old complex has 735 caves, 45,000㎡ of murals, and 2,400+ sculptures. Follow your guide to explore the major distinct zone: the southern caves. The northern region is characterized by monk dormitories with adobe beds and lamp niches, which are temporarily closed to the public.
After the midday meal, travel to Liuyuan Station to catch the high-speed train to Urumqi. A pre-arranged local driver will be ready at the arrival hall to take you to our selected hotel.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Urumqi
Day 7 Urumqi to Heavenly Lake
Explore the Highlights of Urumqi from Lake to Museum and Bazaar
This morning, drive 1.5 hours to today’s travel destination – the Heavenly Lake in Tianshan Mountains, located on the north side of Bogda Peak (5,445 meters above sea level). In ancient Chinese mythology, this is the place where the Queen Mother of the West bathed.
After arriving at the scenic area, take the shuttle bus to the edge of the Heavenly Lake. Enjoy a walk along the lake and immerse in the beautiful scenery of snow capped peaks and spruce trees reflected on the surface of the lake. Continuing to explore, you can discover waterfalls, ponds, wind eroded rocks, temples, and more. If you are interested, you can take a boat tour on the center of the lake (for an additional fee).
Drive back to the city center of Urumqi to explore the history of Xinjiang at the Xinjiang Regional Museum. On the first floor, learn about the folk customs of 12 major ethnic groups in Xinjiang, including Uyghur, Kazakh, Mongolian, etc., through their musical instruments, daily necessities, and yurt houses. Dried Corpse Exhibition Hall on the second floor displays the bodies of ancient people from thousands of years ago. The corpse of “Loulan Beauty” is the essence of the museum.
Later, you will visit Xinjiang International Bazaar. In Uyghur language, bazaar means market. Here, you can find almost all the specialties of Urumqi, from fruits and clothing to carpets and small handicrafts. The buildings in this market have a unique style, with a strong Islamic flavor. After the tour, return to the hotel to rest.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Urumqi
Day 8 Urumqi to Turpan
Learn the Stories of the Jiaohe Ancient City and Karez Wells
After breakfast, we will drive to Turpan for 3 hours to visit the world’s largest, oldest, and best preserved earth city, the Jiaohe Ruins. This city was founded from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century BC and reached its peak during the Southern and Northern Dynasties and Tang Dynasty.
Next, be guided to explore the Karez Wells, an irrigation marvel that demonstrates ancient ingenuity in water management. Then, admire the Sugong Pagoda, 44 meters tall, the largest existing ancient pagoda in Xinjiang. It is conical in shape and covered with geometric decorations.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Turpan
Day 9 Back to Urumqi
Walk among the 1,700-Year-Old Uyghur Village
Today is still for a whole day tour in Turpan. After breakfast, drive eastward for an hour to Tuyugou Valley – one of the most popular attractions in Turpan. Along the way, have a stop at Flaming Mountains, known for its red sandstone formations and intense heat (highest temperature can reach 47.8 ℃/118℉ in summer). In Tuyugou, follow your guide to Uyghur village, tracing its origins back 1,700 years ago. Remarkably, this place maintains intact Uyghur customs: daily communication in their minority language, donkey-drawn carts for transportation…
Proceed to Gaochang Ruins, the remains of the ancient Gaochang Kingdom’s capital (5th – 7th century). Later, move to Astana Tombs, a 3rd – 8th century burial site serving as Gaochang’s communal cemetery. With 500+ tombs spanning nobles, officials, and commoners, it holds significant archaeological value. After the tour, drive back to Urumqi for the night.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Urumqi
Day 10 Departure from Urumqi
Relax this morning until your driver picks you up for your flight home. Your 10-day Silk Road group tour ends here. Hope you had a wonderful experience and wish you all the best ahead!
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
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