10 Days Xinjiang Silk Road Tour from Kashgar to Xi’an
Tour Overview
In ancient times, China Silk Road of China was an important link of trade and culture between the East and the West. This 10 days Silk Road trip begins in Kashgar, Xinjiang, and takes you back to the prosperous time of Silk Road!
In Kashgar, explore the lives of local ethnic minorities through the architecture and markets. Catch a plane to Urumqi to admire the landscape and legends at Tianchi. The last stop in Xinjiang is Turpan. Here, be guided to visit a Uyghur ancient village that has a long history of over 1,700 years.
The journey continues onto Dunhuang for Buddhist grotto art and desert activities. The trip along the Silk Road will conclude at Xi’an, the starting point of the Silk Road, with life size clay soldiers and city sights.
Highlights of this tour
- Walk into the lively Kashgar Old Town to see the ancient Silk Road charm come alive before your eyes.
- Marvel at changing colors of Karakul Lake and the views of glaciers, grasslands, and grazing herds.
- Take an optional cruise on the Heavenly Lake and glimpse the mysterious legends.
- Explore ancient Uyghur village and witness the majestic ruins of Jiaohe Ancient City.
- Enjoy beautiful murals and Buddhist statues at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang.
- Be amazed by the life-size Terracotta Warriors, each figure with different expressions.
Basic Trip Information
Travel Route: Kashgar-Urumqi-Turpan-Dunhuang-Xi’an
Travel Length: 10 Days and 9 Nights
Tour Code:
Group Size: Only your family or group
Suitable for: Culture & history explorers, adventurers
Departure: Any day you want
Your tour – quick look
Day 1-3 Kashgar Tour
Arrival in Kashgar to explore Id Kah Mosque, visit the Sunday Bazaar, the largest international trade market in the region, and stroll along the 1000-meter-long Handicraft Street. Drive to Karakuri Lake for breathtaking views.
Day 4-5 Flight to Urumqi, Turpan Tour
Take a flight to Urumqi to enjoy the unparalleled natural beauty of the Heavenly Lake. Take a guided tour of Xinjiang Regional Museum In city center. Walk around the International Grand Bazaar by yourself. Drive for 2.5 hours to Turpan to explore the Uyghur village and Jiaohe Ruins.
Day 6-7 High-speed Train to Dunhuang
Take the high-speed train to Dunhuang. After arrival, enjoy a wonderful dinner with friends in the desert. Then a full day tour in Dunhuang to Mogao Caves and Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring. Take an evening flight to Xi’an.
Day 8-10 Xian Essence Tour
Xian is the starting point of the Silk Road where you will visit the world famous Terracotta Warriors, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Muslim Quarter, and the Ancient City Wall.
Day-to-day Itinerary
Day 1 Kashgar Arrival
Hello! Welcome to our carefully designed China Silk Road tour from Kashgar to Xian! As early as the 2nd century BC, Kashgar was already the “throat” of the Silk Road. Upon your arrival, a local private driver will wait for you by holding a welcome sign and then send you to the city center hotel. Free time for you in the rest of the day.
Meal: N/A
Accommodation: in Kashgar
Day 2 Highlights in Kashgar
Explore Mosque, Dance, Market in Kashgar Vibrant Culture
After breakfast, your guide will meet you at the hotel and then start your Kashgar tour at around 9 o’clock. First, be led to visit the largest mosque in Xinjiang, Id Kah Mosque. There are many magnificent and Islamic style buildings in the temple, and the tour guide will take you to visit them one by one.
At 10:30 am, the welcome ceremony of Kashgar Ancient City begins. The girls dressed in ethnic costumes dance gracefully, accompanied by melodious music, as if taking tourists back to the prosperous era of the ancient Silk Road.
After a visit to the Kashgar Old Town, go to the Livestock Market (open on Sundays). This is one of the largest livestock trading markets in the world. When you enter the area, you immediately see fruits, honey, and ready to eat food options such as beef and mutton. Keep walking, see lots of livestock of various types, animals like sheep, cattle, horses, donkeys, camels, and others. You’ll love their unique bargaining style.
Later, stroll through the Handicraft Street, about 1,000 meters long. There are hundreds of handicraft workshops and stalls gathered here, with items ranging from embroidery, gold and silver jewelry to earthenware, ethnic musical instruments, silk…
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Kashgar
Day 3 Karakul Lake Tour from Kashgar
Marvel at Pamir’s Color-changing Lake and Glacier Reflections
Today you will enjoy the whole day exploration of the Lake Karakul. The drive takes about 3.5 hours from Kashgar city. Capture the views of the Pamir Plateau along the way. Make a stop at Baisha Lake (White Sand). Adjacent to National Highway 314, the crystal clear waters of lake reflect the blue sky and white clouds and the surrounding snow-capped mountains.
Karakul Lake is located at the foot of Muztagh Ata, the “Father of Glaciers”. It is named after the deep and dark waters, which means Black Lake in Kirghiz. It is amazing that the lake will change different colors with the sunlight. The reflection of the majestic snowy peaks is very beautiful. In front of the lake is a vast grassland. In summer, herds of cattle and sheep roam the grasslands, wild ducks swim on the lake, and occasionally swans forage here.
After the sightseeing, you will be transferred back to Kashgar for the night.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Kashgar
Day 4 Fly from Kashgar to Urumqi
Cruise Optionally Waters Amidst Myth-shrouded Mountain Views
After breakfast, pack your belongings and say goodbye to Kashgar. You will take a flight to the capital city of Xinjiang – Urumqi. After arriving, the Urumqi tour guide will pick you up and drive 1.5 hours to Tianshan Tian Chi. Your lunch will enjoyed near the near the scenic spot.
In the afternoon, transfer to the shuttle bus and arrive at the edge of the Heavenly Lake (around 35 minutes). Take a stroll by the lake and enjoy the fresh air and unparalleled natural beauty. Or you can take a cruise (optional, at your own expense) to see the forests up close from another angle. In addition, your guide will explain about the legend of Tianchi – where the Queen Mother of the West once bathed.
Go back to Urumqi city for a guided tour of Xinjiang Regional Museum. It shows the history of Xinjiang and the customs of local ethnic groups. You can see many treasures such as a dried corpse and Han Dynasty brocade.
In the evening, you can walk around the International Grand Bazaar by yourself, known as the ‘Window of Central Asia’. Here are Islamic architecture, Uyghur dance performances, and local specialty cuisine.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Urumqi
Day 5 Drive 2.5 Hours to Turpan
Step into Timeless Uyghur Village of Ancient Traditions
It takes 2.5 hours to drive to Turpan in the morning. After having lunch in the city center, continue driving east for about an hour to reach one of the highlights of the Turpan tour – Tuyugou Valley. We mainly visit the Uyghur village here, which have a history of over 1,700 years. This village has fully preserved the ancient Uyghur tradition of working from sunrise to sunset, communicating in Uyghur language, wearing ethnic costumes, and using donkey carts for transportation…
On the way back to the city, you can see the spectacular Flaming Mountains from the car. In the city center, the tour guide will take you to visit the world’s largest, oldest, and best preserved earthen architecture city – Jiaohe Ruins. The city was founded and built from the 2nd to the 5th century BC, and reached its peak during the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Tang Dynasty. Later, due to its strategic location and many wars, Jiaohe Ancient City gradually declined and suffered severe damage, ultimately being abandoned at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. After the visit, check in at the local hotel.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Turpan
Day 6 Turpan to Dunhuang Tour by High-speed Train
Enjoy a Sunset Dinner on the Top of the Desert
After breakfast, the driver will take you to the train station for the high-speed train to Dunhuang. After arrival, Dunhuang local driver picks you up and escort you to the hotel for rest.
At dusk, you will be taken to the top of the desert. Accompanied by the beautiful sunset, enjoy a wonderful dinner with friends in the desert.
Meal: Breakfast + Dinner
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 7 Evening Flight to Xi’an
Discover Grotto Art, Then Slide down Singing Sands
Today is a full day tour in Dunhuang. In the morning, you will visit China’s Buddhist grotto art in the Mogao Caves. It was excavated from the Sixteen Kingdoms period (304-439) to the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) – a period covering approximately 1000 years. Today there are 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of murals, and over 2,400 colored sculptures.
In the afternoon, you will be sent to Mingsha Mountain, located on the edge of the Kumtag Desert. Mountains are formed by the fine sand, presenting five colors: red, yellow, blue, white, and black. Sand sliding is the main entertainment here. In addition, you can pay extra to experience activities such as camel riding and desert off-road. In this scenic area, you will see a crescent shaped spring surrounded by Mingsha Mountain. This is a very magical landscape.
After the tour, take an evening flight to Xi’an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road!
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Xi’an
Day 8 Essence Exploration in Xian
Experience Best of Xian from Terracotta Warriors to Food
Your Xian guide will pick you up around 8:00 am from your hotel and drive one hour to the world-famous Terracotta Warriors. They have hosted more than 200 heads of state and government, which is usually considered a must see during your visit to China.The Terracotta Warriors were built by China’s first emperor over 2,000 years ago, at the young age of 13. Your guide will take you to see 3 pits with over 7000 warrior figurines with their own distinct expressions. The visit is around 2.5 hours.
When you’ve finished your lunch at a local dinning place, head back to city center to see one of the famous attractions, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which had 7 levels and a height of 64.5 meters. The Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang presided the construction of this pagoda to contain the Buddhist scriptures, statues, and other relics.
Later, go to the Bell and Drum Tower Square to admire the magnificent Bell Tower. The nearby Muslim Quarter is a food paradise where one can find the most popular local food such as Biangbiang Noodle, Roujiamo (stuffed buns with beef), and Flatbread in Lamb Soup.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Xi’an
Day 9 Xi’an City Highlights
Learn about History through Museum and City Wall
Today’s tour is relaxing, which focuses on the urban exploration. We can leave a little later so that you can sleep a little longer. Be guided to visit the Xi’an Museum, which houses 130,000 cultural relics from various historical periods in Xi’an. Follow the vivid guide’s explanation and appreciate jade artifacts, Tang Dynasty tri colored glazed pottery, bronze ware, etc. In this scenic area, you can also see the Small Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built to store Buddhist scriptures brought back from India by a monk in the Tang Dynasty.
In the afternoon, climb onto the world’s best preserved city wall – the Ancient City Wall. Strolling along the city wall, take a bird’s-eye view of Xi’an at sunset. Cycling is an optional activity on the city wall (at your own expense).
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Xi’an
Day 10 Departure from Xi’an
After breakfast in your hotel, your driver will escort you to the airport to take a flight home. This is the end of your 10-day Silk Road tour in China from Kashgar. Safe travels!
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
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12 Days China Silk Road Tour from Beijing to LuoyangDunhuang – Jiayuguan – Zhangye – Lanzhou – Tianshui – Xian – Luoyang
