8 Days Silk Road Xinjiang Tour with Dunhuang
Tour Overview
This 8-day Silk Road China journey takes you visit the highlights of Xinjiang and Dunhuang. The local expert guides lead you to explore cultural treasures like Kashgar Sunday Bazaar, ancient Jiaohe Ruins, and artistic wonders of the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. Also, go to appreciate the natural sights – Karakuli Lake and Heavenly Lake.
In Dunhuang, you can glimpse the Buddhist art from Mogao Caves and experience the fun activities at the Echoing Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake.
Highlights of this tour
- Marvel at the crystal-clear reflections of Muztagh Ata on Karakuli Lake.
- Immerse in vibrant Silk Road history with colorful handicrafts, exotic spices, and authentic local flavors at Sunday Market.
- Enjoy peaceful moments with an optional cruise on the Heavenly Lake.
- Stroll through the ancient streets of Jiaohe Ruins.
- Discover intricate murals and Buddhist heritage at Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves.
- Admire ancient Buddhist art and sculptures preserved in the Mogao Caves.
- Visit Echoing Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake to enjoy the desert scenery.
Basic Trip Information
Travel Route: Kashgar-Urumqi-Turpan-Dunhuang
Travel Length: 8 Days and 7 Nights
Tour Code:
Group Size: Only your family or group
Suitable for: Culture lovers, adventurers, nature lovers
Departure: Any day you want
Your tour – quick look
Day 1-3 Arrival, Kashgar Tour, Flight to Urumqi
Enjoy the stunning reflections of the snow-capped mountains on the Karakuli Lake. Explore Kashgar’s highlights, including the Id Kah Mosque, Abakh Khoja Tomb, and the bustling Sunday Bazaar. Afterward, fly to Urumqi.
Day 4 Urumqi Tour
Drive to enjoy the beautiful Heavenly Lake with optional boat trip. Then go back to the Urumqi city center to visit the Urumqi Museum.
Day 5-6 Turpan Tour, Bullet Train to Dunhuang
Travel from Urumqi to Turpan to the Jiaohe Ruins, Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves and Sugong Pagoda and then take a high-speed train to Dunhuang.
Day 7-8 Dunhuang Tour, Departure
Marvel at the Mogao Grottoes, experience desert fun in Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake.
Day-to-day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival in Kashgar
Welcome to our 8-day Silk Road Xinjiang tour! Upon arrival at the airport, your private driver will meet you at the entrance of the arrival hall and escort you to your downtown hotel for check-in. The rest of the day is free for you!
Meal: N/A
Accommodation: in Kashgar
Day 2 Kashgar Karakuri Lake Tour
Enjoy the Snow-capped Mountains Reflected on the Lake
Your guided Xinjiang tour starts at Karakuli Lake, which is located in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau, at the foot of Muztagh Ata, with an altitude of 3,600 meters. The lake is deep and gloomy, surrounded by lush vegetation and mountains. The reflection of Muztagh Ata often appears on the lake, making it a paradise for photography enthusiasts. This is also a great place to experience the scenery of the Pamir Plateau. After the leisure time here, drive you back to Kashgar.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Kashgar
Day 3 Kashgar to Urumqi Tour by Flight
Admire Islamic Architecture and Local Life of Bazaar
Today you will explore the highlights of Kashgar. The first stop, Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in Xinjiang, built in 1442. Inside the mosque, you can admire the stained glass and exquisite tiles, and the towering minaret.
Abakh Khoja Tomb is a typical ancient Islamic-style mausoleum complex, with 72 people from five generations of a large family. It is named after the legend that Emperor Qianlong’s Fragrant Concubine was buried here.
Kashgar Sunday Bazaar, as a place where merchants from Central and South Asia gather, has a long history and was built in the Tang Dynasty. It is a great place for shopping and savoring authentic flavors as it gathers all kinds of handicrafts and cuisines. The bazaar witnessed the prosperity of the Silk Road. After the visit, you will be transferred to take a flight to Urumqi.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Urumqi
Day 4 Urumqi to Heavenly Lake Tour
Take a Boat Tour of the Beautiful Tianchi Lake
Pick you up from the hotel and transfer you to visit Heavenly Lake. Tourists could optionally do a cruise on the lake (at your own expense). It will make you totally relaxed whether sitting in a boat, walking in the mountains, or just standing by the lake. Then go back to the Urumqi city center to visit the Urumqi Museum. After the tour is finished, transfer you back to your hotel.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Urumqi
Day 5 Urumqi to Turpan Tour by Van
Explore an Important Town on Ancient Silk Road
After breakfast, your guide will escort you to another must-see place in Southern Xinjiang, Turpan. Check in at the local hotel and have a short rest. In the afternoon, take a Silk Road tour to Jiaohe Ruins, an open-air museum that carries a thousand years of history. It was built in the Tang Dynasty and was a major town on the ancient Silk Road. Strolling through ancient streets, explore the ruins of houses and temples, feeling the glory of the Silk Road.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Turpan
Day 6 Turpan to Dunhuang Tour by High-speed Train
Visit Xinjiang’s Largest Existed Ancient Islamic Pagoda
Check out after breakfast. Then drive to the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, located on a cliff on the west bank of the Mu’gou River Valley in the middle of the Flaming Mountain. There are a total of 83 caves here, of which 57 still exist. More than 40 caves have murals painted inside, with a total area of 1,200 square meters. It is one of the grottoes with the largest number of caves and the richest mural content among the existing grottoes in Turpan.
In the afternoon, we will visit Sugong Pagoda, the largest existed ancient Islamic pagoda in Xinjiang. Afterward, transfer you to train station to catch a bullet train to Dunhuang.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 7 Dunhuang Highlights Tour
Appreciate Exquisite Murals and Experience Desert Fun
Our local driver and guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby and begin your Dunhuang Silk Road tour at the famous Mogao Caves, one of the four most famous caves in China. The grottoes, also known as Caves of the Thousand Buddha, preserve nearly a thousand years of Buddhist cave temple architecture, clay sculpture, mural paintings, and manuscripts, dating from the 5th to the 14th centuries.
Later in the afternoon, we will visit Echoing Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake to appreciate the never-dried lake in the heart of the dessert. Here, you can experience various activities here at your own expense, such as sand slide, camel riding, etc. At last, escort you back to the hotel.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 8 Departure from Dunhuang
Today is free for you to arrange activities until your driver sees you off at the Dunhuang Airport / Train Station. This is the end of your Silk Road adventure in China.
Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: N/A
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