8 Days Ancient China Silk Road Treasure Tour
Tour Overview
The 8-day Chinese Silk Road tour will take you on a journey of Chinese history starting from Lanzhou. Be led to explore the cultural landmarks of the Yellow River in Lanzhou, and then take a high-speed train to Zhangye to visit the Great Buddha Temple and the stunning Danxia landform, Rainbow Mountain.
Before visiting Mogao Caves and Mingsha Mountain in Dunhuang, hike the westernmost end of the Great Wall at Jiayuguan. Finally, you will explore the unique landscape of Yardang Geopark and the ancient Silk Road ruins.
Highlights of this tour
- Explore Yellow River culture by visiting the First Bridge, Yellow River Mother Statues, and ancient waterwheels.
- See Asia’s largest indoor sleeping Buddha at the Giant Buddha Temple.
- Marvel at Danxia colorful rock formations.
- Discover stories of the westernmost point of the Great Wall.
- Step into ancient caves to admire Buddhist sculptures and murals.
- Wander through the wind-sculpted rock formations in the desert.
- Immerse in the serene atmosphere of Yardang National Geopark.
- Experience the lively nightlife at Shazhou Night Market.
Basic Trip Information
Travel Route: Lanzhou-Zhangye-Jiayuguan-Dunhuang
Travel Length: 8 Days and 7 Nights
Tour Code:
Group Size: Only your family or group
Suitable for: Culture & history lovers, families with kids
Departure: Any day you want
Your tour – quick look
Day 1-2 Arrival & Lanzhou Tour
Stroll along the Huanghe River Custom Tourist Line and visit important attractions including Iron Bridge, Yellow River Mother Statues, Waterwheels Park, and also climb White Pagoda Mountain.
Day 3-5 Zhangye & Jiayuguan Tour
Spend 2 days exploring the landmarks of Zhangye: Giant Buddha Temple, Rainbow Mountains, and visiting the First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven – Jiayuguan Pass & the magnificent Overhanging Great Wall.
Day 6-8 Dunhuang Tour & Departure
On the way to Dunhuang, appreciate painting and caves in Yulin Grottoes. In Dunhuang, marvel at the Mogao Grottoes, experience desert fun in Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake and see the unique Yardang National Geopark.
Day-to-day Itinerary
Day 1 Arrival in Lanzhou, Lanzhou City Tour
Explore the Yellow River Culture of Lanzhou
Welcome to Lanzhou for our 8-day Silk Road tour in China! When your flight lands in Lanzhou today, you will find our local driver and guide waiting for you at the Arrival Hall of the airport. Our private transfer will escort you to the hotel in the city center area.
After lunch, take a half-day Lanzhou tour to explore the Yellow River Culture of Lanzhou. Firstly, you will visit the First Bridge on the Yellow River which has more than one hundred years of history. The following attraction is the grand Yellow River Mother Statues which stand the beauty of oriental women. Lastly, enjoy an interesting time in the Yellow River Ancient Waterwheels Park.
Accommodation: in Lanzhou
Day 2 Lanzhou to Zhangye Tour by High-speed Train
Hike Up the Pagoda Mountain and Learn about Gansu History
Today you will explore the best highlights of Lanzhou city. The first stop is the White Pagoda Mountain. You can hike up the staircases to the top of the mountain, which is an awesome experience. If you don’t want to bear the walk, you can take the cable car (at your own expense). On the top of the hill is the White Pagoda built in Yuan Dynasty with Lamasery style.
Next, learn a great lesson about Gansu history and culture in the Gansu Provincial Museum. Don’t miss its two best features: Buddhism Culture Hall and Pottery Culture Hall.
After your Silk Road tour in Lanzhou, take a high-speed train to Zhangye, which takes about 3 hours.
Accommodation: in Zhangye
Day 3 Zhangye Highlights Tour
Witness the Colorful Rock Formations of Rainbow Mountain
After breakfast, Zhangye tour takes you to visit the Giant Buddha Temple which is famous for having the largest indoor sleeping Buddha in Asia. This temple was built in the Western Xia Dynasty and keeps many precious Buddhist scriptures and wall paintings. The Buddha statue was carved in wood with a length of 34.5 meters. The statue tells the story of Buddha’s Nirvana.
In the afternoon, drive about an hour to visit the Zhangye Danxia Landform. Known for its colorful rock formations, Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park is listed as one of the ‘Top 10 Geographical Wonders of the World’ by National Geographic. We will visit the Rainbow Mountain Scenic Area, which are masterpiece of nature with layered undulating ridges and colorful mountain folds.
Accommodation: in Zhangye
Day 4 Zhangye to Jiayuguan Tour by Van
Visit the Traffic Fortress on the Ancient Silk Road
After breakfast, drive about 220 km (2.5hrs) to Jiayuguan City. Jiayuguan Pass is an important node on the ancient Silk Road, known as the “First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven”. It is not only the western starting point of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, but also an important component of China’s ancient military defense system. Your expert tour guide will explain more about its historical background and cultural significance to you.
Afterward, drive for about half an hour to Overhanging Great Wall. It looks like hanging upside down in the sky, hence its name. The Great Wall has a total length of 750 meters, of which 231 meters are suspended on a ridge 150 meters high, with a slope of 45 degrees. It is an important witness to the history of the Silk Road.
After the Jiayuguan exploration, we will escort you to your hotel for the night.
Accommodation: in Jiayuguan
Day 5 Jiayuguan to Dunhuang Tour by Van
Admire the Statues and Wall Paintings of Yulin Grottoes
Today you will drive to Dunhuang from Jiayuguan in the early morning. En route, your guide will lead you to visit the Yulin Grottoes. The forty-two caves house some 250 polychrome statues and 4,200 square meters of wall paintings, dating from the Tang Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty (seventh to fourteenth centuries).
After visiting Yulin Grottoes, keep driving to Dunhuang City.
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 6 Dunhuang Tour
Have Fun at Echoing-Sand Mountain with Optional Activities
In the morning, start your Dunhuang Silk Road trip at the amazing Mogao Grottoes. Mogao Caves, also known as Thousand Buddha Caves, are important cultural relics in the Hexi Corridor. It is one of the four major grottoes in China (the other three being Yungang Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes, and Maijishan Grottoes). The Mogao Grottoes have undergone construction in multiple dynasties, with 735 existing caves, over 45,000 square meters of preserved murals, and more than 2,400 colored sculptures. All of these are treasures of Chinese grotto art.
In the afternoon, you will be transferred to Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake. This place is known for its desert wonder of sand and water coexistence. Mingsha Mountain starts from Mogao Grottoes in the east and ends at the mouth of the Danghe River in the west, stretching for 40 kilometers from east to west. The main peak is 1715 meters above sea level, and the mountain is composed of fine sand of red, yellow, green, black, and white colors.
Tourists can experience various entertainment in this scenic area, including sand slide, desert off-road vehicles, and camel riding. You can choose activities that interest you at your own expense on-site. Crescent Spring is named after its shape resembling a crescent moon. The spring water is clear and transparent, surrounded by sand mountains, forming the wonder of “the first spring in the desert”.
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 7 Dunhuang Yardang National Geopark Tour
The Unique Landforms and the Ruins along the Silk Road
The highlight on today’s China Silk Road tour is the Yardang National Geopark. Yardang has been created over time by the sort part of the earth’s surface having been eroded by wind and rain, with the hard part of the rocks remaining in the desert. You will drive from Dunhuang City westwards. En route, visit the Yumenguan Pass and Ruin of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty.
Drive back to Dunhuang City. In the evening, you can go out for a walk in the Shazhou Night Market where you can try some local food, relax in a drinking bar, or buy some interesting handicrafts, etc.
Accommodation: in Dunhuang
Day 8 Dunhuang Departure
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.
Accommodation: N/A
