While most Silk Road tours on the market are designed to start from inland city to proceed to those west cities like Urumqi, this tour mainly caters for interest of a few of tourists who would like to experience the striking Xinjiang scenery firstly and then go to inner land. Travelers will get Urumqi’s local Museum as starting point and then go head to the Pamir plateau lake Karakuri Lake and finally get to Dunhuang to learn the famous Mogao grottoes by transiting from Turpan. The seeing points of this tour is so rich to leave a markable memory of your whole life.
Urumqi
Dunhuang
Day 1 Urumqi Arrival: Xinjiang Regional Museum
Day 2 Urumqi – Kashgar by Flight: Id Kah Mosque, Abakh Khoja Tomb, Sunday Market
Day 3 Kashgar: Karakuri Lake
Day 4 Kashgar – Urumqi by Flight – Turpan by Car
Day 5 Turpan – Dunhuang by Train: Jiaohe Ruins, Flaming Hill, Grape Valley, Astana Tombs, Karez Well
Day 6 Dunhuang: Echoing-Sand Hill, Crescent Lake
Day 7 Dunhuang Departure: Mogao Grottoes
Upon arrival in Urumqi, our local driver and guide will wait you at terminal exit by holding a welcome board with your name and then transfer to visit Xinjiang Regional Museum which is home to terracotta figures, porcelain, weapons, and 4,000 years old mummies. Afterward back to downtown Urumqi hotel. Accommodation: Urumqi
In the morning pick up from hotel and be escorted to airport for flight to Kashgar. Upon arrival in Kashgar met by local driver and guide and start the tour. The first stop will be Id Kah Mosque, a typical Islamic architecture like domes, minarets and arches, as well as pious prayers. Afterwards continue to Abakh Khoja Tomb, an ancient Islamic building complex and a cemetery where five generations of famous Islamic masters were buried. The last stop of today will be the famous Sunday Market, also known as Sunday Bazaar, the largest international trade market on the northwest boundary line of China. At last back to hotel in downtown Kashgar. Accommodation: Kashgar
Today we will pay a full day tour to Karakuri Lake. After hotel breakfast, drive for about 3 hours we will arrive at the lake spot. The lake is surrounded by the mountain who wears snow cap almost all year round. The tranquil lake and it’s surrounding environment makes a big contrast to the bustling city area. Then back to hotel in Kashgar. Stroll around the distinctly Central Asian Kashgar old town, which stood in for Kabul in the filming of The Kite Runner. Relax with a dinner of traditional Uyghur cuisine with a local family. Accommodation: Kashgar
In the morning pick up from hotel and transfer to airport for flight to Urumqi. Upon arrival in Urumqi met by local driver and guide and transfer to take the car to Turpan. Check in at local hotel. Accommodation: Turpan
Today’s sightseeing covering Jiaohe Ruins in the morning. Jiaohe Ruins was once the biggest and oldest city built on rammed earth, dating back to 2nd century BC. The next stop will be the hottest place in China– the Flaming Hill, situated at the north of ancient Silk Road. The temperature is so high that nothing grows on the hill. The record highest temperature of summer could reach 47.8 ℃ (118 ℉). Then we will visit Astana Tombs which is called “Underground Museum of Turpan Area”. The 500 tombs will tell you detailed information of ancient Gaochang Kingdom. At last visit the Karez Well— an amazing underground irrigation system which made Turpan a rich oasis.Take an overnight train to Dunhang. Accommodation: Soft Sleeper Train
Arrival in Liuyuan early in the morning, met by the tour guide from Dunhuang and drive 150km to Dunhuang. First transferred to your hotel in Dunhuang. Then transfer to visit the Echo-sand Hill, which Marco Polo dubbed “the rumbling sands” for the sound they make when the wind blows and travel to Crescent Lake, an oasis situated in the notoriously inhospitable Taklamakan Desert. Enjoy the evening at your leisure. Accommodation:Dunhuang
After breakfast, explore the Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, an ancient treasure trove filled with numerous manuscripts, frescoes, paintings, and sculptures. Then transfer you to the airport for see off.