The Great Silk Road

Your private guide will be waiting for you in the airport/train station arrivals area. A comfortable vehicle (non-smoking) with an experienced dXi’an, the eastern end of the Silk Road, your tour starts at the site of the mysterious underground army — meet the life-size Terracotta Army, and you will find the horse are short and small. This is one of the reason that Emperor Wu of Han decided to send the ambassador Zhang Qian to the Western Region-- seek for good steed. It laid the foundation of the silk road.

Then visit a local craftsman in his home — a traditional cave dwelling — where you will learn make a mini terracotta warrior on your own.

After lunch, return to the city and pay a visit to Big Wild Goose Pagoda. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is part of the Silk Road route.river will transfer you directly to your hotel. Your guide will help you check in.

Accommodation: 4* Grand Noble Hotel Xi'an/ 5* Wyndham Grand Xi'an South

In the morning, visit the unique Great Mosque, which is an unusual blend of Chinese and Islamic architecture, even the minaret was a Chinese pagoda.

Try some local food and explore unique stalls at the Muslim Quarter — it is an ideal place to visit before you go to the airport.

We will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight to Zhangye.

Accommodation: 4* Tianyu International Hotel / 5* Zhangye Hotel

After breakfast, you will visit the 'Color Palette Overturned by God’ — the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, which is home to the Rainbow Mountains.

After returning to the city, enjoy a local lunch and continue to the oldest tower in Zhangye, the Wooden Pagoda Temple.

Admire the largest reclining Buddha in China at the Giant Buddha Temple, and enjoy some free time in the evening before boarding the train.

You will have a private compartment with a deluxe soft sleeper on the overnight train. Have a good sleep and wake up the next day in Dunhuang.

Suggested accomodation: Deluxe soft sleeper on overnight train

Having arrived in Dunhuang, you are now at a point of vital strategic and logistical importance, being on a crossroad of two major trade routes within the Silk Road network.

Your guide will be waiting for you at the train station and will have arranged for you to have breakfast at your hotel.

After breakfast, start your adventure to the Mogao Caves where you will marvel at the exquisite murals and lifelike sculptures.

If you want to see more murals after visiting the Mogao Caves, we will take you to the Dunhuang Research Academy. There, you can linger over copies of murals created by masters and can copy a sample mural on a mud slab with your own hands under the guidance of the teacher.

In the late afternoon, as the heat starts to fade away, you will visit the Singing Sand Mountains and Crescent Moon Spring. Ride a camel in the desert and imagine how caravans crossed the desert over 1,000 years ago.

Accommodation: 4* Dunhuang Hotel / 5* The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel

Great Wall of Han DynastyIn the morning, you will visit the ruins of the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). It is the oldest example of this defensive system in China. Check the ruins and you will find it is different from the Great Wall that you have seen in pictures.

After lunch, board the bullet train to Turpan.

Accommodation: 4* Turpan Friendship Peak Hotel/ 5* Shuangcheng Hotel

The Emin Minaret is particularly beautiful in the morning, with the shadow of the minaret falling across the mosque. Go into the mosque and try to tell the time by checking the position of the sunlight on the wall.

Then go underground to unveil the secret of the Karez Well System. It’s a great place to escape from the heat of the sun.

Turpan is famous for its grapes so visit a local vineyard and relax as you sit under the grapevines.

Instead of building from the ground up, the ancient city of Jiaohe was constructed by digging down into the ground. Explore the ruins of this unique ancient city and learn about the different government structures and residential areas.

Accommodation: 4* Turpan Friendship Peak Hotel/ 5* Shuangcheng Hotel

Take a bullet train from Turpan to Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang Province. After lunch, you will visit Xinjiang Regional Museum to see the well-preserved collection of 4,000-year-old corpses.

Go to the Erdaoqiao Market – the biggest bazaar in Urumqi – and be amazed by the dazzling array of goods.

Accommodation: 4* Excemon Xinjiang Yilite Hotel / 5* Wanda Vista Hotel

After your morning flight from Urumqi to Kashgar, you will start your tour of the westernmost corner of China. Along the Silk Road, Kashgar has been the center of regional trade and cultural exchange for more than two millennia.

Pay a visit to the Id Kah Mosque, the biggest mosque in China. Then walk along the Handicrafts Street, which has an amazing range of handicrafts, including copper, metal, porcelain, woodwork, and other types of goods. Have a break at the ancient teahouse, which has a history of over 100 years, and join in with the local people’s conversations and dancing.

Accommodation: 4* Luxemon Qinibagh Hotel / 5* Radisson Blu Kashgar

After breakfast, go to Abakh Khoja Tomb to learn about the Islamic mazar (shrine) culture. The middle of the day is the livestock market’s busiest time of day. Every Sunday, people take their livestock there for trade and shearing. You will hear people bargaining and different animal noises, and you will see sheep trying to escape and money passing from hand to hand.

In the afternoon, visit the captivating Kashgar Old City where you will see green lianas climbing on mud buildings and children chasing each other. Learn to cook a local meal from a Uyghur family.

Accommodation: 4* Luxemon Qinibagh Hotel / 5* Radisson Blu Kashgar

Your guide and driver will take you to Kashgar Airport and wave goodbye to you. You can connect to the main cities in China from this airport.

China is a huge country, so to make your travel experience more efficient, we usually arrange flights to connect your destinations.

China's high-speed rail network is afast-paced way to travel. We recommend taking high-speed trains for journeys of less than 6 hours to interested customers — please tell us if you are one of them.

Extend the tour:
* Beijing: add 3-4 days — Great Wall, Forbidden City, Summer Palace
* Lanzhou: add 1 day — BinglingTemple Grotto
* Xiahe: add 1 day — Tibetan culture, the Labrang Lamasery
* Jiayuguan: add 1 day — The Jiayuguan Pass (including Great Walls Museum)
* Shanghai: For international transportation, visit the Bund, the Shanghai Tower and watertowns