12 Days China Ancient Silk Road Tour with Yinchuan

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Urumqi Arrival

   Many places in Xinjiang are important passages of the Silk Road. Welcome to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang! Upon your arrival at Urumqi airport/train station, a local private driver will pick you up from the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name and transfer to the downtown hotel for check-in. Free and easy on your arrangement for the rest of the day.

   Meal: N/A

   Accommodation: Overnight in Urumqi

2. Day 2: Urumqi Highlights Tour
   Explore the Alpine Lake's Beauty and Legends

   After breakfast, drive around 1.5 hours to Tianchi, aka Heavenly Lake, a tourist attraction that combines natural beauty with mysterious legends. Located on the north slope of Bogda Peak mountainside, the lake is 1,910 meters above sea level, Tianchi features clear lake water, surrounded by spruce and snowy peaks. Visitors can enjoy the magnificent natural scenery, visit the rich historical and cultural relics, and listen the mysterious and moving legends.

   

   Afterward, go back to Urumqi for a visit to the Xinjiang Regional Museum. It is an excellent window into the history and culture of Xinjiang. The museum has a collection of more than 64,000 cultural relics, including exquisite textiles, ancient colored pottery and stoneware, precious dried corpses, etc.

   You can stroll around the International Grand Bazaar on your own in the evening. The bazaar is built in the Islamic style and is the best place for sightseeing and shopping.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Urumqi

3. Day 3: Urumqi to Turpan Tour
   Discover City Highlights and Ancient Ruins along the Silk Road

   Today you will head to Turpan which drives around 3 hours on the way. Upon arrival, you will start your Silk Road tour in Turpan with Karez Well, an underground irrigation system created by ancient Xinjiang people. This project can be called the source of life for the arid northwestern region. Later, move on to Sugong Pagoda. You will witness this typical Islamic architecture with the largest scale among all pagodas in Xinjiang.

   Afterward, continue your visit to Jiaohe Ruins, the largest, oldest, and best-preserved raw-soil building in the world with a history of more than 2,000 years. You will wander around this ancient city stepping back in time to trace past civilizations. If time permits, we will lead you to visit Tuyu Valley, the oldest Uyghur village in Xinjiang and a nice place to soak up Buddhist and Islamic culture.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Turpan

   

4. Day 4: Turpan to Dunhuang Tour by High-speed Train
   Taste Dunhuang's Delicious Snacks and Fruits in a Night Market

   Enjoy the peaceful morning time on your own. At around 9 am, the driver will pick you up from the hotel lobby and drop you off at the train station to catch the morning high-speed train to Dunhuang. The train rides around 3.5 hours and you can enjoy the scenery on the way. Upon arrival, the local private driver will be waiting for you and drive to the downtown hotel.

   Duly refreshed, follow your guide to explore the amazing Shazhou Night Market, where you can taste delicious snacks and fruits and buy exquisite ornaments and craftwork for your friends and families.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang

   

5. Day 5: Best Dunhuang Tour
   Admire Colored Sculptures and Have Fun in Desert

   In the morning, meet your Dunhuang tour guide and head to visit the amazing Mogao Grottoes. They are the largest and most richly endowed treasure house of Buddhist art. We can appreciate more than 2,000 painted sculptures and about 45,000 square meters (484,376 square feet) of frescoes within 492 temples. They are both a rare national treasure of China as well as a unique cultural heritage of all mankind.

   

   When it is not too hot, we will continue to visit Crescent Spring and Echo Sand Mountain. Among the endless sand mountains nestled a crystal clear lake in the shape of a crescent moon. The lake with no river around has co-existed with the sand mountain for over a thousand years. They are the masterpieces of nature, attracting endless tourists all year round.

   Friendly tip: You can also enjoy camel riding and sand sliding here. If you would like to try it, please pay in cash on your own.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang

   

6. Day 6: Dunhuang to Jiayuguan Tour
   Glimpse Great Wall History and Appreciate Brick Paintings

   After breakfast, drive around 4 hours to Jiayuguan. You are suggested to wear comfortable shoes and take some snacks considering this will be a long journey.

   After lunch in Jiayuguan, you will start the visit with Jiayuguan Pass. It is the renowned western starting point of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Visitors can appreciate ancient military facilities such as forts, watchtowers, and trenches, which have long played a crucial role in military defense in Chinese history.

   Next, go to visit the Jiayuguan Great Wall Museum, a major construction engineer in Chinese history. The museum is the first Great-Wall-themed museum in China, exhibiting typical ancient Chinese weapons, the Jiayuguan cultural relics, and architectural models. Through 7 major exhibition halls here, you can learn more about the Great Wall culture.

   

   The last stop on the Jiayuguan tour is Weijin Tombs, the famous "underground gallery". You can appreciate frescoes in the catacombs which vividly depict the scholars' and officials' lives in the Wei and Jin Dynasties(222-589) and have a better understanding of the cultural and historical background.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Jiayuguan

   

7. Day 7: Jiayuguan to Zhangye Tour, Lanzhou Arrival
   Marvel at the Colorful Danxia Landforms

   After breakfast, drive around 2.5 hours to Zhanggye and enjoy the highlight of this 12-day Silk Road tour.

   Rainbow Mountain in Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, is a national 5A-level tourist attraction and a world geopark in China, famous for its splendid and colorful Danxia landforms. The rolling hills here are bright, with red, yellow, orange, and green colors intertwined as if they were the palette of nature. Under the sunlight, the landform shines brightly, which is breathtaking. Visitors can stroll along the paths to feel nature's ingenious workmanship.

   At the end of this visit, you will be dropped off at the train station to catch an evening high-speed train to Lanzhou. A local driver will pick you up from the exit upon your arrival and transfer to the local hotel.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Lanzhou

   

8. Day 8: Lanzhou Highlights Tour
   See Buddhist Grottoes & Lanzhou's Yellow River Sights

   After breakfast, drive around 1.5 hours to Bingling Temple, which was excavated on rugged cliffs. The temple is a typical Buddhist grotto complex, housing 183 niches, 694 stone statues, and 82 clay sculptures. Visitors can take a speedboat to appreciate the grottoes with vivid shapes and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery along the way.

   After the visit, drive back to Lanzhou and have a glimpse of Lanzhou by visiting the Huanghe River Custom Tourist Line. The Yellow River is the mother river of all the Chinese people and the cradle of Chinese civilization. There are a lot of featured attractions along the riverside. You can not only walk across Zhongshan Bridge, the first bridge over the Yellow River, but also travel around the Waterwheel Park to appreciate revolving waterwheels for relaxation.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Lanzhou

   

9. Day 9: Lanzhou to Zhongwei Tour
   Experience Various Activities of Amusement at Shapotou

   After breakfast, drive around 3.5 hours to Zhongwei and visit Shapotou which is a complete paradise in Tengger Desert, with so many titles: AAAAA National Tourist Attraction, National Ecological Preservation Area, Global 500 Environmental Protection Unit…

   Not featuring a single landscape, Shapotou incredibly collects the sights of the desert, Yellow River, hills, and oasis, satisfying visitors with both Chinese southern and northern style beauty. The highlights at Shapotou are the activities of amusement, including sheepskin rafts and speed boats on the Yellow River, glass bridge, sand sliding, desert surfer, camel riding…

   A warm notice for you regarding your visit here: a hat, sunglasses, sun cream or things like that are suggested as it's hot.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Zhongwei

   

10. Day 10: Zhongwei to Yinchuan Tour
    Visit Ancient Relics and Enjoy Activities in Qingtongxia

    Today, your Silk Road tour continues to Qingtongxia City where the Qingtongxia Dam is located, the second hydraulic project on the Yellow River. The site to visit here is the 108 Pagodas, a large-scale pagoda group of Western Xia time.

    It is believed in Buddhism that people are suffering from 108 troubles, chanting scriptures 108 times or wearing 108 Buddha beads helps to get rid of the annoying troubles. So, the local people think that you will get the troubles removed and receive fortune as long as you pray at the 108 Pagodas. Interesting, right?

    Next, move on to visit the Shuidonggou Site which is the earliest unearthed cultural relics of the Old Stone Age, famed as the "Cradle of China’s Prehistoric Archaeology". Here you can visit the best-preserved Great Wall with a stereoscopic military defense system to trace back the Ming Dynasty's history. Besides, there are interesting activities provided, like bamboo rafts, sand-surfing, camel carriages and so on which are optional.

    Last, transfer to Yinchuan for an overnight stay.

    Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

    Accommodation: Overnight in Yinchuan
    

    

11. Day 11: Yinchuan Essence Tour
    Discover the Largest Existing Western Xia Cultural Relics

    After breakfast, follow your guide to explore the best of Yinchuan! The first stop will be the Sand Lake. Like a shining pearl embedded in the desert, Sand Lake is mainly dominated by 5 landscapes: sand, water, reed, bird, and hill, capturing the beauty of both Jiangnan water village which features "elegant", "gentle" and northern frontier scene famous for "vast" and "magnificent".

    Next, continue your visit to the Western Xia Imperial Mausoleum. As its name suggests, it is the graveyard for the emperors and royal family members of the Western Xia Dynasty. The mausoleum is the largest existing Western Xia cultural relics and also the largest imperial mausoleum with the most complete ground relics. Influenced by Buddhist architecture, it combined well Han culture, Buddhism, and local Tangut culture, making it a unique style and helping it to gain the title of "Oriental Pyramid".

    

    Then, move on to see the Sea Treasure Pagoda. With a history dating back to 1,500 years ago, it was listed as the first historic architecture receiving special state protection. Today, you will have an outer visit to the pagoda as there is structural damage on the body after the Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008.

    Last, come to Nanguan Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the Ningxia Area, which is a special place for the local Muslims as the main place for them to have religious activities. The buildings here are beautiful with mixed features of Arabia and China. Follow your Yinchuan tour guide to learn the culture of the local Hui nationality.

    Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

    Accommodation: Overnight in Yinchuan

12. Day 12: Yinchuang Departure

    The 12-day Silk Road tour of China with Yinchuan will end here. After breakfast, your driver will pick you up from the hotel lobby and transfer you to Yinchuan Airport to see you off. Wish you a pleasant journey home!

    Meal: Breakfast

    Accommodation: N/A