8 Days Short Silk Road Tour from Kashgar to Dunhuang

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Kashgar Arrival

   Welcome to Kashgar! As the transportation hub of the ancient Silk Road, Kashgar is an international commercial port where Chinese and foreign merchants gather. Upon your arrival, the local driver will pick you up from the exit gate and transfer you to a downtown hotel for check-in. Free and easy on your arrangement for the rest of the day.

   Meal: N/A

   Accommodation: Overnight in Kashgar

2. Day 2: Kashgar to Karakuri Lake Tour
   Enjoy Scenic Mountain Views with Serene Lake

   Today you will enjoy a whole-day Kashgar tour of the amazing Karakuri Lake. The driving lasts around 4 hours from Kashgar city to the lake, which would be a good chance to enjoy the mountain-and-lake view on the way.

   Karakuri Lake also named Karakul is a high mountain moraine lake. Karakuri means "Dark Ocean", which corresponds to its appearance: the water is deep and unfathomable with the grass growing well on the banks where Kirgiz shepherds usually stay for grazing. The lake embraces the inverted images of the snowy pinnacles, green grass, and leisure flocks and herds when sunny days; while it turns to be dark and bleak on rainy days.

   After finishing the relaxing sightseeing, you will go back to Kashgar.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Kashgar

   

3. Day 3: Kashgar to Urumqi Tour by Flight
   Explore Vibrant Market and Historic Mosque in Old Town

   After breakfast, you will further visit Kashgar city. No doubt the first site will be Kashgar Old Town. Kashgar's spirit is in the old town with curved lanes distributed in the maze-like Islam blocks. Eyes on face and camera in hands should be busiest during the visit, elegant folk dwellings, neat streets, cozy tea houses gathering leisure old people, naughty kids playing in front of doors and bursting into laughter when you walking closely…

   Later, move on to the local Handicrafts Market. Spending some time in the market is also a top thing to do in Kashgar. Follow the local crowd to walk leisurely and stop at a stall interesting you or talking with those hawkers with ethnic faces. Do not forget to bargain when you are picking some as souvenirs.

   

   After that, continue your Kashgar trip to the largest Islam Mosque in Xinjiang - the Id Kah Mosque, whose birth could be traced back to 1442, in the Ming Dynasty. It's an ancient architectural complex sitting in the city center with strong ethnic and religious color, composed of four parts: the pagoda, garden, scripture hall, and praying hall. Not only is it the center for religious activities, but also a place for local people to celebrate festivals.

   At the end of the visit, you will be dropped off at Kashgar airport to catch an evening flight to Urumqi. Upon arrival, a local private driver will pick you up and escort you to a local hotel.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Urumqi

   

4. Day 4: Urumqi Highlights Tour
   Enjoy Beautiful Alpine Lake, Explore Local Bazaar

   After hotel breakfast, drive around 1.5 hours to the amazing Heavenly Lake of Tianshan Mountain. Heavenly Lake, read Tianchi Lake in Chinese, is an alpine lake nestled against the slope of the snow-covered Bodga Mountain. Looking out over the scenic area, the white snowy mountains mirror the green lake and colorful flowers are spotted on the green grassland along the lake. Besides, your private Urumqi tour guide will share with you the tale of the Queen Mother of the West, which brings it some color of mystery. Both your eyes and soul will be fully pleased by the pure beauty here.

   

   Afterward, transfer you to visit the Xinjiang Regional Museum. As the only autonomous region-class museum in Xinjiang, the museum houses over 40,000 collections including all kinds of relics and specimens. You can find many treasures ever glittering on the famous Silk Road. The No.1 star exhibition in the museum is the unprecedented ancient corpse with even tiny fingernails well preserved.

   Driving back to Urumqi city, follow your guide to explore the evening scenery in Erdaoqiao International Bazaar. It's one of the bazaars with the largest scale in the world with strong Islam flavor in its buildings. The dazzling array of goods in the stalls and the interesting hawking make people feel as if they have traveled through space and time to the ancient Silk Road to glimpse the prosperous trades between different nations.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Urumqi

   

5. Day 5: Urumqi to Turpan Tour
   Trace the Past of the Silk Road in Tuyoq Valley & Jiaohe Ruins

   Today you will head to Turpan which drives around 3 hours. On the way, have your guided Silk Road tour of Turpan at the Tuyoq Valley, a great place to experience the ancient Uyghur traditions and folk customs, time-honored Buddha caves, and majestic canyon scenery.

   Continue driving to Turpan City for a 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. After the visit, drive to your hotel in Turpan for check-in.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Turpan

   

6. Day 6: Turpan to Dunhuang Tour by High-speed Train
   Learn about the Ancient Irrigation and Islamic Architecture

   After breakfast, your Turpan tour takes you to visit 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 to witness typical Islamic architecture with the largest scale among all pagodas in Xinjiang.

   After the sightseeing, you will be dropped off at the train station to catch the noon 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 driver will be waiting for you and drive to the downtown hotel.

   In the evening, you can explore the amazing Shazhou Night Market on your own. As the epitome of prosperity on the Silk Road, this place brings together a wealth of food and culture. You can savor authentic Northwest-style snacks such as lamb kebabs and roasted lamb legs, as well as enjoy exquisite handicrafts and local specialty artworks.

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang

   

7. Day 7: Best Dunhuang Tour
   Admire the Buddhist Art and Experience Desert Activities

   In the morning, meet your private guide and start your Dunhuang tour at the amazing Mogao Grottoes. As the existing anthology of Buddhist art with the biggest scale and the best preservation in the world, Mogao Caves wins fame as "the pearls of oriental art". It keeps about45,000 square kilometers of frescoes, 2,415 painted sculptures, more than 4,000 flying Apsaras (the beautiful Bodhisattva in Buddhism that does well in dancing and music), and thousands of Stone pillars and flagstones with lotus carvings on them.

   

   In the afternoon, continue your visit to Echo Sand Mountain and Crescent Spring. This is a miracle created by nature, glittering like a pearl along the Silk Road for thousands of years. Here you can experience optional desert activities like camel rides and dune buggies (pay in cash on your own).

   Meal: Breakfast + Lunch

   Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang

8. Day 8: Dunhuang Departure

   The 8 days amazing Silk Road tour of China will end by today. We will arrange an airport transfer for you and wish you a pleasant journey home! If you want to visit more places in China, please feel free to contact us. We will be very happy to serve you.

   Meal: Breakfast

   Accommodation : N/A