Destination: Beijing → Xian → Lanzhou → Xiahe → Jiayuguan → Dunhuang → Turpan → Urumqi → Kashgar → Shanghai
Duration: 18 days
Price: from $ 4058
Tour Operator: China Highlights
Feature: Experience the best of both worlds - modern China's economic miracle and the truly fascinating sights, sound and smells of China's very own wild west on the old Silk Road. See the contrast within China as you move from Beijing's ancient sites like the Forbidden City to the areas that are influenced by middle eastern culture.
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Place & Transport:Arrive in Beijing, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Beijing)
Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: Sacred Way (Ming Tombs), Great Wall, Mutianyu, Mutianyu Cable Car(round trip), Roasted Duck at Hepingmen Quanjude
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch, Chinese Dinner
- Sacred Way (Ming Tombs): An attractive tree-lined walk which leads to the Ming Tombs, this is bordered by 12 sets each of animal and human statues, and includes the attractive Great Red Gate, housing a stele on the back of a tortoise, and marble memorial archway.
- Great Wall, Mutianyu: This less-crowded section of the Great Wall is a pleasant drive 90km NE of Beijing. A cable car takes you to a good section (avoiding a very steep climb), where you can walk along the wall, through the watch towers and enjoy superb views as it snakes across the hills and mountains. You can return by cable car, walk down or walk along the wall for about an hour to descend by chairlift. Wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather.
- Mutianyu Cable Car(round trip): It is a challenging climb up to the Mutianyu Great Wall for it is much steeper than Badaling section. Here you have the option of taking the Cable car to the highest point or down to the foot in a few minutes instead of climbing more than 1,400 steps, while you can also have a bird view of the wall.
- Roasted Duck at Hepingmen Quanjude: In the evening enjoy the Peking Roasted Duck which is renowned as the most delicious food of Beijing
Place & Transport: Beijing
Today's Activities: The Tian'anmen Square, The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- The Tian'anmen Square: The world's largest city square and enduring symbol of China's national pride, surrounded by many imposing buildings including the Heavenly Gate (entry to the Forbidden City), Museums, government buildings and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum.
- The Forbidden City: The Imperial Palace, home to 24 Emperors between 1420 and 1911. Great squares, halls and gates contrast with the intricate networks of side halls, gardens, courtyards and quarters for those who lived in this 'city within a city'. The exhibitions, both permanent and temporary, are also absolutely fascinating. Expect to spend at least 2-3 hours, wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather.
- Temple of Heaven: One of the most famous sites in Beijing, this is Ming architecture at its best: beautiful, controlled, and highly symbolic. The surrounding gardens are full of interesting activity, particularly weekend mornings. Wear good walking shoes and protection from the weather.
Place & Transport: Beijing to Xian, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Beijing), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Xian), Hutong Tours in Rickshaw
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Hutong Tours in Rickshaw: A maze of historic alleyways and old single storey traditional courtyard houses, now fast disappearing. Dotted around the hutong are the Drum and Bell Towers, Kindergarten, Tea House, and local people's houses. Your tour includes a visit with a local family.
Place & Transport: Xian
Today's Activities: Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses(include golf carts), Big Wild Goose Pagoda, Forest of Stone Steles Museum, Evening Show at Tang Yuegong
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses(include golf carts): This incredible 2000 year-old army of life-sized warriors, each one unique, is part of the underground tomb of the Emperor Qin. Well over 7000 figures were drawn up in full battle array in several large pits. Many of the figures, including soldiers, archers, horses and chariots, have been restored, and the repairs and excavations continue at the site where you can see both repaired and broken warriors in a truly impressive display. There is also an excellent museum, including bronze chariots unearthed nearby, and a film about the history and discovery of the tomb.From parking place to the entrance ,it will take you bout 15 minutes on foot,so China Highlights serve you the golf cart.This Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses is about 35 km from Xian
- Big Wild Goose Pagoda: The pagoda (7 floors,64.5meters high) where widely renowned Master Xuanzang (Monk Tripitaka) stored his classics brought from India. It is the landmark of the ancient capital city - Xian.
- Forest of Stone Steles Museum: With 900 years of history, this treasure house holds a large collection of the earliest stone steles of different periods, from the Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. All together, there are 3,000 steles and the museum is divided into seven exhibition halls, which mainly display calligraphy, painting and historical records. All of these record some achievement in the development of the Chinese culture and reflect the historical facts of the cultural exchange between China and other countries.
- Evening Show at Tang Yuegong: The show that presents the palace dances and sings in the Tang Dynasty when Xian was the capital of ancient China.
Place & Transport: Xian to Lanzhou, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Xian), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Lanzhou), Shaanxi Historical Museum, Xi'an City Wall
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Shaanxi Historical Museum: The large-scale modern State-class museum, is situated at the western side of the "Wild Goose Pagoda" in Xian City. It covers an area of about 70,000 square meters, the architectural area of which is 55,000 odd square meters. It was completed on June 20, 1991 and open to the public.
- Xi'an City Wall: Built in the Ming dynasty over 700 years ago, the Xian City Wall is the most complete ancient city wall in China. The wall measures around 13.9 km in circumference, 12 meters in height, 18 meters wide at its base while 15 meters wide on the top. It is a fine example of China's ancient defensive fortifications that were formed over 2,000 years ago, and continued even to the last imperial era of the Qing Dynasty. The wall reflects a brilliant beauty at night when the area is lit up by colorful lights.
Place & Transport: Lanzhou to Xiahe
Today's Activities: Songke Grassland, Labrang Monastery
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Songke Grassland: Songke Grassland is located in southwest of Xiahe. Being a natural pasture of Tibetan nomadic peoples, Songke Grassland is famous for its superb grassland scenery. As you ride on horse you can listen to the pastoral song, and feast your eye on the beautiful flowers and blue sky.
- Labrang Monastery: One of the major monasteries of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect. The architectural layout follows the Tibetan style, while the construction patterns are mostly Tibetan, Han, or a mixture of the two. The White Towers (in the northeast and in the northwest) are very typical.
Place & Transport: Xiahe to Lanzhou to Overnight train, Train No. N851 Dep 8:50PM - Arr 7:36AM
Today's Activities: Train station Transfer (Lanzhou)
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Place & Transport: Overnight train to Jiayuguan
Today's Activities: Train station to Hotel Transfer (Jiayuguan), Great Walls Museum, The Jiayuguan Pass, The Great Wall on the Cliff, Weijin Tomb
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Great Walls Museum: Located on the South Xinhua Road, Jiayuguan City. The museum opened to visitor in October 1989 and it is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way. One of the first museums to give a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the history of the Great Wall, the "beacon tower" styled complex covers 3 acres, and is made up of seven different sections. It concentrates on the central theme of the Great Wall, and uses scale models, diagrams, words and photos over 3000 years of history from the Warring States Period to the Ming Dynasty. The museum provides visitors with a good illustration of the life of this vast, snaking wall.
- The Jiayuguan Pass: It is the western end of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty as well as the most magnificent and best-preserved pass among the over thousand passes along the Ming Great Wall.
- The Great Wall on the Cliff: This spot is 11 km away from the city, and 7 km away from the Jiayuguan Pass. The Suspended Wall is a part of the Great Wall. The wall here was built on the ridge with the gradient of 45 degrees. It is high in the air and it looks as if it fell down from the top of the hill. So people refer to this section of the Great Wall as the 'Suspended Wall'.
- Weijin Tomb: About 15 kilometers northeast of Jiayuguan, there are over 1,400 tombs which were built during the Wei and Jin dynasties (between the 3rd and 5th century). They feature brick wall paintings showing various social activities of the times.
Place & Transport: Jiayuguan to Dunhuang
Today's Activities: Yulin Grottoes
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Yulin Grottoes: These caves, with their murals and sculptures, are in a valley among Qilin Mountain, about 180kms from the Mogao Caves. The name is derived from the elms in the valley, and as you travel along the valley road you can easily imagine how it must have been to be a poet or brave solder in the distant past.
Place & Transport: Dunhuang to Overnight train, Train No. Y501 Dep 9:40PM - Arr 6:41AM
Today's Activities: Hotel to Train station Transfer (Dunhuang), Mogao Grottoes, Echoing-Sand Mountain, The Crescent Lake
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Mogao Grottoes : Constructed over a millennium, from the 4th to the 14th centuries, the caves hold the world's richest treasure house of Buddhist sutras, murals and sculptures. It is not allowed to take photos.
- Echoing-Sand Mountain: The lake and the Sounding Sand Dune which can make sounds when the wind passes are located in the place where the sand and the oasis meet.
- The Crescent Lake: Crescent Moon Spring is 6km south of Dunhuang in the Singing Sands Mountains and is quite literally an oasis in the desert. The spring's name derives from the crescent moon shape taken by the small pool of spring water between two large sand dunes. Although the area is very dry, the pool doesn't dry up as one might expect
Place & Transport: Overnight train to Turpan
Today's Activities: Train station to Hotel Transfer (Turpan), Karez Well, Suleiman's Minaret, Grape Valley, Pass through the Flaming Mountain
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Karez Well: The Karez Water System Folkways Paradise is located at the Ya'er country in Turpan city, 3 kilometers away from the city urban, and 2 kilometers away from the 312 national highway in the south. This irrigation system of wells connected by underground channels is considered to be one of the three great ancient projects in China.
- Suleiman's Minaret: The Sugong Tower is the biggest ancient pagoda existing in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient pagoda in the country. It is located at the Munage village, 2 kilometers away from the Turpan city in the east.
- Grape Valley: With its shady vineyards and trees, this provides a welcome place of relaxation amidst the hundreds of square miles of sand. You may take a seat under the vintage frames, savor various grapes, enjoy the beautiful Uyghur girls in their ornate costumes, and be fully intoxicated by this refreshing palace of grapes. Taking a walk along the grape corridor, you will find drying rooms on nearby slopes. Every year over 300 tons of raisins are made here.
- Pass through the Flaming Mountain: The Flaming Mountain is located on the northern verge of Turpan Basin, more than 10 kilometers away from Turpan city.It is the cradle of the Turpan ancient civilization and oasis agriculture. Eighty percent of the total natural landscapes and human landscapes in Turpan are located here.
Place & Transport: Turpan to Urumqi
Today's Activities: Mount Nan Pasture, The Terai Camp, The Erdaoqiao Bazaar
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Mount Nan Pasture: Mount Nan pasture is very big with West Baiyanggou, Juhuatai, East Baiyanggou, Mount Zhaobi, Miaoergou and Daxigou from west to east. Tourists here can visit locals' houses to have some milk tea and mutton. Later, they can rent horses to ride around the grassland. If you are fortunately, you can watch the activities of horse race, sheep catching and girls' whip.
- The Terai Camp: A special experience of Kazak nomad life here, have a cup of milk tea and taste some really local food.
- The Erdaoqiao Bazaar : This is the largest Uigur bazaar in Urumqi, where you'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and more.
Place & Transport: Urumqi to Kashgar, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Urumqi), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Kashgar), Sunday bazaar, Abakh Khoja Tomb
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Sunday bazaar: The famous Sunday bazaar has been operating since ancient times, and the scale has become larger and larger, attracting merchants from all over Xinjiang and neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Kirghizstan. Farmers from the suburbs of Kashi come to the bazaar early in the morning, using various means of transportation, such as bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, trucks and donkey-drawn carts. The highways leading to Kashi are crowded with these vehicles and pedestrians on Sunday mornings, as well as with flocks of sheep.
- Abakh Khoja Tomb : The tomb served as the family tomb of Abakh Khoja, the powerful ruler of Kashgar in the 17th century who was revered as a prophet and second only to Mohammed
Place & Transport: Kashgar
Today's Activities: Pass to Lake Kalakuli, Lake Karakuli
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Pass to Lake Kalakuli: The lake is in Kashgar, about 1500 kilometers from Urumqi in southwest Xinjiang, and about 3600 meters above sea level. Mount Muztagata (said to be one of the five most beautiful mountains in the world) provides a beautiful backdrop at 7546 meters with the nearby Gongeer Peaks rising to 7719 meters above sea level.
- Lake Karakuli: The lake is in Kashgar, about 1500 kilometers from Urumqi in southwest Xinjiang, and about 3600 meters above sea level. Mount Muztagata (said to be one of the five most beautiful mountains in the world) provides a beautiful backdrop at 7546 meters with the nearby Gongeer Peaks rising to 7719 meters above sea level.
Place & Transport: Kashgar to Urumqi to Shanghai, Flight No. TBA, connect Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Kashgar), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Shanghai)
Meals: Breakfast
Place & Transport: Shanghai
Today's Activities: Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, Yuyuan Garden, Yu Market
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Oriental Pearl TV Tower: Standing by the Huangpu River with 468 meters high, Oriental Pearl TV Tower is the highest TV Tower in Asia (up to the last floor to see Shanghai scenery).It is a new landmark of Shanghai in 21st century.
- Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall: Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center will raise the veil of the metropolis in the east and let you know her foundation, development and future in about 2-3hours. You will sign her magnanimity (involvement) with feeling, which makes you admire her character with not only tradition but also modern, maybe you are involved in them.
- Yuyuan Garden: A traditional Chinese park decorated by beautiful pavilions, miniature lakes, bridges and rock formations. Yuyuan Garden is not only a famous classical garden in South China, but also a major historic and cultural site under state protection.
- Yu Market: It is a busy market today, specializing in traditional arts and crafts. Outside, however, it still looks like a temple. A saying goes like this: One can't boast that he had been to Shanghai if he did not pay a visit to Chenghuang Temple. While the Temple to the City Gods does not have anything new or interesting to see. We will stop for few minutes to give you time to browse the stalls.
Place & Transport: Depart Shanghai , Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Shanghai)
Meals: Breakfast
| 1 person | 2-5 person | 6-9 persom | Single room supplement |
|---|---|---|---|
| $6251 | $4058 | $3495 | $588 |
| 1 person | 2-5 person | 6-9 persom | Single room supplement |
|---|---|---|---|
| $7491 | $4760 | $4121 | $1204 |