Destination: Urumqi → Kashgar → Yarkent → Hetian/Hotan → Kuche/Kucha → Kuerle /Kurla → Turpan
Duration: 13 days
Price: from $ 2198
Tour Operator: China Highlights
Feature: Xinjiang and the Silk Road are some of the last frontiers. Experience the beauty and mystery that few tourists have seen in these remote outposts. See more that over 2000 years of trials and hardships as you walk the ancient villages and towns and let the beautiful unfold around you.
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Place & Transport: Arrive in Urumqi, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Airport to Hotel Transfer (Urumqi)
Place & Transport: Urumqi to Kashgar, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Urumqi), Airport to Hotel Transfer (Kashgar), Xinjiang Autonomous Museum, Id Kah Mosque
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Xinjiang Autonomous Museum: Xibei Road of Urumchi,Provincial Level Comprehensive Hitorical Museum
- Id Kah Mosque: This 15th century mosque is one of the largest and busiest in China. As you stroll under the trees in the pleasant courtyards, you glimpse the strength and care of the local community. At midday on Fridays around 10,000 gather to pray and study the Koran, and prayers 5 times/day on other days. You’ll be asked to remove your shoes before entering the Main Hall, which has traditional Islamic pillars,carvings and rugs strewn over the floors. Women are advised to cover upper arms and legs, a scarf is not compulsory, but is seen as a mark of respect.
Place & Transport: Kashgar
Today's Activities: Lake Karakuli, Pass to Lake Kalakuli
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Lake Karakuli: A sparkling glacial lake, surrounded by stunning rocky mountains, and snow-covered peaks as high as 7500m (the lake's at 3,600). After eating in one of the collection of yurts at the water's edge you can walk around the lake (about 4 hours), or take a ride by pony, camel or motorbike, or just enjoy the scenery before returning to Kashgar. Camping is available in the yurts (best to come well prepared), and longer treks available by arrangement.
- 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.
Place & Transport: Kashgar
Today's Activities: Kashgar Old Town, Sunday bazaar, Kashgar Minority Nationalities Kindergarten, Zhiren Street
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Kashgar Old Town: Explore the maze of narrow streets in this oldest residential area of Kashgar. Houses were originally built along a natural slope, and extended over the years with many streets either fully or half-covered. Traditional Uighur life continues here in time-honoured fashion. Visit local families, see potteries, bakeries, embroidery, and local skills. There’s a local Folk Museum, and yes, souvenirs are for sale but these are not rich people, a purchase is better than a gift.
- Sunday bazaar: Famous throughout Asia, this ancient market attracts locals and merchants from all over Xinjiang and nearby countries such as Pakistan and Kirghizstan. There are wonderful, offerings of dried fruit and delicacies, clothes, shoes, leather, textiles, rugs and carpets as well as scarves, souvenirs and other goods in an eclectic mix that appeals to traveller and native alike. Open all week, Sunday's the big day when the farmers come to town, and those who still prefer to shop at the market rather than city shops.
- Kashgar Minority Nationalities Kindergarten: These enchanting children, 2-6 years old of age, are mainly Uighur and other local groups. They learn to read and write Uighur and Chinese, as well as dancing and singing. Sometimes they dress in traditional costume for performances, other days you will find them practising. Be warned - they LOVE you to join in at the end,with enthusiasm! If you take any gifts (eg pencils, books etc) please give them to the teacher rather than directly to the students.
- Zhiren Street: It is close to Id Kah Mosque, an old street with an amazing range of goods being crafted for sale by hand , from strictly utilitarian cookware to exotic musical instruments. There's not much light industry in Kashgar, so everything is hand-made or imported from a very distant place. Copper, metal, porcelain, woodwork, jewellery and other goods are seen to be made and you will marvel at incredible devices like the wooden objects that prevent babies from wetting the bed.
Place & Transport: Kashgar to Yarkent
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Place & Transport: Yarkent to Hetian/Hotan
Today's Activities: Yarkant King, Amannishahan
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Yarkant King: This city forms an oasis at the western end of the Taklimakan desert as a trade center. Mainly inhabited by Turkic-speaking Muslims, it has more than 120 mosques. Marco Polo visited the city in 1271 and in 1275; it was on the important Silk Road between China and Europe.
- Amannishahan: The Uygurs are excellent at dancing. The "12 Mukams" (opera) is an epic comprising more than 340 classic songs and folk dances. After liberation, this musical treasure, which was on the verge of being lost, was collected, studied and recorded by Amannisha who is the concubine of Yarkant King.She died aged 34.
Place & Transport: Hetian/Hotan
Today's Activities: Mallikurwatur Ruins
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Mallikurwatur Ruins: Also known as Mallikurwatur Ruins, the ancient city lies 25 km southwest of Hetian, on the west bank of the Jade Dragon Kashgar River. Situated on a 1500 m long belt, it is believed to be the ancient city of Yutian Kingdom although disputes claim it used to be a monastery compound. From 1977, potsherds, ancient coins and other items have been excavated.
Place & Transport: Hetian/Hotan to Kuche/Kucha
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
Place & Transport: Kuche/Kucha
Today's Activities: Subash Anceint City
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Subash Anceint City: Though it remains only as ruins, it was the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Guici. The city is believed to be even older than the ancient Harappan civilization, which dates back around 4,000 years.
Place & Transport: Kuche/Kucha to Kuerle /Kurla
Today's Activities: Kizilgaha Thousand Buddha Cave, Grand Kuqa Mosque
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- Kizilgaha Thousand Buddha Cave: Kizil Thousand Buddha caves is one of the four biggest groups of grottoes in China, is national Class A Cultural Relics Reserve, it lies in Mingutag Mountains in Baicheng County.
- Grand Kuqa Mosque: It is the second biggest mosque in Xinjiang, first built in the 17th century, but after the burnt down it was rebuilt in 1931. The great praying hall, which can accommodate 1000 prayers, is supported by 88 pillars, embellished with carved designs and in many colors, a fine example of Uygur architecture.
Place & Transport: Kuerle /Kurla to Turpan
Today's Activities: Karez Well, Jiaohe Ruin
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 Turban, 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.
The famous fruit and vineyards of these hot, dry desert communities owe their existence to the karez, ancient underground irrigation channels fed by wells that tap into the snowmelt from surrounding mountains. These systems are still maintained and functioning today. A small museum provides an insight into their intriguing history and construction, and takes you below ground for a first-hand view.
- Jiaohe Ruin : Located in the Yarnaz Valley, 13 kilometers away from the Turpan city in the west, Jiaohe Ruin was built by the old Cheshi people in Qin dynasty and Han dynasty. It was almost dig from natural ground and the tallest building reached three stories high, which is the biggest, oldest and best preserved construction city in the world. The present preservation was descended from Tang dynasty during which period it had its Gold Age.
As you walk the streets of this incredible ruined city lying between two rivers, you can look across to distant vineyards and orchards. Clear streets and roads lead you through different sections and high viewpoints for perspective. Many of the buildings remain, and as the desert wind swirls through in the evenings, it’s easy to imagine the hustle and bustle of a once busy city, now deserted. Wear comfortable walking shoes, and take water and sunscreen.
Place & Transport: Turpan to Urumqi
Today's Activities: Pass through the Flaming Mountain, Tuyoq Village and Tuyugou Canyon
Meals: Breakfast, Chinese Lunch
- 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.
- Tuyoq Village and Tuyugou Canyon: The Tuyugou Great Canyon is 46 kilometers away from Shanshan county in the east, 47 kilometers from Turpan city in the west and 13 kilometers from the Gaochang Ancient City in the southwest.Among the canyons in the Flame Mountain which extends nearly one hundred kilometers, the Tuyugou Great Canyon is the canyon with the longest culture and the most mighty and majestic natural landscapes.
Tuyoq is a traditional village of vineyards, orchards, narrow streets and irrigation channels tumbling between ancient mudbrick houses and shady trees against the backdrop of the bare, red Flaming Mountains. An easy and pretty walk takes you to a group of very ancient caves carved into the mountainside. You can stop and enjoy the surroundings, or climb the steep stairways to view some of the caves, parts of their frescoes still visible, with both Buddhist and Nestorian connections.
Place & Transport: Depart Urumqi, Flight No. TBA
Today's Activities: Hotel to airport Transfer (Urumqi)
Meals: Breakfast
| 1 person | 2-5 person | 6-9 persom | Single room supplement |
|---|---|---|---|
| $4178 | $2198 | $1578 | $353 |