8 Days Incredible Silk Road Tour From Xian (Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang)

Summary

D1 Xian Arrival: Take train or flight to Xian, transfer to your hotel
D2 Xian to Zhangye by overnight train: Terracotta Warriors, Xian Ancient City Wall, Take overnigt train to Zhangye
D3 Zhangye Arrival: Zhangye Gaint Buddha Temple
D4 Zhangye to Jiayuguan by Private Vehicle: Yadan National Geopark, transfer to Jiayuguan by private vehicle
D5 Jiayuguan: Jiayuguan Pass, The First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall, Wei-jin Art Gallery
D6 Jiayuguan to Dunhuang by Private Vehicle: transfer to Dunhuang by private vehicle, Dunhuang Museum, Shazhou Night Market
D7 Dunhuang: Mogao Grottoes, Echoing Sand Mountains & Crescent Lake
D8 Dunhuang Departure: Transfer to Dunhuang train station or Dunhuang airport

Day 1 Arrive in Xian

Make your own arrival arrangement to Xian. Pick up service can be arranged at Xian train station or Xian airport by our local guide with a welcome sign "China Silk Road Tour", transfer to your Xian hotel once you arrive. The rest day is free on your own to explore the Xian city.

Day 2 Xian to Zhangye by overnight train

After breakfast, you will visit the visit the Terracotta Warriors. This UNESCO World Heritage site displays more than 8,000 terracotta warriors, horses, and around 10,000 bronze weapons. Excavations continue, and more than 300 pieces were unearthed in June 2012 alone. These warriors were made as part of the funerary goods for Qin Shi Huang (259-210 B.C.), first emperor of the Qin Dynasty. The human-size figures are said to be models of Qing's real-life army. The army stands in three exhibition pits. Pit one is the largest, measuring 230 meters long, 62 meters wide and seven meters deep and housing around 6,000 troops in battle formation.

In the afternoon, drive you back to Xian city to visit the Xian Ancient City Wall. Built more than 600 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, the City Wall of Xi'an is one of the best preserved fortifications in China. And the best way to see the wall is by bike. Visitors are allowed to cycle on the wall, which is 15 meters wide. Cyclists will be able to view the city from a unique angle -- on one side stands the Xi'an from the past; on the other hand erects soaring high-rises of the present and future.

After the tour, transfer to Xian train station to take overnight train to Zhangye. It takes around 14 hours, you will arrive Zhangye city in the next day.

Day 3 Arrive in Zhangye

Our Zhangye local guide will pick you up at the exit of Zhangye train station with the same sign "China Silk Road Tour" once you arrive. Transfer to Zhangye downtown to check in your hotel and have a authentic local lunch.

In the afternoon, you will visit the Zhangye Gaint Buddha Temple, it is named after a statue worshiped inside the temple. It also known as Sleeping Buddha Temple, is very famous because it contains the biggest indoor sleeping Buddha all around China. The buddha is 34.5 meter long and its shoulder spans across a width of 7.5 meters. Up to eight people can stand on the ear of the reclining Buddha. Established in 1098 (Western Xia Dynasty) and rebuilt during the Qing Dynasty. Due to its extensive history, it is listed as an immovable cultural relic under state protection.

After the tour, you will be taken to your hotel in Zhangye.

Day 4 Zhangye to Jiayuguan

After breakfast, you wil head to visit the Zhangye Danxia Geopark. It is located about 40KM from Zhangye city.The national park encompasses an area of 510 square kilometers. The Geopark is well-known for its spectacular, colorful rock formations. it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China. This site is popular among photographers, many popular movies and TV shows such as "A Woman, A Gun And A Noodle Shop" & "The Sun Also Rises", were filmed in Zhangye Danxia Geopark. It attracts thousands of both domestic and international tourists visit here every year.

When you in the park, you will have chance to enjoy the amazing Danxia landscape from different viewing platfoms. There are 5 platforms where you can take some photos. You will take the shuttle buses which starting from the main entrance and travels to the different stops (viewpoints) along the way.

After the tour, drive you to Jiayuguan city and check in your Jiayuguan hotel.

Day 5 Jiayuguan

After breakfast, you will visit the Jiayuguan Pass. It is one of the most famous tourist attractions here. Known as the 'mouth of China' because of its position at the end of the Great Wall of China where it guarded the western boundary of Ming Dynasty China. It is not only the western end of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty, but also the vital passage of the famous Silk Road, which was first built in the 5th year (1372) of the Hongwu reign in the Ming Dynasty. It is so called because it is built at the foot of Jiayu Mountain. There is a museum for those who are interested in the history of Jiayuguan Pass and China Great Wall.

Next, you will visit The First Beacon Tower of the Great Wall. This fire tower is the first one of the Great Wall, hence the name. It is also called Taolaihe Dun and Tou Dun in Chinese. It was built in Ming Dynasty, all 14 meters in length, width and height. After hundreds of years, it still stands there firmly, although not so completely. There are 39 fire towers inside and outside of Jiayuguan Pass, big or small. All the towers undertake the important task of military at ancient time.

Continue your tour to visit the Wei-jin Art Gallery. Renowned as the largest subterranean art gallery in the world and housing many colorful murals, the gallery has attracted tourists from both home and abroad since 1972 when it was originally excavated. Most tombs are of past families, housing bodies of three or four generations, and currently Grave 6 and Grave 7 are open for tourism with more to be developed responsibly.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Jiayuguan.

Day 6 Jiayuguan to Dunhuang by Private Vehicle

After breakfast, drive you to Dunhang city. It takes around 4 hours from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang. Once you arrive in Dunhuang, our guide will arrange the typical lunch for you. Then, check in your hotel in Dunhuang. You can take a short rest and go for the tour.

You Dunhuang tour will start at Dunhuang Museum. The museum reflects the flourishing social development and cultural exchange between China and the West during the time when Dunhuang was a major center along the Silk Road. A trip to the Dunhuang Museum will provide visitors with a greater understanding of the history and culture of the Chinese people and their ancient civilization.

In the evening, you will visit the Shazhou Night Market. It is the largest night market in Dunhuang, it's a good place to spend your time when you travel to Dunhuang. Here attrats lots of tourists from all over the world, which is a wonderful place both to eat and to socialize.The market is divided into five zones - food & snacks, art crafts, Sanbaotai teahouses, agricultural products and souvenirs, which form a bustling night picture with unique folk customs.

After the sightseeing, you will be taken to your hotel in Dunhuang.

Day 7 Dunhuang

After breakfast, our guide will show you the most famous Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, it is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in China. Mogao Caves are a network of Buddhist cave temples in China. It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites in China. This ancient city was once located in an oasis on a strategic point of the ancient Silk Road. Thus, Dunhuang was a center where not only trade, but also cultural, religious, and intellectual exchanges took place. The Mogao Grottoes serve as a testimony to the high level of sophistication that was achieved by Dunhuang during its heyday.

In the afternoon, visit the famous Echoing Sand Mountains & Crescent Lake in Dunhuang. The city of Dunhuang is located at the borders of the Gobi desert and from here there are views of the Singing Mountain, a name that derives from the sweet sound that is made by the sand being caressed by the wind or rapidly sliding down from the dunes. The legend says that in this area in the foothills of the mountain there once lived a lively village surrounded by sacred temples. One year, during a celebration at one of the temples, the songs of the opera and the noise of the celebration was so deafening that it bothered the Yellow Dragon Prince that slept in a nearby desert.

Then, you will visit the Crescent Lake which is considered a natural wonder of the Gobi Desert, the lake is something of an enigma as it has existed for thousands of years and was considered a special place during the Han Dynasty (202BC to 220AD). Because the lake is dwarfed by the surrounding sand dunes, it’s a wonder it hasn’t filled up and been covered over many times, but due to a natural depression, the winds blow the sand across the nearby singing sand dunes and away from the spring.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel in Dunhuang.

Day 8 Dunhuang Departure

Free on your own until transfer to Dunhuang train station or Dunhuang airport for your next place.

Price Per Person in US Dollars

Price Includes 1. All transfer and city transportation 2. Air-conditioned car or van 3. Hotels specified in the itinerary, all based     on two persons sharingone standard room; 4. Meals specified in the itinerary: Western     breakfast in hotels Chinese lunch and     dinner in local restaurants 5. Sightseeing: All arrangements mentioned     in the itinerary will be covered All first     admission/entrance fees in the itinerary 6. Tour guide: Conducted by a professional     English & Chinese speaking tour guide

Price Excludes 1. International air-tickets 2. Airport departure tax. 3. International or domestic air tickets which     are not listed in the itinerary. 4. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness     or damages incurred during your trip 5. Tips to the tour guide and driver 6. Meals not specified in the itinerary. 7. Personal expenses: phone bills, laundry,     optional tours, postage, excess baggage     charge, entertainment fees out of the     itinerary. 8. Single Room Supplement.