Silk Road Tours: 5 Days China Tour from Lanzhou to Zhangye, Jiayuguan & Dunhuang

Summary

D1 Lanzhou Arrival: Pick up from Lanzhou train station or airport, Labrang Monastery
D2 Lanzhou to Zhangye by bullet train: take train to from Lanzhou to Zhangye, Danxia Geopark
D3 Zhangye to Jiayuguan by private vehicle: Visit Jiayuguan Pass
D4 Jiayuguan to Dunhuang by private vehicle: Transfer to Dunhuang city, visit Echoing Sand Mountains & Crescent Lake
D5 Duanhuang Departure: Mogao Grottoes, transfer to Dunhuang airport or Dunhuang train station

Day 1 Arrive in Lanzhou

Welcome to Lanzhou! Lanzhou is the capital city of Gansu province with a convenient transportation, there are lots of direct flights/trains from Beijing, Xian, Shanghai or other big cities in China. Upon arrival in Lanzhou, your guide will pick you up at the exit of the airport/train station with a welcome signage "China Silk Road Tour". 

Your silk road adventure will begins with Labrang Monastery, enjoy the pilgrimage ceremony of Tibetan Buddhism and learn about the Tibetan and Indian Vihara architectural styles. It is one of the six major temples of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. It is the most famous Tibetan college in the world. The temple is a large-scale temple with a magnificent temple complex, enshrining countless giant Buddha statues and various exquisite sculptures,murals and instruments. The Monastary was founded in 1709, and it also a “home” to the largest number of monks outside Tibet. It used to house more than 4,000 monks. 

There is a long corridor of the Labrang Monastery inside the temple is rare in the world. There are more than 2,000 prayer cylinders, and it takes at least one hour to transfer each prayer cylinder. If you standing on the sunbathing platform, you can see the panoramic view of the Labrang Monastery.

After the tour ends, drive you to your hotel in Lanzhou.

Day 2 Lanzhou to Zhangye by bullet train

After breakfast, transfer to Lanzhou train station to take train to Zhangye, it takes around 4 hours from Lanzhou to Zhangye by bullet train. Once you arrive, our Zhangye local guide will meet you at the exit of Zhangye train station.

Firstly, our guide will arange an authentic lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, 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.

When you finish the sightseeing at Danxia Geopark, our guide will take you to your hotel in Zhangye

Day 3 Zhangye to Jiayuguan

After breakfast, drive about 230KM from Zhangye to visit Jiayuguan city. Once you arrive, our tour guide will take you to visit the Jiayuguan Pass. 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.

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

Day 4 Jiayuguan to Dunhuang

After breakfast, drive you to Dunhuang from Jiayuguan. It takes around 4 hours. Once you arrive in Dunhuang city, our guide will take you to local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, you will 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 Echoing Sand 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.

You will be taken to your hotel in Dunhuang when you finish the tour.

Day 5 Dunhuang Departure

After breakfast, you will visit the Mogao Grottoes, known also as the 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.

After lunch, transfer to Dunhuang airport or Dunhuang train station for your next destination. Your 5 Days China Silk Road Tour comes to the end.

Price Per Person in US Dollars