8-Day Lanzhou Xiahe Jiayuguan Dunhuang Silk Road Tour

The Panorama of Mogao Grottoes
The Stone Buddha of Mogao Grottoes
Labrang Monastery in Xiahe
The Big Stone Buddha of Binglingsi Temple
The Crescent Lake in Dunhuang
Camel Riding at Jiayuguan Pass

Tour Outline: Lanzhou - Xiahe - Lanzhou - on the train - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang

Overview
Itinerary
Service Inclusion
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Trip Overview

This is the classic long trip to visit the aged Northwestern province - Gansu, from Lanzhou, and visit Xiahe, Jiayuguan and Dunhuang. You will experience different natural sceneries and cultures on the ancient Silk Road.

[Lanzhou] Start your tour from Lanzhou, an important transportation junction in central China, with an International Airport;
[Xiahe] Visit one of the "six great monasteries of the Geluk sect” - Labrang Monastery and the beautiful Sangke Grassland;
[Jiayuguan] Wander along the ancient city wall of Jiayuguan Pass and feel the heartbeats of this "first pass under heaven";
[Dunhuang] Explore the famous Mogao Grottoes, Echoing Sand Mountains, Crescent Lake, Yumenguan Pass, the Great Wall.

Best Time to Visit

all year round
Physical Demands

Very leisure tour; zero physical demand

Day by Day Itinerary

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Day 1: Lanzhou Arrival

Upon your arrival at the Lanzhou Zhongshan International Airport/ Train Station, our tour guide will meet and escort you to your hotel in Lanzhou downtown. The rest of today is free for you to explore Lanzhou city.

Drive 70km from airport to downtown
Altitude: Lanzhou (1520m)
Internet & Wifi
Lanzhou business hotel
Meal: NO

Day 2: Lanzhou - Binglingsi Grottoes - Sangke Grassland - Xiahe (269km)

Sangke Grassland in Xiahe

Today after breakfast, we will drive to visit the Binglingsi Grottoes, about 132km away from Lanzhou. Binglingsi Grottoes is a series of grottoes filled with Buddhist sculpture carved into natural caves and caverns in a canyon along the Yellow River. The sculptures, carvings, and frescoes that remain are outstanding examples of Buddhist artworks and draw visitors from around the world. The site is well preserved, including 183 caves, 694 Buddha stone statues, 82 earth buddha statues, and more than 900 square meters mural paintings.

Then we drive about 3.5 hours to Xiahe along the highway. Upon your arrival at Xiahe and check-in your hotel, and then head to visit Sangke Grassland, about 30km southwest of Xiahe county. Surrounded by the mountains and cut through by a river in the middle, Sangke Grassland is a natural prairie, which looks like a green carpet rife with numerous colorful flowers. Then drive back to your hotel in Xiahe.

Drive about 400km
Altitude: Xiahe (3200m), Sangke Grassland (3000m)
Internet & Wifi
Xiahe local hotel
Breakfast, Lunch

Day 3: Xiahe - Labrang Monastery - Lanzhou (232km)

Labrang Monastery in Xiahe

Today, we will drive to visit the Labrang Monastery, one of the "six great monasteries of the Geluk sect of Tibetan Buddhism". The monastery is the most important Buddhism monastery outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Here, you will see the monks studying and debating about Buddhism. After that, drive from Xiahe to Lanzhou, via Linxia which is famed as the "small Mecca".

Drive 232km from Xiahe to Lanzhou
Altitude: Xiahe (3200m), Lanzhou (1520m)
Internet & Wifi
Lanzhou local hotel
Breakfast, Lunch

Day 4: Arrival at Jiayuguan, visit Jiayuguan Pass

Jiayuguan Pass

The Camels outside of Jiayuguan Pass

Upon your arrival in Jiayuguan train station, our tour guide will meet and escort you to have breakfast and then transfer to your hotel in Jiayuguan downtown. After a short break in the hotel, we will drive to visit the Jiayuguan Pass. Wander along the ancient city wall and feel the heartbeats of this “first pass under heaven”. Then head to visit the Great Wall Museum where you will learn about the history of Jiayuguan Pass and the Great Wall.

Drive in Jiayuguan city
Altitude: Jiayuguan (1600m)
Internet & Wifi
Jiayuguan business hotel
Breakfast, Lunch

Day 5: Jiayuguan - Yulin Grottoes - Dunhuang (504km)

Yulin Grottoes in Gansu Province

The Wall Painting of Yulin Grottoes

Today after breakfast, we will drive about 374km from Jiayuguan to Dunhuang. On the way, visit the Yulin Grottoes in Guazhou county. In the forty-two caves are preserved more than 100 polychrome statues and over 5,000 square meters of wall paintings, dating from Tang Dynasty to Yuan Dynasty. It is considered as the sister of Mogao Grottoes. Then continue drive to Duhuang and check in your hotel.

Today drive about 329km
Altitude: Jiayuguan (1600m), Dunhuang (1139m)
Internet & Wifi
Dunhuang business hotel
Breakfast, Lunch

Day 6: Visit the Mogao Grottoes, Echoing Sand Mountains, Crescent Lake

Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang

The Crescent Lake of Dunhuang

Today, we drive to visit the Mogao Grottoes, which is the world’s most important site of ancient Buddhist Culture. It is outstanding for its exquisite mural paintings and statues. 735 sandstone caves holds 2,415 colorful statues and 45,000 square meters mural paintings. Then move on to visit the Echoing Sand Mountains, where it is said that the sand mountains echo like Orchestra music in the sunny days, even is there is no wind. If you slide down from the mountains, you can hear the echoing sound more clearly.

After that, continue to visit the Crescent Lake which is surrounded by sand mountains from different directions. It is a crescent-shaped lake in an oasis, with some well decorated traditional Chinese architecture, trees, flowers and a lake that has never dried up.

Drive about 70km
Altitude: Dunhuang (1139m)
Internet & Wifi
Dunhuang business hotel
Breakfast, Lunch

Day 7: Visit the Yadan National Geological Park, Yumenguan Pass, the Great Wall, Dunhuang Departure

After breakfast, drive to visit the Yadan National Geological Park, which has been created over time by the sort part of the earth surface and then has been eroded by wind and rain with the hard part of the rocks remaining in the desert. Then you will visit the Yumenguan which was the most important pass on the western of the Hexi Corridor region, where you will witness the management system of the traffic and the beacons, the defensive system of the Great Wall, and the long-distance traffic and communication on the Silk Road.

In the afternoon, drive back to Dunhuang City.

Drive about 206km
Altitude: Dunhuang (1139m)
Breakfast, Lunch

Day 8：Dunhuang Departure

Today after breakfast, we will drive you to airport or train station for depature, tour ends.

Price Details & Guide

Price Inclusions

Private transportation to the destinations and sites listed in the itinerary; ranging from 4WD land cruiser to bus depending on the group size and trip route; car gasoline, road toll and in-transport refreshments (free bottles of water, air pillow and headscarf) are included;
Lodging: two nights in Jiayuguan business hotel, one night in Xiahe local hotel, one night on the train, one night in Jiayuguan business hotel, two nights in Dunhuang business hotel;
Private experienced English-speaking trip leader;
Airport/railway station pick-up and send-off services at the beginning/end of the tour;
Entrance ticket fees for all the sight spots listed in the itinerary;
Meals listed in the itinerary (7 Breakfasts, 7 Lunches);
First aid kit;
A coverage of 300,000RMB Chartis travel insurance;

Price Exclusions

International and domestic flight/train to Lanzhou (Note: we accept the domestic flight/train tickets booking to Lanzhou from other cities in advance, check the updated ticket availability and cost with your travel consultant);
Meals that are not specified in the itinerary (Averagely a meal in the 3rdpole region cost 3~10USD per person);
Tips and gratuities for the trip leader and driver;
The expense of a personal nature like alcoholic beverages, laundry, phone call, etc;
Optional activities and excursions not specified in the itinerary;
China Entry visa fees;

Itinerary Alteration

Once we receive your tour deposit, which is followed by signing the contract, your reservation is secured with legitimacy. Our staff will reserve the accommodation, vehicle, site tickets, meals and more, and pay the deposit for our suppliers. So if you want to alter to another itinerary, you need to cover the deposit we've paid, while no service charge is needed if you make some changes on the itinerary you booked.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

If you cancel the tour beacuse of your personal issues, you will be liable to pay cancellation charges that are bounded by 3rdpoletour.com cancellation policy as follows:

1.) If you cancel the tour more than 30 days before the trip starts, you will forfeit 10% of the total land cost per person;
2.) If you cancel the tour 15-30 days prior to your trip start date, 20% of your total land tour cost will be forfeited as a cancellation fee.
3.) If you cancel the tour 7-15 days before the trip starts, you will forfeit 30% of land cost.
4.) If you cancel the tour 7 days prior to your tour start date, you will forfeit 50% of land cost.
5.) If you fail to show up or cancel at your scheduled arrival time without prior notice or later than that, you will forfeit 100% of the land cost.

If the tour has to be cancelled because of the natural disaster or the government restrictions that is beyond both parties control, we will charge only USD50 per person, this is just the service fee and larbor fee during the preparation. This is a rare occurrence!