9 Days Classic Silk Road Tour from Lanzhou to Kashgar

Road to Xiahe

Labrang Monastery

In the morning, we will transfer to Xiahe County to visit the Labrang Monastery after breakfast. Located in the west of Xiahe County, Labrang Monastery is one of the six major sects of the Gelug Sect (Huangjiao) of Tibetan Buddhism in China. It covers an area of 1234 mu, which is even larger than the area of Xiahe County. The external wall is about 3.5 km long, consisting of around 2000 prayer wheels, being the turning corridor in the world.

In the afternoon, we will visit Songke Grassland, which is about 1 km to the southwest of Xiahe Country. Surrounded by mountains, the middle part of the grassland is open and wild. Sangke Grassland has always been a natural pasture for the Tibetan people. Every summer, the grassland turns green, like a blanket, and all kinds of flowers are riotous and colorful. It is an ideal place for tourists to enjoy summer vacations, experience Tibetan nomadic life, and return to nature.

Binglingsi Temple

Binglingsi Grottoes

In the morning, we will drive back to Lanzhou. Then you will take a cruise from Liujiaxia Gorge to Binglingsi, to visit the famous Binglingsi Thousand Buddha Caves. Located on the cliff of Xiaojishi Hill, the Binglingsi Thousand Buddha Caves is 35km southwest of Yongjing County, Gansu Province. It was first built in AD 420 and has a history of more than 1600 years. It is divided into three places: the upper temple, the ditch and the lower temple, and among them, the lower temple is the most spectacular one.

After that, tourists will be transferred to the railway station for the train to Jiayuguan city. Upon your arrival in Jiayuguan, you can have a good rest for the upcoming adventure in the next day.

Jiayuguan Pass

The Camels outside of Jiayuguan Pass

In the morning, we will visit the noted Jiayuguan Pass, the first big pass on the western end of the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty. It is also the traffic fortress of the ancient Silk Road. Built in the Ming Dynasty, Jiayuguan Pass is the most spectacular one along the Great Wall. Then we will continue to visit the Great Wall on the Cliff. It is a section of suspended wall belonging to the Great Wall. The wall was built on the ridge with a gradient of 45 degrees. It looks as if it will fall from the top of the hill. So people refer to this section of the Great Wass as the “Suspended Wall”.

In the afternoon, we will visit the Great Wall Museum and Yulin Grottoes. The Great Wall Museum was completed at the end of 1988 and is the first museum in China to fully and systematically display the Great Wall Culture. Yulin Grottoes is located about 100km east of Dunhuang City, next to the Yulin River (also known as the Taishi River). The Yulin Cave, also known as the Ten Thousand Buddha Caves, was built in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and all of them were cut on the upright cliffs on the banks of the Yulin River Canyon.

In the end of the day tour, we will head to Dunhuang city by bus.

Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang

The Crescent Lake of Dunhuang

Today, we will first visit the world-famous Mogao Grottoes, Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake. The Mogao Grottoes is commonly known as the Thousand-Buddha Grottoes, and is praised as the most valuable cultural discovery of the 20th century. It was built in the pre-Qin Period of the Sixteen Kingdom. Now it has formed a large scale, including 735 caves, 45,000 square meters of frescoes, and 2415 clay figurines, being the largest and most abundant Buddhist art sacred sites in the world.

After Mogao Grottoes, we will head to the site of Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake. The Echoing-Sand Mountain is about 5 km to the south of Dunhuang and is famous for the constant sound of the moving sand. It is said that many years ago a horrific battle was fought here, and the sounds we hear today were the haunting cries of soldiers buried under the sand. Surrounded by Echoing-Sand Mountain, the Crescent Lake is about 150m long and 50m wide. It is named by the reason that the water surface resembles a crescent moon. The lake is full of color and vitality, being the most famous place in Mingsha scenic area.

After that, you will be transferred to the railway station to take the train to Turpan.

Jiaohe Ruins

The Hottest Flaming Mountain

In the morning, after the check-in in your reserved hotel, we will first go to visit the Jiaohe Ancient City Ruins. The ancient city of Jiaohe is located in the western suburbs of Turpan city, on a leaf-shaped plateau between two deep river valleys. The architecture was built earlier than the Qin and Han dynasties but was unfortunately destroyed by the continuous war of the Yuan Dynasty in the first half of the 14th century. Now it is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Silk Road Sites.

Then we will visit the Astana Tombs, the public graveyards of ancient Gaochang urban and rural officials. Formed around the 3rd to 8th century AD, the ancient tombs were buried by divisions of family names, with natural gravel as the boundary and distinct regions. The bodies in the tombs were naturally air-dried and did not rot. What is shocking is that these corpses are so complete that even some eyelashes are clearly visible.

After that, we will head to Tuyoq Valley, a 12-km long primitive Uighur agricultural valley, about 70 km from Turpan. There are vineyards and fields in the northern and southern valleys, with a narrow ravine connecting them. The valley is famous for its seedless grapes and numerous ancient Buddhist meditation caves nearby.

In the end, we will visit the famous Flaming Mountain. Meaning Red Mountain”in Uygur language, it is once called “volcano” because of its hot weather. Since it is famously described in the classic Chinese mythological novel “Journey to the West”, the Flame Mountain becomes a household name in China. When in midsummer, the sky is red, the atmosphere evaporates, and the whole landscape of the mountain is quite spectacular.

Karez Irrigation System

Sugong Pagoda

In the morning, we will first visit the Karez Irrigation System and Sugong Minaret before returning to Urumqi. The Karez Irrigation System is a unique irrigation system in Turpan, dating back to the ancient times. It takes advantage of the slopes and draws the underground water to flow by itself to irrigate the farmland. The Sugong Minaret was built in the Qing Dynasty and located 2km to the east of the city of Turpan. The tower body is conical, with a large and small uniform shrinking tower at your fingertips. The surface of the tower is composed of 15 kinds of geometric patterns such as triangular lines, four-petal patterns, water ripples, and rhombuses, which are endlessly varied and have a strong Islamic architectural style.

After these amazing attractions, we will head back to Urumqi to take the flight to Kashgar. Upon your arrival in Kashgar, you will be warmly welcomed by our tour guide, and then transferred to the hotel for check-in.

On the last day, we will first visit the Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China. It is located in the center of Kashgar Old Town, and there are a lot of magnificent and Islamic buildings in the temple that can be visited one by one. If you come to visit right at the worship time, you will see a large-scale worship scene and experience a strong religious atmosphere.

After that, you will be escorted to the airport for the flight to your next destination.