5 Days Private Tour to Dunhuang, Jiayuguan & Zhangye

Start the day with a private car escort to the Mogao Caves, home to 735 caves carved by monks and devout Buddhist followers along the Silk Road over the past 1,000 years. Initially constructed for meditation, these caves evolved into worship spaces, adorned with murals that exhibit momentum through calligraphic lines and three-dimensional effects created with ink washes. Let’s watch two 3D films about its Silk Road history and detailed stories behind some special caves first, followed by visiting 8 classic caves. The iconic Nine-storey Building, built along the mountainside, protects the Mogao Cave’s highest Buddhist statue inside the Cave No.96. The craftsmen skillfully enlarged the Buddha’s head and hands, a ‘visual correction’ that allows viewers from below to appreciate the statue’s gentle face and compassionate expression.
 Tips: Since the murals can be affected by humidity and temperature, all caves are naturally lit. During the visit, your guide will use special flashlights to illuminate important areas. Please refrain from using your mobile phone for lighting and taking photos.

After closely examining the delicate brushstrokes and the figures’ fabric textures of the replica of Mogao Cave No.45 in the Dunhuang Museum, our sightseeing will then extend to the Echoing-sand Mountain, which is composed of many undulating dunes with the highest one about 1,700 meters (5,580 feet) above sea level. Here, the quartz in the sand grains has been eroded into a honeycomb structure, forming a natural resonating chamber. After being infiltrated by groundwater, the gap between wet and dry sand layers will amplify this resonance. Consequently, when the wind dances through the grains or footsteps press upon them, the sounds evoke echoes like war drums or orchestral music. You’ll traverse these stunning dunes on a camel’s back while checking the acoustic effects until spotting the Crescent Lake nestled deep within the desert. The spring remains untouched by encroaching sands thanks to the swirling air currents that flow through the low-lying terrain, as well as the stability provided by the surrounding pyramidal dunes, known to be the most resilient desert formations. Please bring a mask and a dust cover to protect yourself and your mobile phone or camera from sand.

After enjoying the desert sunset, your guide and the driver will convoy you back to your hotel.

Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: Tianrun Yibo Hotel, Dunhuang (4 stars)

After breakfast, you’ll enjoy a 4-hour private transfer to Jiayuguan. Located at the narrowest point of the Hexi Corridor on the Silk Road, Jiayuguan is a natural defensive garrison, becoming the western starting point of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD) Great Wall. Once arrive, let’s explore Jiayuguan Pass of the Great Wall first, which features a multi-defensive structure consisting of an inner city, outer city, and barbican. Hiking along the 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) looped city wall, you’ll find some walkways slanted at 33 degrees, designed for wartime supply transport. Officials could also gallop along the wall on horseback to survey potential enemies and be ready to unleash logs and stones to thwart attackers!

Leaving the main battlefield, we’ll head to the extended defensive structure known as the Overhanging Great Wall. Military strategists discovered a gap between Jiayuguan Pass and the nearby mountains, leading them to carve a wall right into the sheer mountainside. It dramatically plunges at a 45-degree ridge to form a T-shaped defensive network with the main Great Wall, looking as if it’s suspended from the sky! During your hike, you can touch bricks made of layered stone slabs and yellow earth, along with overlooking endless barren mountains and desert on one side, and lush plains and farmland on the other. Given that there are 875 steps leading to the highest beacon tower, please wear comfy shoes and bring some drinking water.

Finally, your guide and the driver will escort you to a downtown hotel for rest.

Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Plaza Hotel Jiayuguan (4 stars)

This morning, your guide and the driver will pick you up at your hotel lobby and accompany you to admire the Mural Tombs of Wei-Jin Period (roughly 220-420 AD). Here, the murals were painted to reflect the owner’s real life and imagination about the afterlife. The front chamber, which functioned as a courtyard, bursts with murals showcasing scenes of picking mulberry leaves, slaughtering cattle, and ploughing land. The middle chamber serves as a living room filled with joyous depictions of receiving guests, while in the rear space, where the coffin rested, deities, warriors, and auspicious beasts were depicted to ward off evil spirits. Perhaps you can wear a light jacket for the relatively cool temperature underground.

Later, let’s drive 3 hours to Zhangye and visit Zhangye Danxia Geopark upon arrival. The park is known for its unique Danxia landform, caused by the uplift of sedimentary rocks that were sculptured by wind erosion and denudation. Hop on the park’s sightseeing bus to the Rainbow Mountains first, where you’ll be rewarded with rolling hills with seemingly ironed colorful stripes from four viewing platforms in sequence. If hot air balloons fitly grace the sky, your photos will be more vibrant! Then, the bus will lead us to the Ice Valley, characterized by its otherworldly steep red cliffs, isolated stone pillars, and towering peaks. Their sharp edges resemble a knife cut, presenting a desolate beauty. Just run your imagination to find rock formations that resemble a welcoming camel, the Louvre, or the Egyptian Pharaoh. 

Afterward, your guide and the driver will escort you to a carefully chosen hotel in downtown Zhangye. 

Meal: Breakfast
Accommodation: Ducheng Holiday Hotel, Zhangye (4 stars)

After the hotel pick-up, your guide will show you around the Giant Buddha Temple, whose grand scale and exquisite Buddha sculptures were recorded in the travelogue of the Italian explorer Marco Polo (1254-1324 AD). As its name suggests, the temple’s highlight is a 34.5-meter (113-foot) long reclining Buddha statue. Imagine that a person can lie on its middle finger, while eight people can sit side by side on its ears! The brick carvings and murals illustrating Buddhist stories and mythological tales inside the main hall will also feast your eyes.

Your 5 days private Dunhuang trip comes to an end after leaving the temple. Your guide and the driver will then convoy you to the airport or railway station for your onward journey. If you want to extend your China tour further west to Xinjiang or east to Xi’an, welcome to contact our travel consultants to tailor your itinerary!

Meal: Breakfast