South Xinjiang in Focus

After breakfast, your guide and the driver will meet you at the hotel and escort you to arrive at today’s first destination, the Heavenly Lake, in a 1- to 1.5-hour drive. Formed by the erosion of ancient glaciers, with an altitude of up to 1,910 meters (6,266 ft.), the pristine alpine lake boasts crystal-clear waters, surrounded by dense misty spruce forests, against the stunning backdrop of the looming snow-capped Bogda Peak of 5,545 meters (18,192 ft.), the highest peak in Xinjiang. Upon arrival, the guide will accompany you to hop on a sightseeing bus to the core lake area, and it’s wise to grab a right window seat up the hill while returning down on a left seat, to enjoy a large area of lush, colorful forests. Getting off the bus, you can stroll clockwise along the wooden boardwalk to soak up the natural beauty. It is also available, at your own expense, to rent a bike to cycle around, cruise on the lake, and ride a cable car to the hilltop for a 360-degree sweeping view. Afterward, we’ll go back to Urumqi and explore its bustling hub.
 

★  Feel Lively Local Life at the World’s Largest Bazaar! 

Covering an area of 100,000 square meters (24.7 acres), the iconic Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar is home to over 3,000 shops and stores, with a vigorous mix of distinctive Islamic-style architecture, Uyghur folk customs, local delicacies, and evocative ethnic song and dance performances. Follow your guide to step into this Islamic-style architectural complex, where the blue glazed tiles on the dome shimmer in the sunlight. Shops line the alleyways, offering the glamorous Atlas silk with peacock blue and pomegranate red ripple patterns, while the vivid grapevine patterns engraved on the handcrafted copperware evoke the sound of flowing water. As Uyghur artisans' fingers dance across the surface of Hetian jade, it gradually reveals the shape of a blooming snow lotus. The food court is even more enticing, where baked buns puff up in the tandoor oven, turning into golden, glistening spheres, and cracking open with a cloud of fragrant steam when taken out. At the nearby barbecue stall, the lamb chops on iron skewers drip their fat, sizzling and sparking over the charcoal fire. Continue to roam through, and you may also be caught by the sound drifting from a traditional musical instrument shop around the corner, which is a rawap played by locals, always accompanied by local girls performing the impromptu songs and dances. Finish the visit, and your guide will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Excemon Xinjiang Yilite Hotel (4 stars)

This morning, the guide will convoy you to leave for Turpan on a 3.5-hour private car drive. En route, you’ll not only weave through the scenic highways, but also encounter a beautiful salt lake, and hundreds of large windmills set against the backdrop of the snow-covered mountains. They are built to generate wind power because of the area’s frequent strong winds. After arrival, start the exploration of the Ancient City of Jaohe with your guide. Thanks to the dry and rain-scarce climate in Turpan, we can still see Jiaohe city ruins dating back a thousand years. The city built in the 2nd century BC had gone through spiritual and material hardship in the 14th century from the Mongols’ military invasion and being forced to abandon their traditional Buddhist beliefs, turning to Islam, which ultimately led to its tragic fate. Constructed of raw earth by digging downwards, the city now only preserves rows of earthen walls without beam roofs, where you can barely distinguish extensive Buddha temples covering about half of the city. Besides that, you’ll also have a chance to escape the heat in the nearby grottoes and admire ancient murals. 

Then, we’ll head to the Karez System, where you’ll learn about how local people struggled to acquire and preserve snow water by building up more than 5,000 karez underground tunnels and wells under the extreme hot and dry climate, to prevent evaporation and loss as much as possible. Prepare a thin coat, as it’ll be cool when you dive deep into it, and its water temperature keeps around 10°C (50 ℉) year-round. At the end of the day, the guide will accompany you to admire Xinjiang’s largest minaret, the 44-meter-high (144-foot) brick Emin Minaret, featuring various geometric patterns like waves, rhombuses, and floral patterns. The cone-shaped tower, gradually tapering from bottom to top, was built in honor of Duke Emin’s life achievement and his loyalty to the Qing Dynasty court (1644-1911 AD).

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Mercure Hotel Turpan Downtown (4 stars)

Today, follow your guide to appreciate the essence of the region’s Buddhist art. After breakfast, let’s set out to the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, which had remained the region’s Buddhist heart for seven centuries. Also, it once served as the royal temple of the Gaochang Kingdom (460-640 AD). It should be a splendor that amazes the world with its exquisite murals and statues; however, a truly heartbreaking thing is that it no longer maintains its original appearance, but is full of scars. Most of the murals were ruthlessly peeled away and Buddha statues lost their heads and arms in the 20th century, some of which are now ironically displayed in museums abroad. Later, stop by the Flaming Mountains, dubbed the hottest place in China, where the ground surface temperature can soar over 70℃ (158℉). You may also encounter local people selling roast eggs baked in hot sand! At the foot of the Flaming Mountains, rows of raw-earth rammed houses stand layers upon layers, and this is our next stop, the local Mazha Village in Tuyugou Valley, with a history of more than 2,600 years. Centered on a mosque, and several tombs of the earliest missionaries and disciples who came here to spread Islam 1,300 years ago, the village offers a glimpse of the primitive local life. You’ll also explore their grape drying rooms hanging new grapes or old vines, constructed on the rooftops of each household.

★  Learn about Legend of Monk Xuanzang in Ancient City of Gaochang!

Afterward, hit the road to glimpse the UNESCO-listed Ancient City of Gaochang, the once glorious capital city of the Gaochang Kingdom. Stroll along the plank road to explore the dilapidated city walls and fortresses. The most well-preserved architecture is the Giant Buddha Temple in the southwest, with a thousand-year-old faded murals. It is said that Xuanzang (602-664 AD), the illustrious monk determined to journey west to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures once stopped here. Though he refused the king’s offer to stay as the national preceptor through a hunger strike, Xuanzang agreed to become sworn brothers with the king, to preach at the Giant Buddha Temple for a month, and for another three years after returning from the pilgrimage. Ultimately, the king released him with generous material support. However, when Xuanzang came back, the kingdom had been ruined completely. Besides the temple, there are also many residences waiting for your exploration. After the visit, the guide and the driver will escort you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Mercure Hotel Turpan Downtown (4 stars)

Today, wave goodbye to Turpan, and continue your southern Xinjiang exploration. Embark on a 6-hour spectacular yet challenging car journey through the fabulous Heavenly Mountains to Korla, spanning over 370 kilometers (230 mi). Along the undulating mountain roads, pass by colorful Yardang and unique-shaped hill landforms, and you can stop as you wish to give your legs a rest or capture stunning views. When approaching Toksun County, the magnificent desert just unfurls before your eyes and you may find some hills adorned with breathtaking patterns created from white stones, which stand out strikingly like nature's palette. They’re don’t naturally come from nearby mountains but are selected by travelers who create their own artworks and add more fun to the journey! 

As you approach Korla city, you’ll also have a chance to take in the Bosten Lake from a distance, where a vast expanse of blue water is set against the endless desert; hence, it is also China’s largest inland freshwater lake, featuring a large reed wetland. Stop for a while to witness the rare and magnificent landscape where "desert meets azure waters." Then keep driving to Korla. Upon arrival, check into the hand-picked hotel. Afterward, the guide will accompany you to explore the Iron Gate Pass, an important ancient pass on the Silk Road connecting northern and southern Xinjiang, which witnessed numerous travelers and caravans passing by. After glimpsing the boundary between Xinjiang’s south and north, the spectacular gate tower and steep gorges, you’ll be escorted back to your hotel.

► Night Activity Recommendation: (at your own expense)
If your energy has recovered, consider exploring the local Southern Xinjiang Night Bazaar on your own, which is composed of a shopping mall and a food street. Stepping into it, you can smell the aroma of freshly baked buns in the breeze. Join in the long queues winding through your beloved stalls offering handmade yogurt, glutinous rice cake, cold skin noodles, and Xinjiang lamb pilaf. Its vibrant, bustling atmosphere is even hotter than the Korla sunshine! 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Bositeng Hotel (4 stars)

After breakfast, your guide and the driver will wait for you at the hotel lobby and hit the road to Kuqa. During the 4-hour road trip, we’ll traverse through the area where the Heavenly Mountains and the Tarim Basin meet, admiring a mix of incredible landscapes like grasslands, deserts, and high mountains, as well as the expansive Taklamakan Desert dotted with camel thorn trees. Upon arrival, enjoy a hearty local lunch.

After that, the guide will accompany you to go sightseeing at the Kuqa Grand Mosque, the second-largest mosque in Xinjiang. Initially built in the 16th century, the exquisite mosque with a spectacular brick gatehouse evokes the architecture of the Timurid era. And its timber payer hall also blends Islamic and Central Plains styles, decorated with floral patterns like lotus and peony, and geometric designs. In addition, the mosque houses Xinjiang's only well-preserved religious court, testifying to the theocratic system. Strolling to the corridor behind it, you’ll enjoy a full panoramic view of the Kuqa old city. The serene atmosphere draws pigeons as well, and if you like, you can buy a small portion of food at the entrance to feed them. 

Then, we’ll move to the city’s northeast to witness Xinjiang’s largest and best-preserved Subash Buddhist Ruins, not inferior to an ancient city. First established in the 3rd century, Subashi once served as the Buddhist center of the ancient Kingdom of Kucha (2nd century BC-11th century AD), reaching its peak during the 6th-10th centuries, when it was home to tens of thousands of monks. Kumarajiva (343-413 AD), one of China’s greatest Buddhist scholars, became a monk here, and Xuanzang also preached here during his journey to India. Various civilizations converged here, echoed along the Silk Road. However, today, we can only see the dilapidated earth architecture to discern pagodas, halls, and monks' quarters among the ruins, and imagine its former glory before it was completely ruined due to religious conflicts and dynastic changes. In the end, the guide will convoy you to stay overnight at the hotel in Kuqa.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Ku Che Grand Hotel (4 stars)

Today, follow the guide to feel the exceptional Buddhist culture from the ancient Kingdom of Kucha at Kizil Thousand-Buddha Cave, which is China’s earliest cave complex with preserved Buddhist murals, statues, and Buddhist scripts, about 300 years earlier than Dunhuang’s Mogao Grottoes. It is also one of the few that primarily feature Theravada themes, with each diamond-shaped grid on the vaulted ceiling depicting a complex story. Apart from the sutra paintings, you’ll also witness scores of local custom paintings, displaying the real-life scenes in that era. As over 500 square meters of murals were removed and taken by foreign expedition teams in the 20th century, now we can only visit 6 caves with patchy paintings. After the impressive cultural immersion, devote yourself to Kuqa’s most stunning natural wonder.

★ Trek through One of the Top 10 Most Beautiful Canyons in China!

We’ve especially arranged this amazing canyon, formed about 140 million years ago, in the afternoon, when it presents a fiery golden texture under the warm sunshine. Dubbed one of the most beautiful canyons in China, the Tianshan Grand Canyon, aka Heavenly Mountain Grand Canyon, offers dramatic views of red-colored, oddly-shaped rocks, high cliffs, and typical fissure-like narrow passages, whose narrowest part can only allow one to pass sideways. It is no wonder that people call it a living museum of the earth's wrinkles that was carved out of ochre sandstone. Lace up your boots and trek with your guide to admire various-shaped rocks like the dog, the camel, and a giant fortress. After finishing sightseeing, the guide will accompany you to return to your hotel.

► Visit Tips:
1.    It is suggested that you wear non-slip hiking shoes with a tighter opening, as the path may be a little slippery, and it is hard to wipe clean the sticky red sandstone mud if it gets stuck on your socks (though packing wet wipes is always wise)!
2.    A complete hike takes about 2 hours, and it is better to prepare some energy bars and enough bottles of water. However, please keep your backpack as lightweight as possible, as some narrow passages require you to crouch or bend over to pass. 
3. If you feel tired from trekking, riding a camel at your own expense is also possible (CNY 200-300 / USD 28-42 per person for a round trip), but you cannot stop to take photos. 

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Ku Che Grand Hotel (4 stars)

★ Unique Experience: Encounter China’s Last Living Queen! 

This morning, you’ll explore the Kuqa Royal Palace with your private guide, soaking up the 200-year-old architecture combining traditional Chinese and Islamic styles as it was built by craftsmen from inland China, who were dispatched by the then Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799 AD). The last king of Kuqa lived until 2014, and his 5th wife still lives in the palace. Visitors can take a photo with the affable queen at a cost of CNY 30 (USD 4.2). If interested, you can queue up to capture an unforgettable photo at your own expense. The palace also houses Kuqa Museum and the historical exhibition hall of the palace, as well as the warm-toned carpet-covered bedroom with Uyghur tapestries, which offer a glimpse of the local culture and once luxurious royal life.

Stepping out of the palace, enjoy a stroll in the local bazaar, composed of several alleys, where you’ll be captivated by not only tasty local snacks but also traditional Uyghur dwellings with painted wooden doors and plaster carvings, and a street filled with various types of hats hanging on both sides. 

After that, embark on a 4-hour private car transfer to Aral City. On the way, besides the desert landscape, you may also glimpse the beautiful autumn colors of populus euphratica forests. Upon arrival, check in the comfortable hotel we’ve selected for you!

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Aral Tahe Garden Hotel (4 stars)

Today, pack up your luggage and get ready to traverse through the Taklamakan Desert, the largest desert in China, stretching over 1,000 km (620 mi) from east to west and more than 400 km (250 mi) from north to south! About 20 km out of the city, we’ll enter the desert and hit the 428-km-long (266-mi) road winding through it. The sand dunes of various shapes create a magical interplay of light and shadow at different times, sometimes resembling golden waves. You may also notice the "grass grids" and "reed fences" laid out on both sides of the way, which are artificial facilities set by locals to prevent wind and fix sand. Continue driving, more dense poplar forests also line the way to feast your eyes. Mid-October to early November is the best time to view them when the leaves gradually turn yellow and become golden and dazzling under the sunlight. En route, have a glimpse of the Tarim River from a distance. You’ll feel like stepping into an oil painting - the Tarim River meander, reflecting the blue sky and the shadows of the golden colored poplar trees across the desert.When approaching Hotan, we’ll drop by the Rawak Stupa Ruins, built of earthen blocks, which are half-buried in the yellow sand under the scorching sun. Rawak, meaning "pavilion" in Sanskrit, was once a spiritual beacon on the southern Silk Road. Today, the wind-eroded pagoda leans in the shifting sands, showcasing a well-maintained Indian-style stupa foundation, with a remaining height of approximately 9 meters (30 ft.). After glimpsing the rarely seen pagoda ruins in China, we’ll continue to Hotan and stay overnight there.

► Night Activities Recommended: (at your own expense)
If you start to get peckish when arriving in Hotan, then don’t miss its local night market, which is said to top the night markets in Southern Xinjiang. The huge beef bones with tendons, lamb skewers, baked buns (samsa), and grilled fish…you’ll be spoiled for a lot of halal food choices. You may also see some strange local snacks, like the giant roasted ostrich eggs, each costing CNY 280 (USD 39). There are two night markets in Hotan, and remember to access the more authentic old one. By the way, don’t eat watermelon after tasting the local cantaloupes and grapes, as they are so sweet that you’ll feel watermelon bland.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: West Lake International Hotel (4 stars)

After breakfast, your guide will accompany you to one of the most iconic attractions in Hotan, the Walnut King Garden, where you’ll witness a 1,300-year-old walnut tree king. The ‘Y-shaped’ giant tree, about 16 meters (52 ft.) tall, with a crown diameter of about 20 meters (66 ft.), requires at least five people to encircle its trunk. The super long history also makes it hollow in the middle, and the cave can accommodate four people standing at the same time. This tree still bears around 6,000 walnuts every year. There's a popular saying in the area that perhaps it's because of these walnuts that there are so many centenarians in the area; among the more than 200 elderly people in the local village, 80 to 90 are over 80 years old.

Finish the visit, and we’ll start a 6- to 7-hour road trip to take in the wildness of the desert, leading to Kashgar, the largest yet the most important city in Southern Xinjiang. After arrival, unwind at the hotel and get ready for tomorrow’s exploration.

Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar (5 stars)

Devote the whole day to exploring the Kashgar Old Town with your private guide. A 20-minute gate-opening ceremony just kicks off today’s exploration. However, though it starts at 10:30 am, the exhilarating performances, including Uyghur dances, historical plays about the Silk Road, and instrument playing, attract a throng of visitors, and arriving before 10 am is necessary to grab a front location. If you don’t like the crowds, just skip it and let’s step into the labyrinthine network of atmospheric streets and alleys, with winding brick paths leading to secluded spots, traditional dwellings, and interesting boutiques. 

The guide will show you around the Id Kah Mosque, the second-largest mosque in Xinjiang, constructed of beautiful yellow bricks with white plaster mortar joints. Featuring a unique asymmetrical design, it has two 20-meter-high (66 ft.) minarets standing on either side, topped with a crescent moon decoration. Then come to the bustling Handicraft Street, where you may encounter a range of exquisite handicrafts, such as delicate bronzeware, ironware, distinctive handmade leather goods, and beautiful ethnic musical instruments and carpets that make for ideal souvenirs, and witness the old craftsmen's perseverance and inheritance, the spirit passed through generations. Feel a little tired? Just drop by the popular ‘A Hundred Year Old’ Tea House, which used to be the filming location of “The Kite Runner.” Step into it to relax with a cozy ambiance, and this is also the place where local people enjoy tea and gossip about everyday life and current events, frequently accompanied by happy dombra playing and Uyghur dances.Afterward, continue to the Abakh Khoja Tomb, a beautiful and holy piece of Islamic architecture inlaid with blue and green glazed tiles, whose dome changes color in the afternoon sunshine, presenting the superior aesthetics of the Uyghur. Please note that shoes should be removed upon entering the main hall, and ladies are required to wear headscarves (available for rent at the entrance). Today’s sightseeing comes to an end here. The guide will escort you back to your hotel, or you can explore the old town further by yourself, enjoying the amazing night vistas as the dusk spreads over the earthen walls and the lanterns come to life one by one.

★ Special Arrangement (Sunday only): 

If your visit falls on Sunday, we’ll also visit the characteristic Sunday Livestock Market. Witness the exchange of the bulls and sheep, and try the unique stress-relief method, touching sheep’s buttocks. Though sounding a little strange, it is truly a popular trend among young people in China. Apart from experiencing the bouncy and soft feel, touching rumps is also a traditional hidden skill for local herdsmen to pick good sheep. Also, prepare some cash if you want to taste local freshly-made barbecues. 

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar (5 stars)

This morning, swap your fulfilling and enjoyable private Xinjiang trip for a homeward journey. Your guide and the driver will escort you to the airport at the appointed time. Wish you a pleasant journey! If you would like to extend your Silk Road exploration to Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, welcome to contact us to tailor it!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast