Silk Road In-depth
603: 22 Days Private Tour of Beijing - Urumqi - Korla - Kuqa - Aksu - Kashgar - Hotan - Minfeng - Korla - Turpan - Dunhuang - Xi'an - Shanghai
Tour Type: Private Tour, any parts of the itinerary can be customized
Guide & Driver: English-speaking guide, experienced driver with an air-conditioned vehicle
Meals: 21 breakfasts, 15 lunches with some being a la carte style
Highlights:
Guide & Driver: English-speaking guide, experienced driver with an air-conditioned vehicle
Meals: 21 breakfasts, 15 lunches with some being a la carte style
Highlights:
- Must-see sights in China - Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors
- Travel in depth to the old Silk Road & learn about the culture and history
- Marvel at the pearl in the Gobi Desert - Dunhuang and enjoy a camel riding
- Experience the Bund, classical garden, modern and old in contrast in Shanghai
From USD6409USD5639Free Inquiry
- Itinerary
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Day 1 Arrival in Beijing
Sincere greetings & airport-hotel transfer.
Our guide will greet you outside the customs at Beijing Capital International Airport and escort you to the hotel. The rest of the day is free for you.
Meals: No meals, advice freely available
Meals: No meals, advice freely available
Day 2 Beijing
Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, A la carte lunch, Temple of Heaven. (B+L)
Your private visit will start from Tiananmen Square this morning. Located in the heart of the city, it is a must before proceeding to the Forbidden City. The largest imperial palace complex does deserve your admiration while walking through these splendid halls in line. Palace of Heavenly Purity can never be missed as the residence for the emperor. It looks similar with other many palaces in the Forbidden City, but our guide will tell you the secret about this mysterious palace. Although Palace of Heavenly Purity has the west and east chambers likewise, there are two floors with nine rooms inside. For the emperor’s safety, it had the same decoration and housed three beds each room. Thus, it became impossible to find the emperor quickly without a sound. You can see the windows here to simply learn the mazy layout under the guidance of our guide.
To avoid having lunch at the cheap low-quality eateries arranged by most agencies, we will serve you an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a noted local restaurant to taste the authentic Chinese food.
In the afternoon, you will visit the Temple of Heaven which is regarded as one of the world's best architecture, especially the heaven-like Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
To avoid having lunch at the cheap low-quality eateries arranged by most agencies, we will serve you an a la carte lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) at a noted local restaurant to taste the authentic Chinese food.
In the afternoon, you will visit the Temple of Heaven which is regarded as one of the world's best architecture, especially the heaven-like Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
Our Guests at Forbidden City
Temple of Heaven
Day 3 Beijing
Mutianyu Great Wall with a round-trip cable car ride, Olympic Bird's Nest. (B)
After breakfast, we will drive you to the Mutianyu Great Wall in suburban Beijing. The round trip cable car is included. This outstanding section of Great Wall will be a highlight of your 22 days China tour.
After that, we will transfer you to a local market in downtown area. You could have a glance at the huge Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium) on the way to the market.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
After that, we will transfer you to a local market in downtown area. You could have a glance at the huge Bird's Nest (Olympic National Stadium) on the way to the market.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Our Guests at Mutianyu Great Wall
Bird's Nest, Beijing
Day 4 Beijing - Urumqi
Summer Palace. Fly to Urumqi. Airport-hotel transfer. (B)
You will have a scenic excursion to the graceful Summer Palace this morning. Constructed to please the royal family, the park has centralized the best of ancient buildings and gardening. Its charm also cheers up travelers nowadays. Lunch is arranged on your own. Later, our guide will transfer you to take a flight to Urumqi. Your local guide will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel for a one-night stay. Your private Silk Road adventure will start tomorrow.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Day 5 Urumqi - Korla
Urumqi-Korla transfer (about 6 hours), Tiemen Pass. (B+L)
After breakfast, you will take a car for about 6 hours (500 kilometers) down to Korla by crossing Tianshan Mountain. There will be a visit to the Tiemen Pass, which was an importation military throat on the Silk Road of 2,000 years ago. From here, the ancient Silk Road will turn into a narrow and zigzag valley along the Peacock River. Tonight, you will stay at a nice hotel in Korla.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Day 6 Korla - Kuqa
Korla-Kuqa transfer (about 3 hours), Subashi Ruins. (B+L)
Driving eastwards for about 3 hours (280 kilometers), you will arrive in Kuqa, which is the birthplace of Qiuci Culture and noted for the local featured knife. You could visit the Subash Ruins which has witnessed the flourish of Buddhism in Xinjiang during the 6th to the 8th centuries.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Day 7 Kuqa - Aksu
Kuqa-Aksu transfer, Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves. (B+L)
After breakfast, you are going to the Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves in Baicheng County, about 50 kilometers to the east of Kuqa. On the cliffs of the Mingwudage Mountain, there are hundreds of caves lasting for three kilometers, consisting of exquisite murals and vivid Buddha statues in large quantity. These treasure troves do narrate the prosperous history of Xinjiang in all respects and the external communication from the 3rd to the 13th centuries. Taking another 4 hours (298 kilometers), you will reach Aksu and stay there for one night.
Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Subash Ruins
Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves
Day 8 Aksu - Kashgar
Aksu-Kashgar transfer (about 6 hours). (B+L)
There will be a 6-hour drive for about 500 kilometers to Kashgar today. Upon arrival, you will check in a local hotel for a three-night stay.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Day 9 Kashgar - Karakuri Lake - Kashgar
Transfer to visit Karakuri Lake. (B+L)
In the morning, you will take the car for 3.5 hours (200 kilometers) to the Karakuri Lake which is located 3,600 meters above sea level. Surrounded by snow mountains to the east of the Pamirs, this lake offers local herds with fertile grassland and travelers with extraordinary charming scenery. You could also see the yurts, camels and horses of the Tajik people inhabiting here.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Karakuri Lake
The Tajik People
Day 10 Kashgar
Sunday Market, Id Kah Mosque, Abakh Khoja Tomb. (B+L)
The Kashgar city sightseeing is arranged today. Firstly visit the famous Sunday Bazaar where you could experience the real daily life in Xinjiang. On the market, there are various kinds of local goods, such as fresh fruit, snacks, colorful clothes, delicate handicrafts as well as livestock. The following destination is the Id Kah Mosque located in the city center. It is the largest mosque in China originally built in 1142 and the center of Moslem activities in Xinjiang. Finally, you will visit the Abakh Khoja Tomb which is a large and unsophisticated family graveyard of the local leaders in the 17th century. The graveyard consists of gate tower, tombs, pond, garden and mosques, looking like a typical Islamic palace.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Sunday Bazaar
Abakh Khoja Tomb
Day 11 Kashgar - Hotan
Kashgar-Hotan transfer (about 7 hours), Yarkant King Mausoleum, Amanishahan's Mausoleum. (B+L)
Leaving from Kashgar, you are going to Hotan, another famous city in south Xinjiang. The 520-kilometer journey, dotted with gobi, desert and oasis, will take you about 7 hours by car. On the way, you could visit the 500-year Yarkant King Mausoleum and Amanishahan's Mausoleum in Shache County (or Yarkant County). Tonight, you will stay at a nice hotel in Hotan.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Day 12 Hotan - Minfeng
Hotan-Minfeng transfer (about 2.5 hours), Silk Village, a hundred years' old walnut tree, a local bazaar, Yutian city. (B+L)
Hotan has been noted for producing jade, carpet and silk. Therefore, it is a must to visit the Silk Village, which also boasts a hundred-year-old walnut tree. After that, the car will run eastwards for 3.5 hours (300 kilometers) to Minfeng County. While passing by Yutian County, you can visit a local bazaar. Please have a good rest in Minfeng tonight.
Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Day 13 Minfeng - Korla
Minfeng-Korla transfer (about 3 to 10 hours) via Takla Makan Desert. (B+L)
The most challenging section will occur today. You will take the car running through the Takla Makan Desert from Minfeng northwards back to Korla City. Located in the middle of the large Tarim Basin, Takla Makan is the largest desert in China with shifting dunes and poplar forest. The whole journey is 780 kilometers and takes you 9 to 10 hours.
Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Chinese breakfast, Lunch
Day 14 Korla - Turpan
Korla-Turpan transfer (about 5 hours). (B+L)
From Korla, you will head for Turpan located in the basin of the east Tianshan Mountain. Having a 400-year recorded history, Turpan has played as a transportation and cultural communication hub on the Silk Road. The 380 -kilometer journey will be finished in 5 hours. Upon arrival, you will check in a local hotel for a two-night stay.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Day 15 Turpan
Jiaohe Ruins, Sugong Pagoda, Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves, Flaming Hill (drive by). (B+L)
Today's visit includes the Ruins of Ancient City of Jiaohe, the Sugong Pagoda, the Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves, and the Flaming Mountains. Jiaohe City was constructed by Cheshi State from the 2nd BC to the 5th AD and gradually declined in the 14th century. You could see the relics of the principal body to recall its glory. The Sugong Pagoda is a novel Islamic pagoda built 200 years ago. The Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves was originally carved since the 6th century on the cliffs of the Mutou Valley of the Flaming Mountain, and once the royal temple during 9th~13th centuries. Due to man-made and natural damage, only 83 caves with rare Buddha murals are preserved.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Ancient City of Jiaohe
Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves
Day 16 Turpan - Dunhuang
Karez Well. High speed train to Dunhuang. Railway station-hotel transfer. (B)
The historical tour of Turpan will be extended to the Karez System which is a widely used underground irrigating system in Turpan. As your Xinjiang tour ends today, our guide will transfer you to take a high speed train to Dunhuang. Upon your arrival, a local guide will pick you up at Liuyuan Railway Station of Dunhuang and transfer you to the hotel.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Day 17 Dunhuang
Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang Museum. (B+L)
Today you will visit the fabulous Mogao Caves today, which is the shining pearl and the Oriental Louvre on the Silk route. At the following Dunhuang Museum, you could see more historical and cultural relics excavated in this region.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Day 18 Dunhuang - Xi'an
Echoing-Sand Dune (camel-riding) and Crescent Lake. Fly to Xian. Airport-hotel transfer. (B+L)
You will experience a short camel-ride along the Echoing-Sand Mountain to reach the Crescent Lake. Later, our guide will transfer you to Dunhuang Airport to take a flight to Xian. Upon arrival in the airport, the guide will escort you to the hotel.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch
Mogao Grottoes
Our Guests at Echoing-Sand Dune
Day 19 Xi'an
Terracotta Army Museum, Provincial History Museum, Big Wild Goose Pagoda. (B)
You should never miss the Terracotta Warriors and Horses. After breakfast, we will transfer you to the museum, and enough time will be left for you to see these life-size and mighty statues of 2,000 years ago.
In the afternoon, you will proceed to the Provincial Historical Museum to better understand this renowned ancient capital of deep historical and cultural accumulation. After that, you will be taken to visit the majestic Big Wild Goose Pagoda build 1,300 years ago in the Tang Dynasty.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
In the afternoon, you will proceed to the Provincial Historical Museum to better understand this renowned ancient capital of deep historical and cultural accumulation. After that, you will be taken to visit the majestic Big Wild Goose Pagoda build 1,300 years ago in the Tang Dynasty.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Our Guests at the Terracotta Army
Our Guests at City Wall
Day 20 Xi'an - Shanghai
City Wall, Great Mosque, Muslim Market. Fly to Shanghai. Airport-hotel transfer. (B)
Your tour this morning will be focused on the ancient City Wall, where you could have a bird's view of this city. After that, you will visit the Great Mosque and the nearby Muslim market. The Silk Road comes to the end in Xian but your tour will be extended to Shanghai. Our professional guide will be waiting for you at Shanghai Airport and transfer you to the hotel.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Day 21 Shanghai
Shanghai Museum, Yuyuan Garden, A la carte lunch, Huangpu River cruise, the Bund and an old cultural street. (B+L)
In the morning, you will firstly go to Shanghai Museum which exhibits plenty of Chinese historical collections in various aspects. The next destination is the tranquil Yuyuan Garden, a 400-year luxurious and enjoyable private residence.
A delicate a la carte farewell lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) will be served at a popular local restaurant. In the afternoon, you could take a Huangpu River Cruise to view this metropolis' great changes on the river's two banks. After disembarking on the Bund, it is suggested that you walk around this famous area and then visit an old street in Shanghai.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
A delicate a la carte farewell lunch (valued at CNY150.00 per person and included in our price) will be served at a popular local restaurant. In the afternoon, you could take a Huangpu River Cruise to view this metropolis' great changes on the river's two banks. After disembarking on the Bund, it is suggested that you walk around this famous area and then visit an old street in Shanghai.
Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch
Yu Garden
Pudong Area Seen from the Bund
Day 22 Departure from Shanghai
Hotel-airport transfer & see you off. A nice journey home! (B)
Please enjoy your free time before departure! Our guide will transfer you to take the homebound flight on time. May you a pleasant trip home!
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Meals: Western buffet breakfast
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This trip can be customized to meet your individual needs!
Destinations | Standard Hotels | Luxury Hotels |
---|---|---|
Beijing | Beijing New World Centre Tongpai Hotel | Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town |
Urumqi | Excemon Xinjiang Yilite Hotel | Conrad Urumqi Hotel |
Korla | Bosteng Hotel | Kangcheng Jianguo International Hotel |
Kuqa | Ku Che Grand Hotel | Ku Che Grand Hotel |
Aksu | Hongfu Jinlan Hotel | Hongfu Jinlan Hotel |
Kashgar | Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar | Radisson Blu Hotel Kashgar |
Hotan | West Lake International Hotel | West Lake International Hotel |
Minfeng | Ni Ya Hotel | Ni Ya Hotel |
Turpan | Mercure Hotel Turpan Downtown | Mercure Hotel Turpan Downtown |
Dunhuang | Dunhuang Hotel Building No. 8 | Dunhuang Hotel Building No. 8 |
Xian | Holiday Inn Xian Big Goose Pagoda | Wyndham Grand Xian South |
Shanghai | Sunrise On The Bund | Radisson Blu Hotel Shanghai New World |
Tour Prices
Christmas & 2025 Special: 12% off - Book before Dec 31, 2024
Tour Prices with Standard Hotels | |
---|---|
2-3 travelers | 4-5 travelers |
USD7629 USD6713 | USD6409 USD5639 |
Tour Prices with Luxury Hotels | |
---|---|
2-3 travelers | 4-5 travelers |
USD8029 USD7065 | USD6819 USD6000 |
- Prices are per person on twin sharing.
- The prices in red reflect 12% discount.
- If you are a group of 6 people or more, we will offer a more favorable price by your group size.
Price Includes
- Domestic airfares & train fares
- Hotel accommodation with breakfasts
- Lunches as itinerary specifies
- Private English-speaking guides
- Private drivers & air-conditioned vehicles
- Entrance fees to tourist sites
Price Excludes
- International airfares
- Entry Visa fees
- Personal expenses
- Tips or gratuities for guides and drivers
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