11-day Silk Road Bullet Train Tour

Summary: Take the private bullet train tour is the best way to experience the silk road culture for the friends who wants to enjoy their holiday flexibly. This tour combined with historical site and amazing west China landscape, such as the Zhangye Danxi Park, Mogao Grottoes, Camel-Riding, picturesque Tianshan Mountain.

Day 1  Beijing or Shanghai or Guangzhou or Chengdu /Lanzhou

Take international flight arrive in Beijing.or Shanghai or Guangzhou or Chengdu, then transfer to the domestic flight to Lanzhou, pick up at the airport then transfer to the hotel. Lanzhou is an important transportation hub. The legacy of centuries of travel and trade on the Silk Road are the Bingling Temple Grottoes near Lanzhou and ancient temples and fortifications in the Hexi Corridor, and the modern city of Lanzhou offers the Gansu Provincial Museum as a travel highlight and modern facilities for a Silk Road tour.
On and off for about 1,600 years after 100 BC, the Silk Road through the Hexi Corridor and Lanzhou was an important trade route.
Overnight : Lanzhou Meals : No

Day 2   Lanzhou

Train No. recommended: D2673 (17:02-21:24)

Morning visiting: Visit the Binglinsi Temple (1.5hrs driving). Enjoy Cruising from Liujiaxia Gorge to Binglingsi Thousand Buddha Caves, which stretch for 200 meters, were built during the Western Qin, North Wei, Sui, Tang, and Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing dynasties (between the 3rd and 18th centuries). They are highly valued for their contribution to research into the history of Chinese painting and the spread of Buddhism during that time.

Afternoon visiting: City tour, visit the first bridge Of the Yellow River, it is the first highway bridge in the ancient Yellow River, also the second city steel bridge in China. Then transfer to Yellow River’s Mother Statue, explore the ancient  history and culture of Gansu Province and stroll around the Water-wheel park, an ancient  irrigation tool. Last, transfer to the train station and take an express train to Zhangye for rest.
Overnight : Lanzhou Meals : B L D

Day 3   Zhangye Jiayuguan

Train No. recommended: D2749 (17:19-18:28)
Visiting items: Grand Buddha Temple, Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park

Morning visiting: Visit the Grand Buddha Temple, which is the important place of the Silk Road. The Giant Buddha Temple is the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province of the Western Xia (1038-1227) period. China‘s largest reclining Buddha is well preserved in this temple.

Afternoon visiting: Visit the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, which is 510 square kilometers in total, it located in the north of Qilian mountain, SuNa County territory. It includes the colorful hills in Linze county , ice hills, Danxia and GanZhou District and PingShan lake. The scenic Danxia, is a distance of 40 km from east Zhang Ye city, north from Linze county town by 20 kilometers, this is the most typical arid area of northern China. Last, take the express train to Jiayuguan. Met and be transferred to the hotel for rest.
Overnight : Jiayuguan Meals : B L D

Day 4   Jiayuguan Dunhuang (350kms, 4.5hrs driving)

Visiting items: Jiayuguan pass, Weijin Tombs, Echoing Sand Mountaion&Crescent Lake,Shazhou Night Market

Morning visiting: Visit the Jiayuguan pass. This Ming Dynasty fort guards the strategic Jiayuguan pass, at the western end of the Great Wall – this was the last section built in the Ming Dynasty. Then travel to Weijin Tombs, which are ancient tombs of brick paintings dating back 265-420 AD. The wall paintings discovered are lifelike and succinct in style and cover a wide range of subjects including politics, economy, culture, military affairs, folk customs, and science and technology during the Wei and Jin periods.

Afternoon visiting: Drive to Dunhuang for about 4.5 hours. Upon arrival, visit the Echoing-Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake. Echoing-Sand Mountain, known as Mingsha Mountain to the world, it is famous for the constant sound of the moving sand and the Crescent Lake, situated within the Echoing-Sand Mountain Park. The Crescent Moon Lake is an oasis in the desert. The name of the lake derives from the crescent moon shape taken by the pool of spring water between two large sand dunes. Then you can stroll around the Shazhou Night Market, the most bustling place of Dunhuang at night, taste the local cuisine and buy some souvenirs for your family and friends.
Overnight : Dunhuang Meals : B L D

Day 5   Dunhuang Turpan

Train No. recommended:  D2711 (17:30-21:03)

Visiting items: Mogao Grottoes

Morning visiting: Visit the Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, this UNESCO World Heritage site is one of the great artistic and religious wonders of the world and it is famous for its exquisite murals and various sculptures inside the caves, which was built in different dynasties, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhism art.

Afternoon visiting: Drive about 1.5hrs to the train station, take the express train to Turpan which has been built into a beautiful oasis garden city, not only features in history and civilization of the ancient Silk Road, but also presents modern elegant demeanors. Now Turpan is an important base of grape, cotton, Hami melon and oil of the autonomous region and even in our country. Upon arrival, visit the local Uygur family in the vineyard.
Overnight : Turpan Meals : B L D

Day 6   Turpan Urumqi (200kms, 3hrs driving)

Visiting Items: Karez Well, Emin Minaret, Jiaohe Ruins

Morning visiting: City tour, first visit Jiaohe Ruins with a long history over 2,000 years, the name of the ruins means ‘confluence of two rivers by the two sides of the city on the cliff‘. You can spend couple hours wandering around this ancient city  and pursue the past civilization along the ancient Silk Road.Then visit the Emin Minaret (Sugong Minaret), the minaret tower was built in1777 ( the 43rd year of the long reign of Qianlong Emperor during the Qing Dynasty). It is the embodiment of the ancient architectural arts of the Uighur people. The body of the tower is cylindrical shape, built with bricks arranged in various symmetrical patterns on the outer wall. The tower has 14 windows and a spiral-shape stairs inside up to the top.

Afternoon visiting: Karez Irrigation system,is  an unique, ancient irrigation system, which is still used today in Turpan. It takes advantage of the slopes, draws the underground water to flow by itself to irrigate farmland. It consists of four parts: vertical wells, underground channels, ground canals, and small reservoir. Then, we drive to Urumqi and transfer to the hotel and check in.
Overnight : Urumqi Meals : B L D

Day 7   Urumqi Heavenly Lake / Kashgar (120kms, 1.5hrs driving)

Visiting items: the Heavenly Lake, Xinjiang International Bazaar or Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum

Morning visiting: Visit the Heavenly Lake, a picturesque Alpine lake, 2000m up in the Tianshan mountain range. Heavenly Lake is a long and narrow gourd-shape moraine lake, 3400 meters long, about 1500 meters wide, 105 meters at the deepest point, with an average depth of 40 meters, covering an area of about 5.9 square kilometers. There are eight beautiful scenic spots in the lake scenic area.

Afternoon visiting:

Option 1: Visit the Xinjiang International Bazaar, the largest bazaar in Urumqi. You‘ll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and almost anything that you can imagine.

Option 2: Visiting the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum would be the best way to get all of the information in a short time. Xinjiang ,  known as ”Western  Region”, an important section of the ancient Silk Road in history, endowed with large quantities of cultural relics and historical sites underground as well as above ground. The basic exhibits of the Museum consist of four sections. They are : Xinjiang Ancient Historical and Cultural Relics Exhibition, Xinjiang Minority Folkloristic Exhibition, Xinjiang Ancient Corpses Exhibition and Xinjiang Revolutionary Cultural Relics and Historical Materials Exhibition.. The display and exhibition represent the histories of the people of various nationalities in Xinjiang living and multiplying and creating their splendid cultures and show the world’s economies and cultures exchange between the east and west along the ancient Silk Road. Last, take flight to Kashgar. Pick up at the airport, then transfer to the hotel to rest.

Overnight : Kashgar Meals : B L D

Day 8   Kashgar

Visiting items: Apak Khoja Tomb,Sunday Bazaar,Kashgar Old Town,

Handicraft street, Idigar Mosque

Morning visiting: City tour. Drive to the Apak Khoja Tomb, This Mazar is the holiest place in Xinjiang for the Muslims, and an architectural treasure. Built in 1640, it is reminiscent of the Central Asian artistic style of Samarkand or Isfahan. The site is also known as the Xiang Fei (Fragrant Concubine) Tomb in memory of Apak Khoja‘s granddaughter, Iparhan, who was the Fragrant Concubine of Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty. A handsome blue-and-white tiled gate leads into the compound, which includes a small religious school and the Apak Hoja family tombs.
Visit the Sunday Bazaar, This is called “Sunday” bazaar, but it is open daily, even though it is busiest on Sundays. Streets near this big market are jammed with farmers and buyers arriving by donkey- cart, truck, bicycle, horse, mule, motobike, or on foot, with their animals. It is loud, lively and cheerful as they arrive, eat breakfast, set up their animals and check out the action. Cattle, sheep (they definitely look different), goats, donkeys, horses have their own sections. Sellers show off their animals as “good eaters” (most go as livestock, not meat). The entire experience is fascinating and fun.
Afternoon visiting: Kashgar Old Town, you will see the cabaret performance in the old town around 10:00am every morning, and in walking the streets of its Old Town, one gets the sense of what this legendary Central Asian hub was like in the days when the Silk Road was at its zenith. Visit the small alleys to look at the characteristic Uygur residences. You will experience and enjoy the culture and history that has been retained in the small alleys and deep courtyards. In the alleys on platforms beside the residence you could marvel at the even more ancient primitive workshops for hand-made earthenware. Some 17 or 18 antique workshops have been restored. Then, stroll around the Old Town, to explore the local lifestyle and unique architecture, most of the folk houses here all have a hundred years of history. then we will take you to visit the Handicraft street, it gathered hundreds of handicraft workshops, Uygur hats, pottery, musical instrument, you can find everything what you want, which has become a boutique exhibition for handicraft in Kashgar and Central Asia. We are going to Idigar Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and the most famous one in Xinjiang. It has a history of about 500 years. The mosque itself is a magnificent Islamic architecture. During the Islamic festivals, thousands of Uygur people gather in the mosque and pray. After pray, it becomes a sea of joy and celebration.
Overnight : Kashgar Meals : B L D

Day 9  Kashgar /Karakul Lake/ Tashkurghan

Visiting items: Karakul Lake, Muztagh Ata

Morning visiting: Driving on the China-Pakistan Friendly highway about 4hrs to enjoy the landscape of Pamirs Plateau.. we stop in the Opal village to visit the traditional bustling bazaar. The following day will be spent exploring the stunning landscape surrounding the Karakul Lake, where the herds of livestock around the lakeside are reflected in lake and is extraordinarily graceful, where Kirghiz herdsmen usually settle down and graze their herds. You will have ample opportunity for leisure walking and enjoy the Magnificant Muztagh Peak. It is highly recommended to visit the local Kirgiz family in their yurt.

Afternoon Visiting: Then drive directly to Tashkurghan via Muztagh Ata(7546m in altitude)-called the "Father of Glacier", Konger Mountains(7719m in altitude).The Karakoram Highway connects the Silk Road Oasis of  Kashgar with Rawalpindi in Pakistan via the 4730-metre Khunjerab  Pass. Arrive and check in at the hotel.

Overnight : Tashkurghan Meals : B L D

Day 10   Tashkurghan / Kashgar

Visiting items: Stone Casstle

Morning visiting: Visit Sone Casstle. It is located in the north-east corner of the county,on the only hill of the Tashkurghan River, built in Tang Dynasty (7 century).

Afternoon visiting: Then drive back to Kashgar, sightseeing on the way.

Day 11   Kashgar / Other city of China or central Asia and Exit

Early in the morning, take flight to other city or take car to the Turgat or Irkshtan Pass to central Asia and exit, back to your sweet home, finish the tour in China.