13-Day Silk Road Group Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Kashgar

• Pickup: You’ll be met at Kashgar Airport (with a welcome sign) and transferred to your hotel for check-in (see departure details for specifics).
• Free Time: The rest of the day is yours to explore Kashgar at your leisure (3-hour stop for initial arrangements & free exploration).

Day 2: Kashgar → Taxkorgan (320km / ~6hrs Drive)

• Morning: After breakfast, meet your guide and driver at the hotel lobby. First, visit Kashgar’s famous Sunday Bazaar:
  • The covered bazaar sells clothing, nuts, household goods, and more.
  • The outdoor Animal Bazaar (first stop) is lively—farmers and buyers arrive with animals via donkey cart, truck, bike, horseback, or on foot, and you can watch their typical bargaining.
• Afternoon: Drive 4 hours along the China-Pakistan Highway to enjoy Pamirs Plateau scenery. Visit Karakul Lake, where livestock herds reflect in the water and Kyrghiz herdsmen graze their animals.
• Overnight: Continue to Taxkorgan County for a stay (3-hour stop for key attractions).

Day 3: Taxkorgan → Kashgar

• Morning: Before heading back to Kashgar, visit Taxkorgan Stone Fortress (oval-shaped, with sun-dried brick walls on stone foundations; outer circumference 1,285m). Walk the new wooden pathways across Golden Grassland for better photos of the fortress.
• Local Experience: Wander the pastures to learn about Tajik customs.
• Return: Drive back to Kashgar (4-hour stop for sightseeing & travel).

Day 4: Kashgar City Tour → Fly to Urumqi

• Full-Day City Tour: Meet your guide and driver at the hotel lobby for:
  • Idigar Mosque: China’s largest mosque, sacred for local Islamic activities (40-minute stop).
  • Kashgar Old Town: Catch the 10:30 opening ceremony with a cultural show; visit a local Uyghur family to experience daily life.
  • Handicraft Street: Wander the bustling street with jewelry, primitive pottery, unique musical instruments, and local daily goods.
  • Tea-House Break: Relax in a traditional tea-house to immerse in local culture.
• Transfer: After the tour, head to Kashgar Airport for your flight to Urumqi.

Day 5: Urumqi → Heavenly Lake (120km / ~1.5hrs Drive)

• Heavenly Lake: Drive to the scenic lake (surrounded by snow-capped mountains, wildflowers, and pine trees). Choose to hike around the lake or take a cable car up Maya Mountain for mountain views (2-hour stop).
• Return to Urumqi: Drive back (~1.5hrs), then visit Xinjiang International Bazaar (Urumqi’s largest market—filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets, etc.).

Day 6: Urumqi → Turpan (200km / ~3hrs Drive)

• Turpan Highlights: Drive to Turpan to explore its historic sites and oases:
  • Tuyoq Village: Ancient Uyghur village in Flaming Mountains Canyon (divided into canyon scenery, Mazar tombs, and old settlement architecture).
  • Jiaohe Ruins: One of China’s best-preserved ancient city ruins (UNESCO World Heritage Site since June 22, 2014) (2-hour stop).

Day 7: Turpan → Dunhuang (by Bullet Train)

• Morning:
  • Karez Well: Visit the unique underground irrigation system—explore the ancient engineering and escape summer heat.
  • Turpan Grandpa’s Antique Museum: A private collection run by a friendly 71-year-old local (loved by residents).
  • Sugong Minaret: China’s tallest Islamic minaret (built in 1778).
• Transfer: Head to Turpan Train Station for a bullet train to Liuyuan South Station. On arrival, meet your driver and check into a Dunhuang downtown hotel (4-hour stop for sightseeing & travel).

Day 8: Dunhuang – Mogao Grottoes & Echoing Sand Mountain

• Mogao Grottoes: Visit this “cultural treasure”—admire grottoes and murals, learn about Dunhuang’s Buddhist history via guides and films (30-minute stop for initial orientation).
• Echoing Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake: Experience sands that echo in strong winds; see Crescent Lake (has survived hundreds of years without being buried by sand).
• Evening: Wander Shazhou Night Market for local delicacies and unique goods.

Day 9: Dunhuang → Zhangye Danxia Park (590km / ~6-7hrs Drive)

• Morning: Visit Jiayuguan Pass (Ming Dynasty fort at the Great Wall’s western end) and the Great Wall Museum (opened 1989, the first museum for Great Wall culture). Note: There are many steps—plan for ~2hrs of walking/climbing.
• Drive to Zhangye: After Jiayuguan sightseeing, head to Zhangye Linze County.
• Overnight: Stay at Kaoshan Tent near Zhangye Danxia Park (5-hour stop for sightseeing & travel).

Day 10: Zhangye Rainbow Mountain → Mati Temple

• Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park: Visit the “Rainbow Mountain”—red, orange, and yellow rock ribbons create a rainbow-like landscape (typical of northern China’s arid regions).
• Transfer: Drive to Mati Temple and check into a hotel in the scenic area (6-hour stop for sightseeing & travel).

Day 11: Zhangye → Xining (1hr High-Speed Train) → Ta’er Monastery

• Morning: Take a 9am high-speed train along the Qilian Mountains to Xining (enjoy scenic views en route).
• Afternoon: At 4pm, visit Ta’er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery) (largest monk population outside Tibet):
  • Enjoy a bird’s-eye view from Thangka Sunning Terrace.
  • See Buddha stupas, murals, and prayer wheels (walk the corridor to rotate them for blessings).
  • Admire butter sculptures (one of Ta’er Monastery’s “Three Art Wonders”—featuring Buddhas, landscapes, animals, etc.) (6-hour stop for travel & sightseeing).

Day 12: Xining → Qinghai Lake → Chaka (300km / ~4hrs Drive)

• Qinghai Lake: After a 2-hour drive, choose to cycle (~1-2hrs) or hike around the lake, or explore the cole flower sea (Qinghai Lake is a natural miracle).
• Local Visit: From May-October, visit nomadic Tibetan families near the lake to learn about their lifestyle.
• Transfer: Drive 2.5hrs to Chaka for an overnight stay (4-minute stop for initial lake access; main time spent on cycling/hiking).

Day 13: Chaka Salt Lake → Xining Departure

• Chaka Salt Lake: Explore Qinghai’s largest salt lake (“Chaka” = “sea of salt” in Mongolian; one of China’s top 55 tourist spots). Take a one-way train to the lake.
• Farewell: Drive 4hrs back to Xining for your departure flight (book flights after 7pm). Wish you a pleasant journey home! (4-minute stop for initial lake access; main time spent on exploration & travel).