This incredible adventure is designed
to show you the best of this vast region in a short time span of
only two weeks and we assure you that each moment of this trip will
carve a lasting impression on your memory.
| DAY |
ITINERARY |
| 1 |
Arrive
at Beijing
Arrive at Beijing. You will be received by our guide at the
Beijing international airport, this person will assit with your
baggage and tranfer you to the hotel.
If time allows there will be short city sightseeing tour of
Beijing. |
| 2 |
Beijing
We explore the Forbidden City of Beijing today
as well as the capital's massive Tiananmen Square. Later this
afternoon, we'll hear tales of Empress Dowager Cixi as we stroll
through her Summer Palace, China's best-preserved royal garden.
Tonight Peking Duck is on the menu, followed by a show of daring
and agile acrobatics.กก |
| 3
|
Beijing
Walking the Great Wall of China is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,
and this morning we head to the small town of Huanghua to begin
this incredible adventure. After a picnic lunch on the Wall
we return to Beijing via the equally impressive Ming Tombs,
and cruise canals in boats lit with traditional red lanterns.
We'll disembark in time to enjoy dinner with a local family. |
| 4
|
Beijing/Xi'an
We fly today to Xi'an, a former Chinese capital and important
stop on the Silk Road as early as the third century BC. Our
afternoon tour visits the Old City Wall and Shaanxi Provincial
Museum, whose Forest of Steles boasts over 1000 carved stone
tablets. Later, we'll take a gander at the Grand Wild Goose
Pagoda, a place of magic healing. |
| 5
|
Xi'an
The Terra Cotta Soldiers of Xi'an are one of the most important
archaeological finds in the world, and we devote an entire day
to exploring the site and surrounding area. After lunch with
a noodle maker, we'll take a cable car ride over Huaqing Hot
Springs Park and visit Banpo, an old Neolithic (and possibly
matriarchal) village. |
| 6 |
Xian
/Dunhuang
After breakfast fly to Dunhuang,on Arrival you will bel met
in the airport of Dunhuang - The City of the Sands, a former
terminal of the ancient Silk Road perched on the edge of the
Taklamakan Desert. Dunhuang is home to some of the finest Buddhist
art. Artifacts discovered at Dunhuang span from the Northern
and Western Wei to Northern Zhou and Tang dynasties, and include
what is believed to be the oldest printed script in the world,
dating back to 868 AD. After lunch, we head out to the Mogao
Caves, which consist of 492 grottoes honeycombing a giant cliff
face, each of them housing murals, Buddhist paintings and statues. |
| 7
|
Dunhuang/Turpan
This morning we will continue to explore the Mogao grottoes.
In the afternoon we will visit Crescent Moon Lake, where the
oasis meets the desert. The spring-fed lake is set amidst towering
sand dunes from where you can take in a spectacular view of
the green oasis surrounded by an endless desert landscape. In
the evening we will board an overnight soft-sleeper train for
Turpan. |
| 8
|
Turpan
Lying 154 meters (505 ft) below sea level, the
Turpan Basin not only sits in the second largest depression
in the world, but it is one of the hottest places China. Despite
its desert location, Turpan boasts fertile land producing cotton
and grapes, thanks to the karez, an ancient irrigation system.
In Turpan, we will visit the Bezelik Caves, a set of Buddhist
cave temples that was an important Buddhist center in the 6th
to 13th centuries which today house rare examples of Buddhist
mural art. We will also tour the ancient city of Gaochang and
its necropolis, Astana, and wander the city bazaar in the evening. |
| 9 |
Turpan/Urumqi
Today we will drive to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region. Urumqi is a growing metropolis inhabited mainly by Han
Chinese and serves as a transport hub for those crossing to
Tibet, Pakistan and Central Asia. Here you can visit the lively
market at Erdaoqiao, where anything from Uygur handicrafts,
silk carpets to fruits and kebabs are sold. We will also visit
the Old Town area, where we will see how Uygurs live in today's
modern capital .
In the evening we will take an eveningflight to Kashgar. |
| 10
|
Kashgar
Situated at the foot of the impressive Pamir mountains, Kashgar
was once the key trading post bridging the East and the West
on the Silk Road. Largely inhabited by the Uygurs, this ancient
city is dotted with Muslim architecture and still retains the
exotic feel of the Silk Road era. We will visit Kashgar's lively
markets, which attract thousands of people from the far corners
of the region. They come here to sell, bargain, and trade everything
ranging from camels to raisins. Our sightseeing tour will also
include the the famous Eidgah Mosque and the tomb of Abbak Hoja.
Our tour also includes visit to the most unique old town with
typical Uyghur styled homes. We visit the various shopping alleys
full of noodle shops, bakeries, teashops, blacksmiths and carpenters.
Time has stood still - try a local taxi, which is a donkey cart. |
| 11 |
Kashgar/Urumqi
Today we will have a free day, allowing you to
explore Kashgar's old quarter, home to a fascinating mix of
ethnicities - Uygurs, Tajiks, Kyrgyz and Uzbeks - or visit one
of Kashgar's many other sights. In the evening we will take
a flight back to Urumqi. |
| 12 |
Urumqi/Beijing
Fly back to Beijing. Rest of the day free at leisure. |
| 13 |
Departure
from Beijing.
Transfer to Airport for homebound flight to departure
from Beijing. |
