Details
Urumqi Arrival
Welcome to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang and the world’s most inland city. Your driver will meet you at Diwopu International Airport and transfer you to your hotel. Rest or explore the nearby streets at your own pace.
Meals: Not included
Accommodation: Overnight in Urumqi
Urumqi – Heavenly Lake – Urumqi (Heavenly Lake & International Grand Bazaar)
After breakfast, drive 70 km to Heavenly Lake (Tianshan Tianchi), a crescent-shaped alpine lake surrounded by spruce forests and snow-capped peaks. Walk along the 12.5 km lakeside trail or enjoy optional activities such as:
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Boat cruise around the lake
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Ma Ya Mountain cable car to 3,056 m for panoramic views
Return to Urumqi and visit the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, the largest Islamic-style bazaar in the world—perfect for shopping, photography and local snacks.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Urumqi
Tianshan Tianchi Lake
Tianshan Tianchi Lake
Urumqi – Turpan (Tuyugou Village, Jiaohe, Karez Well System, Emin Minaret)
Drive 3 hours (180 km) to Turpan, China’s “Fire City.” Enjoy views of salt lakes and Asia’s largest wind farm on the way.
Highlights today:
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Flaming Mountains – iconic red sandstone ridges from Journey to the West
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Tuyugou Mazar Village – one of the oldest Uyghur settlements
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Jiaohe Ruins – the world’s best-preserved ancient earthen city
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Karez Irrigation System – one of China’s three great ancient projects
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Emin Minaret (Sugong Tower) – classic Islamic architecture
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Turpan
jiaohe ruins
Flaming Mountains
Turpan → Dunhuang (High-speed Train or Flight)
Transfer to the station or airport:
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High-speed train: Turpan → Liuyuan South (3.5 hrs), then 2-hour pickup transfer to Dunhuang
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Flight: 1 hr 15 min to Dunhuang
Evening free time. Optional: visit Shazhou Night Market for local snacks.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang
Shazhou Night Market
Shazhou Night Market
Dunhuang: Mogao Caves & Mingsha Mountain with Crescent Lake
Visit the world-famous Mogao Caves, the largest Buddhist art treasure in existence. Begin at the Digital Exhibition Center before exploring 8 selected grottoes with a professional guide.
In the afternoon, explore Mingsha (Echoing Sand) Dunes and Crescent Lake, a desert oasis unchanged for thousands of years. Optional activities: camel riding, sandboarding, dune buggy, or glider flight.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang
Mingsha Mountain
Mogao Caves
Dunhuang – Jiayuguan (Fortress & Overhanging Great Wall)
Drive 400 km (5 hrs) to Jiayuguan, the western end of the Ming Great Wall.
Visit:
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Overhanging Great Wall – steep ridge-top fortification
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Jiayuguan Fortress – “First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven”
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Jiayuguan
Jiayuguan
Cantilever Great Wall
Jiayuguan – Zhangye (Rainbow Mountains & Giant Buddha Temple)
Drive to Zhangye and explore:
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Zhangye Rainbow Mountains (Danxia National Geopark) – China’s most colorful landform
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Giant Buddha Temple – home to China’s largest indoor reclining Buddha
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Zhangye
Great Buddha Temple
Colorful Danxia
Zhangye → Xining – Qinghai Lake (Erliangjian Scenic Area)
Take a high-speed train to Xining. Your guide will greet you and drive 2.5–3 hrs to Qinghai Lake, China’s largest saltwater lake.
Visit Erliangjian Scenic Area, where blue lake water meets golden rapeseed fields (best from July–August).
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Chaka Town
Qinghai Lake
Erlang Mountain
Chaka Salt Lake → Xining
Visit Chaka Salt Lake, known as China’s “Mirror of the Sky.” Walk on the reflective salt surface or take the small vintage-style train into the lake.
Drive 3.5–4 hrs back to Xining.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Overnight in Xining
Chaka Salt Lake
Chaka Salt Lake
Xining Half-Day Tour – Departure
Visit Ta’er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery), one of the six major Gelugpa monasteries and the birthplace of Tsongkhapa, founder of Tibetan Buddhism’s Gelug sect.
After the visit, transfer to the airport or train station for departure.
Thank you for traveling the Silk Road with us — wishing you a pleasant onward journey!
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: return home
Colorful Danxia
Tashilhunpo Monastery
Dates & Prices
| Month | Date | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2026-01 | $ 1899 | Book now |
| Feb | 2026-02 | $ 1899 | Book now |
| Mar | 2026-03 | $ 1899 | Book now |
| Apr | 2026-04 | $ 1899 | Book now |
| May | 2026-05 | $ 1899 | Book now |
You are consulting 2025-04-12 10 Day Tour Revisiting the Silk Road | Urumqi+Dunhuang+Jiayuguan+Chaka Salt Lake+Xining
Fee Description
Fee Description
1. According to your travel needs, you can specify the accommodation standards for the itinerary, such as 3-5 star hotels.
2. Travel prices may fluctuate due to factors such as travel dates, group sizes, hotel levels, and others
Cost includes
Transportation: including second-class seats on the Turpan Liuyuan high-speed train; Zhangye Xining high-speed train second-class seat;
Hotel: Provides standard double rooms with basic room types (does not guarantee natural single rooms or king size rooms, does not occupy beds, and does not provide breakfast); If there are single male and single female guests in the group, if there are other single same-sex guests willing to share the room, the travel agency will assist in arranging the sharing. If they cannot share the room, they will need to make up for the single room difference
Meals: including hotel breakfast, meals to be taken care of by oneself, tour guide will assist in arranging
Ticket: Includes the first major ticket to the scenic spots listed in the itinerary, as well as necessary transportation within the scenic area such as shuttle buses. In case of unforeseen circumstances that prevent visitors from visiting, we will negotiate with tourists to exchange the scenic spots
Vehicle: Full vehicle cost (including road and bridge tolls, fuel costs, vehicle entry fees, and self funded usage time); The use of the car will be arranged according to the number of people. If the tourist abandons the trip on their own, the fare will not be refunded
Shuttle: This itinerary is for individual group travel. When picking up and dropping off, guests from similar time periods will be arranged together, and the waiting time for guests may vary from about 1.5 hours. One day in advance, the staff will confirm the pick-up and drop off time with the guest. If you do not want to wait, you can notify the travel agency one day in advance to arrange a separate pick-up and drop off, and the cost will be borne by yourself
Tour guide: Arrange bilingual tour guides in Chinese/English/Chinese English according to the actual situation
Insurance: Travel accident insurance, tour bus seat insurance, travel agency liability insurance (all three insurances are complete)
Additional service: 2 bottles of mineral water are provided free of charge per person per day
Exclusions
Transportation: Excluding major transportation costs for arrival and departure
Single room difference: Excluding single room difference caused by single occupancy
Personal consumption: laundry, telephone, fax, pay TV, beverages, snacks, tobacco and alcohol, and other personal consumption in the hotel
Unexpected situation: Due to uncontrollable objective reasons and non travel agency reasons (such as natural disasters, wars, strikes, epidemics, etc.) or special circumstances such as airline flight reasons, insufficient registration numbers, etc., travel agencies have the right to cancel or change the itinerary, and the corresponding excess fees will be charged by the travel agency.
