Xinjiang and the Silk Road PAGE 48
DAY 05 YINING Enjoy biking and horse riding around the Sairam lake.Indulge in the breadthtaking scenery of pine trees, meadows and stupendous mountains. Visit a nomadic Kazak family in their felt yurt and tonight you have the choice of spending the night at a guest house by the lake or drive back to town. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)
DAY 06 YINING If you stay by the lake, wake up early to catch sunrise by the lake. After breakfast, drive to the Chapchal Xibo Autonomous County. In the afternoon, bike around 20km along the Yili River near the Xibo village. Enjoy dinner with a local Uygur family. Return to Yining for the night.
DAY 07 YINING / URUMQI This morning, fly to Urumqi. In the afternoon, you have time to shop at the bazaar or you can choose to visit the Regional Museum. Tonight, enjoy dinner with Uighur dancing, as well as a foot massage! (Breakfast, dinner included) DAY 08 DEPART URUMQI Transfer to the airport for your flight home. (Breakfast included)
(Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)
9 Days Silk Road-Dunhuang to Kashgar with Xian option – retracing the footsteps towards china ancient last frontier DAY 01 ARRIVE CHENGDU Fly to Chengdu. DAY 02 CHENGDU / DUNHUANG Fly to Dunhuang and after a short rest, catch sunset at Mingsha Shan (Singing Sands Mountain), named after the natural phenomenon. Visit the Crescent Moon Lake in the Gobi Desert and enjoy dinner by the dunes. (Breakfast, dinner included)
DAY 03 DUNHUANG / TURPAN Today, visit the UNESCO-listed Mogao Cave site, with its thousands of caves, each holding exquisite Buddhist murals. At an imitation Song dynasty city, go back in ancient times and indulge in the stories at the Chinese bar, tea houses and stores. After dinner, drive to Liuyuan to board the overnight train (soft sleeper) to Turpan. Train ride is about 10 hours. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)
DAY 04 TURPAN Arrive at Turpan train station at around 6am and begin your exploration with the Flaming Mountain of Monkey God fame, the ruins of Gao Chang and the Bezeklik Caves. After lunch, have a short siesta before continuing to tour the Emin Minaret, the Karez underground irrigation system and Turpan Museum.
DAY 06 URUMQI / KASHGAR Drive 3 hours to Tian Chi (Heavenly Lake). With scenery reminiscent of Switzerland, the alpine pastures around the lake are home to the grazing horses of the yurt-dwelling Kazakhs. Return to Urumqi in the afternoon to visit the Xinjiang Museum before flying to Kashgar. (Breakfast, lunch included)
DAY 07 KASHGAR Kashgar is an oasis in the hostile Taklamakan Desert. As it was 2,000 years ago, it is a cultural and commercial crossroad. Visit the Sunday market and see locals trading livestock and daily necessities. In the afternoon, visit the Yusuf Has Hajip Mazar and the handicraft street. Tonight, dine with a local family in their house. (Breakfast, lunch, dinner included)
DAY 08 KASHGAR / URUMQI Take a walking tour of the old town and visit a Uygur family. In the afternoon, visit the Apak Hoja Tomb and the local bazaar before transferring to the airport for your flight to Urumqi. (Breakfast, lunch included)
DAY 09 DEPART URUMQI Transfer to the airport for your fight home. (Breakfast included)
(Breakfast, lunch included)
DAY 05 TURPAN / URUMQI Visit the Jiaohe Ruins with a history of over 2500 years and the Grape Valley. Enjoy lunch with a local family. Drive about 3 hours to Urumqi and along this scenic highway, see the Gobi Desert, Windmill Hydro plan and ruins. Arrive in Urumqi in the evening and you will have time to explore the bazaar. (Breakfast, lunch included)
Xian Option: Begin your Silk Road journey in Xian and continue to Dunhuang.