15-Day China Silk Road Express Train Adventure

Meals: Wecloming Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Xining Sofitel Hotel or similar

【10:00-16:00】Arrival Xining, met and transfer to hotel
【18:30-19:30】Welcoming dinner

Arrive in Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, and meet your guide for the hotel transfer. Set on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and the upper reaches of the Shuangshui River, Xining is the starting point for this Silk Road Express journey. Join the welcome dinner and enjoy the remaining free time.

Silk Road Express Train 

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Silk Road Express Train

【08:00-09:00】Hotel breakfast
【09:00-10:00】Bus to Taer Monastery (2700m above sea level)
【10:00-12:30】Visit Taer Monastery, enjoy the largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in Qinghai province. The Monastery was founded in the 12th year of Ming Hongwu (1379). Butter flowers, murals and embroidery are known as the “three wonders of Taer Monastery art”, in addition, the Monastery also collects many Buddhist classics and academic monographs in history, literature, philosophy, medicine, legislation and other aspects.
【12:30-13:00】Bus to restaurant
【13:00-14:30】Lunch
【15:30-17:00】Shuijingxiang Local Market
【18:00-19:30】Dinner

22:00 train to Dunhuang

Taer Monastery

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Dunhuang Silk Road Hotel or similar

【08:30-09:30】Enjoy the first on-board breakfast which will surely make you feel different.
【10:30-12:00】Bus to hotel in Dunhuang to check-in and have a short rest.
【12:30-13:30】Lunch in the local restaurant
【14:00-17:00】Visit Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its ancient Buddhist art. This “Cave of a Thousand Buddhas” is a spiritual oasis that has inspired pilgrims and artists for centuries, adorned with vibrant murals and statues that date back over a thousand years. Local folk artists serenade us with music, adding an atmospheric touch to our journey through this sacred complex.
【17:30-18:00】City tour
【18:30-20:00】Dinner
【20:00-21:00】Dunhuang Shazhou Night Market

Mogao Grottoes

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Silk Road Express Train

【08:00-09:30】Breakfast in the hotel, free morning
【12:00-13:00】Lunch in the local restaurant
【13:30-17:30】Dunhuang Sand Dunes with camel ride and Crescent Lake. After a delightful lunch, we embark on a camel trek along the Silk Road to the enchanting Crescent Lake, an oasis nestled among towering dunes. This tranquil crescent-shaped lake has endured millennia of desert winds and remains a cherished symbol of resilience and beauty.
【20:00-21:30】Dinner

19:07 train to Yining

Cresent Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Yili Harbour Hotel or similar

【08:00-09:30】On-board breakfast
【10:00-11:30】Activities in bar carbin with cocktails
【12:30-14:00】On-board lunch
【15:00-16:30】Enjoy drinks and relax in bar carbin, linesidings and panoramic view through the windows
【19:30-21:00】On-board dinner

21:00 arrive Yining and be transferred to hotel

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Yili Harbour Hotel or similar

【07:00-08:00】Hotel breakfast
【08:00-12:00】Drive to Nalati Prairie
【12:00-13:00】Lunch in the local restaurant
【13:30-16:30】Nalati Prairie
【20:30-21:30】Dinner in the local restaurant

After breakfast, drive to Nalati Grassland, one of the world's four alpine valley grasslands, for a visit of about 3-4 hours. Also known as Gonnes Grassland, or Baiyangpo in Turkish, it has served as pasture since ancient times. Beneath the snow-covered mountains, seasonal lilies, tulips, corn poppies and salvia spread across the slopes among pine forest, clear streams and grazing cattle and sheep.

Kalakuli Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Silk Road Express Train

【07:30-08:30】Hotel breakfast
【09:00-11:00】Drive to Sailimu Lake via Guozigou Valley
【12:00-13:00】Lunch in the local restaurant
【13:30-16:30】Sailimu Lake【16:30-18:30】Drive back to the local restaurant
【18:30-20:00】Dinner in the local restaurant

21:00 train to Beitun

Drive through Guozigou Valley, crossing Guozigou Valley on what is described here as Asia's largest-span cable-stayed bridge across a mountain area. Continue to Sailimu Lake for about 2 hours. Known historically as the Clean Sea and often called the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean, the clear lake lies among grass-covered mountains, trees and seasonal flowers. Sunlight and wind continually change the color and texture of its surface.

Yili Lavenders

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Jiadengyu Jiangyu hotel or similar

【06:30-07:30】On-board breakfast, arrive at Beitun at 08:07am, transfer to Kanas
【12:00-13:00】Lunch in the local restaurant
【13:00-19:00】Kanas Scenic Area
【19:30-21:00】Dinner

Kanas scenic area, sometimes called the Switzerland of the East, includes the fish-viewing pavilion, a cruise and other activities. Its principal sites are Kanas lake, Moon bay, Kanas fish viewing platform, ‌Wolong bay. The wider reserve combines glaciers, lakes, forests, grasslands and rivers. Kanas Lake, formed by glacial meltwater and local precipitation, lies at an altitude of 1,374 meters and covers 45.73 square kilometers, making it one of China's deepest moraine-barrier lakes. Historic associations include accounts of Genghis Khan's western expedition and ancient rock art. Kanas means beautiful and mysterious lake in Mongolian, and local stories include the well-known water-monster legend. June and September are identified as the preferred visiting seasons. The program also includes a Tuvan family visit and a presentation of local intangible cultural traditions.

Kanas Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Recommended Hotel: Hemu Villa or similar

【07:30-08:30】Hotel breakfast
【08:30-09:30】Bus to Hemu to visit Hemu village
【13:00-14:00】Lunch (In Hemu hundred-year old village)
【19:30-21:00】Dinner 

After breakfast, continue to Hemu Scenic Area, often known as God's Reserved Land. Visit the Hemu River, Internet Famous Bridge, White Birch Forests and the Old Village. Birch forest, winding streams and fast-moving water line the route. From the viewing platform, look across the wooden houses of Hemu Village, with birch-covered slopes, grazing cattle and sheep, and the blue Hemu River below.

Hemu

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Silk Road Express Train

【07:00-08:00】Hotel breakfast
【08:30-12:00】Bus to Buerjin
【12:30-13:30】Lunch in the local restaurant
【14:00-17:30】Wucai Beach(Multicolorful Bay), Russian Scenic Garden. Buerjin Wucai Beach (Multicolorful Bay) is the unique beach of the Irtysh River that flows into the Arctic Ocean, the south bank is with lush trees and grass, and the north bank is with the colorful Yadan Gobi, with holes on each side of the river, known as God's overturned colorful palette.
【18:00-19:30】Dinner(tasting the cold water fish at Burjin night market)
【19:30-21:30】Bus to Beitun

22:00 train to Urumqi

Wucai Beach

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Kashgar Global Harbor International Hotel or similar

【07:00-08:00】On-board breakfast, arrive Urumqi at 08:30am
【09:00-13:00】Heavenly Lake, it is a natural scenic area centred around alpine lakes, covering a total area of 160 square kilometers. The scenic spot is a national first-class, a national AAAAA scenic spot, and one of the ten most beautiful lakes in China, which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
【13:00-14:00】Lunch
【15:00-16:30】Grand Bazaar, it is the largest grand bazaar in the world, with a strong ‌Islamic architectural style, integrating Islamic culture, architecture, ‌national trade, and with entertainment and catering. It is not only the gathering place and display center for tourists, but also it is the “window of Xinjiang”, the “window of central Asia” and the”window of the world” . In 2004, it was selected as the “Top Ten Buildings” of Urumqi.

Fly to Kashgar in the afternoon.

Grand Bazaar

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Panoramic Star Hotel in Taxian or similar

【07:30-08:30】Hotel breakfast
【09:00-11:30】Baisha lake is about 3500 meters above sea level, the lake is rich in grass, water birds gathering, the mountain is covered by white sand, it is undulating with snow on the top of the mountain, the lake and river are at aside below, it is forming a magnificent spectacle.
【14:00-15:00】Lunch
【15:00-17:00】Continue to drive to Taxian
【17:00-18:30】Golden grass beach, Stone city (about 3000 meters above sea level). the Golden Grass beach is endless, pure and primitive, it is composed of wetlands, meadows, rivers, swamps, snow mountains and plateau landscape, it is was the ideal nomadic land of the herdsman in the history of the Pamir Plateau. According to research, the Stone city originated in Tang Dynasty. It was once the royal city of Puli State, one of the thirty-six states in the Western Regions. Moreover, it was also a strategic castle on the ancient Silk Road. Precious cultural relics, such as coins of the Tang Dynasty and Hetian documents, have been unearthed here, testifying to its profound historical accumulation.
【18:30-19:00】Drive to the hotel
【19:30-21:00】Dinner

Baisha Lake

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Kashgar Global Harbor International Hotel or similar

【08:00-09:00】Hotel breakfast
【09:00-09:30】From the hotel, change to SUVs or commercial vehicles to the “winding dragon Road” to experience the spectacular of China's first road. Winding across the Pamir Plateau, the Panlong ancient road extends over 4,100 meters above sea level, with a maximum descent of more than 1,000 meters. The road is constructed around a ridge and features 608 turns, many of which are 180-degree hairpin bends, forming a distinctive landscape. Along the road, there are several viewing platforms, such as “long head viewing platform” and “Shuixiu viewing platform”, which offers the excellent viewpoints. Later, we will visit Tajik family.
【13:30-14:30】Lunch
【14:30-17:00】On the way to Kashgar, visit Kalakuli Lake. Kalakuli Lake is situated at the base of the imposing Muztagh Peak (7546m above seal level), which is regarded as the father of the iceberg. It is 191 kilometers away from Kashgar. The China-Pakistan Highway runs by the lake. It is not far from here to the base camp for climbing Muztagh Peak. “Kalakuli” means “Black Sea” , and it is an alpine moraine lake. The water contrasts with the lofty and mysterious Muztagh Peak, with white snow and mountains of the same hue. The scenery is extremely charming.
【17:00-19:00】Drive to the hotel
【19:30-21:00】Dinner

Winding Dragon Road

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Accommodation: Kashgar Global Harbor International Hotel or similar

【08:00-09:00】Hotel breakfast
【09:30-11:00】Kashgar old town, it is one of the largest extant earth buildings in the world, with rich historical and cultural value. ‌Kashgar's old city scenic spot covers an area of 3.6 square kilometers, which is not only a tourist attraction, but also a living area for Uyghur residents, showing the family life of the people, ethnic customs, traditional handicrafts and delicious food. After more than 2000 years of wind, frost, snow and rain, the old city of Kashgar has become a specimen and a slice of different historical periods, known as a living fossil for the study of the ancient Western regions cities, and it is also the most valuable, influential and representative historical and cultural city for the study of the ancient Silk Road culture. On July 20, 2015, the old city scenic spot was awarded the title of National AAAAA Tourist Attraction by the National Tourism Administration of China
【11:30-12:30】Xiangfei garden, a garden that blends traditional Uyghur cultural and architectural styles.
【13:30-14:40】Lunch
【15:00-16:30】As a bright pearl on the ancient Silk Road, Id Kah Mosque is a temple where Eastern and Western civilizations meet with a thick history.
【19:00-20:30】Dinner

Kashgar Old Town

Meals: Breakfast

After a pleasant breakfast in hotel, we will transfer you to the airport for your flight to your next destination.
 

Service Ends