16 Days The Old Silk Road and Danxia Landform

On arrival into Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) or Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) be met by your dedicated tour guide outside the baggage claim area. On the way to your pre-booked four or five star inner city hotel, your guide will point out the highlights and history of Beijing. Spend the rest of the day exploring this incredible city.

Meals included: None

After breakfast today explore Beijing with your guide who will collect you from your hotel. Visit the world’s largest city square, Tiananmen Square. Make your way across the road to the magnificent Forbidden City, a culturally historic landmark in China, which was the former residence of Chinese royalty for five centuries. After the Forbidden City tour, exploration continues with a visit to the Summer Palace. Appreciate the beautiful gardens and imagine the lifestyle of royalty who enjoyed this summer resort during imperial times. A stopover at Beijing’s stadium and pool – the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube – built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics – provides a modern contrast to China’s ancient history. Return to the hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may adjust your itinerary due to closure of the Forbidden City each Monday.

Before heading to the Mutianyu Great Wall, sample the famous local food market Sanyuanli where you can stock up on fruit and snacks for your today’s trip. Continue to explore the Mutianyu Great Wall, a less frequented part of China’s 1,400-year-old iconic landmark located approximately 70 kilometres from Beijing. Take a pleasant and comfortable round-trip cable car transfer over the picturesque scenery, then walk the wall to take in the Ming dynasty guard towers and sensational views. On return to the city in the afternoon, exploration continues with a visit to the Confucius Temple and Imperial College Museum. Stroll through Wudaoying Hutong and experience local life as you wander through quaint shops, enjoy a coffee, and gain an insider’s view of a real Beijing community.

Meals included: Breakfast

Start today with a visit to the remarkable Temple of Heaven, where emperors from the Ming and Qing Dynasties performed ceremonies and rituals to pray for good harvests and blessings for the country. Transfer to the Beijing West railway station and be checked in by your guide to travel by high speed rail journey to Xi’an. Approximately a five hour trip, travelling at 300 kilometres per hour, you can relax and absorb the diverse landscape along the way. On arrival at the Xi’an North Station, your local tour guide will meet and escort you to your inner city four or five star hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today’s tour highlight is the world-renowned Terracotta Warriors and Horses. Recognized as the largest underground military base in the world, take in this extraordinary archeological discovery, which houses thousands of unique life-sized figures. Return to the city and explore Xi’an’s ancient City Wall, currently the largest and best-preserved wall of its type in China. Enclosing China’s former capital city and almost 14 kilometres long, enjoy your free time by exploring on foot or bicycle. For a change of pace, take in the quiet of Xi’an’s Great Mosque, located in the middle of the city’s old block. Built mid seventh century, the Great Mosque is the oldest and largest Islamic mosque in China. Mix with locals and find food of every flavor in Muslim Quarter, which is bustling with authentic eateries and souvenirs. Today’s final destination before returning to your hotel is Xi’an’s famous Bell Tower and Drum Tower Square.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast and check out from your hotel, the tour guide will take you to the Shaanxi History Museum where you’ll discover over 370,000 relics of Chinese history. Take in the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, one of two iconic Buddhist pagodas in Xi’an. You may have a chance to enter at the top of the pagoda and look out over Xi’an’s 1,400 years of history, then take a contemplative walk through the temple and gardens. Following on from the morning’s activities, you’ll be driven to the railway station for your bullet train trip to Lanzhou. Upon arrival in Lanzhou your local guide will meet and transfer you to your hotel, providing a brief introduction to the city on the way.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: Your tour guide may alter your itinerary as the Shaanxi History Museum is closed on Mondays.

This morning, you’ll visit the impressive Bingling Si Grottoes, a Buddhist treasure in Gansu. Differing from the Mogao Grottoes (on day 11), you will delight in the remarkable carvings which have been etched into the steep canyon walls over a period of 1,600 years. Driving back form the Bingling Si Grottoes, enjoy a pleasant walk along the Yellow River, past Zhongshan Bridge connecting the north and south parts of Lanzhou. Discover the Water Wheels used by locals for irrigation – and then admire the Statue of Mother Yellow River – built to honor the role played by the Yellow River in Chinese history and culture.

Meals included: Breakfast

Check out of your hotel and you’ll be transferred to the train station where you’ll board the bullet train to Zhangye, with a departure scheduled for around midday. Your trip allows vision of the incredible rainbow landscape of Zhangye Danxia National Park, located at the northern foot of Qilian Mountain. On arrival, you’ll be able to see the ‘rainbow mountains’, formed by sandstone and mineral deposits, which have eroded into unusual shapes over time. Have your camera ready for fabulous photos. You will then be transferred to your Zhangye hotel, where you can rest or enjoy free time to explore the lush land in the southern frontier.

Meals included: Breakfast

Today your tour continues with a first stop at Mati Temple, a wonderful combination of grottoes, the mountain scenery of Qilian Mountain, and influence of the local minority Yugu people. Find yourself steeped in local legend when you visit Horseshoe Hall, which was named after the temple’s treasure – horseshoe footprints left by a heavenly horse. Deepen your exploration of Zhangye with a visit to the Giant Buddhist Temple, where you’ll see the largest indoor Buddha in China. Hop in the car for the 2.5 hour drive to Jiayuguan where you’ll be checked into your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

After breakfast, visit the spectacular Jiayuguan Pass, the western end and best-preserved ancient military castle of the Ming Dynasty’s Great Wall. Hike along the Overhanging Great Wall, which received its name for the uncanny resemblance it bears to the wall hanging upside down (due to its construction at a 45 degree angle). Finish your exploration in Jiayuguan by heading to Dunhuang with a wonderful opportunity to marvel at the Gobi desert on the way. On arrival, you’ll be amazed by the stunning beauty of the crescent-shaped oasis, Crescent Lake, which is embraced by the Echoing Sands Dune, named for the roaring sound made when things slide down from above. Enjoy the novelty of a camel ride which has been arranged to enrich your adventures in this stunning desert land. Finish your day by checking in to your hotel in Dunhuang.

Meals included: Breakfast

This morning commence your sightseeing with the Mogao Grottoes. Take the pre-arranged bus for a 2.5 hour drive to Liuyuan Train Station before being transferred to the bullet train to Turpan, a train trip of approximately 3 hours. Your local Turpan guide will greet you on arrival and escort you to your hotel.

Meals included: Breakfast

Commence sightseeing in Turpan with the Jiaohe Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which originated in the 2nd century BC. These ruins are the largest, oldest and best-preserved of their kind in the world and will make for a truly memorable experience on your tour. Proceed to the intriguing Karez Well, a unique irrigation system, only found in Turpan. With an underground flow, the water from the well is stored and used for irrigation with minimal loss. Finish the tour of Turpan with a visit to the Sugong Pagoda, the tallest ancient pagoda extant in Xinjiang, reputed for its novel and unique architectural style. Make a stop at Flaming Hill, impressive for its reddish vista, particularly in summer, when temperatures may reach close to 50 degrees, making it the hottest place in China.

Meals included: Breakfast

Check out from your hotel in Turpan and be transferred to Urumqi. Enjoy the afternoon with your guide exploring the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Museum where you’ll view the stunning collection of artefacts and relics from the Xinjiang region. Wandering in the Urumqi Grand Bazaar and nearby Er Dao Qiao Market will be the amazing experience you can’t miss in Urumqi.

Meals included: Breakfast

Your Silk Road explorations end here with your departure from Urumqi to Shanghai. You will be transferred to the airport to board your flight to Shanghai. In Shanghai, your local guide will meet and transfer you to the hotel, pointing out this bustling city’s local landmarks along the way.

Meals included: Breakfast

Commence your tour of Shanghai with a visit to the Shanghai Museum, a massive museum housing over 140,000 artifacts, presenting the full history and culture of this cosmopolitan city. Enjoy a walk along The Bund, iconic and prestigious, one of the most well-preserved examples of old Shanghai glamour. Walk Nanjing Road, the busiest shopping precinct in China. Change tempo and visit Yuyuan Garden, where you can marvel at the artistically designed traditional Chinese gardens; then stroll around the nearby Yu Garden Bazaar that offers an eclectic cross-section of goods, from souvenirs, antiques, crafts, fresh produce, and food. Make the most of your afternoon by wandering the quieter streets of Dongping Road or Sinan Road in the Former French Concession, where you will find the essence of classic Shanghai.

Meals included: Breakfast

Note: As the Shanghai Museum is closed to public on Mondays, a visit to the Shanghai History Museum is arranged as an alternative.

Your tour guide will collect you at the hotel and drive you to the airport for your flight home.

Meals included: Breakfast