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Home > Tour > Silk
Road > Silk Road From Beijing To Kashgar
Silk
Road From Beijing To Kashgar
Beijing is the capital of China, one of the main starting point of Silk
Road tour with a lot of must-see spots, like the Great Wall and the Forbidden
City, it also has many must-taste foods, like the Beijing Roast Duck and
Jiaozi, a kind of dumpling. Xian was China's capital more than 1000 years
ago, it has a lot of historic spots, like the Terra Cotta Warriors and
the Wild Goose Pagoda. Enjoying the Tang Dynasty Show in Xian will let
you know more about China's art and culture.
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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.¡¡ |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.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. |
| DAY
.12 |
Urumqi/Beijing |
| |
Fly
back to Beijing. Rest of the day free at leisure. |
| DAY
.13 |
Departure
from Beijing. |
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Transfer
to Airport for homebound flight to departure from Beijing. |
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