Take your international flight to Beijing, upon arrival, our English-speaking guide will be waiting for you at the airport, transfer to hotel, check in.
 
Accommodation: Jianguo Hotel Qianmen, 4-star

Transfer to airport, take a morning flight to Urumqi, takes 4 hours. Arrive at Urumqi in the afternoon, pick up from the airport and transfer to hotel, check in. Have a rest or explore the city on your own. Our Silk Road summer tour will start tomorrow from Turpan. 

Accommodation: Hot Tak Hotel, 5-star

Send you to railway station, onboard the train 7556 (10:44am/12:33pm) to Turpan, with train tickets that we deliver to you in advance, upon arrival at Turpan, our local guide will pick you up, transfer to the hotel for check-in. Then lunch.
In the afternoon, visit Emin minaret which was built in 1777 by a local hereditary religious leader of Turpan, the ancient city of Jiaohe which is located on a bluff above the confluence of two rivers. Here the excavation is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in recent years, some major discoveries of Buddhist pagodas and temples have been made. And at last, visit Turpan Museum.
Accommodation: Tuha Petroleum Hotel 4*

Morning: visit Bezeklic caves (4th century), and Astana tombs (3rd century burial ground for the nobles of Gaochang kingdom, now known by archaeologists as an underground museum). We also visit the Gaochang ruins (ancient Chinese garrison town on the silk road 1st century AD), where you will be taken by donkey cart to visit the temple area.
Afternoon: visit Toyuk village which is located at the foot of the Flaming Mountain Gorge, a beautiful landscape with the special local flavor of the village, and cultural relics such as the Buddha caves and an Islamic shrine.
Accommodation: Tuha Petroleum Hotel 4*

After breakfast, let’s drive to Korla (390km/6 hrs), through the Toksun gorge. Upon arrival we visit Bosten lake which is the largest fresh water lake in China. We take a boat-trip on the lake to enjoy the beautiful reeds, and lotus around the lake.
Accommodation: Loulan Hotel 4*

After breakfast, drive to Kuqa (286km/4 hrs), the centre of the ancient Quici Kingdom, which was once one of the most powerful Buddhist kingdoms in central Asia. Visit the ancient city of Subashi, and take a walk through the old town area, including a visit to the Kuqa museum.
Accommodation: Kucha Hotel VIP Building 3*

Today we visit the Kyzil Buddha Caves; they are among the earliest of Buddhist cave sites in China and show strong design styling from Persia, India and even central Asian and Greco-Roman influences.
Afternoon: visit to the Kyzil-gaha beacon tower (2nd century BC ancient military communication system on the Silk Road).
Dinner will be served at Kuqa Imperial Palace with minority dance show.
Accommodation: Kucha Hotel VIP Building 3*

Today we will drive (780km/12hrs – with frequent stops on the way) through the second largest desert in the world after the Sahara, the Taklamakan Desert. Taklamakan means no return in local Uigur language. The desert road was completed by the government in 1994, and is the longest desert road in the world.
On the way we will enjoy the magnificent sand dunes of Taklamakan, and BBQ lunch at riverside. Visit the Niya Museum and the Niya Relics.
Accommodation: Niya Apartment 3*

Today we drive to Khotan (298km/ 5 hrs). Khotan is home to some very well known archaeological sites in China, and in the late 18th century many explorers, from England, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, came to Khotan where some of them almost lost their lives in the desert. All of adventures are described in Peter Hopkirk’s book “Foreign Devils on Silk Road”. Late afternoon we visit the Khotan Museum and local bazaar.
Accommodation: Musitage Hotel or Wenzhou Hotel 3*

Morning: visit the ancient Buddhist Rawaq Pagoda ruins which were built in Tang dynasty 6th century AD, and are a combination of Persian and Indian architectural style. Here we will also be able to enjoy camel riding.
Afternoon: visit to the local Uygur silk village of Jiya. Here we will see traditional Uygur silk production called Atlas which is tie dye raw silk, loved by central Asian Uigur and Uzbek women since Han Dynasty 2nd century. In this village, farmers still raise silk worms and will show us the whole procedure of making the beautiful floral silk material.
Khotan is renowned for its silks, carpets and jade, which are considered the finest in China. We will visit a jade factory in the late afternoon.
Accommodation: Musitage Hotel or Wenzhou Hotel 3*

Today we drive to the oasis city of Kashgar (510km/ 8 hrs), the most western gate of China. It was a prosperous city 2000 years ago in central Asia, and now continues its role as a cultural cross road. Traders still cross the borders with the former Soviet Union and Pakistan to trade in the local market.
On the way we drive through many oasis towns including Yarkent which is mostly populated by Uigur ethnic people. Yarkent was the capital of the ancient Uigur Karakhanid Dynasty, and during the silk road trade period it was called the spice route to and from Persia and Afganistan. You will visit the ruins of the king mausoleum at Yarkent.
Accommodation: Kashgar International Hotel 4*

Today we drive to Karakul Lake (396km round trip) on the way enjoying the scenery of the magnificent Karakoram highway, such as glacier and felt camp.
Accommodation: Kashgar International Hotel 4*

Morning will be spent at the Sunday market – taking in all areas of the market place – the boot, hat, textile and spice markets as well as the livestock market (which is now located in another area of the city). We also visit the Mausoleum of Abjak Hoja (a 17th century Muslim leader), and take a walk through the old town quarter. Visit Id Kah Mosque with its dome and minarets. The busiest, and some say the biggest, mosque in China, IdKah Mosque, occupies the central square of Kashgar, where it has stood since 1442.
The streets are full of craftsmen including musical instrument craftsmen, jewelers, goldsmiths, etc.
After dinner, take an evening flight to Urumqi.
Accommodation: Hot Tak Hotel 5*

Morning: visit Xinjiang museum, see the Mummies and Folklore Exhibition, ErDaqiao Bazaar, lunch at JIAM restaurant, taste local flavors.
Afternoon: flight to Altay, then transfer to Burjin (164km) with our guide. Hotel check in.
Accommodation: Shenhu Hotel 4*

Morning: drive 120km to Kanas Lake. Drive about 2 hours to the Jiadengyu reception which is the nearest spot to the Kanas Lake (38 km). Pass the Erqis River and the beautiful grass land, have a boat trip in Kanas Lake, see the beautiful scenery.
Accommodation: Hongfu hotel 5*

Early morning take tour bus to the lake, the road will take you across the Grouching Dragon Bay, the Moon Bay, the immortal Bay, and the Maid Bay before arriving at the Kanas lake, then you can climb to the Fish pavilion to see the Kanas lake. After lunch, cruise on the Lake, and visit the local Tuwa village.
Afternoon: drive back to Burjin.
Accommodation: Shenhu Hotel 4*

Morning: drive to Altay for the flight back to Urumqi, transfer to the Hotel.
Accommodation: Hot Tak Hotel 5*

Transfer to airport, help you onboard the flight to Beijing. Transfer to hotel, rest of the day is on your own.
Accommodation: Jianguo Hotel Qianmen, 4 star

 

Transfer to airport, help you onboard your international flight. End of the Silk Road Summer trip!