Know Before You Go
• Keep your passport with you throughout the tour; it may be needed to buy entrance tickets.
• Meals are not included; please feel free to ask your guide for recommendations.
• Tour guide's name and contact information will be confirmed via WhatsApp or email.
• Your guide will greet you in the airport/train station arrival hall with a GGC pickup sign displaying your name.
Day 1 Arrival in Kashgar
Meet your guide at Kashgar airport or train station and transfer to your hotel in a private vehicle. After getting settled at the hotel, you may explore the downtown area on your own or relax during the remainder of the day to recover from the jet lag. Located at the foot of the Pamirs Mountains between a vast desert and immense mountain range, Kashgar was once an isolated oasis on the long trade route across the Asian continent. It was a major hub along the great Silk Road as the northern and southern Silk Routes crossed here and caravans departed for Central Asia, India, Pakistan and ancient Persia (current Iran). Kashgar was described as “fruitful soil, cotton aplenty, and inhabitants who live by trade” by Marco Polo.
Meals Included: No meals
Hotel: 4-star Luxemon Qinibagh Hotel Kashgar or similar
Day 2 Kashgar, Abakh Hoja Mausoleum, the Old Town, Idkah Mosque, the Handicraft Street, Grand Bazaar
Visit Abakh Hoja Mausoleum in the morning. This mausoleum is one of the best examples of Islamic architecture in China. It is an ancient Islamic building complex and a cemetery where five generations of a famous Islamic master were buried. Next, stroll around the distinctly Central Asian Kashgar old town, which stood in for Kabul in the filming of The Kite Runner. Visit the friendly Uyghur people in their home in the Kashgar Old Town and experience their unique culture. In the afternoon, visit the 500 year old Idkah Mosque, the largest mosque in China as well as an iconic part of Kashgar and the entire Xinjiang region. Continue to wander along the Kashgar Handicraft Street to soak up the culture and history of Kashgar with a stop at the One Hundred Year Tea House to experience Uyhur life. Afterwards, explore the bustling Grand Bazaar, one of China’s most famous weekend markets. The weekly Sunday Bazaar draws a variety of ethnic groups like the Uyghur, Tajik, Kyrgyz and Kazakh to the streets of Kashgar. They come on foot, bikes, horsebacks, modern motorcycles and donkey carts, all with the hope of selling merchandise that ranges from scissors to camels.
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Hotel: 4-star Luxemon Qinibagh Hotel Kashgar or similar
Day 3 Fly to Urumqi, the Heavely Lake of Tianshan Mountains
Fly to Urumqi (airfare at your own expense). Once a major hub on the Silk Road during China's Tang dynasty and a leading cultural and commercial center during the Qing dynasty in the 19th century, Uruqmi is now the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the far northwest of China. Visit Heavenly Lake upon arrival. With Pine trees covering the hillsides and the snow capped mountains in the background, this huge lake (3km long and 1km wide) sits half way (560 ft) up the Tianshan mountain range and offers excellent walking with breathtaking views. Take a boat ride around the lake and see some local nomadic Kazakhs herding their sheep.
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Hotel: 4-star Urumqi Mercure Hotel or similar
Day 4 Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum, Red Hill, Drive to Turpan
Visit Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum in the morning. Xinjiang Regional Museum is a large building of Uyghur architectural style, containing a diverse range of historical artifacts unearthed in Xijiang. These items represent the ethnic lifestyle and culture of Xinjiang. Most interestingly of all, the museum contains a fascinating exhibition of ancient Indo-European mummies that were excellently preserved through their natural environment over 3,800 years ago. Afterwards, visit the Red Hill, symbol of Urumqi and also the Eye of Urumqi. Red Hill is dotted with pavilions and at the top stands a nine-storied, gray-brick pagoda called Zhenlong Pagoda (Pagoda to Suppress Dragons). Enjoy a great bird's eye view of Urumqi on the top of Red Hill. Drive to Turpan (2 hour & 30 minutes). Turpan has long been the center of a fertile oasis famous for its grapes and melons, and an important trade center on the main northern branch of the Silk Road from Hami to Kashgar, with an alternative northern route, via Uruqmi running into Central Asia. At 154m below sea level, Turpan is the second-lowest depression in the world and the hottest spot in China.
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Hotel: 4-star Mercure Hotel Turpan Downtown or similar
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Museum is closed on Monday. If your tour happens to be on Monday, the museum visit will be changed to Grand Bazaar.
Day 5 Turpan, Ruins of Gaochang Ancient City, Bezklik Thousand Buddha Caves, Flaming Mountain, Emin Minaret, Karez Wells
Morning visit to the Ruins of the Ancient City of Gaochang. Built of mud and adobe bricks as a garrison town in the 1st century AD, the city of Gaochang was abandoned during the early Ming dynasty and what is left now is just ruins of the ancient temples, houses, palaces and the old city wall. Next, visit Bezklik Thousand Buddha Caves constructed by the Buddhist Uyghurs around the 10th - 13th centuries. The Bezeklik Caves were the largest of the various Buddhist monuments that the Uyghurs had a hand in constructing around Turfan before they converted to Islam. Continue with a photo stop at the Flaming Mountain. Nothing grows on this mountain and the highest temperature of summer could reach 47.8 degree centigrade or 118 degree fahrenheit, making it the hottest place in China. Afterward, visit Emin Minaret. This 40 meter-high brick minaret is part of a large mosque, built in 1778. The minaret has an elegant conical shape; its brick laid in patterns that make it looked knitted. Finally, visit the Karez Wells. Karez is covered water channels that bring melt-water from the Tianshan Mountains to the north and west into the Turpan basin. Today over 1,100 Karez Wells are still in use bringing water to this dry and hot city of Turpan.
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Hotel: 4-star Mercure Hotel Turpan Downtown or similar
Day 6 Departure from Turpan or Urumqi
Private transfer (without guide) to Turpan railway stations or Urumqi airport. Please notice that it will take two and half hours to drive from Turpan to Urumqi airport. Wish you a pleasant journey and thank you for traveling with GoGrandChina.
Meals Included: Breakfast at hotel
Friendly Tips
• From Turpan you can take an overnight or bullet train to Liuyuan (the nearest train station to Dunhuang). Please contact your GGC service staff if you want to book train tickets.
• From Turpan you can head to Urumqi airport where frequent flights are available to other cities.
• If you want to explore more cities in Xinjiang, you can go from Turpan to Korla, Kuca, Aksu... please feel free to contact your GGC service staff for extended Xinjiang & Silk Road tours.
