14 Days Fabulous Western China Tour

• Day1

  Lanzhou Arrival

  • No Meals
  • in Lanzhou
  On arrival in Lanzhou, be met at the airport. And then you will have your free time to relax yourself. 
  
• Day2

  Lanzhou to Xiahe by Car, Labrang Monastery

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Xiahe
  Today you will be transferred to Xiahe for about 4 hours. And then be guided to visit Labrang Monastery. Labrang Monastery is at the foot of Phoenix Mountain, one kilomtere away from northwest of Xiahe District. It was built in 1709 and is one of the six big monasteries of the Gelugpa Sect (also named Yellow Hat Sect, a branch of Tibetan Buddhism). Labrang Monastery is a place of worship, a university and a museum.
• Day3

  Sangke Grassland, Xiahe to Lanzhou by Car, Lanzhou to Zhangye by High Speed Train

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Zhangye
  After breakfast, you will visit Sangke Grassland, 13 kilometers away from Xiahe. It belongs to meadow plain, with the average altitude of 3000 meteres and the pasture area of 70 square kilometres. Enjoy the time in Grassland. There will also be an opportunity to meet the semi-nomadic herdsmen of the surrounding grasslands.
  Then you will be transferred to Lanzhou train station to take a bullet train to Zhangye. Stay one night in Zhangye.
  
• Day4

  Great Buddha Temple, Zhangye Danxia Landform Geographical Park, Zhangye to Jiayuguan by Car

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Jiayuguan
  Today you will visit Great Buddha Temple. This temple was first built in 1098, the 1st year of the Yong’an Period of the Western Xia Dynasty, which has a history of more than 900 years. It’s famous for the biggest reclining giant Buddha of China.
  And then you will go to visit Zhangye Danxia Landform Geographical Park, located 30 km from Zhangye. It is known for its colorful colors. This park is called colored mountains or Rainbow Mountain. It has a length of 40 km and a width of 5 to 10 km. After the tour, you will be transferred to Jiayuguan. Stay one night in Jiayuguan.
• Day5

  Jiayu Pass, Overhanging Great Wall, Jiayuguan to Dunhuang by Car, Singing Sand Mountains and Crescent Moon Spring

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Dunhuang
  After breakfast, you will be guided to visit Jiayu Pass (Jiayu Fort), the western starting point of the Great Wall. It is a trapezoid-shaped fortress with two imposing gate-towers facing each other symmetrically atop a 733-meter-long city wall. The fortress provides an overview of the gebi desert beyond the Great Wall.
  And visit Overhanging Great Wall, 8 km north of the Jiayu Pass Fort, protecting water resources and acting as a northern lookout point.
  And then you will be transferred to Dunhuang. Go to visit Singing Sand Mountains (Mingsha Mountain) and Crescent Moon Spring where you can experience sand surfing and camel riding. Mingsha Mountain starts from Mogao Caves in the east, 40 kilometers long from east to west, and 20 kilometers from south to north. The shape of the mountain is very elegant. When many people slide down along the slopes, a thunderous sound will be heard, hence the name. The Crescent Moon Spring is surrounded by Mingsha Mountain, looking like a crescent moon. Over the past thousand years, the spring has never been buried by sands, and has never dried up. It is a miracle indeed.
• Day6

  Mogao Caves, Dunhuang Museum, Dunhuang to Liuyuan by Car, Liuyuan Turpan by High Speed Train

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Turpan
  Since you come to Dunhuang, you should not miss Mogao Caves, so today you will be guided to visit it. Mogao Caves, commonly known as "Thousand Buddha Grottoes", is located at the east foot of the Singing Sand Mountain and the west bank of Daquan River. It is a national cultural heritage under special protection and was awarded "The Certificate of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1991. It is a world famous Buddhist art treasure house. The Caves were carved on the bluffs of Singing Sand Mountain, with five layers which strew at random and row upon row. The Caves are 1,618 metres long from south to north, and have 491 well-preserved Caves which are linked by the plank road.
  And then visit Dunhuang Museum to learn cultures and history about silk road. The museum holds more than 4,000 antiques, which fall into 14 categories, such as stone, pottery, porcelain, wooden objects, and scriptures, bamboo slips of the Han Dynasty, silk, jewelry, painted bricks, calligraphy, painting, rubbings, ancient coins, iron and copper objects. Address: Yangguan East Road.
  And then you will be transferred to Liuyuan train station, where you will take a bullet train to Turpan. On arrival in Turpan, be met and transferred to your hotel.
• Day7

  Turfan: Jiaohe Ancient City, Karez System, y, Emin Minaret

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Turfan
  After breakfast, you will be guided to visit Jiaohe Ancient City, Karez System and Emin Minaret.
  The Karez irrigation system can be traced back 2,000 years. During spring and summer, melting snow and rainwater flow from lofty mountains in the north of Turpan Basin, and seep in deserts. Taking advantage of natural gradient of the mountains, local people skillfully invented the Karez irrigation system to pump underground water to drink and irrigate crops. Most of the existing Karez irrigation systems in Turpan were constructed after the Qing Dynasty, which are still in use.
  Nestling in Yarnaz Valley, 13 kilometers west of Turpan, the Ancient City of Jiaohe is known as the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world. Constructed around the Qin and Han Dynasties, it has had a history of more than 2,000 years. So far, government offices, residences, pagodas and temples in the ancient city are well preserved. What makes the ancient city distinctive is that all caves, houses, temples and even streets were actually carved from the ground.
  Emin Minaret is the largest and most beautiful ancient Islamic-style tower in Xinjiang. Together with the nearby mosque that can accommodate 1,000 people, the tower forms a tourist attraction known far and near. The buildings are laid with yellow bricks, which reflect golden luster under the sun and coexist in harmony with the surrounding
• Day8

  Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves, Flaming Mountain, Turpan to Urumqi by Car

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Urumqi
  Today you will visit Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves. Bizaklik is a monastery constructed on a cliff on the west bank of the Mutougou River, in the middle of the Flaming Mountain. The murals discovered in the grottos of the monastery ever stunned the world. The monastery originally had 83 grottos, of which only 57 remain. Murals are found in more than 40 grottos, of which only nine are open to visitors.
  Then move to the Flaming Mountain. The Flaming Mountain is covered with dark red ditches, which look like jumping flame. In fact, one may feel as if he were grilled on fire there. In summer, the temperature may reach up to A7°C, and even 80t in the area exposed in the sun.
  After the tour, be transferred for about 3 hours to Urumqi.
• Day9

  Urumqi: Xinjiang Regional Museum, Heavenly Lake, International Bazaar

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Urumqi
  Today you will visit Xinjiang Regional Museum. There are over two thousand ancient artifacts on display in the museum which was built in 1953. These artifacts are divided into eight periods: Stone Age; Warring States; Qin and Han Dynasties; Three Kingdoms; Eastern and Western Jin; Northern and Southern Dynasties; Sui and Tang; Song and Yuan Dynasties; Ming and Qing Dynasties.
  Afterwards, we will drive you for about 1.5 hours to Heavenly Lake, (not include the boat) for the visit. This beautiful lake lined with pines nestles high in the mountains southeast of Urumqi. It is 6,435 ft. (1,950 m.) above sea level and covers an area of 24 mi. (4.9 sq. km.). Beyond the southern end of Tianchi there is a small lake called Xiao Tianchi (Small Tianchi Lake). Water from the latter, at the northern side, gushes down from rifts between the rocks and forms a lovely waterfall. On the two-hour drive to Tianchi Lake, one can see the work being done to irrigate the area, build roads, plant trees and vegetation.
  In the afternoon, visit International Bazaar. A symbolic landmark in Urumqi, the bazaar appears like an ancient Islamic-style fortress, with a 3,000-square-meter square encircled by red brick walls. There are also a mosque, an outdoor theatrical stage, 55 automatic staircases and more than 3,000 shops, as well as a theatrical banquet hall that can accommodate nearly 1,000 diners. The entire bazaar covers nearly 40,000 square meters. A variety of commodities, including snacks, fruits and handicrafts, are sold there.
• Day10

  Urumqi to Kashgar by Flight, Abakh Hoja Tomb, Id Kah Mosque, old town of Kashgar

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Kashgar
  Today you will take a morning flight to Kashgar. On arrival in Kashgar, be met at the airport. And then you will visit Abakh Hoja Tomb, Id Kah Mosque, old town of Kashgar.  And also visit to the Uygur local family.
  Abakh Khoja Tomb in the outskirts of Kashgar, said to have been built during the seventeenth century, is covered with glazed green tiles and has a vaulted top. The walls and doorways are all elaborately decorated with flower patterns. Inside the mausoleum are seventy-three tombs of five generations of the Arbaheja clan.
  Then we will move to Id Kah Mosque. Located in the heart of old Kashgar, Id Kah Mosque is known as the largest mosque in China and consists of the Worship Hall, the Lecture Hall, the Gate Tower and some supplementary buildings.
  Visit the old town of Kashgar, which allows you to know the authentic life of the Uighurs. This area has about 50 small alleys, towers and craft workshops.
• Day11

  Kashgar: Karakul Lake, Bulunkou Lakes Marsh

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Kashgar
  Today you will go through Karakorum Highway with Karakul Lake and Bulunkou Lakes Marsh. Karakul Lake is located at the foot of Mount Muztagata (with a height of 7546 meters). From Lake Karakul, the landscape is beautiful with clear water and snow-covered mountains.
• Day12

  Sunday Bazaar, Kashgar to Shanghai by Flight

  • Breakfast
  • in Shanghai
  Today if it is Sunday, you will have chance to visit Sunday bazaar.
  And then you will be transferred to the airport to take a flight back to Shanghai.
  On arrival in Shanghai, be met and transferred to your hotel.
• Day13

  Shanghi: Shanghai Museum, the Yuyuan Garden, Shanghai Old Street, Former French Concession, the Bund and Nanjing Road

  • Breakfast, Lunch
  • in Shanghai
  A full day of tourism begins with the Shanghai Museum, the largest museum in China, with a collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese art & cultural relics. Three particular exhibition rooms are established, namely of the Bronze Wares of China, of Ceramics of China and of Ancient Paintings of China.
  Then visit the Yu Garden - a classic Chinese garden in the city center and nearby Shanghai Old Street.
  Founded in 1849 and closed in 1943, the French Concession was the most extravagant residential area in Shanghai for almost a century. Most of the European-style buildings in the concession are very well preserved today.
  Have a stroll over the Bund and Nanjing Road.
• Day14

  Shanghai Departure

  • Breakfast
  Today you will be transferred to the airport to take your homebound flight.

•     Meals
In your itinerary, it normally offers two meals each day: breakfast and lunch. You will have the freedom to choose your own dinner. If you have certain food allergies or special requirements such as vegetarian food, please let us know in advance. We will try our best to satisfy your special needs.
Breakfast
Normally served at the hotel where you stay. Depending on the hotel, breakfast is Western style, Chinese style or a combination.
Lunch - A la Carte 
In order to have our customers to taste authentic Chinese food and avoid tourist menus, we take food quality, dining environment and travel convenience into consideration when planning your lunch. Therefore , we will arrange a la carte lunch at a local restaurant whenever possible. Lunch a la carte is varied with different recommended restaurants and different cities. You could order the dishes according to your taste under the instructions of your guide. However, in some remote regions where it is difficult to find a non-tourist restaurant, you could have lunch at a local tourist restaurant or in a local family.
Your Own Dinner Option
Dinner is not included in our China travel package, unless you have this requirement. Looking for food by yourself could also be one of your best experiences in China. Therefore we offer you this flexibility of food choice. You can ask for your private guide to gain good suggestions.

•   Private Guide & Transfer
You will have a private guide, private driver and an air-conditioned vehicle to accompany you at each destination of your trip, which will provide you with maximum personal care, security and flexibility.
All our guides are qualified and responsible professionals. All our vehicles are clean and in excellent condition, crewed with licensed drivers.
Private Tour Guide
In each city, we have a professional local guide. Our guide picks you up punctually at your arrival from the airport/railway station/spring of each destination. On your way out of that city, your guide will stay by your side until you have checked in and passed through security. All our travel guides in each destination are local and responsible, who know this area well. They accompany you visiting this city during 8 working hours of each day and they will tell background stories of the tourist places, and show you the secret places to take your best pictures.
When it is necessary to change your itinerary for unexpected reasons, your private travel guide will suggest alternatives to ensure that you still have an excellent experience.

Private Transfer
With our comfortable and safe private transfer, your trip will be more relaxing and less tiring, keeping you in the best spirits to make the most of your experience in China. In all destinations visited, your vehicle is air-conditioned, clean and expertly maintained. Your private driver is licensed, insured and experienced.
Normally we will arrange vehicles with more space for you and your luggages. Depending on the number of passengers, we generally use sedans or minivans (7 seats) for 4 people or less, large vans or small buses (12-22 seats) for 5 to 12 people, medium cars (33-37 seats) for 13 - 25 people and large buses (more than 45 seats) for more than 25 people.

•     Remarks 
We reserve the right to modify the price due to exchange rate fluctuation
If you have special requirements, please tell us in advance.
We reserve the right of final explanation for any change due to the reasons beyond our control.