12 Days Urumqi-Turpan-Korla-Kuqa-Hotan-Kashgar Silk Road Adventure
Tour Overview
The 12 days Central Asia Silk Road tour focuses on Xinjiang. The tour covers the capital city of Xinjiang: Urumqi, the meeting point of the Western and the Eastern along the ancient Silk Road: Kashgar, and an extensive tour to less visited cities: Korla, Kuqa, and Hotan. Driving through Takilamakan Dessert will impress you with its grand beauty.
Highlights:
1. Start your Silk Road Adventure with the world’s largest, oldest and best-preserved earth construction – the Ancient City of Jiaohe.
2. Go to the Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Cave to admire a series of caves with thousands of Buddhism murals.
3. Visit Iron Tiemen Pass to learn the story of how it once served as an important military forth in ancient times.
4. Catch a glimpse of a famous ruin in Kuqa – Subash Anceint City, the kingdom of females in the past that later disappeared due to floods.
5. Do a mini desert adventure in the Taklamakan Desert.
6. Get to know the cultural and history of Uygur at the Hotan Museum.
7. Capture the spectacular views of Karakuri Lake on camera – snowy peaks, green grass, leisure flocks and herds reflected in the lake on sunny days, while dark and bleak on rainy days.
8. Step into the Kashgar Old Town for a visit to China’s largest mosque, stroll through the local craft street and learn about the ancient and primitive trading methods of the livestock market.
Day-by-day Itinerary
- Day 1: Urumqi Arrival
Sweet meet with our local driver and guide at Urumqi airport, been escort back to hotel. Have a rest and free time arrangement on your own.
Accommodation: Urumqi Hotel
- Day 2: Urumqi-Turpan by CarAncient City of Jiaohe, Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Cave, Flaming Hill (B + L)
AM: After Breakfast, transfer to Turpan for about 3hrs drive. Then we will start today’s tour with Ancient City of Jiaohe, one of the most important towns along the ancient Silk Road and the largest, oldest and best-preserved earth construction in the world.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: Then you will go to the Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Cave, a series of caves with thousands of Buddhism murals that show many Buddhism figures, stories, and the social life about 1,500 years ago in Ancient Gaochang Kingdom. The last stop will be the hottest place along Silk Road in China– the Flaming Hill. The temperature in summer could reach 47.8 ℃.
Accommodation: Turpan
Bizaklik Thousand Buddha Caves - Day 3: Turpan - Korla by CarTiemen Pass, Yanqi Basin (B + L)
AM: After breakfast, transfer to Korla for about 5hrs drive. Enjoy the beautiful view on the way.
When arrived, check in your hotel in Korla for a rest. You will witness the grand beauty of the largest dessert in China.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: Arriving in Korla we will visit the Tiemen Pass which used to be the crucial military forth in ancient time. The pass was also the important spot on ancient Silk Road in the Han and the Tang Dynasty. You will also pass by the famous Yanqi Basin, which has the largest fresh water lake in China. It’s also the best place to make high quality wine.
Accommodation: Korla
Iron Gate Pass - Day 4: Korla - Kuqa by CarKuqa Grand Mosque, Local Bazaar, Subashi Ancient City (B + L)
AM: After breakfast, transfer to Kuqa for about 4hrs drive. Kuqa, which use to be the ancient capital of the Great Kingdom Guici with more than 4000 years history.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: You will pay a visit to the Kuqa Grand Mosque, the second biggest mosque in Xinjiang. With nearly 90 years history, been the sacred place for local Muslim prayer every day. The pray hall can house around 1000 payers at a time, decorated with different colors and patterns of exquisite carving.
Local Bazaar is one not missing stop, and should be arrive at Friday to be able to see it. The market is full of clothes, shoes, dry fruit, leather, textiles, carpets as well as souvenir. The best place to see how local’s life lives like.
Subash Anceint City, the kingdom of females in the past, use to be a strong kingdom in ancient times and later disappeared because of the flood. Now a famous ruin attracted many tourists.
Accommodation: Kuqa
Kuqa Old City - Day 5: KuqaKizil Thousand-Buddha Caves (B + L)
After breakfast, we will head for the featured Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves, situated 7 km south of Kizil town in the middle of Kucha and Baicheng , is also the oldest Buddhist art treasure trove in China, started building around the 3rd century, even one century earlier than the renowned Mogao Grottoes. With a total number of 236 grottoes, now 80 of them still complete and shows amazing paintings. The Buddhist caves will also tell us some facts of ancient Subashi Kingdom and the Buddhist culture in ancient time.
Accommodation: Kuqa
Kizil Grottoes - Day 6: Kuqa – Taklimakan Dessert by CarTaklimakan Desert (B + L)
Today, we will drive across the famous Taklimakan Desert. You will witness the grand beauty of the largest dessert in China. It’s also the second biggest flowing dessert. You will spend about 8-9hrs on the road including stop over and lunch time.
Accommodation: TBA
- Day 7: HotanHotan Museum, Hotan River (B + L)
AM: After breakfast, we drive to visit the Holtan Museum. Build in 1995, opened in 2005, Hotan museum have a collection of 9499 valuable relics and over 600 books. It’s a great historical book to get to know the cultural and history of Uygur cultural.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: The Hotan River is the only river that flow through deep Taklamakan Desert. And the Taklamakan Desert is the largest desert in China which used to be the must-pass area of ancient Silk Road. Hence many ancient kingdoms flourished in nowadays Taklamakan Desert and with fading of Silk Road those kingdoms disappear one after one. Driving through China’s largest desert we will arrive at Hotan and check in local hotel.
Accommodation: Hotan
Khotan Museum - Day 8: Yarkant (B + L)
After Breakfast, transfer to Yarkant for about 4-5hrs drive.
Yarkant ( Shache), located on the southern rim of Taklamakan dessert in the tarim Basin. It is a oasis fed by the Yarkant River and it use to be a trade center in ancient times, also an important stops for the ancient land silk road to Europe. Marco Polo visited this city around late 13th century.
Accommodation: Yarkant
Shache Old City - Day 9: Yarkant - Kashgar by CarAbakh Hoja Tomb (B + L)
AM: After breakfast, transfer to Kashgar for about 3hrs drive.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: After arrived, check in Kashgar hotel and have a short rest. We will visit Abakh Hoja Tomb in the early afternoon. It’s an ancient Islamic building complex and a cemetery where five generations of famous Islamic masters were buried. It’s also a palace with many collections recording the marriage of the royal family.
Accommodation: Kashgar
Abakh Hoja Tomb - Day 10: KashgarKarakuri Lake (B + L)
After the breakfast, we will go to visit the Karakuri Lake which has an altitude of 3600 meters and has the snow cap all year around. And on bank of Karakuri Lake people have chance to ride camels and horses and if have interest tourists could to a short lake cruise to feel the beauty of the lake.
Accommodation: Kashgar
Karakuri Lake - Day 11: Kashgar-Urumqi by FlightSunday Market, Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar Old Town (B + L)
AM: After breakfast, we will visit the the famous Sunday Market, also known as Sunday Bazaar, the largest international trade market on the northwest boundary line of China. Next go to the Id Kah Mosque, a typical Islamic architecture like domes, minarets and arches, as well as pious prayers. It has a 500 years history.
Noon: Lunch in local restaurant.
PM: Then Pay a visit to the Kashgar Old Town to see what the place looks like in ancient time. At night, flight to Urumqi and stay overnight to Urumqi hotel.
Accommodation: Urumqi Hotel
Sunday Livestock Bazaar in Kashgar - Day 12: Urumqi Departure (B)
Your 12 days Central Asia Silk Road tour will end here. Airport drop-off service, takes the international fight back to sweet home.
If you have more time, you can also extend one more day in Urumqi to visit Heavenly Lake and Mountain.
Tour Price Per Person ($=USD)
| Travelers | Luxury Class | Comfortable Class | Standard Class | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 2 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 3 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 4 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 5 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 6 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 7 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 8 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| 9 People | $ | $ | $ | ||
| Single Room Supplement | $ | $ | $ | ||
| Hotel Standard | 5 star | 4 star | 3 star | ||
| Book the Tour | |||||
Price includes
- Economy flight of Kashgar/Urumqi
- Hotel with breakfast
- All entrance tickets as mentioned in itinerary
- Chinese style lunches as noted in itinerary
- All private transfer between hotels and scenic spots
- Air-condition car and driver, English speaking tour guide
- Hotels mentioned in itinerary with breakfast
- Airport tax and fuel fee
- One bottle of mineral water per day
Price excludes
- All personal expense
- Gratuities
- Meals not listed in itinerary
- China Entry Visa Expense
- Single Room Supplement
- Excess Baggage Charges
- International Airfare or train tickets
