CHINA'S FAR WEST - THE SILK ROAD
Day 1 - Sunday
USA / International Date Line
Depart from the U.S.
 Day 2 - Monday
Beijing
Arrival in the evening in Beijing, China’s second-largest city and capital for 700 years. Here you will have the opportunity to visit sites that connect the illustrious past of imperial China with the modernizing present of the People’s Republic.
Beijing News Plaza Hotel
Day 3 - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Beijing / Xi'an
Early flight to Xi'an or ancient Chang’an, the capital of 13 successive dynasties and the cradle of Chinese civilization. Chang’an was the starting point for the great trade caravans of the ancient Silk Road. Visit the Shanxi Museum, one of the best in China to see fragments of silk and relics from the Silk Road. Also visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, which was built in 652 AD to honor the famous Buddhist monk Xuan Zang after his seventeen-year pilgrimage to India along the Silk Road. Attend a lecture at a local university where you will have the opportunity to speak with students. Cooking demonstration and Royal Dumpling Banquet.
Jianguo Hotel
Day 4 - Wednesday (B, L, D)
Xi'an
Visit the archaeological excavation of the 6,000-figure life-sized Terra Cotta Warriors that guard the still-unopened burial mound of Qin Shi Huang, the emperor who unified China in 221 BC. Visit the City Wall, the longest and best preserved wall from the Ming Dynasty. Dinner and attend the Tang Dynasty Cultural Show.
Jianguo Hotel
Day 5 - Thursday (B, L, D)
Xi'an / Xining
Early flight to Xining, the capital of Quinhai Province, which incorporates the Qinghai-Tibet plateau - known as the "roof of the world" - and is also the source of the three great rivers of Asia: the Yangtze, Yellow, and Mekong Rivers. Visit ancient Kumbum (Ta’er Lamasery) one of the principal monasteries of Tibetan Buddhism structures. Learn about the tree arts of Yak Butter Sculpture, Frescoes and Embossed Embroidery for which this Lamasery is known.
Qinghai Hotel
Day 6 - Friday (B, L, D)
Xining
Visit the Qinghai Institute for Nationalities for a Special Lecture on China’s 55 national minorities and meet with Tibetan, Mongolian, Wei, and Tu students. Lunch and special visit with a Tu family.
Qinghai Hotel
"Everything about the Silk Road was a remarkable experience, from sunrise
over the Gobi to the vineyards of Turpan and the mountain pastures of
Xinjiang. Other faves: The dumpling dinner. The camel ride. The overnight
train with the Chinese running around in their pajamas. Not seeing any
Westerners for days on end, although we certainly saw Asian tourists. The
night market in Urumqi. The food was terrific everywhere! One of the best
aspects of the trip for me was observing examples of how China is changing
at the speed of light. In all, it was a wonderful experience that should
carry me through to next summer. Thanks, TraveLearn!"
China Silk Road - B. Bowen, TX
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Day 7 - Saturday (B, L, D)
Xining / Zhangye
Drive across the Qilian Mountains stopping for lunch at a local Hui Muslim Restaurant. Reach the famous "Hexi Corridor", an important strategic passage on the northern route of the ancient Silk Road. Arrive in ancient Zhangye one of the major oasis cities of the Silk Road that was visited by Marco Polo and the famous Chinese Buddhist monk Quan Zang. Visit the famous Giant Buddha Temple to view China’s largest reclining Buddha, a 113 foot-long giant that greatly impressed Marco Polo.
Zhang Ye Hotel
Day 8 - Sunday (B, L, D)
Zhangye / Jiayuguan
On the way to Jiayuguan drive through the Hexi Corridor, bordered by the snow-capped Qilian Mountains on one side and the Gobi on the other. Visit the Great Wall fortress with its colorful drum towers rising above rammed-earth walls at Jiayuguan, the westernmost gate of the Great Wall during the Ming Dynasty. For centuries, China - and therefore the civilized world - ended at Jiayuguan. Visit and view the original wall paintings of an ancient Wei and Jin Tomb depicting the daily life of the people during the 3rd and 4th century AD.
Jiayuguan Hotel
Day 9 - Monday (B, L, D)
Jiayuguan / Dunhuang
Drive across the Gobi through the most famous section of the "Hexi Corridor" to Dunhuang on the fringe of the Taklamakan Desert, the second largest and most dangerous desert in the world. Visit the ancient ruins of Qiaowan City from the Qing Dynasty.
Dunhuang Silk Road Hotel
Day 10 - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Dunhuang
Visit and learn from a specialist guide about the Mogao Grottoes, the greatest repository of Chinese Buddhist cave art and a World Heritage Site. Visit the newly opened Museum for the famous Sutras Cave. For centuries pilgrims from all over central Asia endured great hardship to visit this labyrinth of sculptures and frescoes, painted by Buddhist monks mostly during the Tang Dynasty from the early 7th to early 10th centuries. Visit a museum in downtown Dunhuang.
Dunhuang Silk Road Hotel
Day 11 -Wednesday (B, L, D)
Dunhuang / Turpan
Early morning camel ride, or walk for those who prefer walking, to the high yellow sand dunes of Mingsha to view the sunrise. Camel ride or walk to nearby Crescent Lake. Drive across the Gobi and view the ancient remains of the far western reaches of the Great Wall from the Han Dynasty. Arrive at Dunhuang and take overnight train for Turpan.
Day 12 - Thursday (B, L, D)
Turpan
Arrival in Turpan, an agricultural oasis with a lake that is 505 feet below sea level, and the second lowest continental point in the world after the Dead Sea. Many of the sights you will see in Turpan were the backdrop for several scenes from the movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Travel past the red sandstone hills of the famous Flaming Mountains on your way to the Bezeklik (Thousand Buddha) caves. Visit the remains of the ancient city of Gaochang, an important outpost on the old Silk Road where you can still see the ruins of the platform where the famous Chinese monk, Xuan Zang, delivered sermons on his way to India. See the ancient Astana Graveyards the Tang Dynasty burial ground for the dead of Gaoching city. Visit Grape Valley and learn about the cultivation, growing, and drying of Turban’s famous grapes. Enjoy an evening Uygar folk dance performance.
Turpan Oasis Hotel
Day 13 - Friday (B, L, D)
Turpan / Urumqi
Visit and learn about the spectacular ancient town-fortress of Jiaohe placed on a mesa between two fertile river valleys. Also visit and learn about the ancient karez (wells) underground system of irrigation to which Turpan owes its existence. Drive to Urumqi ("Beautiful Pasture") in the capital city of Xinjiang, which was know as the West Regions, in ancient times, and is also renowned for the Silk Road.
Urumqi Hong Fu Hotel
Day 14 - Saturday (B, L, D)
Urumqi / Kashgar
 Drive through the foothills of the Tianshan Mountains to Heavenly Lake. On the drive you will have a chance to view Khazak nomads grazing their herds of cattle and sheep along the rivers flowing from their nearby mountains. Take a short boat trip on the crystal clear Heavenly Lake with reflections of the bordering snow capped peaks and pine trees. After a leisurely lakeside box lunch, there is time for walking along the shores of this alpine lake. Return to Urumqi for evening flight to Kashgar, at the junction of the south and north routes of the Silk Road.
Chinibagh International Hotel
Day 15 - Sunday (B, L, D)
Kashgar
Visit the Abakh Hoja Tomb (Fragrant Concubine’s Tomb), the largest Islamic mausoleum in China. Spend the rest of the day at Kashgar’s famous Sunday Bazaar. Walking through one of the world’s oldest and largest bazaar allows you to truly experience the smells, speech, and looks of the ancient Silk Road. A specially arranged dinner at the new Caravan Café.
Chinibagh International Hotel
"I loved the learning aspect of the China trip and the opportunity to get "up
close and personal" with her citizens. Our guides were
outstanding, knowledgeable, fun, flexible and willing to share their own
stories about life in China."
China Silk Road - D. Selden, CT
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Day 16 - Monday (B, L, D)
Kashgar / Urumqi
Visit the Id Kah Mosque, home to the Uygar people whose origins date back to the third century BC. Visit a kindergarten class at a local school. Visit and have lunch with a Uygar family in their home. Stroll along "handicraft" street: and observe local craftsmen and artisans making the wares of daily life for the local farmers and shepherds. Dinner at Chinibagh the former residence of British Consulate before flying to Urumqi. Time to enjoy one of China’s best "night markets" just outside the door of your hotel.
Urumqi Hong Fu Hotel
Day 17 - Tuesday (B, L, D)
Urumqi
Travel through the numerous hills and gorges of Nanshan (Southern Hill) Pasture. Enjoy a visit with a Khazak family, a nomadic people, who carry their "households" on their backs. View the beautiful interior decorations of their yurts (homes) and also the embroidery work of their women. See a specially arranged demonstration of Khazak horsemanship. Visit the famous Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum with its archeological findings documenting the early origins of silkworm breeding and silk reeling dating back almost 6,000 years. Also view an exhibition on Xinjiang’s minority groups and view the preserved bodies of two men and two women who died over 3,000 years ago. A special farewell dinner is planned.
Urumqi Hong Fu Hotel
Day 18 - Wednesday (B, L, D)
Urumqi / Beijing
Morning flight to Beijing. Free time in the afternoon and early evening for last minute shopping.
Beijing News Plaza Hotel
Day 19 - Thursday (B)
Beijing / USA
Transfer for your flight to the U.S.A.
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