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Silk Road Discovery

Retrace the steps of Marco Polo along the legendary Silk Road, 16 nights, 17 Days tour to Shanghai, Xi'an, Lanzhou, Xiahe, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Urumqi, Turpan and Kashgar, from $5,390 (Tour Code: EJ)
Guaranteed departure with minimum two passengers!

Day 01 Australia / Shanghai (Tuesday)

Fly from Australia to Shanghai. Upon arrival into Shanghai, you will be greeted by CTS guide and transferred to your hotel.

Day 02 Shanghai / Xi’an Wednesday (B/D)

After breakfast, you are free at leisure until transferred to airport and fly from Shanghai to Xi’an. Upon arrival in Xi’an, you will be met and transferred to the hotel. If time permits, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Today you will sample the Xi’an dumpling dinner. Afterwards, you will see the traditional Tang Dynasty Show.

Day 03 Xi’an Thursday (B/L/D)

Morning tour to the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, more than 2,000 year-old Terracotta Warriors interred with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Included are the Circle Vision Movie and Bronze Chariot. On the way to the Terra-cotta Warriors and Horses Museum, we visit Xi’an Art Ceramic and Lacquer Ware Factory, which focus on the reproductions of terra-cotta warriors and horses and lacquer ware products. The craftsman in the factory, with professional knowledge, have made the replica of terra-cotta warriors and horses that popularly accepted as souvenirs and gifts by both Chinese and foreign visitors. In the afternoon, we walk through the lively Muslim Quarter and market, visit to the Great Mosque, a best-preserved Islamic mosque in China and focus for the 30,000 Chinese Muslims of Xi’an.

Day 04 Xi’an/Lanzhou Friday (B/D)

Morning is free until we fly to Lanzhou, an important stop along the Silk Road and has a history of over 2,000 years. It has been important for thousands of years because of the Hexi Corridor, or “Corridor West of the Yellow River”, where early Chinese civilization began. Tour White Pagoda Hill and Five Springs Park. Tonight you will sample the famous “Hand Stretched Noodles Banquet”.

Day 05 Lanzhou-Xiahe Saturday (B/L/D)

Today we drive to Xiahe through the scenic Mountain Pass. Xiahe County is a melting pot of Chinese, Middle Eastern and nomadic cultures, and is home to one of the six great monasteries of the Gelukpa (Yellow Hat) Sect. The highlight today is to visit mystical Labrang Monastery.

Day 06 Xiahe-Lanzhou=Jiayuguan Sunday (B/L/D)

Tour the exotic Sangke Grasslands in the morning prior to return to Lanzhou. Board our overnight sleeper train to Jiayuguan, the western starting point of the Great Wall.

Day 07 Jiayuguan Monday (B/L/D)

Morning, we arrive in Jiayuguan, historically a small township engaged in local trading, catering to the needs of the military garrisons stationed at the fort n 1372. Visit Jiayuguan Pass built during the Ming dynasty to protect the last frontier of the Chinese empire.

Day 08 Jiayuguan-Dunhuang Tuesday (B/L/D)

Take a morning drive to Dunhuang. Upon arrival in Dunhuang, you will be transferred to the hotel. Today you will be taken on a camel ride through the “Singing Sand Dunes” in the desert.

Day 09 Dunhuang Wednesday (B/L/D)

Tour the Mogao Grottoes, the World’s richest treasure trove of Buddhist manuscripts and art. It begun in 386AD and added to over the next 9 centuries, the grottoes total over 45,000 square meters and boast over 2,000 murals and sculptures. Visit Dunhuang Museum. In the evening try Dunhuang Desert Special Cuisine Dinner and then local folk dancing performance.

Day 10 Dunhuang=Turpan Thursday (B/L)

After breakfast you will be free to explore this ancient city at your own pace and meet the local people. Transfer to the train station for an overnight train ride across the desert to Turpan.

Day 11 Turpan Friday (B/L/D)

Arrive in Turpan. Sightseeing features Gaochang, the ancient walled capital of the Uighurs, which flourished between the 7th and 14th centuries, or the ruins of Jiaohe City, where large fragments of actual streets and buildings remain. You’ll also visit Grape Valley, in lush contrast to the desert surrounding it, and the amazing 2,000-year-old Karez Irrigation Tunnels, which brought water from melting snow on the mountains to this parched city. Then visit the Flaming Mountains, named for their vibrant color and Suliman’s Minaret if time permits.

Day 12 Turpan-Urumqi/Kashgar Saturday (B/L/D)

Board a coach transferred to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, China’s huge western province. Upon arrival in Urumqi, take a city tour, which gives you a glimpse of the major sights of this northwestern city. Populated by Han, Uigur people and thirteen ethnic minorities, Urumqi is quite different from the usual Chinese street scene. Here you can see nomadic Kazakhs, a Middle Eastern bazaar, a jade-carving center and more. Then Transferred to the airport, fry from Urumqi to Kashagar, a key hub on the ancient Silk Road. Upon arrival in Kashgar, you will be met and transferred to the hotel.

Day 13 Kashgar (Sunday) (B/L/D)

After breakfast, head directly to the Great Bazaar, alive with storybook scenes: thousands of merchants haggling for camels, carpets and other native goods; imams on donkeys and veiled women in their back robes. After wandering the Great Bazaar, you will visit Id Kah Emin Mosque, one of the largest in China, and the Tomb of the Fragrant Lady.

Day 14 Kashgar/Urumqi Monday (B)

In the morning, you will have some free time or you can go on an optional home visit with a Kshgar family. Fly from Kashgar back to Urumqi. Upon arrival in Urumqi, you will be transferred to the hotel.

Day 15 Urumqi Tuesday (B/L/D)

After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to Nanshan Mountain, where you visit a Kazakh family in their yurt and Tianchi Lake (Lake of Heaven), nestled in the Tianshan Mountain range. Take a boat ride and enjoy breath-taking views of a crystal clear lake.

Day 16 Urumqi / Shanghai Wednesday (B)

You will be free until your transfer to the airport. Fly from Urumqi to Shanghai, the biggest commercial city in China. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our guide and transferred to the hotel.

Day 17 Shanghai/Australia Thursday (B)

Today you will have free time to go shopping or explore more of Shanghai by yourself. In the evening you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Sydney.

Day 18 Australia Friday

Morning arrive in Australia.