9-Day Private Silk Road Tour to West China Qinghai and Gansu

Attractions: Ta'er monastery (Kumbum Monastery)
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Xining

Today your flight will touch down in Xining, We will meet you at the airport exit with a welcome board. Then take you to visit the Ta’er monastery (Kumbum Monastery), the most populous monks outside of Tibet. You will stay at Thangka Sunning Terrace that is one of a good place to view the monastery and surrounding scenery. Inside the monastery, apart from magnificent Buddha stupas and wall paintings, prayer wheels are also the must-see spot. The whole monastery is surrounded by wheels, walk along the corridor, rotate the wheels and pray for chasing away the troubles.

Attractions: Qinghai Lake
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Chaka

Enjoy the magnificent scenery of Qinghai Lake in the morning, which is the largest inland salt water lake in China. It is no exaggeration to say that Qinghai Lake is a miracle that is endowed by a deity. Outside, He encircled the lake with four continuous mountains and extends broad grassland at the foot of them.

Then drive to Chaka for an overnight stay.

Attractions: Chaka Salt Lake
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Zhangye

Enjoy a delighting breakfast at the hotel and set off by the private vehicle to enjoy the most charming landscape of Chaka Salt Lake, which was nominated by the national tourist geography magazine as one of the 55 places to go. We will arrive at the ticket office after 4hrs driving, the guide will assist you with the tickets. Entering the scenic area, you will follow a long salt lake avenue to the Prayer Square and Mirror of the Sky Square, see a variety of salt sculptures, as well as the exquisite Muyaoluosang Goddess Statue. Take a small train to explore the depths of Chaka Salt Lake and leave some fabulous photos in the Mirror of Sky Square Experience Area. Believe you will have a beautiful day at Chaka Salt Lake. We will back to Xining in the afternoon and then catch an express train to our next stop Zhangye.

Attractions: Giant Buddha Temple, Mati Temple
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Zhangye

After breakfast at the hotel, we will take you to visit the Giant Buddha Temple, which is the important place of the Silk Road. the Giant Buddha Temple is the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province of the Western Xia (1038-1227) period. China’s largest reclining Buddha is well preserved in this temple.

Then proceed the tour to Mati Temple where were built in Jin Dynasty. A series of horse shoe prints are visible in Grotto 9, which are said to be left by a heaven horse. As a result, the temple was named for the horseshoe prints left by the legendary heaven horse, which become the treasure of the temple.

Attractions: Binggou Danxia, Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Jiayuguan

Today we will proceed to visit the Binggou Danxia, which is the most significant geological and geomorphic relic of the window lattice palace in China, mainly composed of sandstone geomorphic relic landscape.

After that, continue the tour to Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park, which is the most typical arid area of northern China. Ribbons of reds, oranges and yellows slice through the rock, to create a rainbow vista contained only by the contours of the jagged mountain peaks. so many people also call it “Rainbow Mountain”. Afternoon, drive you to Jiayuguan. Met and be transferred the hotel for rest.

Attractions: Jiayuguan pass, Xuanbi Great Wall
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Dunhuang

In the morning, we will meet you at the hotel lobby and take you to visit the Jiayuguan pass. This Ming Dynasty fort guards the strategic Jiayuguan pass, at the western end of the Great Wal – this was the last section built by the Ming Dynasty.

You will explore the Great Wall Museum, which was opened to the public in October 1989 and it is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way.

ext, we will pay a visit to the Great Wall on the Cliff(Xuanbi Great Wall), The wall here was built on the ridge with a gradient of 45 degrees. It is high in the air and it looks as if it fell down from the top of the hill. So people refer to this section of the Great Wall as the “Suspended Wall”. After the visiting, transfer to Dunhuang for an overnight stay.

Attractions: Mogao Grottoes, Echoing Sand Mountain&Crescent Lake, Shazhou Night Market
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Overnight in Dunhuang

This morning, we will visit Mogao Grottoes, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes, this UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of the great artistic and religious wonders of the world and it is famous for its exquisite murals and various sculptures inside the caves, which was built in different dynasties, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art, enjoy the Silk Road Movies in the visitor Center about 40 mins before our exploration into the Grottoes.The professional guide from the Mogao will bring you to 8grottoes with their special torch so that you have clear view of the murals and paintings. （Note: No photos and Video in the caves). The visiting time is around 4hrs including movie.

Following a lunch in local restaurant, we will head up to Echoing Sand Mountain&Crescent Lake. When there is wild wind, the sands will be blown up and make loud sound, while the sound sounds like being produced by some ancient musical instrument when blew by breeze, There is also a Crescent Lake that has been in existence for hundreds of years without ever being buried by the sand. Riding the camel as the Silk Road Caravan in the vast desert is highly recommended (approximately 40mins). Please bring your sunglasses and and mask to keep out the dust.

In the evening, you will enjoy the walking tour to the Shazhou Night Market, the most bustling place of Dunhuang at night. It’s easy to lose our sense of time wonder the market while enjoy your leisure time and taste some local cuisine.

Attractions: Gade Gate Pass & Great Wall of Han Dynasty, Yardang National Geological Park, The Western Thousand-Buddha Cave
Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang

Visit the Gade Gate Pass & Great Wall of Han Dynasty, In history, the Han Dynasty built many walls to consolidate the safety of the frontier region as well as exploring ways to do business with western region. Instead of piling up stones or bricks layer upon layer like other dynasties’ walls, the Han Dynasty Great Wall is built by using the local sand and weed.

Then visit to Yardang National Geological Park, the park stretches twenty-five kilometers from north to south and about two kilometers from east to west. There you can appreciate unique and wonderful scenes and landscapes of Gobi desert.

Continue to visit The Western Thousand-Buddha Cave, which is situated to the west of Mogao Caves, is set into a cliff on the bank of the Dang River, 35 kilometers (about 22 miles) from Dunhuang City. Because the frescos in this cave are similar in structure and artistic style to those found in Mogao Caves, the Western Thousand-Buddha Cave is considered Duahuang Buddhist art.

Attractions: No
Meal: Not Included
Hotel: Not Included

Free to explore Dunhuang City. Transfer to airport to catch the flight. Tour ends.