8 Day Silk Road Legend Trip: From Qinghai to Gansu
This 8 day classic route will cover Xining, Qinghai Lake, Chaka, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, and Dunhuang where you can explore the fascinating landscape and experience the different cultures of Chinese ethnic groups in the west.
OVERVIEW
Day 1: Xining Arrival
Day 2: Xining-Chaka
Day 3: Chaka-Xining-Zhangye
Day 4: Zhangye
Day 5: Zhangye-Jiayuguan
Day 6: Jiayuguan-Dunhuang
Day 7: Dunhuang
Day 8: Dunhuang Departure
ITINERARY
Day 1: Xining Arrival
Personalized greeting at Xining Airport. Upon arrival, we will meet and bring you to visit Ta'er Monastery (Kumbum Monastery), the most populous monks outside of Tibet. You will stay at Thangka Sunning Terrace, which is one of the best places to view the monastery and the surrounding scenery. Inside the monastery, apart from magnificent Buddha stupas and wall paintings, prayer wheels are also a must-see spot. The whole monastery is surrounded by wheels. Walk along the corridor, rotate the wheels, and pray your troubles away.
Day 2: Xining-Chaka
From Xining, we will drive 450 km or 6-7 hours to Chaka to enjoy the magnificent scenery of Qinghai Lake in the morning, which is the largest inland saltwater 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 its foot. After that, we will drive to your hotel for an overnight stay.
Day 3: Chaka-Xining-Zhangye
We will explore Chaka Salt Lake as it is the largest saline in Qinghai Province. Chaka Salt Lake means "the sea of salt" in Mongolian. It lies in the center of Qaidam Basin, which was nominated by the National Geographic magazine as one of the 55 places to go. We will then go back to Xining and catch the express train for 2 hours to Zhangye, and will stay overnight at Zhangye.
Day 4: Zhangye
After breakfast at the hotel, we will take you to visit the Giant Buddha Temple, which is an important place on the Silk Road. The Giant Buddha Temple is the largest architectural relic in the Gansu Province of the Western Xia (1038-1227) period. China's largest reclining Buddha is well preserved in this temple. We will then proceed to tour the Mati Temple, which was built in the Jin Dynasty. A series of horseshoe prints is visible in Grotto 9, which are said to be left by a heavenly horse. As a result, the temple was named for the horseshoe prints left by the legendary heavenly horse, which became the treasure of the temple. After the visit, we will spend the night at Kaoshan Tent.
Day 5: Zhangye-Jiayuguan
Meet the guide and driver at the hotel, then we will head to the splendid 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. Many people also call it "Rainbow Mountain". We will continue the tour to Binggou Danxia, which is the most significant geological and geomorphic relic of the window lattice palace in China, mainly composed of a sandstone geomorphic relic landscape. After visiting, we will drive to 230 km or 3 hours to Jiayuguan for an overnight stay.
Day 6: Jiayuguan-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 Wall – 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 is the first one to exhibit the Great Wall culture in a comprehensive and systematic way. Afterwards, we will drive 350 km or 4-5 hours all the way to Dunhuang.
Day 7: Dunhuang
The journey will begin from the Mogao Grottoes. This UNESCO World Heritage site 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 cave, which were built in different dynasties, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art. After lunch in a local restaurant, we will head to visit the Echoing Sand Mountain & Crescent Lake. It is famous for the constant sound of the moving sand. The Crescent Lake’s name derives from the crescent moon shape taken by the pool of spring water between two large sand dunes. In the evening, you will be visiting the Shazhou Night Market, which is the most bustling place at Dunhuang at night. Here you will taste local cuisines and buy souvenirs for your family and friends.
Day 8: Dunhuang Departure
Free time in the morning, you can explore. You can also explore the Dunhuang Museum on your own if you are interested. We will arrange the airport transfer for you based on your flight schedule. Have a safe flight and pleasant journey home.
Price Includes:
Private transportation with good AC
Excellent English-speaking guide
4-star hotel with breakfast (2 persons share one room)
Entrance fee listed in the itinerary
2nd-class train from Xining to Zhangye
Allowance for the guide and driver
2 bottles of water for each person for daily use
Service Charge & Government tax
Custom-designed personal tours available upon request
Price Excludes:
Personal expenses and tips to the guide and driver
Full Board Meals
Some activities such as boating, camel riding, culture show, etc.
Flight arriving in Xining and leaving from Dunhuang
Travel Insurance