Flight: CA1201 Beijing - Xi’an 14.20 - 16.35

Private transfer: On arrival at Xi'an Airport, you will be welcomed to China by your private English-speaking guide, and then transferred to your hotel.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Noble Hotel (Superior Room)

Morning tour of the Terracotta Warriors: After breakfast, leave the city to visit the site of the Terracotta Warriors. In 1974 a peasant digging a well came upon what now stands as one of the main attractions in China and one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. An army of thousands of life-sized warriors and their horses in battle formation, which were buried for 2,000 years, stand guard over the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi-Huang. The figures were buried with artefacts and weapons of the day and every figure differs in facial features and expressions. The dig is still in progress, as it is believed that the site is part of an even larger army still buried underground.

Afternoon tour of the Muslim Quarter & the Great Mosque: This afternoon, you will visit the historic Muslim quarter of the city. In the centre of the walled city you will find the old houses and narrow lanes of Xi'an's Muslim, or Hui, community. Islam has been the most enduring of all faiths in Xi'an. It was first introduced by Arab merchants during the Tang Dynasty, and flourished during the Yuan (1279-1368). The Great Mosque survived the Cultural Revolution virtually unscathed and remains an outstanding Chinese re-interpretation of an Islamic place of worship. It was founded in 742 A.D, according to a stone tablet in the mosque, but nothing from this Tang period survives. The present layout dates from the 14th century.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Noble Hotel (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Guided tour of Xi’an: You will visit the Shaanxi Museum, established in 1952, and considered to be one of the best museums in China. You will also be taken to the city walls which form a circumference of 9 miles with a gateway and watchtowers on each side. Most sections of the wall have been restored or even rebuilt and stand at 12 metres high. Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant and this afternoon visit a symbol of ancient Xian, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda which is a well preserved ancient building and Buddhist holy place. It is located in the southern suburb of Xian City, about 2.5 miles from the city centre. Standing in the Da Ci'en Temple complex, the pagoda attracts visitors due to its appealing style of construction and the new square that is in front of the temple.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Noble Hotel (Superior Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Private transfer: After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the railway station in time to board your onward train.

High-speed train journey: Board the high-speed train D2687 to Lanzhou. The train departs at 10.10 and arrives at 13.19.

Private transfer: On arrival in Lanzhou, you will be met by your local guide and taken to your hotel to check in. The rest of the day will be free at leisure.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Legend Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the railway station in time to board your onward train.

High-speed train journey: Board the high-speed train D2671 to Zhangye. The train departs at 10.58 and arrives at 14.24.

Private transfer: On arrival in Zhangye, you will be met by your local guide and taken to your hotel to check in. The rest of the day will be free at leisure for you to settle into your hotel and relax.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Lvzhou Holiday Inn (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of the Danxia Landforms and Matisi Grottoes: Rise early this morning and head out of Zhangye to catch the sunrise at the Danxia Landform Geological Park, a short drive out of the city. The colourful rock formations create an otherworldly landscape that has to be seen to be believed. They are at their best in the morning and early evening, particularly at sunset, and the colours are especially vibrant on a clear sunny day after a rainfall. 

You will also be taken to visit the Matisi (Horse’s Hoof Temple) Grottoes. This complex of Tibetan Buddhist Temples set inside a cliff contains many intricate sculptures, and the views of the surrounding area are stunning. Be warned that some parts of the cave temples contain narrow passageways and ladders, and some people may find it difficult to navigate in places.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Lvzhou Holiday Inn (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Private transfer: After breakfast, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the railway station in time to board your onward train.

High-speed train journey: Board the high-speed train D2741 to Jiayuguan. The train departs at 10.38 and arrives at 12.00.

Private transfer: On arrival in Jiayuguan, you will be met by your local guide and taken to your hotel to check in.

Guided tour around Jiayuguan: This afternoon, you will be taken on a tour of the Overhanging Great Wall and the Jiayuguan Pass. Built in the Ming Dynasty, what remains of the Overhanging Great Wall has been restored and now presents an imposing scene as it snakes over the mountains outside the city. The Jiayuguan Fort is one of the region’s most recognisable images, as the westernmost end of the Great Wall. Known as the ‘Most Impregnable Pass Under Heaven’, Jiayuguan Pass is one of the best preserved of the Great Wall’s fortresses. Time permitting you will also visit the Wei-Jin Art Gallery.  Located around 15km outside of Jiayugaun, this is a network of underground tombs built in the Wei & Jin Dynasties between the 3rd & 5th centuries. The tombs have been named as the world's largest subterranean art gallery due to the colourful murals which adorn the walls of the tombs.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Jiugang Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Private transfer: Early this morning, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the railway station in time to board your onward train.

Train journey: Board the train K41 to Dunhuang. The train departs at 07.16 and arrives at 12.20.

Private transfer: On arrival in Dunhuang, you will be met and transferred to your hotel to check in. The rest of the day will be free at leisure.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Silk Road Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of the Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha Sand Dunes and Crescent Moon Lake: Your first stop of the day is the Mogao Grottoes. Along with Longmen Grottoes in Henan, and Yungang Grottoes in Shanxi, the Mogao Grottoes are perhaps the most famous and best preserved of the Buddhist Caves found in China. Containing thousands of sculptures, carvings and other works of art, there are now around 600 surviving cave temples, of which 30 are open to the public. Statues range from just a few centimetres high, up to the largest at almost 35 metres tall. 

This afternoon, you will visit the Mingsha Sand Dunes and the Crescent Moon Lake, just 6km south of Dunhuang City. The natural spring lake is located at the foot of the Echoing Sand Mountain (Mingsha), and can be a truly breath-taking sight to behold at sunrise or sunset especially. Its growing popularity with tourists has encouraged the local government to make efforts to preserve the shrinking lake, and it has been steadily growing in depth and size for the past few years.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Silk Road Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Road journey: This morning, you will be picked up from your hotel and transferred by road to Liuyuan, a journey of around 2 hours.

High-speed train journey: On arrival in Liuyuan, transfer to the railway station to board the high-speed train D2701 to Turpan. The train departs at 14.33 and arrives at 18.08.

Private transfer: On arrival in Turpan, you will be met at the station and transferred to the Silk Road Lodges - The Vines to check in.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Silk Road Lodges - The Vines (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of Gaochang Ruins, Astana Tombs, Flaming Mountain & Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves: Today, you will be taken around some of Turpan's most famous and impressive sights, starting with the Gaochang Ruins. Situated 45km east of Turpan, Gaochang was the capital city of the ancient Uighur Kingdom. First built in the first century BC of the Han Dynasty, the old city lasted for almost 1,500 years until the Uighur Kingdom was defeated by the nearby states and the city was abandoned in 1283. Not far from Gaochang, you will visit the Astana Ancient Tombs, the cemetery of the ancient Gaochang Kings. 456 tombs have been excavated since the 1950s, and more than 10,000 archaeological discoveries have been made here, such as books, documents, murals, embroidery, clay figurines and pottery. The tomb complex is 5km from east to west, and 2km from north to south. Gravel boundaries separate the tombs by family. There is not much to see from the surface as most of the tombs are hidden underground, but a few remain open to the public and visitors are able to descend a narrow stairwell to explore the treasures below. 

Continue on to the Flaming Mountain and the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves. The Flaming Mountain was made famous in the classic novel 'Journey to the West', as a formidable barrier crossed by the monk Xuan Zang and his 3 disciples who were travelling west in search of the Buddhist sutra. Also named the Red Hill by locals, the mountain stretches almost 100km from west to east. It is generally about 500m in height, with the highest point being 851m above sea level. Purplish-brown in colour, the hills look like they are on fire in the midday sun, hence the name. The Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves are found at the north-western side of the Flaming Mountain. This complex of Buddhist grottoes dates from the 5th to the 13th centuries, and was built on a cliff face fronting a river valley. This was the centre of Buddhism in the Gaochang Kingdom from the 5th century, until the 13th century when the Mongolian invasion caused the Gaochang royal family to move to Yongchang in Gansu Province. Buddhism declined after Islam was introduced to the region, and since then many of the large Buddha statues have been destroyed or stolen, and some of the remaining statues have been damaged.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Silk Road Lodges - The Vines (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Guided tour of Jiaohe Ruins, Karez Irrigation System, Grape Valley & Emin Minaret: This morning, you will be taken to visit the Jiaohe Ruins. 13km west of Turpan, Jiaohe ancient city was built atop a 30 metre cliff carved out of two rivers. In Chinese Jiaohe means 'two rivers meet', hence the name of the city. This once-flourishing city has a history of more than 2,000 years. According to the Han records, in 109 BC the city was home to 700 families, 6,050 citizens and 1,856 soldiers. It served as the capital of Jushi Kingdom until the end of the 13th century when the Mongolian troops conquered the area. It has since faded into the desert, and what’s left is little more than a crumbling shadow of what was once a proud city.

You will also have the chance to view the Karez Irrigation System. Created by the ancient Uighur people during the second half of the 18th century, it can mainly be found in the area of Turpan, Hami and Helei. If you connected all these underground channels together, the total length would exceed 5,000km, so it is regarded as one of China's greatest public projects, and is sometimes referred to as the 'Underground Great Wall'. The word 'Karez' means wells. These wells are sunk at various points to the north of Turpan to collect ground water, which comes from snow melt in the Bogda Mountains. This water then passes through underground channels to irrigate farms in the valley below. 

Finally, you will take a look around Turpan’s Grape Valley, where some of China’s best wines are made, and see the impressive Emin Minaret. Sitauted 2km east of Turpan at Muna Village, the Emin Minaret is also known as the Sugong Pagoda. It is designed in a simple Afghani style and was built in 1777 by Suleman, the son of local ruler Emin Khoja, to honour his father after his death. At 44m, the minaret is the tallest in China, and has a diameter of 10m. The huge structure was built of grey bricks and earth and carved in 15 different decorative patterns, such as waves, flowers or rhombuses.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at Silk Road Lodges - The Vines (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Road journey to Urumqi: This morning, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred by road to Urumqi Airport. The journey will take around 3 hours.

Flight: CZ6886 Urumqi - Kashgar 14.35 - 16.30

Private transfer: On arrival in Kashgar, you will be met by your local guide and taken to your hotel to check in.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Yue Xing Jin Jiang Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of Kashgar: Today, you will be taken on a tour of Kashgar's main sights and sounds. Start with the Sunday Bazaar. This is the biggest market in central Asia and with a history of more than 2,000 years, is one of the main reasons to venture this far west. The market is active every day, but the livestock section is on Sundays only. Afterwards, continue on to the Id Kah Mosque. Built in 1426, this is the largest mosque in Xinjiang and the centre of Muslim activities in Kashgar. Later you will travel 30km northeast of Kashgar City to visit the Abakh Hoja Tomb. Built in the 7th century during the Tang Dynasty, the tomb was unfortunately destroyed around the 12th century. It used to be home to many monks, but nowadays only one of the pagodas remains, which is where the monks in the city come to do their worship.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Yue Xing Jin Jiang Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Round trip to Karakul Lake: Today, you will be taken on a drive along the spectacular Karakoram Highway to visit the beautiful Karakul Lake, located 200km west of Kashgar City. The lake has an altitude of 3,600 metres above sea level and covers an area of 10 square kilometres. The mountain Muztagh Aka, is located at the east of the lake and is known locally as 'Iceberg Father'. Return to your hotel in Kashgar this evening.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Yue Xing Jin Jiang Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

Private transfer: Today, you will have some time at leisure to relax and soak in the unique atmosphere of Kashgar. Later, you will be collected from your hotel and transferred to the railway station in time to board your overnight train.

Overnight train: T9518 will depart Kashgar at 17.34 and arrive in Urumqi the following morning at 10.27. A shared 4 berth cabin (with shared bathroom) will be booked.

Meals: Breakfast

Private transfer: On arrival in Urumqi, you will be met by your local guide and taken to your hotel to check in. The rest of the day will be free at leisure for you to rest after your journey and explore Urumqi independently.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Mercure Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast

Guided tour of the Xinjiang Museum & the Nanshan Pasture: Today, you will be taken to visit the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum, a must-visit for anyone interested in the culture and history of the Silk Road. Here you can see relics and artwork from the province’s tumultuous past, as well as some preserved ancient mummified figures, including some claimed to be almost 4,000 years old. You will also be taken out to visit the Nanshan Pastures, located to the south of the city. These fertile grasslands are home to many Kazakh nomads and their herds during the summer. A great place for hiking, Nanshan offers a welcome break from the arid desert scenery.

Accommodation: Stay tonight at the Grand Mercure Hotel (Standard Room)

Meals: Breakfast & Lunch