8 Days China Silk Road Small Group Tour of Xining, Zhangye and Dunhuang

*Find the Tibetan Buddhism culture in Ta'er Monastery
*Relax yourself in the breathtaking Qinghai Lake and Chaka Salt Lake
*Hiking through Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon which is comprable to the Grand Canyon of Colorado in the U.S
*Explore the splendid Danxia Iandscapes in the Rainbow Mountain
*Enjoy the fabulous view of Jinta Populus Euphratica Forest in Jiuquan
*Climb up the frand Jiayuguan Pass to appreciate the wild and vast Gobi-scapes
*Appreciate the brilliant Buddhist art in Mogao Grottoes

Itinerary

Day 1: Xining Arrival & Xining Tour

Stop At: Ta'er Monastery, Juban Old Alley, Huangzhong County China
Upon your arrival at Xining airport, the local English speaking guide and driver will pick you up from the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name.

After collect all customers at the airport, you will explore the amazing Xining by visiting Ta’er Monastery which has profound historical origin that it’s the birthplace of famous Tsongkhapa, the founder of Tibetan Buddhism Gelug Sect. Not only bearing the divine position in religious followers, the monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist institution of higher education.

After the visit, check in in local hotel.

Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Xining city, a 4 star hotel, twin sharing room.

Day 2: Xining - Qinghai Lake - Chaka Salt Lake (450kms, 6-7hrs driving)

Stop At: Qinghai Lake, China
At 08:00, meet the guide at the hotel lobby, drive 2.5hours to reach Qinghai Lake via Sun-moon mountain, the largest salt water lake of China,there you may feel that the air is so fresh and the sunshine is so warm to make you feel as in paradise, groups of sheep and yaks, blue sky and white clouds,etc. The main scenic area you will be visiting today will be the Erlangjian Scenic Area where is the most beautiful places in Qinghai Lake, you can enjoy the charming lake. There is boat cruise, horse riding and bike riding available around the lake, you can pay in cash on your own if you have interests (optional).

After the relaxing sightseeing, you will head to Chaka Salt Lake which takes around 2.5 hours driving on road. You can have some rest on the van.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Chaka Town, a 4 star hotel, twin sharing room

Day 3: Chaka Lake-Xining , Xining-Zhangye by High-speed Train

Stop At: Chaka Salt Lake, Haixi, Chaka Town, Ulan County 817101 China
Today just relax yourself in the amazing Chaka Salt Lake!

Chaka Lake with title of “Mirror of the Sky in China” rose to fame nationwide rapidly in the recent years, attracting increasing travelers. “Chaka” means “Salt Lake” in Tibetan. As the name, Chaka Lake is a famous natural crystal salt lake in Qaidam Basin, able to meet all Chinese’s need to salt for 75 years. The pure white congealing in the water makes the lake a huge mirror to reflect the shadows of white clouds, blue sky, hovering birds and beautiful girls in bright- colored dress. Yes, a must thing to do at Chaka Lake is taking beautiful pictures for sky and people. Do remember to wear cloth with bright color.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Zhangye, Zhangye, Gansu
In the afternoon, drive back to Xining to catch the evening high-speed train to Zhangye (reference train D2757/18:41-20:46). The train rides around 2.5 hours, you can have a nap on the train or just enjoy the scenery on the way.

When you arrive at Zhangye train station, there will be the local driver picking you up and transfer to local hotel. (No English tour guide for Zhangye train station pickup)

Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Zhangye City, a 4 star hotel, twin sharing room

Day 4: Zhangye Classic Tour

Stop At: Pingshan Grand Canyon, Zhangye China
After breakfast, follow your guide to explore Pingshan Lake Grand Canyon.As one of the magnificent grand canyons along the silk road, it is the best place where you can not only enjoy the special landform but also visit some precious animals and plants. It is one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Grand View Garden of Zhangye Landscape, and it has been praised as " Comparable to the Grand Canyon of Colorado " and " the new discovery of the Silk Road " by China Geographic Journal and well-known geologists and tourists at home and abroad.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Zhangye Danxia Geopark, 30km South of the County, Linze County 734200 China
In the afternoon, continue your visit to Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park. The Danxia landform earns the most spotlight for Zhangye City. Rated as one of “10 Wonders of Nature in the World” in 2011 by National Geographic News, it does deserve the reputation. There are two main scenic area of the Zhangye Danxia with different features, and you will visit The Rainbow Mountain Scenic Area for today. Located in Linze County, the Rainbow Mountain features in its bright color and is better to enjoy sunset, which chosen by most travelers. Seen from the high platform, the rising layers of mountains in beautiful red with different saturation is bathed in rosy sunlight, depicting a gorgeous picture for the visitors who trudged a lot to here.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Zhangye City, a 4 star hotel, twin sharing room

Day 5: Zhangye-Jiuquan-Jiayuguan Tour by Private Driving

Stop At: Jinta County, Jinta County, Gansu
In the morning, drive around 3 hours to Jiuquan and explore the gorgeous autumn scenery of populus euphratica forest.
Jinta Populus Euphratica Forest, located in the west edge of Jinta Country, Jiuquan City, is one of the most worth-to-visit attractions in every Fall. From late September to early October (the best season), the trees will turn to golden color, and the golden leaves under the blue sky in the desert definitely will amaze you!
Covering an area of more than 80,000 acres, the whole scenic area is composed by five functional zones including Populus euphratica forest -Jinbo Lake Core tourist area, Elaeagnus angustifolia Forest area, Hanhai Red Willow Forest area, Desert entertainment area and Reed Maze area. The populus euphratica forest reaches over 10,000 acres, becoming the largest scale in Northwest China, which is of great ornamental value.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Jiayuguan, Jiayuguan, Gansu
At the end of the visit, drive to Jiayuguan city for overnight.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Jiayuguan City, a 4 star hotel, twin sharing room

Day 6: Jiayuguan Tour

Stop At: Jiayuguan Fortress, Within Yuquan Town, Yuquan Town, Jiayuguan 735100 China
At 08:00, meet your guide at the hotel lobby and your visit starts.
After driving through the yellow sand of desert, you will come to Jiayuguan Pass, also known as the “First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven”, “the Throat of Hexi Corridor”. As the western end of Great Wall of Ming Dynasty, Jiayuguan Pass, being constructed for hundreds of years, not only occupied a vital position in military defense but also exerted importance influence in trade & culture exchange as a key waypoint of ancient Silk Road.

Next, continue your visit to Jiayuguan Great Wall Museum. Inside the Jiayuguan Pass Scenic Area, there is the first Great Wall themed museum with 7 major exhibition halls to show you more detailed knowledge about this great constructional engineering in Chinese history. The oil painting of Great Wall exhibited here with large scale, about 220.5 m2 is a highlight deserving longer stop.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes

Stop At: Wei-Jin Tombs, Xincheng Town, Jiayuguan 735106 China
Afterwards, move on to Weijin Tombs. Driving through the wilder Gobi about 20km from Jiayuguan City, you will come to the famous “underground gallery”, Weijin Tombs. In accordance with the title, wall paints dominate the theme of the visit to this site. Underneath the yellow sand, were about 1,400 ancient tombs buried in the obscure desert and only 6 tombs are open to public today. It’s definitely a surprise discovery process when beholding the paints with bright colors vividly depicting the scholars and official life in Weijin Time.

Last, transfer back to your hotel.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Jiayuguan City, a 4 star hotel, twin sharing room

Day 7: Jiayuguan-Dunhuang by High-speed Train

Stop At: Dunhuang, Dunhuang, Gansu
At around 05:00, the driver will pick you up from the hotel lobby and transfer to train station for you to take morning high-speed train to Dunhuang ( reference train : D8931 / 06:45-09:17). The train rides around 2.5 hours. Upon your arrival, you will find the local English-speaking tour guide and driver waiting for you at the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Crescent Moon Pool, 5km South of Dunhuang, Dunhuang 736200 China
When it is not too hot, you will start your visit with Crescent Spring and Echo Sand Mountain. Echo Sand Mountain and Crescent Spring are harmonious mates of miracle created by natural, glittering like a pearl along the Silk Road for thousands of years. The incredible co-existence between spring water and sand mountains always amazes visitors at their first sight here: the sand mountains meanders like a huge dragon and roars when wings blowing while the Crescent Spring, like a gentle maiden, is embraced in arms of mountains without being smudging.

Friendly tip: There is camel ride available in the Echo Sand Mountain, if you would like to try it, please pay in cash on your own (around CNY100 /pax ). Of course your tour guide will help to purchase tickets.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Shazhou Nightly Market, Yangguan East Road, Dunhuang China
Last, come to Shazhou Night Market for further exploration. Though you might have visited many night markets or food streets during your weeks of vacation, Shazhou Night Market still brings you something different. You will find the special vitality of this northwest city remoting from the country center during your leisure strolling.
Duration: 1 hour

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Dunhuang, a 4 star hotel, twin sharing room

Day 8: Dunhuang Tour & Dunhuang Departure

Stop At: Mogao Caves, West of Hexi Zoulang, Dunhuang 736200 China
Today you will head to the amazing Mogao Grottoes. As the existing anthology of Buddhist art with biggest scale and the best preservation in the world, Mogao Caves wins a fame of “the pearls of oriental art”. It keeps 735verns, about45,000 square kilometers frescoes, 2,415 painted sculpture, more than 4,000 flying Apsaras (the beautiful Bodhisattva in the Buddhism who has fair scent and does well in dancing and music), and 5 wooden constructions of Tang and Song Dynasty as well as thousands of Stone pillars and flagstones with lotus carving on them.

In the afternoon, you will be dropped off at Dunhuang airport for departure flight.
Duration: 3 hours

No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.