Tour Features: On this tour you can experience the main attractions in Lanzhou and Dunhuang. Visit: the landmarks of Lanzhou, the pearl of the Yellow River, one of the most important grotto temples in China, the last point of civilization before the desert, and many other attractions which make this a wonderful tour.
Day by Day Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive in Lanzhou, White Pagoda Hill Park (-, L, -)
Upon arrival in Lanzhou, your tour guide will meet you at Lanzhou Airport and transfer you to your hotel by private car.
Then you will visit White Pagoda Hill Park, one of the landmarks of Lanzhou. This pleasant park is on the northern bank of Yellow River with a white pagoda on the top of the hill, hence the name. The seven-level octagonal pagoda is 17 m tall, and built as part of a temple on the top of the hill. Below the pagoda there are bronze bell and elephant skin drum. It is possible to catch the chairlifts to the top from inside the park to get a marvelous view of Lanzhou City.
Day 2: Liujiaxia Reservoir, Bingling Cave (-, L, -)
Today you will go to visit Liujiaxia Reservoir which is honored as a pearl of the Yellow River. It is really unbelievable that such a big reservoir locates in the dry mountain range.
Then you will cruise the Liujiaxia reservoir to visit the Bingling Cave, one of the most important grotto temples in China, and one of the few Buddhist grottoes in China to survive the tumultuous 20th century due to its relative inaccessibility. Bingling in the Tibetan language means a place for one hundred thousand Buddhas to live in. It experienced continuous cutting and repairs almost in every dynasty. Currently there are about 776 Buddhist sculptures and statues, and most of the caves contain rock-cut statues, clay sculptures, and colorful frescoes and it was famous for its exquisite stone carving.
Day 3: Zhongshan Iron Bridge, Yellow River Mother (-, L, -)
Today you will enjoy a city tour around Lanzhou. It starts with visiting the Zhongshan Iron Bridge, which was called the first bridge over the Yellow River. The bridge was completed in 1942 under the help of a Germany businessman.
Then, visit a large granite sculpture-the Yellow River Mother, completed in 1986, which is the best of its kind in China. The whole sculpture contains a mother and a baby connotes that the Yellow River has nourished generations of Chinese. It has become a city image and a mental symbol of the Chinese people's affection for the river.
After this, you will be transferred to the train station to Dunhuang in the afternoon.
Day 4: Mogao Caves, Echoing-Sand Mountain (Mingsha Shan), Crescent Moon Lake (-, L, -)
Today you will visit Mogao Caves, which is acclaimed as “a glittering pearl that adorns the Silk Road,” is the most famous grottoes in China and known as the world’s greatest treasure house of Buddhist art extant today. The 492 cells and sanctuaries in Mogao are famous for their statues and wall paintings, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art.
Next, visit Echoing-Sand Mountain (Mingsha Shan), which tower several hundred feet high, look like a golden dragon winding its way over the horizon, and it was named after the sound made as the grains of sand are crunched under foot.
Finally you will go to Crescent Moon Lake (Crescent Spring), a crescent-shaped freshwater lake in the oasis that has been a vital source of water for thousands of years. It is praised as the first spring in the desert.
Day 5: Jiayuguan (-, L, -)
After breakfast, you will have an excursion to Jiayuguan, 385 KM from Dunhuang, which was traditionally regarded as China's final outpost, the last point of civilization before the desert. Jiayuguan Pass, known as "Impregnable Defile Under Heaven", located 4 km west of Jiayuguan City, which is the western terminus of the Great Wall, as well as the most magnificent and best-preserved pass along the Ming Great Wall.
In the evening, your tour guide will escort you to the railway station or airport to your next destination.
Itinerary: B: Breakfast AB: American Breakfast L: Lunch D: Dinner SD: Special Dinner
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