Tour Features: Taking an adventure in the largest desert of China makes this itinerary the most exciting one in Xinjiang. By this tour, you can stay in Takla Makan Desert overnight, which gives you a chance to touch the desert in person and get to know more about this mysterious land. Besides, you can also enjoy other attractive spots before and after the desert tour.
Day by Day Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrival in Ürümqi (-, -, -)
Upon arrival in Ürümqi, your tour guide will meet you at Ürümqi Airport and transport you to your hotel by private car. The rest of the day is yours to relax, or step out into this amazing city for an adventure on your own.
Day 2: Hongshan, Xinjiang Provincial Museum, Carpet Factory (B, L, -)
Today you will have a city tour in Ürümqi. The tour starts with the symbolic scenic spot of Ürümqi-Hongshan, which is an inner city mountain that reflects a bright red color. There is a nine-story pagoda on the top of the mountain. At sunset or when nightfall begins, the pagoda is a marvelous sight. This view is one of the eight most famous scenic spots in ancient Ürümqi.
Then, visit Xinjiang Provincial Museum, which devotes a section to archeological finds, especially from around Turpan, including some preserved corpses, silk paintings, and lovely brocades.
Later, visit a carpet factory where carpets are woven by hands and were considered the finest in China. After this, your personal guide will take you to the Ürümqi Airport to fly to Kashgar. Upon arrival in Kashgar, your Kashgar tour guide will meet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel by private car.
Day 3: Kashgar Sunday bazaar, Id Kah Mosque, Tomb of Abakh Khoja (B, L, -)
After breakfast, you will go to see Kashgar Sunday bazaar, a famous weekly market and a uniquely traditional type of trade found in Xinjiang. Currently, it is being split into two sections. One is a livestock bazaar which is only open on Sundays. The other is ordinary bazaar open every day, and especially busy on Sundays.
Then, visit the Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China and one of the most holy places in the Muslim world. It can accommodate 7,000 worshipers at the same time.
Finally, you will visit the Tomb of Abakh Khoja, built in the 17th century and it is a group of beautiful and magnificent buildings which form one of the best examples of Islamic architecture in China.
Day 4: Takla Makan Desert, Karghilik (B, L, -)
After breakfast, you will be driven across the Takla Makan Desert, China's largest desert, to Khotan, which is an oasis town and was an early center for the spread of Buddhism before Islam arrived in 9th century.
On the way, you will visit Karghilik, a colorful and old Uighur town. The main attraction in the town is the Jama Masjid, which was built in the 15th-century and sits amidst the arcaded bazzar. Stay at Khotan overnight.
Day 5: Camel Ride (B, L, -)
After breakfast, you will take a camel ride across the Takla Makan Desert, also named "the Sea of Death". In the Uygur language Takla Makan means "you can go in and you'll never come out". Stay overnight in the desert.
Day 6: Adventure in Takla Makan Desert (B, L, -)
Today is yours to relax, or walk around in the desert for an adventure on your own. Get together again at Khotan.
Day 7: Mingfeng (B, L, -)
Today, you will be driven to Minfeng, about 320 km from Khotan. On the way, you can enjoy the magnificent scene along the desert. Stay at Niya Hotel overnight.
Day 8: Kuqa (B, L, -)
After breakfast, you will be driven to Kuqa, a small oasis town about 710 km from Minfeng. It once was an ancient Buddhist kingdom in what was known as the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), located on the branch of the Silk Road.
Day 9: Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves, Subashi Ruins (B, L, -)
Today you will have a tour around Kuqa and it starts with visiting the Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves, about 70 km (43 miles) northwest of Kuqa. The Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves is the oldest of its kind in China and the largest ruins of Buddhist culture in Xinjiang. There are now 236 numbered grottoes in this cave, which houses nearly 10 sq km of mural paintings which showcase a splendid culture that once prospered in Kuqu.
Then visit the Subashi Ruins, a lost city located in the Takla Makan Desert near Kucha. The Subashi Ruins occupy a relatively large area and are divided by Kuqa River into eastern and western areas. The street plan can still be seen amongst the ruins and some of the 6-meter high (20 ft) high city walls are still standing there. After the tour, you will go to Korla, which is known for its production of fragrant pears which are well-known in the region for their sweetness and flavor.
Day 10: Bosten lake (B, L, -)
After breakfast, you will go to Turpan by car. On the way, you will visit the Bosten Lake, the largest lake in Xinjiang and the biggest inland freshwater lake in China. This lake was once named “'Fish Sea” in the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is made up of a big and a small lake district, and rich in aquatic life with beautiful scenery, being famous as “a bright pearl of the Oasis”.
Day 11: Ancient City of Jiaohe, Karez Water System, Ancient City of Gaochang, Astana Ancient Tombs, Beziklik Thousand Buddha Caves, Turpan Grape Valley,Emin Minaret (B, L, -)
Today, your tour starts with visiting Ancient City of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto), 10 km west of Turpan. With a history of 2300 years, Jiaohe is one of the world's architectural wonders; it is the largest, oldest and best-preserved clay-built city in the world.
Then, you will take a look at the Karez Water System which is the life source of Turpan dating back to 103 BC. This special irrigation system includes vertical wells, underground channels, ground channels and small reservoirs.
Then you will go to the Ancient City of Gaochang. The present remains of Gaochang City was built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), and then rebuilt and enlarged in the Huihu period. It is surrounded by 10 meter-high walls and most of the city wall was made of compacted earth.
Afterwards, you will move to Astana Ancient Tombs, which are a series of underground tombs and served as the public cemetery of the ancient Gaochang residents, both aristocrats and commoners from 273 in the Western Jin Dynasty to 778 in the Tang Dynasty. The complex covers 10 sq km and contains over 1,000 tombs.
Then you will proceed to the Bezaklik Thousand Buddha Caves. Dating from the 6th to the 14th centuries, the caves originally stored a collection of Buddhist murals in the Indo-Iranian style, which showed unusually marked western influences.
After this, you will go to Turpan Grape Valley, an attractive desert oasis with vines and trellises bulging with grapes. Every year, over 300 tons of raisins are made in here.
Finally you will visit a typical pagoda of Islamic characteristics- Emin Minaret, built in 1779, the largest extant old tower in Xinjiang, and it is the only Islamic tower among the hundreds of famous towers in China.
Day 12: Leave Ürümqi (B, -, -)
After breakfast, you will be driven to Ürümqi Airport for the flight to the next destination.
Itinerary: B: Breakfast AB: American Breakfast L: Lunch D: Dinner SD: Special Dinner
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