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Following the footsteps of Marco Polo, 16 nights, 17 Days tour to Shanghai, Xian, Lanzhou, Xiahe, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Urumqi, Turpan and Kashgar.
(Tour Code: EG)
Day 01 Australia / Shanghai
Depart from Australia to Shanghai. Upon arrival into Shanghai, you will be greeted by our guide and transferred to your hotel.
Day 02 Shanghai / Xian (B/D)
After breakfast free at leisure till transferred to airport and fly from Shanghai to Xian. Upon arrival in Xian, you will be met and transferred to the hotel. If time permit, visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Have sumptuous dumpling dinner, and enjoy a traditional Tang Dynasty show after dinner.
Day 03 Xian (B/L/D)
Morning tour to the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, more than 2,000 year-old Terracotta Warriors interred with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Included are the Circle Vision Movie and Bronze Chariot. Afternoon, we visit the Great Mosque, a best-preserved islamic mosque in China.
Day 04 Xian/Lanzhou (B/D)
Morning free till we fly to Lanzhou later today, which used to be called the Golden City, is an important stop along the Silk Road and has a history of over 2,000 years; It has been important for thousands of years because of the Hexi Corridor, or “Corridor West of the Yellow River”, where early Chinese civilization began. If time permits, tours White Pagoda Hill and Five Springs Park. Sample the famous “Hand Stretched Noodles Banquet”.
Day 05 Lanzhou-Xiahe (B/L/D)
Today we drive to Xiahe through the scenic Mountain Pass. Xiahe County, this is one of the six great monasteries of the Gelukpa (Yellow Hat) Sect. Another reason for a visit to Xiahe is that it is a melting pot of Chinese, Middle Eastern and Nomadic cultures, the renowned Little Tibet. Highlight today is to visit mystical Labrang Monastery.
Day 06 Xiahe-Lanzhou-Jiayuguan (B/L/D)
Tour the exotic Sangke Grasslands in the morning prior to return to Lanzhou. Board our overnight sleeper train to Jiayuguan, the western starting point of the Great Wall.
Day 07 Jiayuguan (B/L/D)
At midday, we arrive in Jiayuguan, historically, a small township engaged in local trading, catering to the needs of the military garrisons stationed at the fort; as a Han outpost and in 1372, during the Ming dynasty, a fortress was built to protect the last frontier of the Chinese empire. To explore this town and visit Jiayuguan Pass.
Day 08 Jiayuguan-Dunhuang (B/L/D)
Take a morning drive to Dunhuang. Upon arrival in Dunhuang, you will be transferred to the hotel. Then continue your sightseeing tour (Singing Sand Dunes and enjoy a camel ride into the dunes) in Dunhuang.
Day 09 Dunhuang (B/L/D)
Touring the Mogao Grottoes, the World’s richest treasure trove of Buddhist manuscripts and art. Begun in 386AD and added to over the next 9 centuries, the grottoes total over 45,000 square meters and boast over 2,000 murals and sculptures. Visit Dunhuang Museum. In the evening try Dunhuang Desert Special Cuisine Dinner and then local folk dancing performance.
Day 10 Dunhuang – Turpan (B/L)
After breakfast you will be free to explore this ancient city at your own pace and meet the local people. Transfer to the train station for an overnight train ride to Turpan.
Day 11 Turpan (B/L/D)
Arrive in Turpan. Sightseeing features Gaochang, the ancient walled capital of the Uighurs, which flourished between the 7th and 14th centuries, or the ruins of Jiaohe City, where large fragments of actual streets and buildings remain. You’ll also visit Grape Valley, in lush contrast to the desert surrounding it, and the amazing 2,000-year-old Karez Irrigation Tunnels, which brought water from melting snow on the mountains to this parched city. Then visit the Flaming Mountains, named for their vibrant colour and Suliman’s Minaret if time permit.
Day 12 Turpan-Urumqi/Kashgar (B/L/D)
Board a coach transferred to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, China’s huge western province. Upon arrival in Urumqi, take a city tour, which gives you a glimpse of the major sights of this northwestern city. Populated by Han, Uigur people and thirteen ethnic minorities, Urumqi is quite different from the usual Chinese street scene. Here you can see nomadic Kazakhs, a Middle Eastern bazaar, a jade-carving center and more. Then Transferred to the airport, fly from Urumqi to Kashagar, a key hub on the ancient Silk Road. Upon arrival in Kashgar, transferred to the hotel.
Day 13 Kashgar (B/L/D)
After breakfast, head directly to the Great Bazaar, alive with storybook scenes: thousands of merchants haggling for camels, carpets and other native goods; imams on donkeys and veiled women in their black robes. After wandering the Great Bazaar, you will visit Id Kah Emin Mosque, one of the largest in China, and the Tomb of the Fragrant Lady.
Day 14 Kashgar/Urumqi (B)
You will be free or have home visit till transfer to the airport, fly from Kashgar back to Urumqi. Upon arrival in Urumqi, transferred to the hotel.
Day 15 Urumqi (B/L/D)
After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to Nanshan Mountain, where you visit a Kazakh family in their yurt and Tianchi Lake, nestled in the Tianshan Mountain range. Take a boat ride on the beautiful Lake of Heaven (Tianchi) and enjoy breath-taking views of a crystal clear lake.
Day 16 Urumqi / Shanghai(B)
You will be free till transfer to the airport, fly from Urumqi to Shanghai, the biggest commercial city in China. Upon arrival, you will be greeted by our guide and transferred to the hotel.
Day 17 Shanghai/Australia (B)
Today you will have free time to go shopping or explore more of Shanghai by yourself. In the evening you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Australia.
Day 18 Australia
Arrival in Australia.
