Silk Road Tour with Bullet Train 8 Days Tour

Day 1: Lanzhou arrival

Upon arrival in Lanzhou, you will be transferred to the hotel for rest. The city is an important transportation hub. About 1,600 years after 100 BC, the Silk Road through the Hexi Corridor and Lanzhou was an important trade route.

Day 2: Lanzhou

Our nice guide will meet you at the hotel after you have breakfast, and then drive about 1.5 hrs to visit the Binglinsi Temple. After enjoying cruising from Liujiaxia Gorge to Binglingsi Thousand Buddha Caves, you will take a Lanzhou city tour, visiting the first bridge Of the Yellow River. It is the first highway bridge in the ancient Yellow River, also the second city steel bridge in China.

Yellow River Mother Sculpture: The sculpture comprises a mother and a baby, lying on the undulating water looking happy and kind. Resting on her breast is a small child smiling naively.

Bingling Thousand Buddha Caves: Bingling Temple Caves is one of the Four Most Famous Caves in China and just second to Mogao Grottoes of Dunhuang. Bingling, is the transliterating of the Tibetan "thousands of Buddhas".

Day 3: Lanzhou-Zhangye-Jiayuguan

After breakfast at the hotel, we will go to the train station and take the express train to Zhangye (D2741, 07:25-10:36). Upon arrival, we will visit the Grand Buddha Temple,  which is the important place of the Silk Road and the Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park. In the afternoon, we will take the express train to Jiayuguan (D2749, 17:19-18:28).

Zhangye Danxia National Geological Park: Zhangye Danxia is known for the unusual colors of the rocks, which are smooth, sharp and several hundred meters tall. They are the result of deposits of sandstone and other minerals that occurred over 24 million years. Known for its colorful rock formations, it has been voted by Chinese media outlets as one of the most beautiful landforms in China.

Day 4: Jiayuguan-Dunhuang

After breakfast, we will go to see the Jiayuguan pass and Weijin Tombs. At noon, you will be transferred to the train station to catch your express train to Dunhuang (D2703, 13:01-14:48). In Dunhuang, we cannot miss the Echoing Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake. At night, we can stroll around the Shazhou Night Market, the most bustling place of Dunhuang.

Jiayuguan Pass: Jiayuguan Pass is the largest and most intact pass of the great wall in China. Standing in the southwest part of Jiayuguan City, about 6 km away from downtown, it was the last section built by the Ming Dynasty. 

Weijin Tomb: About 15 kilometers northeast of Jiayuguan, there are over 1,400 tombs which were built during the Wei and Jin dynasties (between the 3rd and 5th century). They feature brick wall paintings showing various social activities of the times.

Echoing-Sand Mountain and Crescent Lake: Located 5 km south of Dunhuang City, the Echoing-Sand Mountain is celebrated for the sound of the moving sand. In 1994 it was acclaimed as the national key scenic spot and it’s advertised as the 40 must go places by CNN.

Day 5: Dunhuang-Turpan

In the morning, off to visit the Mogao Grottoes and then after lunch drive about 1.5hrs to the train station, take the express train to Turpan (D2705, 15:41-10:24).

Mogao Grottoes: Also known as Thousand Buddha Grottoes, it’s located 25 km southeast of the center of Dunhuang. It’s an oasis strategically located at the religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road.

Day 6: Turpan-Urumuqi

After breakfast, we will visit the Karez Well, which is a special irrigation system in desert areas. Sugong Minaret, the largest Islamic minaret in China built in 1778. And Jiaohe Ruins. Also known as Yarhotto, it is viewed as one of the world's largest, oldest historic sites and the best preserved raw soil buildings with more than 2,000 years. It is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Silk Road Sites.

In the afternoon, we will drive about 2.5 hrs to Urumqi which is the capital city of Xinjiang Province.

Day 7: Urumuqi-Heavenly Lake

After Breakfast, our nice guide meet you at the hotel and then drive to Fukang and visit the Heavenly Lake, a picturesque Alpine lake, 2000m up in the Tianshan mountain range. Afternoon, we will go back to Urumqi and visit the Xinjiang International Bazaar, the largest bazaar in Urumqi.

Heavenly Lake: The Heavenly Lake is an alpine drift lake shaped in the Quaternary Glacier period, and was listed by the State as one of the key scenic spots in 1982. The Nature Reserve covers 380-odd square kilometers, including 18 modern glaciers,3 rivers,18 lakes of which the Heavenly Lake is the most famed one.

Day 8: Urumuqi departure

We will transfer you to airport/train station based on your flight schedule.