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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/ Guangzhou
Fly from Australia to Shanghai. Upon arrival in Shanghai, you will be greeted by our CTS guide and transferred to your hotel.
Day 02 Shanghai/Xian (B/D)
After breakfast, you are free at leisure untill your transfer to the airport and fly from Shanghai to Xian. Upon arrival in Xian, you will be met and transferred to the hotel.Visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Today you will sample the Xian dumpling dinner. Afterwords, you will see the traditional Tang Dynasty Show.
Day 03 Xian (B/L/D)
Morning tour to the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, the 2,000 year-old Terracotta Warriors interred with the Emperor Qin Shi Huang. In the afternoon, we will visit the Great Mosque, the best-preserved Islamic mosque in China and focus for the 30,000 Chinese Muslims of Xian.
Day 04 Xian/Lanzhou (B/D)
Morning is free untill we fly to Lanzhou, 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. Tour White Pagoda Hill and Five Springs Park. Tonight you will 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, is a melting pot of Chinese, Middle Eastern and Nomadic cultures, and is home to one of the six great monasteries of the Gelukpa (Yellow Hat) Sect. The 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. Visit Jiayuguan Pass, built during the Ming dynasty to protect the last frontier of the Chinese empire.
Day 08 Jiayuguan-Dunhuang (B/L/D)
Take a morning drive to Dunhuang. Upon arrival in Dunhuang, you will be transferred to the hotel. Today you will be taken on a camel ride through the “Singing Sand Dune” in the dessert.
Day 09 Dunhuang (B/L/D)
Tour the Mogao Grottoes, the World’s richest treasure trove of Buddhist manuscripts and art. It began 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 watch the 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 across the desert 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.
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. Afterwards, you will be transferred to the airport. Fly from Urumqi to Kashagar, a key hub on the ancient Silk Road. Upon arrival in Kashgar, you will be 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)
In the morning, you will have some free time or you can go on an optional home visit with a Kashgar family. Fly from Kashgar 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 are free for some last minute shopping before being transferred to the airport for your flight back home.
Day 18 Australia
Arrival in Australia.Board your wide-cabin jetliner bound for China. Upon arrival, You will be greeted by our guide and transferred to your hotel.
