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12 Days Xinjiang Silk Road Travel

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Itinerary
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Trip Notes

Tour Overview

Discover ancient trade routes, diverse cultures, and breathtaking landscapes A 12-day journey through Xinjiang’s Silk Road highlights, blending history, culture, and natural wonders. Explore ancient cities, desert highways, Buddhist caves, and vibrant bazaars while experiencing Uyghur, Tajik, and Han Chinese traditions.

What’s Special About This Tour?

Traverse the Taklamakan Desert, one of the world’s largest sandy deserts. Visit UNESCO-listed sites like Jiaohe Ruins and Kezil Thousand Buddha Caves. Experience Silk Road heritage in Kashgar’s Old Town and Idkah Mosque. Marvel at alpine scenery at Heavenly Lake and Karakul Lake. Engage with local artisans at Hotan’s silk and carpet workshops.

What to Prepare?

Clothing: Light layers for daytime, warm jackets for evenings, sun protection (hat, sunglasses). Footwear: Sturdy shoes for hiking and exploring ruins. Documents: Passport, China visa. Miscellaneous: Reusable water bottle, sunscreen, cash (limited ATMs in remote areas).

Best Time to Visit

April–October: April–June: Mild weather, blooming deserts. July–September: Lush grasslands, clear mountain views. October: Golden autumn foliage.

Destinations

Tour Price

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Tour Start and End

Urumqi, Kashgar

Price Includes

Accommodation
Licensed English-speaking tour guide
Private air-conditioned vehicle/bus
Guide & driver accommodation + meals
Train tickets

Price Excludes

International/domestic flights
Meals (can arranged if need)
Entrance fees to monuments/attractions(can arranged if need)
Optional excursions not listed in the itinerary
Personal expenses (e.g., souvenirs, laundry)
Tips for guide/driver

Tour Overview

Discover ancient trade routes, diverse cultures, and breathtaking landscapes

A 12-day journey through Xinjiang’s Silk Road highlights, blending history, culture, and natural wonders. Explore ancient cities, desert highways, Buddhist caves, and vibrant bazaars while experiencing Uyghur, Tajik, and Han Chinese traditions.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Urumqi

Highlights: Urumqi Grand Bazaar

After airport pickup and hotel check-in, visit the Grand Bazaar, A sprawling 10-story market blending Uyghur, Kazakh, and Han cultures. Explore stalls selling Jade from Hotan, hand-forged knives, and embroidered doppa hats. Food Corner: Sample dapanji (spicy chicken stew), charcoal-grilled lamb skewers, and honey-drenched baklava. Cultural Insight: Visit the rooftop terrace for evening folk dances accompanied by the rawap (Uyghur lute). Overnight: Urumqi

Day 2: Urumqi → Heavenly Lake (120 km, 2 hrs)

Highlights: Xinjiang Museum, Heavenly Lake (Tianchi)

After breakfast, Visit Xinjiang Museum, Must-See: The “Loulan Beauty” (3,800-year-old Tarim mummy), Silk Road coins, and Tang Dynasty silk paintings. Then drive to Heavenly Lake, Spot snow leopards’ prey like ibex and golden eagles (binoculars recommended). Take a cable car to the lakeside, hike the Wanglong Pavilion Trail for panoramic views. Overnight: Urumqi

Day 3: Urumqi → Turpan (200 km, 3 hrs)

Highlights: Tuyuq Village, Flaming Mountains, Bezeklik Caves

In the morning, Travel to Turpan, First stop will be Flaming Mountains, Geology: Red sandstone ridges formed by 100 million years of erosion. The Thermometer Monument marks record highs of 80°C (176°F). Then visit Tuyuq Village, One of Xinjiang’s oldest Uyghur villages, with 1,700-year-old Mazha Tombs carved into cliffs. Sip tea with locals in courtyards shaded by grapevines. After lunch at the Uyghur house, drive to Bezeklik Caves, Faded murals showing Sogdian merchants and Tocharian donors. Note the vandalism from early 20th-century explorers. Overnight: Turpan

Day 4: Turpan → Kuqa (Overnight Train)

Highlights: Jiaohe Ruins, Karez Wells, Emin Minaret

In the morning, visit Jiaohe Ruins, Divided into temples, residential quarters, and a necropolis. The Buddhist Monastery has a rare underground chamber for meditation.Then to Karez Wells, Descend into a 20-meter-deep vertical well to see the ancient tunnel system. Local guides demonstrate how water is distributed. Afternoon, Visit Emin Minaret, A 44-meter tapering brick tower adorned with 14 geometric patterns. Built in 1777 to honor a Turpan hero. Overnight: Train

Day 5: Kuqa Tour

Highlights: Kezil Caves, Tianshan Grand Canyon, Kuqa Old Town

After breakfast, drive to Kezil Buddha Caves, Located 75 km west of Kuqa, carved into cliffs above the Muzat River in the Tianshan Mountains. Built between the 3rd and 8th centuries CE, predating Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves. A UNESCO World Heritage Site (part of the Silk Road: Chang’an-Tianshan Corridor), showcasing early Buddhist art fused with Hellenistic, Persian, and Indian influences. Then drive to Tianshan Grand Canyon, Hiking the 5-km trail through wind-sculpted red cliffs. Look for the “Karma Rock,” a heart-shaped boulder balancing on a narrow base. After that, visit Kuqa Bazaar and old town, Try tonur kebab (lamb baked in a clay oven) and buy khushtar (scented rosewood prayer beads). Overnight: Kuqa

Day 6: Kuqa → Hotan via Taklamakan Desert Road (550 km, 8–9 hrs)

Highlights: Taklamakan Desert Highway

On the way, Stop some places to see sand dunes, desert poplar forests, the , the Ancient traders skirted Taklamakan desert edges via northern and southern routes, avoiding the deadly interior. Derived from Uighur: “Takla Makan” = “Place of No Return” or “Abandoned Desert”, Buried Cities, Ruins like Loulan and Niya lie beneath the sand, along with 4,000-year-old Tarim mummies (Caucasian features, preserved by arid conditions). Overnight: Hotan

Day 7: Hotan Tour

Highlights: Hotan Carpet Factory, Silk Workshop, Night Market

After breakfast, drive to Carpet Factory, Each carpet has 1.2 million knots (360 knots per square inch). Watch artisans use natural dyes from indigo and walnut husks. Silk Workshop, From silkworms feeding on mulberry leaves to hand-reeling threads into iridescent fabric. Buy scarves with Uyghur ikat patterns. After noon, visit Hotan Bazaar, there you will enjoy local food, handcrafts, fabrics, Jades etc. In the evening, your guide will take you to the Hotan Night Market, it is the most famous night market in Xinjiang with it’s various delicious foods and size. Overnight: Hotan

Day 8: Hotan → Kashgar (500 km, 7–8 hrs)

Highlights: Yarkand Amanisha Khan Tomb

After breakfast, Travel to kashgar along the Oasis villages, two sides of the road you can see different kind of crops, you will have lunch in Yarkand, after Lunch, visit Amanisha Khan Tomb, A hexagonal structure with a 22-meter dome. The interior walls are inscribed with Persian poetry. Overnight: Kashgar

Day 9: Kashgar Tour

Highlights: Livestock Market, Idkah Mosque, Apak Hoja Tomb, Old Town

Start your day at the Kashgar Livestock Market, where the clamor of sheep auctions and camel traders offers a raw glimpse into Silk Road commerce. After soaking in the market’s energy, drive to the Apak Hoja Tomb, its turquoise domes and floral mosaics reflecting Persian-Uyghur artistry. After lunch, visit Idkah Mosque, From the mosque’s tranquil courtyard, walk 10 minutes through shaded alleys End the day by wandering Kashgar Old Town, where the rhythmic hammering of coppersmiths and the scent of freshly baked Nan from clay ovens transport you back to the city’s medieval heyday. You can collect last-minute souvenirs like camel-bone knives or silk scarves. Overnight: Kashgar

Day 10: Kashgar → Tashkorgan (300 km, 6 hrs)

Highlights: Karakul Lake, Muztagh Ata, Opal Village

Depart early along the Karakoram Highway, stopping first at Opal Village, there you can see village Bazaar, and can buy hot Nan bread and other local snack, then traverse the stark beauty of Oytagh Valley’s red cliffs, and beautiful Sand mountain Lake, Continue driving southwest to Karakul Lake, arriving by midday to photograph the snow-capped Muztagh Ata Peak mirrored in the glacial waters. Share a meal of laghman noodles in a Kyrgyz yurt by the lakeshore, reaching Tashkorgan by sunset. Overnight: Tashkorgan

Day 11: Tashkorgan → Kashgar (300 km, 6 hrs)

Highlights: Stone City, Golden Grassland

Begin at Stone City, a crumbling Tang Dynasty fortress perched above the Taxkorgan River Valley—scout for ancient pottery shards and imagine Silk Road caravans passing below. Visit the Golden Grassland to stroll through amber-hued meadows (autumn) or summer pastures dotted with grazing yaks. Drive back along the Karakoram Highway. Overnight: Kashgar