Day 1 Beijing
Arrive Beijing in late afternoon or evening. Meet your tour guide at the
airport and transfer to hotel. Get to know fellow adventurers at the Evening
Reception.
Grand Hotel Beijing
Day 2 Beijing g Urumqi
Enjoy breakfast in your hotel. Then go to the airport and fly to the
capital of Xinjiang - Urumqi. Land in Urumqi Airport after four hours of flight.
On the way to your hotel downtown, stop by the Xinjiang Museum
to see the valuable collections displayed here and gain some knowledge on the history of
this region.
Sheraton Hotel Urumqi <B-D>
Day 3 Urumqi
Today you get into actions! The two-hour long uphill |
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drive takes you out of the city of
Urumqi and to the beautiful Heavenly Lake set among the alpine peaks of Tianshan
Mountain. The snow-capped Mt. Bogda is reflected in the clear water of the lake.
You follow a local mountaineer and hike along the trails around the
lake. The air is fresh and scenery is stunning.
Enjoy a picnic on the alpine meadow at lunch time. You also have the
opportunity to visit a yurt home of the local Kazakh herdsmen.
Return to the city in late afternoon. Dine in a local restaurant.
Sheraton Hotel Urumqi <B-L-D>
Day 4 Urumqi g Kashgar
Fly to Kashgar this morning and transfer to hotel upon arrival.
In the afternoon, visit the Tombs of Abakh Hoja, which is
the cemetery for the nobles in ancient times and includes the tomb of a famous concubine
of Qing Emperor Qianlong.
Tour and hike the grounds of Hannoyi Ruins and the
standing remains of the Moer Pagoda.
Return to the city by evening.
Barony Hotel <B-L-D>
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Day 5 Kashgar
Kashgar is home to one of the world's largest outdoor markets - the Sunday
Bazaar. Tens of thousands of donkey carts, tractors, trucks, horses, sheep, and
people from all around central Asia congregate each Sunday to trade in Kashgar's fair
ground. The scene itself is just an impressive sight! The atmosphere and people scape are
great!
You also visit the centrally located Id Kah Mosque, the
largest in the region, and the Tomb of Yusup Hazi Hajup, a great Uygur poet
and philosopher in the thirteenth century.
Enjoy a Uygur Song & Dance Show tonight after dinner.
Barony Hotel <B-L-D> |
Day 6 Kashgar g Karakuri
Lake
Today, you begin the Safari from Kashgar to Hotan. Travel south in
4-wheel-drive SUVs steered by our professional drivers on the Karakoram Highway.
After three to four hours uphill journey, you reach Karakuri Lake,
which sits at an elevation of 3600 meters (11,808 feet) and is located at the foot of
Mount Muztag Ata, known as the father of glaciers among the local people. It is an
unspoiled place with its dramatic and spectacular natural scenery. Hiking around the lake
is very rewarding and pleasant, especially in summer when flowers bloom. You meet locals
in the small village of Subashi.
Yurt Camp or Lodge <B-L-D>
Day 7 Karakuli Lake g Taxkorgan
Leaving the snow mountains and the glacial lake behind, you will head
towards Taxkorgan, a predominantly Tajik town that sits on Pamir
Plateau and on the Chinese end of the Karakoram Highway. The Karakoram Highway
goes further to Gilgit, Pakistan through incredible scenery. It crosses over Khunjerab
Pass, probably the world's highest international border crossing.
Explore some of the historic sites and vista points around Taxkorgan
during the day.
Stone Castle
Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 8 Taxkorgan g Yarkand
Bid farewell to the Tajik town and you travel east through high
mountains of the Kunlun Range along the Yarkand River. This
area is one of the least traveled corners in all of China.
Arrive Yarkand ("Shache" in Chinese) in late
afternoon. Yarkand is an oasis city situated at the edge of the Taklamakan Desert
and at the foot of the Kunlun Mountains. There are over one hundred mosques
in the city. It is also a trading center since ancient times. The region was first
conquered by Chinese in the 1st |
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century AD. In the early Middle
Ages, Yarkand became an important post on the Silk Road caravan route that linked China,
Persia, and Europe. Marco Polo visited the city in 1271 and in 1275.
Yarkand Wanghou Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 9 Yarkand g Kargilik
This morning you will visit a couple of charming mosques
in Yarkand and a farm outside the city.
After lunch, you get on the road again and drive to Kargilik
("Yecheng" in Mandarin), an important transportation center in southern Xinjiang
with a major road going into Tibet. You will spend rest of the day walking around the town
and enjoy a local cuisine dinner in a restaurant.
Kargilik Qiaoli Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 10 Kargilik g Hotan
You leave Kargilik this morning and travel towards Hotan
("Hetian" in Chinese). On the way, you will stop by the towns of Guma
("Pishan" in Chinese) and Karakax ("Moyu" in Chinese)
for some sightseeing.
Arrive in Hotan in late afternoon and check in hotel for a rest before
dinner.
Hotan Zhejiang Hotel <B-L-D>
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Day 11 Hotan
Begin your exploration in Hotan at the small City Museum,
which contains a collection of items recovered from the surrounding desert, including
fragments of silk, coffee pots, wooden utensils and two mummified bodies. Then you visit
the Jade Factory and Carpet Factory, both of which produce the
city's main products sold across China and overseas.
In the afternoon, drive deep into the Taklamakan Desert
for an exploration of this mysterious landscape. This is the second largest spread of sand
on earth, next to the Sahara in Africa.
Hotan Zhejiang Hotel <B-L-D> |
Day 12 Hotan
In Hotan, the locals hold their own Sunday Bazaar with a
special character. Here you can wander around watching the innumerable blacksmiths,
tinsmiths, goldsmiths, and carpenters hard at work among the stalls.
Later, you drive out of the town along the White Jade River to see the
ancient Tower of Rawak and the Ruins of Melikawat. The latter
was an important regional capital on the Silk Road, but was abandoned well over a thousand
years ago.
Return to the city and enjoy a Special Dinner in local
restaurant.
Hotan Zhejiang Hotel <B-L-D>
Day 13 Hotan g Urumqi g Beijing
Your western China adventure comes to a conclusion today and you board a morning flight
from Hotan to Urumqi, where you connect another flight to Beijing.
Meet and transfer to your hotel. Dinner is on your own.
Grand Hotel Beijing <B-L>
Day 14 Beijing
At leisure or exploration on own this morning.
In the afternoon, visit the Ruins of Yuanmingyuan and the
enchanting Summer Palace where you will enjoy a traditional Chinese
Farewell Dinner.
Grand Hotel Beijing <B-D> |
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Day 15 Return Home
Transfer to the airport and board your homebound flight.
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