The Silk Road Image

Trip type: PhotographyDestination: Gansu, XinjiangDuration: 14 daysHighlights: History,culture and landscape along the Silk Road

Best time to go: April to November

Year	Departure Date	Availability	Book
2011	On Request	Spaces

·                              Trip Overview

·                              Dates & Pricing

·                              Detailed Itinerary

The Silk Road, a great transcontinental route linking the Roman Empire in the West with empire of China in the East, retains its charm to both the Chinese and Westerners. The eastern starting point of the route was at Chang'an (the ancient name of Xi'an), the capital of the Tang Dynasty, through the Yellow River valley via Lanzhou, it then extended westward along the deserts and mountains before dividing into three routes at the oasis of Dunhuang. In ancient times, the route attached merchants from Europe and China to trade gold, tea, porcelain, spices, jade, ivory and above all silk; which is where of course the Silk Road gets its name. Today, the Silk Road is no longer a popular means of trading silk but the long history, diverse cultures, valuable relics, and brilliant art offers us an unforgettable trip.

Note: The price would be varied based on the difference of accommodations and group size. Please kindly contact us at

for details.
 Includes:

·                              Domestic flights as in itinerary

·                              Airport tax for the relative flights

·                              English speaking tour guide service

·                              Nice vehicle with AC on the entire trip as in itinerary

·                              Accommodations as in itinerary

·                              Admission fee to scenic sites as in itinerary

·                              All meals included, soft drinks on meals

·                              Domestic travel insurance 

 Excludes:

·                              Gratuities to the tour guide and driver

·                              National escort service

·                              Alcohol drinks

·                              Personal telecommunication/laundry charges.

·                              Excursions not included in the itinerary

·                              International Travel insurance

·                              International flights and airport taxes

·                              Expenses of personal nature, e.g. mini bar, phone calls

The above detailed itinerary is what we commonly operate.
Meanwhile, the itinerary can be tailored to meet your requirements.
So, please kindly send us your further requirements at

kentraveldesign@gmail.com

 

Day 1 Arrive Beijing
Today we arrive in Beijing and transfer to the hotel. Our trip orientation will be conducted over a Peking Duck welcome dinner.
Overnight hotel in Beijing

Day 2 Beijing to Dunhuang
In the morning we fly to Dunhuang, known as the City of the Sands, a former hub of the ancient Silk Road, perched on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert, one of the world's largest deserts. We visit the Mingsha Sand Dunes, the Crescent Moon Lake and enjoy a spectacular view of a green oasis surrounded by an endless desert landscape. We photograph the sunset from Mogao Cave. At night, we explore the Shazhou Night Market and get a taste of local life in Dunhuang.
Overnight Dunhuang

Day 3 Dunhuang to Jiayuguan
In the morning we visit the Mogao Caves, whose 492 caves featuring 450,000 square feet of murals date from the fourth to the fourteenth centuries. The caves were abandoned in the fourteenth century and lay untouched until the beginning of the twentieth century.
In the afternoon, we drive to the Jiayuguan Great Wall. Construction of the Great Wall began here during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC) and Warring States period (475-221 BC) by the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. Later dynasties from the Han (206 BC-AD 220) to the Ming (1368-1644) kept building and improving the wall, extending it more than 1,000 kilometres. It lies right on the desert, providing photographers with a fantastic subject to capture.
Overnight Jiayuguan Hotel

Day 4 Jiayuguan/Train
After we photograph the sun rising over the Jiayuguan Great Wall, we explore the area around Jiayuguan and visit the Great Wall museum. In the afternoon, we drive to the railway station and catch an overnight train to Turpan.
Overnight on train and in Turpan

Day 5 Train to Turpan
Turpan is a town built by an oasis in the Turpan depression in east Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is an agricultural center producing cotton, textiles, silk, wheat, grapes, dried fruit, and wine. Turpan is the largest town in the Turpan depression, the lowest point (505 ft/154 m below sea level) in China. In the past (A.D. 200-400), the depression was the center of a flourishing civilization in which Indian and Persian influences were combined with local culture.
Today, we will visit the ruins of the ancient city of Jiaohe and the Bezeklik cave temples.
Overnight hotel

Day 6 Turpan to the Heavenly Lake
After a leisurely morning, we drive from Turpan to Urumqi where we have lunch and then drive 4.5 hours (350 km) to Heavenly Lake for sunset photography. Heavenly Lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in far western China and really worth staying at overnight.
Overnight Heavenly Lake Hotel

Day 7-8 Heavenly Lake to Kucha
After photographic the sunrise at Heavenly Lake, we drive back to Urumqi for the afternoon flight to Kucha, a quaint oasis town that was once the centre of a Buddhist civilization in the Tare Basin.
We will tour Kizilya and the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves, both are truly worth the visit.
Overnight hotel in Kucha

Day 9-10 Taklimakan Desert
We drive 5.5 hours (380 km) from Kucha to Tazhong (Minfeng area) and photograph the Taklimakan Desert as the sun sets. The next morning we shoot the sunrise over the Taklimakan Desert and then drive to Khotan on the expressway before taking the chance to photograph the sights around town, including markets and a mosque. Khotan was an important supplier of jade, silk, and carpets on the Silk Road for centuries.
Overnight hotel in Khotan

Day 11 Khotan to Kashgar
We wake up early and start traveling across the desert to Kashgar via Shache and Yecheng, visiting Zawa town en-route for the wonderful local bazaars. The road to Kashgar is lined with many small oasis towns and occasionally we stop to visit the local mosques and bazaars. For example Yarkand (Shache), once had a larger bazaar than Kashgar and today retains the quaint atmosphere of a small trading town. In the late afternoon, we arrive at Kashgar.
Overnight Kashgar
 Day 12 Kashgar to Kalakuli Lake
We photograph the Sunday morning bazaar, a massive gathering of farmers and merchants from across the area. This colorful and lively market provides a great opportunity to pick up some of the Silk Road's most interesting souvenirs including hand made leather boots, traditional musical instruments and bags of fresh spices. We then drive to Lake Kalakuli (3600 metres ASL) for sunset photography of the lake and mountain.
Overnight yurt

Day 13 Kalakuli Lake to Urumqi via Kashgar
As the sun rises we take photographs by the lake, then head back downtown for a chance to capture the Id Kah Great Mosque. Kashgar is the heart of Islam within China and the Id Kah Mosque, the largest in mosque in China is really worth a visit. It attracts up to 10,000 worshippers for Friday prayers.
In the evening, we take a flight back to Urumqi after our farewell dinner.
Overnight Urumqi

Day 14 Depart Urumqi
We take the morning flight out of Urumqi
Trip ends.