Tailor Made Travel: China

On the Silk Road (16 days)

 

ITINERARY:

Beijing - Arrival (-/-/D)

DAY 1 Arrive in Beijing late in the morning. Visit the Temple of Heaven, where the Emperor used to pray twice a year for good harvests. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at hotel.

Beijing - Xian (B/L/-)

DAY 2 Breakfast at hotel. The morning will be dedicated to a visit of the Forbidden City. Then, ascend Coal Hill from where you will enjoy beautiful views of Beijing. In the afternoon, visit the Lama and Confucius Temples, both of which are located in a well-maintained part of Beijing's old town. Fly to Xian in the evening. Lunch at local restaurant. Dinner at your own account. Overnight at hotel.

Xian (B/L/D)

DAY 3 Breakfast at hotel. Discover the famous Terra Cotta Army in the tomb of Qinshihuangdi, the first emperor of China. Return to town to visit the City Walls and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Lunch at local restaurant. Enjoy a banquet of dumplings in the evening. Overnight at hotel.

Xian - Tianshui (B/L/D)

DAY 4 Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, visit the History Museum, where you will see a large collection of items unearthed from local archeological sites. Walk through the narrow lanes near the Drum Tower and visit the Great Mosque, built in the 8th century. Train to Tianshui in the afternoon, with arrival late in the evening. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Tianshui - Lanzhou (B/L/D)

DAY 5 Breakfast at hotel. Excursion to the Majishan caves. Dating from the West Qin dynasty in the late 4th century, these caves are carved in the mountain at an altitude of over 1,700 meters above sea level. They represent one of the four most important Buddhist sites in China. In the afternoon stop at the Temple of Fuxi. Founded in 1790, this temple is famous for its wood sculptures. Visit the temple of the Jade Spring, a Taoist sanctuary dating back to the Ming dynasty. Board a night train to Lanzhou (soft sleeper compartments). Lunch at local restaurant. Dinner will be served on train. Overnight on the train.

Lanzhou - Xiahe (B/L/D)

DAY 6 Arrive early in the morning in Lanzhou, where a room will be available for you to relax and wash before heading out on the road to Xiahe after breakfast. On the way, you will visit many villages of the Hui (Muslims) and Tibetan villages. Take lunch at local restaurant in Linxia, an ancient and important center for trade along the Silk Road. Visit the Mosque there before continuing to Xiahe, where you will arrive late in the afternoon. Dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Xiahe (B/L/D)

DAY 7 Breakfast at hotel. The morning will be spent in Labrang Monastery, which was built in 1710 by the Buddhist Yellow Cap faction. Prayer rooms and monks' cells are scattered along the vast complex along the mountain. In the afternoon, walk in the surrounding Tibetan villages and the small town of Xiahe. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Xiahe - Tongren (B/L/D)

DAY 8 Breakfast at hotel. Depart by road to Tongren. Along the way, you will discover arid colorful mountains with deep canyons and hidden villages. Stop at Wudun monastery, which owned by the Yellow Cap faction, the monastery houses 60 monks who specialize in the making of Tangkas. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Tongren - Xining (B/L/D)

DAY 9 Breakfast at hotel. After a visit to the Longwu Lamasery, depart to Xining. Nestled between the provinces of Qinghai and Gansu, this is an area where Tibetan culture is predominant. The spectacular road on the high steppes along the Dalishan Mountains is sometimes covered with pines. You will pass typical rural villages before finally arriving in Xining. Visit the Kumbum Monastery, where Alexandra David-Neel studied for some years. Discover the temples of Xiaojinwa and Dajinwa, which house the relics of Tsong Kha Pa, the founder of the Yellow Cap faction. Over 2,000 monks live on the 40-hectare Lamasery property. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at hotel.

Xining - Zhangye (B/L/D)

DAY 10 Breakfast at hotel. A full day driving on the beautiful but often bumpy road to Zhangye. Cross a pass at 3,850 meters before descending to the green valley where Zhangye is nestled. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Zhangye (B/L/D)

DAY 11 Breakfast at hotel. An old commandment post on the Silk Road, Zhangye was an active commercial and Buddhist diffusion center. Excursion to the Buddhist grottoes of Mati at 2,700 meters above sea level. This site is an amazing ensemble of corridors carved out of the high mountains, the result of a long work that monks achieved with hammers. Frescoes and statues dating back to the Xia and Yuan dynasties can be seen. After lunch, visit the Temple of the Great Buddha, built in the 11th century and hosting a 34-meter-long reclining Buddha made out of clay during the West Xia Dynasty. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Zhangye - Jiayuguan (B/L/D)

DAY 12 Breakfast at hotel. Drive to Jiayuguan, the most western point of the Great Wall, built in 1372 during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall was used to protect China against foreign invaders. You will visit the fortress over the Gobi Desert and some Wei and Jin funeral sites decorated with painted bricks. Lunch on the way and dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Jiayuguan - Dunhuang (B/L/D)

DAY 13 Breakfast at hotel. Road to Dunhuang. At the crossroads of two caravan trails around the Taklamakan desert, by the North or by the South, Dunhuang has been a major site on the Silk Road. On the way, stop at the Yulin caves, housing more than 10,000 Buddha images. Over 5,000 square meters of mural frescoes are displayed in more than 40 grottoes. They depict the daily life and Buddhist teachings under the Tang Song Yuan and Qing dynasties. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at hotel.

Dunhuang - Lanzhou (B/L/D)

DAY 14 Breakfast at hotel. Discover the Mogao Caves, one of the most famous Buddhist art examples in China. Nearly 500 grottoes carved in the mountains host and preserve the frescoes and sculptures. They are representative of all the artistic styles that flourished in China for over ten centuries. Lunch on site and continue your visit to the caves. Transfer to airport for evening flight to Lanzhou. Lunch and dinner at local restaurants. Overnight at local guesthouse.

Lanzhou - Beijing (B/-/D)

DAY 15 Breakfast at hotel. In the morning, transfer to the airport for a flight to Beijing. Transfer to your hotel. Enjoy a day at leisure to complete your shopping or discover the city at your own pace. In the evening, enjoy a fabulous Beijing Roast Duck dinner. Overnight at Hotel.

Beijing - Departure (B/-/-)

DAY 16 Transfer to the airport after breakfast at hotel.

Our tour prices are inclusive of accommodation in twin shared room, meals as specified in the program (B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner), transfers and tours with English speaking local guides, all entrance fees, train fares, domestic flight tickets including domestic airport taxes and construction fees, room taxes and baggage handling.