Follow the Silk Road from Xi'An to Kashgar

Upon your arrival in Xi’An, you’ll be transferred to your hotel. The next two days you will visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the Muslim area and its Great Mosque, admire the view on the city from the City Wall and of course you will see the famous Terracotta Warriors.

Take the high speed train to Lanzhou, where you’ll meet your driver for a transfer by car to Xiahe, in the south Tibetan part of Gansu province. You’ll explore its Labrang monastery, a unique pillar of Buddhism in China and a great school for the transmission of religious and metaphysical issues.

Departure from Xiahe to Zhangye in the middle of Gansu province. You will visit the famous rainbow mountains of Danxia and you will lose yourself in Pingshanhu Grand Canyon. Immerse yourself in these magical landscapes. At the centre of Zhangye you will discover a temple with a sleeping Bouddha. Don’t miss out the sublime Mati temple carved in the rock.

Today you’ll head north for Jiayuguan fortress that offers an amazing view on the Gobi desert. Then you will go to Dunhuang to visit its famous Mogao Grottoes, built over a millennium ago, from the 4th to the 14th century. You will walk in the desert and listen to the singing sand dunes, before spending the evening at the night market.

Start your discovery of Xinjiang Silk Road in Turpan with its smart irrigation system and visit the old Jiaohe city, the biggest mud city in the world. Don’t forget to pay a visit to Gaochang old city as well. You will also see the Emin Minaret, and the Bezeklik grottoes nicknamed “the city of 1000 Buddhas”.

You will arrive in Kashgar for a real immersion in the Uyghur culture. Start the day with a visit at the impressive live stock market. You will then leave the city to reach Karakul lake, surrounded by high mountains for surreal views. After a stop in Tashkurgan, the ancient Tadjik capital and a visit of its fort you will head back to Kashgar.

Free at leisure before the transfer to the airport for your next destination.