11 Days Tour of Desert Highway in Xinjiang

Day 1

Arrival Urumqi
Arrival at Urumqi in Xinjiang, an area of the unparalleled scenery and cultural diversity, you will be greeted by your tour guide and transferred to hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Meals: No meal
Accommodation: In Urumqi
 

Day 2

Urumqi
Take a driving for 120km northeast to visit the holy Heavenly Lake (Tianchi). The beautiful lake is flanked by rugged pines and cypresses, with clear melting waters reflecting the surrounding of snow capped mount Bogeda. After the tour, be transferred back to downtown, you can then take a short visit to Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar, which is believed to be the largest outdoor market in town.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Urumqi
 

Day 3

Urumqi    Turpan
Today, you will take about 3hours driving to Turpan, on the way, you will pass Urumqi Wind Power Mill, which was built for producing electrical power in the area. After cross the valley of Tianshan we will arrive in the lowest depression of China-Turpan City. Upon arrival, visit the mysterious death city, the Ruins of Jiaohe Ancient City, which reveals traces of a prosperous ancient trading center and military stronghold 1,600 years ago. And then visit Emin Minaret (Sugong Pagoda) - the biggest ancient pagoda existing in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient pagoda in the country and ancient Karez Well, the underground water supply and irrigation system.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Turpan
 

Day 4

Turpan 
Have another day excursion in Turpan that including the visit to Gaochang Ancient City, which was an important garrison town on the Silk Road, GrapeValley, Flaming Mountain and Bezeklik Caves.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Turpan
 

Day 5

Turpan    Korla
In the morning, take a long drive (8hours) to Korla, an oasis town on Peacock River, at the northern edge on the Taklamakan Desert. During the way, you will have chance to visit the Iron GatePass. Upon arrival take a boat trip on Bosten Lake which is the largest fresh water lake in China.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Korla
 

Day 6

Korla    Minfeng
Today, get up early and continue your long driving journey to Minfeng (780km, about 7hours). On the way, you will cross the 2^nd largest shifting desert in the world - Taklamakan Desert, which means "once inside never out". Enjoy the magnificent vista of countless sand dunes at the height of mountains on the way.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Minfeng
 

Day 7

Minfeng    Hotan
Take another driving to Hotan (320km), home to some very well known archaeological sites in China. In the late 18th century many explorers from England, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, came to Hotan where some of them almost lost their lives in the desert. On the way we will pass Keriya, an oasis town on the old Southern Silk Road.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Hotan
 

Day 8

Hotan
In the morning, you will take a visit to the Ruins of Mallikurwatur which is believed to be the ancient city of Yutian Kingdom. After the tour, be transferred back to the city and visit local family workshop of paper making.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Hotan
 

Day 9

Hoan    Kashgar
In the moring take a driving to Kashgar (520km), you will pass some oasis towns like Yarkent, which was the capital of the ancient Uyghur Karahanid Kingdom of 15 th century. Visit a notable knife factory in Yengisar which is famous for knives making. Late in afternoon we will arrive at Kashgar, a main hub of the ancient Silk Road of China.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Kashgar
 

Day 10

Kashgar
Today, take a visit to Zhiren Street, an old street with an amazing hand-made stuff from strictly utilitarian cookware to exotic musical instruments. Then continue your trip to Id Kah Mosque, which is one of the largest and busiest in China. Then, you can take a short visit to Apak Hoja Tomb. If it is Sunday, the local Bazaar will be a good place for you to have a visit. This ancient market attracts locals and merchants from all over Xinjiang and nearby countries such as Pakistan and Kirghizstan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Kashgar
 

Day 11

Kashgar    Urumqi, Departure
Free at leisure then you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Urumqi. Then help yourselves change the connecting flight to next destination.
Meals: Breakfast

Service Ends

Day 1

Arrival Urumqi
Arrival at Urumqi in Xinjiang, an area of the unparalleled scenery and cultural diversity, you will be greeted by your tour guide and transferred to hotel. Free at leisure for the rest of the day.
Meals: No meal
Accommodation: In Urumqi

Urumqi is an isolated out-posts of the ancient Silk Road. The city once was an important transportation hub on the Silk Road, and now serves as the capital city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. In the hinterland of the Eurasian continent, the city is on the northern slope of Mt. Tianshan and at the southern edge of Jungar Basin. With unique natural beauty and rich folk customs, Urumqi is an ideal tourist destination in China.
 

Day 2

Urumqi
Take a driving for 120km northeast to visit the holy Heavenly Lake (Tianchi). The beautiful lake is flanked by rugged pines and cypresses, with clear melting waters reflecting the surrounding of snow capped mount Bogeda. After the tour, be transferred back to downtown, you can then take a short visit to Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar, which is believed to be the largest outdoor market in town.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Urumqi

Heavenly Lake is located half way up Bogda Peak in Fukang County, 110km east of Urumqi City. As a natural alpine lake, it has an elevation of 1,980 meters. In the shape of a half moon, the lake is 3,400 meters long, about 1,500 meters wide, and 105 meters at the deepest point. With limpid water, the lake shines like a sapphire under the sun and is surrounded by green mountains. At the southeast end of the lake is the magnificent Bogda Peak, meaning “Sacred Mountain” in the Mongolian language.

Erdaoqiao is situated at the Erdaoqiao Block of South Jiefang Road in Urumqi, where you'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and many antique items. The market has special space for grand ethnic songs and dances performances, and the folk street is furnished with a miniature landscape of Xinjiang's attractions. On Sunday, there are more stalls and more goods than any other days.
 

Day 3

Urumqi    Turpan
Today, you will take about 3hours driving to Turpan, on the way, you will pass Urumqi Wind Power Mill, which was built for producing electrical power in the area. After cross the valley of Tianshan we will arrive in the lowest depression of China-Turpan City. Upon arrival, visit the mysterious death city, the Ruins of Jiaohe Ancient City, which reveals traces of a prosperous ancient trading center and military stronghold 1,600 years ago. And then visit Emin Minaret (Sugong Pagoda) - the biggest ancient pagoda existing in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient pagoda in the country and ancient Karez Well, the underground water supply and irrigation system.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Turpan

Turpan, an oasis city, is located at the southern foot of Bogda Peak and in the center of Turpan Depression. Because of the drastic 5,000-meter difference in height between the mountain tops and the bottom of the depression, the scenery too, varies greatly at different altitudes from perpetual snow at the summits to green oasis at the foot of the mountains. After a long journey from the desert, tourists are always fascinated by the extraordinary beauty of the depression with its snow-capped mountains, salt lake, and particularly the Flaming Mountains.

Jiaohe meaning in Chinese where two rivers meet was once the most forward outpost in the West for ages. Historical records and excavation reveal evidence of a prosperous ancient trading center and military stronghold from 1,600 years ago. Owing to the arid climate and remote location, Jiaohe remains relatively intact, leaving us a rare example of an earthen castle, the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world.

Emin Minaret is the largest extant ancient Islamic tower in Xinjiang. Standing 2 km (1.24 miles) east of Turpan, Emin Minaret was built in 1777 in honor of a heroic Turpan general named Emin Khoja. This 44-meter (144 feet) high minaret tapers to an Islamic dome without stories inside. In the center of the minaret is a brick-piled pillar with 72 steps around it spiraling to the top. The whole construction was made of grey bricks which were formed 15 different patterns such as waves, flowers or rhombuses, by smart Uygur architects.

Karez Well is reputed as one of the three major construction projects in ancient China, together with the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The history of this unique underground irrigation system can be traced back over more than 2,000 years: The combined lengths of the underground Karez channels in Xinjiang amounts to 5,000 meters. It provided an innovative and elegant resolution to several problems, capturing melting snow and ice from mountains, and channeling it underground to where it was employed for irrigation, overcoming the interruptions to flow caused by sandstorms, wind and huge losses from evaporation that plague a ground-level, open canal system.
 

Day 4

Turpan 
Have another day excursion in Turpan that including the visit to Gaochang Ancient City, which was an important garrison town on the Silk Road, GrapeValley, Flaming Mountain and Bezeklik Caves.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Turpan

Gaochang Ancient City located at the east of Turpan, the city-state that ruled the area from the 9th century to the 13th. The city was actually founded a few hundred years earlier than that, and gradually became known as a trading post on the Silk Road. Most of the ruins are gone, but enough remain to give a feeling of the true size and majesty of this Silk Road city. The city was divided into an outer city, an inner city, and a palace compound. The best-preserved structures in the ruins are two temples in the southwest and southeast corners of the outer city section.

The Grape Valley is located in Flaming Mountain. From ancient times, this place has been famous for the cultivation of the sweetest, tastiest grapes. Be enticed by the sight of bunches of green pearl-like grapes hanging from the vines in splendid profusion. It’s a great relief to recline in the shade of the green leaves and delight in the fresh juicy fruit, appreciating the coolness after the heat outside.

The Flaming Mountains are so named because in the evenings the red clay mountains reflect the heat and glow of the desert and seem to burn. Situated on the northern edge of the Turpan Basin, and stretching over 100 km long and 10 km wide, this is an intensely hot part of the desert without a single blade of grass to be seen for miles. In the severe heat of July, the mountains seem to be on fire in the burning sun and become a purplish-brown color. Hot steam rises upwards from the burning cliffs and it is no surprise that this is where the hottest temperatures in China ever, were recorded.

Bezeklik Caves is located in a gorgeous valley of the Flaming Mountains. More than 100 caves were hewn out of this cliff face between the 6th and 9th centuries by Buddhist monks who farmed the valley below. They were abandoned at about the same time as Gaochang Ancient City and Jiaohe Ancient City after the Muslim take over of the region in the late 14th century.
 

Day 5

Turpan    Korla
In the morning, take a long drive (8hours) to Korla, an oasis town on Peacock River, at the northern edge on the Taklamakan Desert. During the way, you will have chance to visit the Iron GatePass. Upon arrival take a boat trip on Bosten Lake which is the largest fresh water lake in China.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Korla

Following the gorge of the Peacock River, the Iron Gate Pass connects the Yanqi Basin and Tarim Basin in central Xinjiang. The main settlements linked by the pass are the town of Yanqi to the north and the city of Korla in the south. It was of strategically historical significance because it formed a vulnerable bottle-neck on the Silk Road. A military checkpoint was established at the pass during the Tang Dynasty.

Bosten Lake is a freshwater lake located 57 km northeast of Korla. Covering an area of about 1,000 square kilometers (together with adjacent small lakes), it is the largest lake in Xinjiang and one of the largest inland freshwater lakes in China. Westerners sometimes refer to it as the "Oriental Hawaii of Xinjiang" because of its unique lush scenery surrounded by the harsh Gobi Desert.
 

Day 6

Korla    Minfeng
Today, get up early and continue your long driving journey to Minfeng (780km, about 7hours). On the way, you will cross the 2^nd largest shifting desert in the world - Taklamakan Desert, which means "once inside never out". Enjoy the magnificent vista of countless sand dunes at the height of mountains on the way.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: In Minfeng
 

Day 7

Minfeng    Hotan
Take another driving to Hotan (320km), home to some very well known archaeological sites in China. In the late 18th century many explorers from England, Germany, France, Russia, Japan, came to Hotan where some of them almost lost their lives in the desert. On the way we will pass Keriya, an oasis town on the old Southern Silk Road.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Hotan

Famous for its silk and jade, the oasis town of Hotan or Khotan is the capital of Hotan Prefecture. With a population of 114,000 (2006), Hotan lies in the Tarim Basin, north of the Kunlun Mountains. Hotan is strategically located at the junction of the southern branch of the famous Silk Road. It provided a convenient meeting place where not only goods, but technologies, philosophies, and religions were transmitted from one culture to another.
 

Day 8

Hotan
In the morning, you will take a visit to the Ruins of Mallikurwatur which is believed to be the ancient city of Yutian Kingdom. After the tour, be transferred back to the city and visit local family workshop of paper making.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Hotan

Also known as Mallikurwatur Ruins, Mallika Awat is located 25 km southwest of Hotan. It is believed to be the ancient city of Yutian Kingdom. Potsherds, ancient coins and other items have been excavated here since 1977.
 

Day 9

Hotan    Kashgar
In the moring take a driving to Kashgar (520km), you will pass some oasis towns like Yarkent, which was the capital of the ancient Uyghur Karahanid Kingdom of 15 th century. Visit a notable knife factory in Yengisar which is famous for knives making. Late in afternoon we will arrive at Kashgar, a main hub of the ancient Silk Road of China.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Kashgar

Hemmed in by deserts and the Pamirs, Kashgar is a fabled city embracing a rich mixed culture with Mosques and veiled women contributing to its Middle East atmosphere.
 

Day 10

Kashgar
Today, take a visit to Zhiren Street, an old street with an amazing hand-made stuff from strictly utilitarian cookware to exotic musical instruments. Then continue your trip to Id Kah Mosque, which is one of the largest and busiest in China. Then, you can take a short visit to Apak Hoja Tomb. If it is Sunday, the local Bazaar will be a good place for you to have a visit. This ancient market attracts locals and merchants from all over Xinjiang and nearby countries such as Pakistan and Kirghizstan.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Accommodation: In Kashgar

The Zhiren Street or Handicraft Street is the most characteristic place showing the distinctive custom and culture of Kashgar, with many full-time handicraftsmen working on the street and hundreds of workshops and booths alongside. It is regarded as an exhibition for traditional Kashgar and mid-Asian handicrafts. Copper, metal, porcelain, woodwork, jewellery and other goods are seen to be made here and you will marvel at incredible devices like the wooden objects that prevent babies from wetting the bed.

The Id Kah Mosque is the largest mosque in China. The mosque was built by Saqsiz Mirza in 1442 (although it incorporated older structures dating back to 996) and covers 16,800 square meters. At midday on Fridays around 10,000 people will gather to pray and study the Koran, and prayer 5 times/day on other days. You'll be asked to remove your shoes before entering the Main Hall, which has traditional Islamic pillars, carvings and rugs strewn over the floors. Women are adviced to cover upper arms and legs. A scarf is not compulsory, but is seen as a mark of respect.

Apak Hoja Tomb is located about 5 km east of Kashgar. Built in 1640, it is the tomb of Apak Hoja and the families. As the largest Islamic mausoleum in China, Apak Hoja Tomb covers an area of 20,000 square meters, composed of gate tower, great mosque, small mosque, scripture hall and main tomb chamber. The legend goes that a lady called Yiparhan, Hoja's descendants, was once a concubine of Qianlong Emperor in Qing Dynasty. She was commonly-known as the “Fragrant Concubine” because of the rich delicate fragrance of flower sent forth by her body. After she died, her remains was escorted back to Kashgar and was buried in the Apak Hoja Tomb. 

Day 11

Kashgar    Urumqi, Departure
Free at leisure then you will be transferred to the airport for your flight back to Urumqi. Then help yourselves change the connecting flight to next destination.
Meals: Breakfast

Service Ends

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