Silk Road Trip |
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We begin our adventure in Xi'an, ancient capital of the Chinese empire, whose mighty Terracotta Warriors and towering Big Goose Pagoda serving as sentries of the grand old days. We then head west to the important transportation center of Lanzhou, where we'll wander forth into the hidden thousand-buddha grotto of Bingling Temple, as well as the tranquil Tibetan monastic town of Xiahe.
Continuing our travels up a thousand kilometers beyond the Yellow River and into the Gobi desert, we will encounter the western end of China's famed Great Wall on the way to the oasis town of Dunhuang, whose colorful and fantastical Buddhist cave art will inspire our spiritual sides. We will ride camels onto the highest sand dune to see the awe-inspiring desert sunrise.
Our journey will end in Xinjiang, home of lost classical Silk Road cities around Turpan and Urumqi. We'll feast on mouth-watering regional specialties like roasted lamb with the very Kazak herdspeople of the Heavenly Lake. And finally, in the bustling Uighur bazaars nearby, we can pick up some souvenirs to share with friends and family back home. |
Time: All year round (best time from April to October)
Background Information: www.travelchinaguide.com/silk-road/index.htm
Day-by-Day Itinerary:
*** We are always happy to design a custom trip just for you; If you find anything in our following itinerary that interests you or you have done your own researches, simply write your ideas in our online "book a tour" form or email us at "justin@gopinkchina.com". We'll reply with price quote. |
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We will gather in Xi'an , the ancient capital of China. We will first visit the Shaanxi Provincial History Museum, one of China 's finest museums, housing thousands of artifacts from the Silk Road era. Next we will visit the grounds housing the Terracotta Warriors, an enormous collection of life-sized terracotta soldiers commissioned more than 2,000 years ago by Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of a unified China, whose mysterious Mausoleum Hill still lies undisturbed in the vicinity.
Back in the city we'll climb the lofty Big Goose Pagoda , which witnessed a thousand years of flourishing Buddhist culture in China. Next in the Big Mosque, we'll listen to a talk on the Chinese Muslim community and learn about the unique history of the spread of Islam in China. Forest of Stone Steles holds 3,000 massive stone tablets mostly recording the glory of Confucian scholarly achievements.
The 600-year-old City Wall provides a great bike ride opportunity to circle the old town. We'll treat ourselves to an evening show of Tang Dynasty Music and Dance Show and another grand Water Show imitating ancient battle scenes. The city's excitments also include tasting delicious kebabs in the Muslim Street and bargaining for curios on the Art and Antique Street.
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Days 4-7: Lanzhou & Xia'he
We'll fly or take an overnight train to Lanzhou City , the industrial and transportation center of western China. After some fun on the goat-skin boats in the Yellow River Park, we'll drive across the massive Yellow Earth Plateau to the Liujiaxia Reservoir, where we'll board speedboats to explore the hidden Thousands Buddha Grottos of Bingling Temple.
A long drive takes us to Xiahe, a Tibetan monastic town. It is home to the famous Labrang Monastery. We will spend a day listening to the monks' chanting and joining pilgrims before sunrise to circumambulate the monastery, all the while making sure to spin each of the 1,174 prayer wheels that surround the holy place. We will pay a visit to the monks' home and listen to the senior monk teach us about his sacred religion.
Other times we'll go out on the windswept grasslands visiting local Tibetan villages and the nomadic families. You will learn to prepare Yak-butter tea and yogurt for an authentic Tibetan banquet or barbecue, and spend the evening reveling with Tibetan dancers. Camping on the grasslands or a home-stay at a Tibetan village can be arranged. And athletes can get plenty of exercise by hiking the sacred mountain and cycling to the grasslands.
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Days 8-10: Jiayuguan & Dunhuang
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Traveling up 1,000 kilometers beyond the Yellow River along the narrow throat of the He'xi corridor, we will find Jiayuguan Fort ¡ª the western starting point of the Ming-dynasty Great Wall. We'll explore this formidable fort and even practice shooting arrows down at the straw enemies before the gate. We'll climb the ¡°Overhanging Wall ¡± built on the mountain cliff as well as venture underground to look at some 2,000-year-old Han Tomb Brick Paintings.
Next we start our great Gobi Desert Crossing to reach Dunhuang, the small oasis town that once prospered as the final stop on the Silk Road before it split northward and southward to skirt the Taklamakan Desert. Here we'll find the place where Buddhist painting and sculpture achieved its peak in the grottos of the Mogao Caves (a UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage), gaining a proper understanding of the iconography from an enlightening lecture on the cave art.
It is in Dunhuang that we'll rise before dawn to Ride Camels onto the highest sand dunes, where we'll await the glorious Desert Sunrise. Weather permitting, we will have a real luxury camping night in the desert beside the remains of this ancient part of the Great Wall, where our minds will be transported back to the time of Marco Polo.
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Days 11-15: Turpan and Urumqi
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Continuing our journey to the West, we will enter the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, which lays beyond the reach of the Great Wall and symbolized for the ancient Chinese the entrance into barbarian lands. The famous oasis town Turpan is our first stop. Turpan is said to produce the sweetest grapes and melons in the world. Its golorious past is still visible through Jiaohe Ancient City Ruins , beautiful Sugong Tower and the magical Karez Irrigation System.
For an authentic culture discovery experience, we will descend into the deep canyon of Flaming Mountain to reach Tuyugou Village, home of valuable Buddhist grottos and sacred Islamic tombs. If we are lucky, we will find a hospitable Uighur village to host us for a memorable home-stay evening and party with the best dancers of the village, and in the morning we'll wake up to pick grapes in the vineyards.
The final stop of our amazing journey will be the capital city of Xinjiang , Urumqi. The Xinjiang Provincial Museum has unique exhibits of Indo-European mummies, and the city also offers some colorful and busy Bazaars. We will celerate our courage in reaching the end of this Silk Road adventure around the Heavenly Lake, where we'll stay in the Kazak Yurts and spend a night feasting on roasted lamb and enjoying a music party by the bonfire. |
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