Tracing the Silk Road: The Hexi Corridor and Xinjiang — 14 Days, 13 Nights

Have breakfast at the hotel, and then go to [Heavenly Lake of Tianshan Scenic Area] (about 1 hour drive, no less than 180 minutes of tour), which is a world-famous alpine lake and a national 5A-level scenic spot known as the "Earthly Jade Pool". After arriving at the scenic spot, you will be led by a tour guide and take the scenic spot shuttle bus to enter the scenic spot, where you can view the famous landscapes such as Shimen Line, West Mountain Pine Viewing, Longtan Blue Moon Sky, Dinghai Shenzhen, and overlook the majestic Bogda Snow Peak.

Return to Urumqi, drive for about 1 hour, and board Chengdu Express to Altay after dinner.

After arriving in Altay City in the morning, we drove to Hemu Scenic Area, which took about 6 hours to drive. It passes through the [Ahe Highway] (Altay-Hemu Section), with a total length of about 209 kilometers and beautiful scenery along the way. We will arrange breaks and meals along the way according to the driving time to ensure a comfortable journey.

Arrive at [Hemu Scenic Area] (stay in the scenic area on the same day, the tour duration is no less than 300 minutes), transfer to the scenic area shuttle bus, and visit the Irtysh River, which flows from the west to the Arctic Ocean. Go to the Chinese birch forest and the Hemu River surrounded by white mist. Visit the Hemu River Valley, see the flowers in the alpine grassland Jiadeng Valley, the wooden bridge of the Hemu River, and the Tuva villages and wooden houses on the Hemu River.

Have breakfast at the hotel and then drive to Kanas. It is recommended that you get up early today to watch the smoke rising from Hemu Village in the morning, or get up earlier and go to the "Haden Viewing Platform" to watch the sunrise at Hemu Village.

·

Heading to Kanas, the drive takes about 2.5 hours.

Arrive at [Kanas Scenic Area] (check in the scenic area on the same day, the tour duration is no less than 300 minutes). It has the beautiful natural scenery of mountains and rivers in northern Xinjiang, and is known as "the last pure land of mankind", "God's back garden", and "the private land of gods". The lakes and mountains are integrated into one. It has the majestic scenery of the North and the beauty of the mountains and rivers south of the Yangtze River. Stroll along the wooden plank road by the lake and enjoy the tranquil Moon Bay, the magical Shenxian Bay, and the fairy-like Wolong Bay. Experience the unique Kanas cruise and experience the beautiful scenery of the lake and mountains in all directions.

Special arrangement: Kanas Cruise

Stay in Kanas Scenic Area at night.

Have breakfast at the hotel, and after the meal visit [Fish Viewing Platform] (the tour duration is no less than 60 minutes). The morning fog dissipates, and you can have a panoramic view of Kanas and the mysterious Kanas Lake. Enjoy local style lunch in Kanas Scenic Area. You can continue to visit the three bays of Kanas, and the tour duration will be arranged based on actual time conditions.

Head to Burqin and enjoy a special cold water fish feast for dinner.

Head to Beitun and board the Chengdu Express at Beitun City Station to Yining.

Enjoy breakfast on Chengdu Express and arrive at Yining Station/Jinghenan Station.

Go to Sayram Lake Scenic Area (approximately 2 hours’ drive and no less than 180 minutes of tour time). It was called the Western Pure Sea in ancient times and has the reputation of “the last tear of the Atlantic Ocean”. It is an alpine cold water lake in Xinjiang and a national 5A-level scenic spot. It is full of flowers and colorful. You can see the clear water, blue sky and sparkling waves in the near distance, and you can enjoy the white snow-capped sky in the distance.

Special arrangement: Saihu high whitefish

After the tour, drive to Yining City.

Have breakfast at the hotel and drive to Nalati Scenic Area.

Visit [Nalati Grassland] (the tour duration is not less than 300 minutes). This is a national 5A-level scenic spot known as the four largest grasslands in Asia and Europe. It is known as the "South of the Yangtze River beyond the Great Wall" and has beautiful natural scenery. Here you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of dense mountain springs, crisscrossing streams, tower pines along the ditch, yurts, and clouds of cattle and sheep. At the same time, you can experience the simple folk customs of the Kazakh nation and let your mood fly on the vast grassland.

Stay at Nalati Scenic Area Hotel in the evening.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel.

Go to [Tianshan Flower Sea Scenic Area] (the tour duration is not less than 120 minutes). The core landscape here is the 2.4 ten thousand acres of lavender flower sea. In the right season, you can watch the ten thousand acres of flower sea, where hundreds of flowers bloom in full bloom. 5 moon peony, 6 / 7 moon lavender, 8 moon sunflower each has its own scenery.

Heading to Yining City, the drive takes about 1.5 hours.

Upon arrival, go to [Six Star Street] to check in. Liuxing Street has a long history and is famous for its unique hexagonal streets and alleys. It is now home to residents of Han, Kazakh, Hui, Uyghur, Russian, Tatar and other ethnic groups. It is a large-scale cultural tourist attraction with beautiful environment, stability, harmony and vitality.

After the tour, take a bus to Yining Station and board the Chengdu Express to Turpan.

Arrive in Turpan in the morning. Go to visit the [Karez] (the tour lasts no less than 60 minutes). This is a special irrigation system in Xinjiang. It is one of the three major projects in ancient China along with the Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

Visit [Flaming Mountain] (the tour lasts no less than 60 minutes). Here you can see the largest thermometer in China, feel the temperature on the ground of Flaming Mountain, and experience the rich culture of Journey to the West.

After the tour, board the Chengdu Express to Liuyuan.

Arrive at Liuyuan Station in the morning, take a bus to Dunhuang (approximately 2.5 hours' drive), and arrive at a restaurant in Dunhuang for lunch.

After lunch, go to visit [Mogao Grottoes Category B] (about 15 minutes’ drive, tour time no less than 2.5 hours), also known as Thousand Buddha Caves, located on the southeast side of Dunhuang City. The grottoes were first built during the Sixteen Kingdoms period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The excavation of the grottoes took thousands of years until the end of the Yuan Dynasty. With a large number of murals, grottoes, cultural relics, etc., it is a world-famous Buddhist art destination.

"About Mogao Grottoes Tickets": The group for this trip adopts Class B tickets. From 2021 on 4 on 1, the Mogao Grottoes will implement a new ticket policy, with a limit of 6000 for Class A tickets (including digital viewing and 8 caves). Class B tickets (including 4 caves) are limited to 12000 tickets.

Note:Category A tickets for Mogao Grottoes need to be reserved online with real name more than 30 days in advance. If you need Category A tickets to visit, please inquire and register more than 35 days in advance. Please understand!

Go to visit [Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring] (about 5 minutes by car, tour time is no less than 2.5 hours). Crescent Spring is famous for its wonderful landscape of "mountains and springs coexisting, sand and water coexisting", and is known as "the most unique scenery outside the Great Wall". Mingsha Mountain: When strong winds arise, the sand mountains make a huge noise, and when the breeze blows, they resemble orchestral strings and bamboos, hence the name. Crescent Moon Spring is surrounded by Mingsha Mountains, about 150 meters long and 50 meters wide.

After the tour, have dinner and check into the hotel.

Have breakfast at the hotel, take the bus to Liuyuan Station (about 2.5 hours’ drive), and board the Chengdu Express to Jiayuguan.

Arrive at Jiayuguan in the afternoon and receive guests at the station. Go to visit [Jiayuguan City Tower] (about 20 minutes by car, no less than 120 minutes to visit). Jiayuguan City Tower is the westernmost pass of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall and was historically known as the Throat of Hexi.

After the tour, check into the hotel.

Have breakfast at the hotel, and after dinner visit the [Cantilever Great Wall] (about 30 minutes’ drive, no less than 60 minutes tour). The Cantilever Great Wall, the western end barrier of the Ming Great Wall, the city wall hangs upside down on the Black Mountain ridge, and the iron wall hangs in the air. It is known as the Badaling in the West.

[One pier of the Great Wall]also known as the first pier in the world and Tuolaihe pier, is the southernmost pier of the Jiayuguan Great Wall and the westernmost pier of the Great Wall in the Ming Dynasty.

After lunch, board the Chengdu Express to Chengdu (via Zhangye Station and Lanzhou Station).

Chengdu Express is expected to arrive in Chengdu this afternoon. After pick-up, the distinguished guests will be sent to the hotel. A Shufeng farewell banquet will be arranged for dinner.