7-Day Southern Silk Road Tours

Daily Tour 7 day
Kashgar

Tour Highlights

  • Discover hand made silk textiles, carpets, papers and unique Jades of Hotan.
  • Experience a journey through middle of the longest desert highway in the World.
  • Visit Karez underground irrigation channels one of the three Great Projects in China.
  • Experience the live ancient Tuyuk Village with a lunch at a local house.
  • Visit Royal family Tombs of Yarkend.
  • Enjoy ancient cities perspectives by walking in the streets of Jaohe and Gaochang.
Day 1, Kashgar to Hotan

Activities: Drive along the Southern Silk Road, stop in Yarkant for sightseeing
Details:We set out from Kashgar after breakfast, first stop at Yarkand for a few hours to enjoy local culture and do some sightseeing. visit the Golden Mosque (built in 1533) and its graveyard which includes several hundred-year-old tombs. Yarkand was once the capital of many Uighur Kingdoms in ancient times and an important station on the old Silk Road. It has more than 2000 years of history.
After Yarkand we’ll continue to Hotan and arrive by dinner time
Stay overnight in Hotan

Day 2, Hotan City Tours

Activities: Visit Damako Buddha Ruins, Grand Bazaar; Silk Fabric,Carpet factory and Night Market.
Details:Set out early in the morning drive 130km to Cheria county to visit the smallest Temple on earth with amazing Buddha paintings, murals and frescos of the 6th century on the rim of Taklamakan Desert.
Along the way enjoy a couple of nice friendly culture rich villages with farming lands.
After the visit drive the same way back just before Hotan city there is a famous place for roasted meat stuffed bun shop in Xinjiang for lunch or according to your requests.
Then visit famous hand work of Hotan people wool carpet factory and silk fabric factory both of these are famous products of Hotan all over in Xinjiang. if time allows Jade carving factory.
At the end of the day enjoy night market of Hotan with interesting choices of local foods for Dinner.

Day 3, Hotan to Kucha

Activities: Drive through second largest shifting sand desert
Details:An early start today as we set out for Kucha after breakfast and drive into the desert highway.
This desert highway was built from 2005 to 2007 and opened in 2008. it is one of the best and first class highways in Xinjiang. it is a best opportunity to enjoy the spectacular sceneries of Taklimakan desert which is the second largest shifting sand on the planet.
The word ‘Taklimakan’ means “Sea of Death”: ‘once you come in you can never go back.’ This is absolutely certain to be an unforgettable part of your trip and we arrive Kucha in the evening and check into our hotel.

Day 4, Kucha For Whole Day

Activities: Visit Kizil Thousand Budha caves and Tianshan mysterious Grand Canyon
Details:In the morning visit the Kizil Thousand Buddha caves which sit high on the cliffs over the Northern bank of the Muzat River, 75km (46miles) from Kucha city. The caves were hewn between the 3rd and 8th century and formED one of the earliest Buddhist art treasure troves in China. In fact the caves were in use one century before the famous Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang.
we have lunch at a restuarant next to the caves and drive to Tianshan mysterious Grand Canyon which is about a little more than an hour distance from the caves. Tianshan Great Canyon is located about 70km from Kucha city. The canyon is attractive not only for its colors but also the formation of the mountains there. Today, Tianshan Grand Canyon is regarded as one of the ten most beautiful in China.
Drive back to Kucha after a long and exciting one day trip and have dinner before going back to hotel.

Day 5, Kucha to Korla

Activities: Visit Kucha Grand mosque and old city, Subash Ancient Buddha ruins and Kizil Kagha Beacon tower. Then drive to Korla after lunch
Details:After breakfast, we’ll spend time at old city area and visit Kucha’s Grand mosque. The mosque was built in the 17th Century and roof of the mosque was constructed with 300,000 eggs, cement and bricks.
Then drive to the ancient city of Subash (2nd-3rd century A.D.) as well as the Ancient Kizil Kagha Beacon tower which is an ancient military outpost. Then drive to Korla after lunch and arrive in the evening

Day 6, Korla to Turpan

Activities: leave for Turpan after breakfast and arrive at about noon; After lunch visit Yargul (Jiaohe) Ancient city, Karez underground Irrigations system and Emin Minaret
Details:Leave for Turpan after breakfast and arrive by Lunch time. then we begin our tour with Yargul Ancient city which is one of the best preserved ancient cities in China. The ruins of the buildings are divided into temples, civilian dwellings and government offices. Workshops, residential houses and the streets are still visible and time there is a time spent in a  long lost world. 
After an hour of visiting around the ancient city, we drive to see the world famous Karez irrigation system, unique to this part of the world. The system is considered as one of the three great projects in China with the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.
Then visit Emin Suliman minaret which is a magnificent combination of ancient Uighur and Islamic architecture. It is the tallest ancient tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient minaret in the country. Locals call it “pure tower.”

Day 7, Turpan to Urumqi

Activities: Visit Idikut (Gaochang) ancient city, Toyuq village, Bizeklik Thousand Buddha caves and Flaming Mountains, then drive to Urumqi.
Details:We start our tour in Turpan with a visit to the ancient city of Idikut (Gaochang). The city was first built in the first Century BC and later became capital of the Idikut (Gaochang) Uighur Kingdom in the 8th Century.
We’ll spend about 40 minutes in this ancient city and then drive to Toyuq village which is an old, beautiful and timeless village with a friendly Uighur community. Here we visit several local families and have lunch with one of them in their home. This could be the highlight of your tour.
After lunch we visit Bizeklik Thousand Buddha caves which used to be an important center for Buddhist worshipers under the Xizhou Huigu government of the Idikut (Gaochang) Kingdom.
Finally on the way back to the Urumqi we will stop at the Flaming Mountains which people claimed to be the hottest and driest along the silk road that “flying birds even a thousand miles away dare not to come”.
Arrive Urumqi by dinner and time check into your hotel.

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