Activities: pick you from Kashgar airport and transfer to your hotel
Details:Our professional tour guide and driver will welcome you at Kashgar airport and transfer to your Hotel. Have a good rest after a long flight.
Kashgar, an oasis city in Xinjiang, is one of the westernmost cities of China, located near the borders of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. It has a history of over 2,000 years and served as a trading post and strategically important city on the Silk Road between China, the Middle East and Europe.
Activities: Drive along the KKH, Stop at Opal Village, Oytagh Kunlunshan Colorful mountain range, Gaz Valley and check point, Bulungkol Valley (white sand mountain), Karakul lake and local Kyrgyz family visit.
Details:We set out along the Sino – Pakistan Karakorum Highway, on the Pamir plateau (the roof of the world) visit Karakul Lake (3600m above sea level). The lake sits at the foot of the notorious, Muztagh Ata (7546m) and Gongur (7719m) mountains. ‘Muztagh Ata’ means Father of the Ice Mountains and is one the most beautiful and mysterious mountains in the world. Return by late afternoon to Kashgar.
Activities: Visit Grand mosque, Apak Hoja tomb (which is also called Fragrant Concubine Tomb), Old city walking tours, livestock market, Sunday market and dinner at a local Uighur family
Details:Explore the rich, endless culture of the Uighurs in Kashgar. First visit livestock market which happens on every Sunday and people bring their horses, sheep, goats, camels,cows,bulls,yaks and donkeys to the market for sale. It provides a great opportunity to take photos of the faces of local people, study traditional local market culture, test-drive a donkey or horse or even make its shoes. Like opening a window, today is a real glimpse into a time lost in the annals of the Silk Road’s past and an opportunity not to be missed.
Later move on to Sunday market main Bazaar which is considered one of the largest market in Central Asia. From fluffy sheepskin hats to rugged camel-hide boots, not to mention beads, buttons and buckets of locals. Everything – including plenty of kitchen sinks – is for sale at this fairytale bazaar. It is the best chance to practice your bargaining skills.
After lunch spend some time by the Id Kah mosque, the largest mosque in China and marvel at the intricate architecture of Kashgar’s historic Apak Hoja Tomb which is also known as Fragrant concubine tomb).
We’ll also spend time in the Kashgar Old Town and have some walking tours through some ancient historical parts; Stop at a century-old tea house for a short break and taste local medicinal teas such as those containing rose, saffron, honey and many other ingredients.
Finally conclude our city tour with a dinner at a local family in old city area
Activities: Take morning flight to Urumqi at 11:00/12:00 and visit Heavenly lake.
Details:After breakfast our guide and driver from Kashgar will see you off at Kashgar airport and another local guide and driver will expect you at Urumqi airport, then drive to Heavenly lake directly which takes about two hours.
Heavenly lake offers some great hiking routes through the valleys on wooden pathways or up to the mountains top as you like.
Your stay at the heavenly lake is the time to go for boating, take photos or simply trek around the lake. You can have lunch with a local Kazak family or just pay them a visit! This is certainly the easiest way to understand the life of the Kazak people in such a short time.
when you are ready, drive to Urumqi for about 2 hours and check into Hotel.
Activities: After breakfast drive to Turpan and Visit Bezeklik Thousand Buddha caves, Tuyuq village and Turpan Museum
Details:After breakfast, drive to Turpan on the first class highway for about 2.5 -3:00 hours. On the way stop at Dabancheng power station, the largest wind power station in Asia and second largest in the world, also drive through salt lake which provides the best quality salt in Xinjiang region.
Once arrive Turpan first drive to Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves which used to be an important center for Buddhist worshipers under the Xizhou Huigu government of the Idikut (Gaochang) Kingdom. In these caves, people created works of art depicting daily life and religion. The region has experienced changes in rules, invasions and immigrations, so people from different cultures left different artworks here.
Then Move on to Toyup village, an old, beautiful and timeless village with a friendly Uighur community. Here we visit several local families and have lunch with a local family in their home. This could be the highlight of your tour today.
After lunch drive to Turpan Museum which has a great collection from ancient tombs around Turpan
stay overnight in Turpan
Activities: Visit Yargul (Jiaohe) Ancient city, Karez underground Irrigations system and Emin Minaret. After lunch drive to Urumqi
Details:Following the breakfast at the Hotel start your wonderful day in Turpan. Our special itinerary today includes sightseeing in Turpan and drive to Urumqi after Lunch.
First we visit Yargul (Jiaohe) 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 touring around the ancient city, we’ll 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.
Next 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.”
After lunch drive to Urumqi which is 180Kms and takes about 2.5-3 hours.
Activities: See you off at Urumqi airport
Details:Today is the last day of your tour with us, so we hope this tour shouldn’t be the last. We strive to make every day of your time with us the one that you’ll always remember and if you’d like to book some other tours please Contact us for more information.