Kashgar Tours Silk Road Tours Turpan Tours Xinjiang Tours 12 Days Tour through Xinjiang

Explore around the town of Tashkurgan, home to the Tajik people and amazing views of the Pamir Mountains. This town was an important stop for traders and explorers along the Silk Road as they made their way from India into China proper. Hike up to the Stone Fort, where according to legend, a Chinese princess was placed here for safety on her way to marry a Persian King. Visit a local Tajik village (if possible) and cultural center where you can learn about the Tajik culture. Depart from Tashkurgan at your leisure and drive to Karakul Lake. Enjoy lunch in local Kyrgyz yurt (subject to change), and then spend the early afternoon exploring around Karakul Lake where you can learn about the Kyrgyz people who live around the lake and enjoy horseback riding. Then continue your journey onto Kashgar. Enjoy stops at Bulungkol Lake and Opal Village, along with other scenic spots along the way. Arrive back in Kashgar in the evening.

Begin your tour of Kashgar by visiting Apak Khoja Mausoleum, the final resting place of the notorious Apak Khoja, a polarizing figure in Kashgar’s history. Then visit the Kashgar Bazaar full of beautifully designed carpets and other handicrafts that you will find in local homes. Return to the center of Kashgar and enjoy a taste of Kashgar hospitality at a local Uyghur home in old town where you can have lunch and learn how to make some Uyghur dishes if you’d like. Continue your exploration of Kashgar by visiting the historical Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China, and wander through the local alleyways, stopping at local tea shops and pottery workshop. In the evening, visit the Kashgar Night Market.

After breakfast, pick up from hotel and begin drive from Kashgar to Hotan. Follow the Southern Silk Road as you pass through the southern oases of the Taklamakan Desert. In Hotan, Check into your hotel and then enjoy a restful night after the long journey.

For over 2,000 years, the Kingdom of Hotan played a very prominent role in life along the southern Silk Road. Many famous traveler and monks like Marco Polo and Xuanzang traveled through this city. Hotan is also famous for its jade and was the principal supplier to the Chinese Emperor, who greatly cherished jade. In the morning, visit the Hotan Sunday Livestock Market where locals barter camels, sheep, and other livestock. Apart from jade, Hotan is very famous for its textiles such as silk and carpet weaving. Visit the local silk and carpet workshops found around Hotan and also a traditional paper-making family. Then in the afternoon, make your way out to the Taklamakan Desert where you will visit the Rawak Stupa, a Buddhist stupa dating from the 3rd to 5th century, when Hotan was a prominent Buddhist kingdom. Then return to Hotan in the evening.

After breakfast, visit a traditional paper-making family in a village just outside Hotan. Paper fragments have been found in Hotan as early as 260 A.D. and Hotan served as a paper production center for the kingdoms that were scattered around Hotan from the 8th century on. Fragments from this time period were written in Chinese, Tibetan, Sanskrit, and Khotanese. Enjoy a visit to the jade markets where you can see how locals have been buying and selling jade for thousands of years. Try your luck at hunting for jade in the nearby river bed! Visit the local Hotan bazaars where carpets and local atlas clothes and other items are sold. Then enjoy dinner in the Hotan Night Market.

After breakfast at your hotel, continue your journey through the desert highway to Kucha, another important Silk Road city. Upon arrival in Kucha, check into your hotel and enjoy a relaxing evening. Today, Kucha is a small town in Xinjiang, but it was once home to the Kingdom of Qiuci and a very important center for trade and Indo-European culture. The famous Buddhist linguist and scholar, Kumarajiva, is from here and played a very important role in translating Buddhist transcripts from Sanskrit to Chinese and spreading Buddhism from Central Asia into China proper. Kuchean music also heavily influence Chinese music and was often played at the court in Chang’an (Xi’an).

After breakfast, being your exploration of Kucha by visiting the ancient ruins from thecapital of the Kingdom of Qiuci at Subashi Ancient City. This ancient city dates from the 3 rd century, but was sacked and burned in the 9th century, then eventually abandoned by the 13th century. Then visit the Kizil 1000 Buddha Caves which were built between the 3rd and 10th centuries. They are believed to predate and have influenced the more famous Mogao Caves at Dunhuang. The caves were a melting pot of the different cultures found during that time in Kucha with influences from India, Greece, Rome, and Persia. Sadly, many of the best-preserved sculptures and murals were taken back to Europe by the early European explorers but it still makes for a very interesting stop. After your visit to the caves, stop by the Beacon Tower, where fires were lit by soldiers from the Han Dynasty (over 2,000 years ago) to warn of any impeding attacks. Return back to Kucha at your leisure.

Today, enjoy a visit around the city of Kuche. Explore around the “old city” of Kucha where you can experience traditional Uyghur life. Visit the Grand Mosque, local markets, and the vestiges of the Old City wall and cemetery. In the evening, transfer to the Kucha Train Station for overnight train to Turpan.

Continue your journey to the eastern edge of Xinjiang and the historical city of Turpan. Like many cities in Xinjiang, Turpan was once inhabited by Indo-Europeans who spoke a language most resembling Persian. Eventually, control for Turpan swayed back and forth between the nomadic Xiongnu people Iikely ancestors of the Turkic people) and the different Chinese dynasties. Eventually, an ancient Uighur tribe settled here from Mongolia and built their kingdom here. After this kingdom disintegrated, it became a melting pot of various cultures and religions. By the 14th century, the locals in Turpan converted to Islam and most of the inhabitants today are Muslim.

Arrive in Turpan in the morning, where we will meet you at the train station and transfer you to your hotel for check in, if possible. Then begin your tour of Turpan by visit the historical Emin Minaret, located a short distance from your hotel. It was constructed in honor of the local ruler, Emin Khoja. You can also enjoy a visit to the “Governor’s Mansion,” which is a recreation of what palace life would’ve looked like during the Emin’s rule. Then visit Jiaohe Ancient City, which was also established as a garrison town by Han dynasty troops and later became the capital until it was moved to Gaochang. While Jiaohe is not as historically important as Gaochang, it boasts some visually impressive ruins. After Jiaohe, visit the Karez Ancient Irrigation System, an ingenious method of irrigating the very dry region. This system has been used for over 2,000 years and carries snowmelt from the Tianshan Mountains to the city through a series of underground channels.

After breakfast at your hotel, continue your tour around Turpan by visiting the historical sites outside Turpan. Drive through the Flaming Mountains, made famous in the Chinese tale “Journey to the West.” Then visit the Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, first built during the Gaochang Kingdom, somewhere between 460-640 AD. Drive onto Tuyoq Village, where you will enjoy lunch in a local Uyghur home and explore around the village. In the early afternoon, visit Gaochang Ancient City, which was first established in the 2^nd century AD as a garrison outpost. It was later made the Uyghur capital in the middle of the 8th century after the historical Uyghur empire in Mongolia collapsed and caused large groups of Uyghurs to move to Gaochang. Gaochang was a very “cosmopolitan” town as traces of Nestorian Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism and Manichaeism are all found here. Then return to Turpan in the evening and transfer to the Turpan Train Station to take the high speed train to Urumqi. Upon arrival in Urumqi, pick up from train station and transfer to hotel for check-in and rest.

Transfer to the Urumqi Airport for your departure flight. Our services will end after transfer to the airport.