Grottos on the Silk Road

There are various grottos on the Silk Road in China that witnessed the changes of time and human, while Buddha is always there to bless believers. Follow us, you can learn the amazing history on the Silk Road.

Itinerary
Day 1. Arrival Beijing
Met and transferred to hotel.
Overnight in Beijing 4 star hotel
Meal: B

Day 2. Sightsee in Beijing
City sightseeing in Beijing, including Tian'anmen Square, the  Forbidden City, and Lama Temple
- Tian'anmen Square: the biggest city square in the world which is located in the center of the city Beijing.
- Forbidden City: It used to be the royal palace from 1420 to 1912. There were 24 emperors lived here, therefore numerous priceless relics are housed here.
- Lama Temple: Built in 1694AD, it is the biggest Tibetan Buddhist temple in Beijing.
Note: Due to the daily visitors limitation of the Forbidden City, we will change to visit Temple of Heaven if no tickets are availed for it (it sells the entrance tickets 7 days before). As The Forbidden City closes on Mondays, we will switch the visiting day if it is Monday.
Overnight in Beijing 4 star hotel
Meal: BL

Day 3. Beijing/Luoyang
Visit Great Wall Badaling in the morning. Then you will be transferred to railway station to catch a bullet train to Luoyang. Upon arrival, transferred to hotel.
Overnight in Luoyang 4 star hotel
Meal: BL

Day 4. Sightseeing in Luoyang
Today you will visit Longmen Grottos, and Shaolin Temple in Luoyang.
-Longmen Grottos: Site of UNESCO, has a huge statue of Buddha, and people believed it was the face of Wuzetian Empress in Tang Dynasty.
-Shaolin Temple: a renowned temple for Chinese Kungfu.
Overnight in Luoyang 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 5. Luoyang/Xi'an
Take a bullet train to Xi'an in the morning. Visit Old City Wall, Muslim Quarter, and the Big Wild Goose Pagoda.
-Old City Wall: Nearly 14km, build in 6 hundred years ago, the old City Wall of Xi'an is a perfect place to know the long history of China.
-Big Wild Goose Pagoda: It was build 1500 years ago in Tang Dynasty, still well preserved. You can have a bird view of the city when you climb up.
Overnight in Xi'an 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 6. Xi'an
Visit the eighth wonder of the world, Terra Cotta Warriors Museum in the morning. And visit Smalll Wild Goose Pagoda this afternoon.
-Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses: Discovered in 1974, it is a must-see in Xi'an. Various warriors exhibit in a original site will amaze you with their different features.
Overnight in Xi'an 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 7. Xi'an/Tianshui
Take a car ride to Famen Monastery to view the temple for the holy relic of Buddha, the finger of Sakyamuni(the relic is not always exhibited, you may not see it). Then drive or take bullet train to Tianshui depending on group size.
Overnight in Tianshui 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 8. Tianshui/Lanzhou by vehicle/train
Today you will visit Maiji Grottos, where it is famous for the statues of the thousand Buddhas. Then head to Lanzhou by vehicle or train depending on group size.
Overnight in Lanzhou 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 9. Lanzhou/Binglingsi/Xiahe
Take a ride to Binglinsi Temple, view the Buddha and stunning stone forest. Afterwards move to Xiahe, Labrang in Tibetan language.
-Binglingsi Grottos: Built beside Yellow River, the Grottos were carved from the mountain. Various Buddha Statues and the scenery around the Grottos are incredible.
Overnight in Xiahe 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 10. Xiahe/Lanzhou/Dunhuang
Visit Labrang Monastery in the morning, in the afternoon, transferred to Lanzhou airport to catch a flight heading for Dunhuang.
-Labrang Monastery: One of the six biggest Tibetan monasteries, presents typical Tibetan Buddhism culture.
Overnight in Dunhuang 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 11. Dunhuang
Dunhuang is a highlight attraction on the ancient Silk Road. We will view various caves in Mogao Grottos and Yulin Grottos.
-Mogao Caves: Though it was stolen many times in the history, Mogao Caves still has well preserved frescos with colorful paintings that look like finished yesterday.
Overnight in Dunhuang 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 12. Dunhuang/Turpan
Visit Crescent Moon Spring, Mingsha Sand Dunes in the morning. Catch 3-hour fast train to Turpan from Liuyuan Railway Station.
-Minsha Sand Dunes: It means Singing Sand Dunes, the sand was moved from Taklamankan desert to form the dunes in the history.
Overnight in Turpan 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 13. Turpan
Turpan has fantastic culture, where you can visit Bezklik Caves, the ancient city of Jiaohe and Gaochang, Toyuk Valley, and Astana Ancient Cemetery etc.
-Astana Ancient Tombs: It was a public cemetery 1000 years ago for the citizens of Gaochang Kingdom. You will see dried corpses and tomb paintings.
-Ancient City of Jiaohe: Build on a 30 meter terrace, Jiaohe is a ruin to prove local splendid history.
-Ancient City of Gaochang: It was build in the first century BC. Gaochang has huge city wall and various temples. Unfortunately it was abandoned in the cilvil war of Mongolians.
-Toyuk Valley: A Uyghur village, has a famous cemetery for 7 holy beings.
Overnight in Turpan 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 14. Turpan/Kuqa
Visit Emin Minaret and Karez Irrigation System. Then catch overnight train to Kuqa.
-Karez Irrigation System: This underground tunnels provide enough water offering to the farmers and their field to support local civilization in the dry and hot oasis.
-Emin Minaret: Built in 1777, also called Eming Tower, it is a representative of Uyghur architecture.
Overnight on the train softer sleeper
Meals: BL

Day 15. Kuqa
This morning you will take one-hour ride along the ancient Silk Road to Kizil Caves, the earliest one in China, which was built 1700 years ago and still can see the colorful frescos and paintings in the caves. The Kizil is famous for its various Jataka stories that were painted on the diamond paintings.
Later, you will head another one hour to explore the red Tianshan Mysterious Canyon, that is a 5-km long canyon in the southern Tianshan Mountains.
Afterwards you will be transferred back to Kuqa hotel.
Overnight in Kuqa 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 16. Kuqa/Kashgar
Today you will visit the Subash Temple ruin, which was a renowned Buddhism temple in Tang Dynasty 1300 years ago. There are pagodas, halls, rooms, and walls that can tell this site used to be a huge temple. The famous monk Xuanzang in Tang Dynasty had stayed in Subash and described the temple in his journey Records of the Western Regions of the Great Tang.
Then you will visit the old town of Kuqa and Kuqa Mosque, which are different from the new city. Later you can wander around the local bazaar to view the fresh fruits, tea, snacks, and clothes etc. Moreover, you will visit Kizilcara Beacon Tower that was built in Han Dynasty about 2000 years ago, which was the oldest well-protected beacon tower in Northern Silk Road.
In the evening you will catch overnight train to Kashgar.
Overnight on the train softer sleeper
Meals: BL

Day 17. Kashgar
Explore Kashgar today, you will visit Moer Pagoda, old town of Kashgar, Id Gar Mosque, and Apa Hoja Tomb.
-Idkar Mosque: It is the biggest mosque in Xinjiang. The mosque with its square is for local Uyghurs to pray.
-Apa Hoja Tombs: It is a family cemetery, with stunning blue tiles shining in the sun.
Overnight in Kashgar 4 star hotel
Meals: BL

Day 18. Depart from Kashgar
Transferred to Kashagr airport to catch your flight heading for your next destination, where the wonderful Silk Road tour concludes.
Meal: B