4-Day Private Silk Road Tour: Dunhuang, Jiayuguan and Zhangye

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1Arrive in Dunhuang⌄

   Meet your private tour guide at the airport of Dunhuang ( DNH ), or Dunhuang Railway Station. You will be driven to the Mingsha Shan - Echoing-Sand Mountain. Ride on the backs of camels and climb to get to the top of the dune. Along the way, there are splendid sights: golden sand, the rolling desert, a tranquil lake and the beautiful sunset.

   Also, you’ll never miss out on the Crescent Moon Pool, Just like its name indicates, the Crescent Pool is in a natural shape of half-moon.According to historical record, the lake has been in existence for hundreds of years without ever being buried by the sand.

   This is the biggest night market in the area. You will see a lot of local small commodities and it is a great place to experience the local food culture. Your wonderful tour will ends here, your tour guide and driver will take you back to your hotel in Dunhuang.

   Overnight: The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel,a 5-star hotel

2. 2Dunhuang — Jiayuguan⌄

   Meet your guide and driver in your hotel lobby and transfer you to Visitors' Center of Mogao Grottoes, an UNESCO listed World Heritage Site, start your exciting sightseeing tour from to Mogao Caves and Digital Film Center, Located in the Gobi desert, the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas feature beautiful wall fresco paintings and more than 3,000 sculptures dating from the forth to the fourteenth century.Then, a professional cave guide will lead you to explore about 7 to 9 caves closely.

   After lunch you will visit the the geological phenomena of Yadan Park have been created over time by erosion of the soft earth by rain and wind, leaving unusual rock formations.In the park, you can get a view of uniquely-shaped rocks like Mongolian tent, Stone Bird, Peacock and others. Make full use of your imagination, you may find some rocks with some miniatures similar to famed architectures, like the Potala Palace in Tibet, Heaven Temple in Beijing or something else.

   Then driven to Jiayuguan, you will be drop-off at your Jiayuguan hotel.

   Meals: Lunch

   Overnight: Jiu Gang Hotel,4-star hotel

3. 3Jiayuguan-Zhangye⌄

   Meet up your friendly private guide and driver at your hotel in the early morning, you will visit Jiayuguan Fortress. Standing among vast desert and surrounded by rolling mountains, Jiayuguan Fortress looks like a dignified general guarding the grand land. It was constructed with the most integrated defensive system: an inner city, an outer city, and a moat. Besides functioning as a frontier military fortress, it was also an important traffic hub along the Silk Road, the oldest worldwide trading route.

   Then drive to the Great Wall at Jiayuguan Pass, is which the most western pass of the Ming Great Wall, is known as one of the Chinese traffic fortress, the three wonders of the Great Wall (East Shanhaiguan, Zhenbeitai, Jiayuguan).

   Then drive to the Zhangye Danxia Geopark, you will visit the 'Color Palette Overturned by God’ — the Zhangye Danxia Geopark, which is home to the Rainbow Mountains. It is praised as God's palette with its interlaced lines, colorful tones and magnificent paintings. Then driven to Zhangye, you will be drop-off at your Zhangye hotel.

   Meals: Lunch

   Overnight: Holiday Inn Express Zhangye，a 4-star hotel

4. 4Zhangye Departure⌄

   Meet your guide with pickup from your hotel, then travel to the Dafo Temple of Zhangye, which is the biggest Nivana Buddha in Asia. Admire the largest reclining Buddha in China at the Giant Buddha Temple. When your tour is finished, after lunch, transfer to the airport (or Zhangye Railway Station) for your flight to next city. We can help you book the high speed train tickets.

   Meals: Lunch