10-Days Silk Road Tour

 Trip Highlights
·Recite ancient poems at the Silk Road's desert passes.
·Marvel at Mogao's murals and Zhangye's giant reclining Buddha.
·Climb singing dunes and watch sunset over Crescent Lake.
·Stand where the Ming Great Wall begins at Jiayuguan.
·Witness rainbow-colored Danxia hills glowing like a palette.
·See the legendary galloping horse and desert art installations.
·Cruise Yellow River stone forests, feeling China's mother river.

Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Dunhuang
A comfortable private drive will take you to the well-selected hotel after pick-up from Airport. Relax for the remaining time of the day to recover from the long flight. 
Day 2 Dunhuang
Breakfast & Lunch
Travel to Yangguan Pass, a strategic stronghold on the southern route of the ancient Silk Road during the Han Dynasty. Remaining ruins include rammed earth walls and traces of a moat. At the Yangguan Museum, you can see a reconstructed "Yangguan Commandant's Office" and even experience making a "Tongguan Wen Die" (an ancient passport). Climb the observation deck for a sweeping view of the clear boundary where the Gobi Desert meets the oasis. In the afternoon, visit the Western Thousand Buddha Caves. 
Day 3 Dunhuang
Breakfast & Lunch
Depart early for Yumen Pass. This pass was first built during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The remaining Xiaofangpan Fortress is square in shape, with rammed earth walls still standing up to 9 meters high. Standing atop the walls, surrounded by endless Gobi, you can almost hear the echo of camel bells, truly experiencing the vast solitude captured in the famous line:"Beyond Yumen Pass, no spring breeze blows."
In the afternoon, continue to Yadan Geopark, a natural museum of wind-eroded landscapes. 
Day 4 Dunhuang
Breakfast & Lunch
After breakfast, visit the Mogao Grottoes. Known as the "Thousand Buddha Caves," this UNESCO World Heritage Site is the world's largest and richest repository of Buddhist art. 
In the afternoon, head to Mingsha Mountain (Singing Sand Mountain) and Crescent Lake. Climb the dunes to admire a magnificent desert sunset and experience the grandeur and silence of the vast desert.
Day 5 Dunhuang to Jiayuguan
Breakfast & Lunch
depart Dunhuang, stop at Guazhou County to visit Earth's Son – a massive 15-meter-long sculpture of a reclining baby, its skin texture blending into the desert sand, symbolizing the symbiosis between humanity and nature. Arrive in Jiayuguan in the evening, check into your hotel, and enjoy free time in the surrounding area.
Day 6 Jiayuguan to Zhangye
Breakfast & Lunch
Morning tour of Jiayuguan Fortress, the western starting point of the Ming Great Wall. Then proceed to the First Pier of the Great Wall, a westernmost beacon tower perched above the Taolai River, with a dramatic 100-meter-deep gorge below. Next, visit the Overhanging Great Wall, which climbs along a mountain ridge like a cantilevered arm, overlook the Gobi oasis from the top.
In the afternoon, travel to Zhangye and visit the Great Buddha Temple, which houses a 35-meter-long reclining Buddha from the Western Xia dynasty, the largest indoor reclining Buddha in China.
Day 7 Zhangye
Breakfast & Lunch
Morning visit to Matisi (Horse Hoof) Temple, a scenic area integrating cave grottoes, a monastery, and snow-capped mountains. The highlight is the Thirty-Three Heavens Grottoes, carved into a 100-meter-high cliff. The surrounding Qilian Mountains, with their snowy peaks and grasslands, create a magnificent landscape.
In the afternoon, visit Zhangye Danxia National Geopark. The Danxia landform here is renowned for colors "as bright as rosy clouds and as vivid as cinnabar." Under sunlight, layers of red, yellow, orange, and green ripple across the hills. 
Day 8 Zhangye – Wuwei
Breakfast & Lunch
After breakfast, depart for Wuwei. Upon arrival, visit the Leitai Han Tomb, a large late Eastern Han Dynasty burial site. Then head to the Wuwei City Museum, where artifacts such as the Western Xia Stele (inscribed in both Western Xia and Chinese scripts) and Tianti Mountain Grotto statues tell the story of Wuwei as the "metropolis of the Hexi Corridor."
Day 9 Wuwei – Lanzhou
Breakfast & Lunch
depart for Lanzhou. Upon arrival, explore the Yellow River Stone Forest, with winding canyons, towering peaks, and sheer cliffs sculpted by nature. In the evening, stroll along the Yellow River Scenery Line to appreciate the mighty river.
Day 10 Lanzhou Departure
Breakfast
As it marks the final day of this journey, our driver will bring you to airport at an optimal time, we will bid you farewell.
*This itinerary is subject to change.

Inclusions
Private transport: 9-seat vehicle
Hotel accommodation with breakfasts
Entry tickets
English-speaking guide
Travel insurance
Exclusions
Airfares
Entry Visa fees
Personal expenses
Gratuities