7 Days Essence Xinjiang Tour

Sincerely welcome you to this magical and exotic city of Xinjiang – Kashgar. Our professional and local guide will meet you at the airport, railway station, or port, then take you to your hotel by a comfortable private vehicle and help you with check-in. In the rest of the day, you can explore nearby as much as possible by your own, and please feel free to get some useful suggestions from your tour guide.  

Meal: No

Altitude: 1298m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: In Kashgar

In the early morning, after having your buffet breakfast, start a new day which is full of surprises. Driving on the China-Pakistan Highway, enjoy the magnificent Pamir Plateau, pay a quick visit to glamorous White Sand Lake. As a national 5A tourist attraction, White Sand Lake is located in the Karakoram Mountains at an altitude of about 3,300 meters, the sand is as white as snowflakes so that the lake shows more gorgeous, you can take some nice photos as much as you want. Next destination is Karakul Lake, you can see Kirghiz herdsman and their livestock around the lake, if you want to exchange cultures with them and learn about ethnic minorities customs, feel free to communicate. The following day will be spent exploring the enchanting scenery surrounding the highway, and your driver and local tour guide will drive to take you to the Taxkorgan County for overnight stay.

Meal: B

Altitude: 3100m

Traffic: 320kms, 6hrs driving

Hotel: In Taxkorgan

In the morning head to Kashgar, you will visit the Stone Fortress. Located in the north of Taxkorgan, it is 3,100 meters above sea level and also known as a vital ancient site on the ancient Silk Road of Xinjiang. Stone Fortress used to be the intramuros of Puli Garden, it stands at the key, imposing, from the Tang Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, expansion and garrison constantly, and the highest point of the wall as high as more than 20 meters. Multi-layer or broken or continued walls outside the city, overlapping between the stone mounds, piles of stones, constitute a unique stone fortress scenery.

If you look down to the east of the Stone Fortress, you will see a very beautiful grassland, which is known as Golden Grassland, full of cattle and sheep; when the sun is about to set, the whole stone fortress will reflect a wealth of light, first the whole city is gray black, then brick red and ochre. Standing on this pile of rocks, looking at the grassland at the moment, the distant naked mountain, you’ll forget the existence of time.

Meal: B

Altitude: 1298m

Traffic: 320kms, 6hrs driving

Hotel: In Kashgar

After breakfast, in the early morning your tour guide will take you to visit the majestic Idigar Mosque, it is the biggest mosque in China where you can feel the strong religious atmosphere. Every Eid, a lot of people come here to celebrate the most delightful festival for Muslims and if you are lucky you will enjoy singing and dancing performances. Next, pay a visit to the Kashgar Old Town which has a history of more than 2,000 years and is like a vivid scroll of Xinjiang Uygur folk custom. When you stand in the Old Town, it is like standing in the boundless ancient oil painting, you may think that this is the charm of the Silk Road. Here, you can experience the unique ethnic culture and customs by visiting a local Uygur family.

Then, head to prosperous Sunday Bazaar, when people come here for selling livestock, you can experience the ancient forms of trade of the Silk Road and it’s quite interesting to witness their typical methods of bargain.

Next, your tour guide will take you to the Handicraft Street, hundreds of handicraft workshops and stalls are gathered on both sides of the street, there are textile, gold and silver jewelry, hardware processing, wood processing, hat, clothing, musical instruments, etc. The handicrafts here have a strong national characteristics and good quality, which are loved by many people and enjoyed a high reputation both at home and abroad.

Finally, head to the last must-visit destination – Ancient Tea House, which is located in the Kashgar Old Town and you can have a cup of nice tea as well as feel the local ethnic culture and traditions here to spend a relaxing time as long as possible before you leave Kashgar.

After visiting, say goodbye to Kashgar and you will be transferred to the airport to take the flight to Urumqi.

Meal: B

Altitude:836m

Traffic: Car, Plane

Hotel: In Urumqi

After breakfast, in the early morning your tour guide will take you to visit the gorgeous Heavenly Lake, which is famous for its stunning view and various tourist resources. In addition, Heavenly Lake, known as “Yao Chi” in ancient times and it is also a World Natural Heritage Site. The spring of Heavenly Lake is quite long; at this time, half of the water in the Heavenly Lake is normal lake water, while the other half is ice crystal like a mirror. You can fully enjoy the Heavenly Lake’s picturesque view and get more close with nature.

Our next trip is head to visit the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, which is located in Tianshan District of Urumqi and is currently the largest Bazaar in China. The Grand Bazaar’s architectural style and scale are magnificent, and the ethnic minority products in the market are rich and exquisite.The entire International Bazaar is the most ethnic-style place in Urumqi. The garden tower about 100 meters high in the center of the square is called the Silk Road Tower. It is the most famous scenic spot in the Grand Bazaar. There are paintings and exhibitions on each floor of the tower to show the historical stories of the Silk Road and you can overlook the surrounding city scenery from the top of the tower. Inside the Grand Bazaar is a huge market, where numerous vendors sell specialty products from Xinjiang. Dried fruits, clothing, essential oils, and handicrafts are dazzling, and the decorations in the market are colorful and very beautiful, so you can have a good visit.

Meal: B

Altitude: 836m

Traffic: Car, 120kms, 1.5hrs

Hotel: In Urumqi

Start a brand new day to drive to the particularly charming city – Turpan. First, go to visit the Tuyoq Village, which is a tourist area with both natural scenery and cultural relics; it is also the most mysterious place in western China, Turpan City, Xinjiang Province, about 55 kilometers to the east of Turpan City. This is the cultural land of the four major civilizations in the world. Various religious cultures such as Islam, Buddhism, Manichaeism and Nestorianism collide and gather here. The scenery of the desert canyon and the ancient Uygur villages complement each other. The Thousand Buddha Caves in Tuyoq Village is the earliest and largest excavation in Turpan area; and the Mazaar ancient village, known as the “living fossil of folk customs of traditional Uygurs”. 

Next, visit the Jiaohe Ancient City, which is an ancient city that was strategically located along the ancient Silk Road. Perching on a plateau, it acted as a natural barrier from the attacking enemies in the old times. Besides, Jiaohe Ruins is a city without city walls; it was once one of the most prosperous cities on the ancient Silk Road. It is an ancient city in the Western Regions as famous as the ancient city of Loulan, known as the “Oriental Pompeii”. And Jiaohe Ruins is currently the largest, oldest and best-preserved city with earthen buildings in the world. It is the only and most complete Han Dynasty city site in China.

Meal: B

Altitude: 36m

Traffic: Car, 200kms, 3hrs

Hotel: In Turpan

Today, after having a quick breakfast, we will go to discover the amazing project of Karez Well system. Together with the Great Wall and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Karez System is regarded as one of China’s Three Greatest Ancient Projects. It is a special kind of irrigation system consisting of vertical wells, underground canals, ground canals and waterlogging pond. The vertically dug wells are linked together to channel the water which occurs during summer rain season, or is melted from snow mountains of Tianshan range to desired farmlands in the desert area. 

Next, we will drive back to the downtown area of Turpan to visit some famous must-see tourist attractions such as the collection house, which is also known as “Turpan’s Grandpa Antique Shop” and the largest Islamic minaret in China built in 1778 – Sugong Minaret. It is the product of a historical event, and is an exquisite national architectural art treasure on the Silk Road in the Western Regions.

In the afternoon, your guide will escort you to the airport/train station for your next destination or home. Tour ends.

Meal: B

Altitude: 836m

Traffic: Car

Hotel: No