Summary

Itinerary Highlight
Day 1 Arrive in Urumqi
Day 2 Urumqi: Heavenly Lake, Xinjiang Regional Museum, Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar
Day 3 Urumqi to Turpan by Car: Karez Well, Emin Minaret
Day 4 Turpan to Urumqi by Car: Tuyugou Valley, Gaochang Ancient City, Bezeklik Caves, Flaming Mountains
Day 5 Urumqi Departure

Day 1 Arrive in Urumqi

Upon on your arrival, our Urumqi local guide will meet you at the exit of airport with a signage" China Private Tour". Transfer to your hotel, the rest day is free for you to recover your jetlag or explore the city on your own.

Day 2 Urumqi

Pick up from your hotel in the morning.Drive about 100KM to visit Heavenly Lake(Tianchi). Beautiful natural scenery of Heavenly Lake in Xinjiang. Tianchi Lake in Tianshan Tianchi National Park is a scenic highlight about 1.5 to 2 hours out of Urumqi. It is a small lake in high mountains. The northwestern area is highly developed and even has a mall.

Lunch is arranged at local restaurant to taste some Xinjiang food. The food began taking roots in China when Islam made inroads into the country. The ethnic groups of the region all have their own food prohibitions and features.

In the afternoon, you will pay a visit for Xinjiang Regional Museum. Built in 1953, it has an exhibition hall that covers an area of 7,800 square meters (approx. 9,328 square yards). The building is in a Uigur style, the internal decor having strong ethnic features. In total there are over 50,000 items in the collection. It not only represent the ethnic lifestyle and humanity of the region but also illustrate its revolutionary spirit. With an abundance of items on display, the exhibition is widely acknowledged for its comprehensive and informative nature both at home and abroad.

Lastly, our guide will take you to explore the Erdaoqiao Grand Bazaar. It is the largest retail and wholesale market of ethnic minority goods in Xinjiang. Erdaoqiao has long been a distribution center for goods from both Xinjiang and central Asian countries. A covered market was first opened in 1982, measuring 6756 sq metres, followed by the new Erdaoqiao market which was completed in 2002 and covers 35,000 square metres. Both markets forms a lively tourist and trading center. Next to the market lies the Erdaqiao mosque. 

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel.

Day 3 Urumqi-Turpan

After breakfast, drive around 200 km to Turpan city, it takes around 2.5 hours. The first place you will visit is Karez Well. In Xinjiang, the greatest number of karez wells are in the Turpan Depression, where today there remain over 1100 karez wells and channels having a total length of over 5,000 kilometres (3,100 mi). The local geography makes karez wells practical for agricultural irrigation and other uses.You will know the underground water supply and irrigation system.

After that, enjoy family visit of local Uygur and have lunch with them. You will learn how to make Xinjiang food and visit the vineyard. 

In the afternoon, our guide will take you to visit Emin Minaret (Sugong Pagoda) which is the biggest ancient pagoda existing in Xinjiang and the only Islamic ancient pagoda in the country. Appreciate sunset at Jiaohe Ancient City and have leisure walk at the valley about 40 minutes. 

After dinner, you will be taken back to your hotel in Turpan. Free on your own to explore the nightlife.

Day 4 Turpan-Urumqi

In the morning, our guide and driver will pick you up from your hotel. Drive you to Tuyugou Valley, which is a valley village cutting into the flaming mountains located in the Taklimakan Desert. Tuyugou is an ancient village with roughly 1700 years of history, till now they still preserve and use ancient Uyghur customs and culture. This valley village is also a pilgrimage area for many Muslims, with the main destination being The Mazar, or the tomb of the first Uyghur Muslim. It’s said that seven trips to Tuyoq is equal to one trip to Mecca.

Next, you will visit Gaochang Ancient City. It served as an important commercial and cultural center on the northern edge of the Silk Road for long time. It was once the thriving capital of an important kingdom that controlled over twenty other towns. Gaochang was also an important religious center. Buddhism was firmly established there under the Tang. The monk-traveler, Xuanzang, taught in Gaochang around 630 on his pilgrimage to India in search of Buddhist sutras. The city had numerous monasteries and temples, and at one time there were perhaps 3,000 monks and priests within its environs.

Lunch will be arranged at a local restaurant with authentic Food.

In the afernoon, pay a visit for Bezeklik Caves, also known as the Bizaklik Thousand-Buddha Caves. There are 77 rock-cut caves at the Bezeklik Caves. Most have rectangular spaces with rounded arch ceilings often divided into four sections, each with a mural of Buddha. The effect is of entire ceiling covers with hundreds of Buddha murals. Some ceilings in Bezeklik Caves are painted with a large Buddha surrounded by other figures, including Indians, Persians and Europeans.

On the way back to Urumqi, you have a chance to visit Flaming Mountains, which appear at midday like multicoloured tongues of fire. The Flaming Mountains were immortalised in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, in which Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) used his magic fan to extinguish the blaze. 

You will be taken back to your hotel in Urumqi after the tour, the rest day is free on your own to explore the city. Dinner is arranged in your hotel.

Day 5 Urumqi Departure

Free on your own until our driver pick you up from your hotel and drive you to airport for your next dstination or fly back home. Your 5 Days Best Xinjiang Minority Tour comes to end. Have a pleasent trip!

Price Per Person in US Dollars