8 Day Silk Road Discovery Tour to Dunhuang, Lanzhou and Xiahe

Highlights

This 8 days classic private tour takes you to explore the Chinese section of the ancient northern Silk Road route including Dunhuang, Lanzhou and Xiahe. Travel the path of thousands of merchants and camel caravans to witness its changes in modern days. Attractions you will visit during this tour include Mogao Grottos, Folk Culture Museum, the Singing Sand Dune and Crescent Lake, Yumenguan, Hecang Fortress, Yang Gate, Gansu Provincial Museum, Bingling Temple, Labrang Lamasery, and the White Pagoda Hill. You will be accompanied by an experienced local tour guide and driver throughout the trip.

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Travel Map

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Itinerary
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Booking Notes

Tour Itinerary

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Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8

Day 1 Dunhuang

Airport-hotel Transfer

Upon arrival, the driver picks you up from the airport in Dunhuang then escorts you to the hotel for check-in. Spend the rest of time relaxing or strolling in the city by yourself.

Day 2 Dunhuang

Mogao Grottoes, Folk Culture Museum, Singing Sand Dune, Crescent Lake

Starting from an early morning pick up by the driver and tour guide, head to the Mogao Grottoes; famous for its fabulous frescos and statues. Later got to Folk Culture Museum which is considered the great treasure that exhibits unique folk customs in northwest China. Afterwards, visit the Singing Sand Dune then have a short but interesting camel-ride along the sand dunes to reach the Crescent Lake. Get jaw-dropping views of the cozily nested amongst huge sand dunes in the shape of a crescent moon, bound by an oasis of pagodas and frequently attacked by, the lake water has kept clear over hundreds of thousands of years.

Scenic spots included in the itinerary

Mogao Grottoes

Singing Sand Dune and Crescent Lake

Lunch

Day 3 Dunhuang-Lanzhou by Train

Yang Gate, Yumen Pass, Hecang Fortress

Today your tour begins with a visit Yang Gate served as an important military fortress and resting post for travelers along the silk road. Later, move to Yumen Pass. It was a pass through the Silk Road that used to connect central Asia and China. Afterwards, view the Hecang Fortress which used to be a warehouse for providing accommodation to the military stationed nearby. At last, take a night train to Lanzhou.

Scenic spots included in the itinerary

Yumen Pass

Lunch

Day 4 Lanzhou-Xiahe County by Private Vehicle

Gansu Provincial Museum　

The driver and tour guide will pick you up from the railway station in the morning. Then take you to visit Gansu Provincial Museum which has variously painted potteries and ancient grottoes. Uncover the mystery of the galloping horse that was believed to be very fast that it could actually fly in the sky and even higher than a swallow. After lunch, drive to Xiahe county and reside overnight.

Scenic spots included in the itinerary

Gansu Provincial Museum

Lunch

Day 5 Xiahe County

Labrang Monastery, Sangke Grassland

First, visit Labrang Monastery, one of the six largest religious temples of the Gelug Sect of China's Lamaism. Get lost in this propitious place in the hearts of the Tibetan as you see thousands of Buddha statues made by gold, silver, copper and aluminum. In the afternoon, visit a local Tibetan family to learn more about Tibet culture and life then enjoy in the vast area of Sangke Grassland, take some beautiful pictures here.

Scenic spots included in the itinerary

Labrang Monastery

Lunch

Day 6 Xiahe County-Lanzhou by Private Vehicle

Bingling Temple Grottoes　

Get up early and head to Bingling Temple Grottoes; an important Buddhist site dating back to the 5th century. Cross the Yellow River by boat at your cost, and immerse yourself at this earliest inscription of annals showing the diverse influence of different Buddhist branches then be transferred to the hotel in Lanzhou.

Scenic spots included in the itinerary

Bingling Temple Grottoes

Lunch

Day 7 Lanzhou

White Pagoda Mountain, Yellow River Iron Bridge, Waterwheel Park, Yellow River Mother Sculpture

We will start visiting White Pagoda Mountain, and there are many palatial buildings in the mountains. You can take the cable car up to the top and enjoy a panoramic view of the whole city and rolling Yellow River. Later, cross Yellow River Iron Bridge and take a shot here. After lunch, visit Lanzhou Waterwheel Park which has a long history and is the oldest irrigation tool along the Yellow River in ancient times. At last, take a short visit to Yellow River Mother Sculpture, the landmark of Lanzhou.

Scenic spots included in the itinerary

Waterwheel Park

White Pagoda Mountain

Yellow River Mother Sculpture

Yellow River Iron Bridge

Lunch

Day 8 Departure from Lanzhou

Airport Transfer

On this last day, the tour guide and driver will send you to the airport in Lanzhou for your homebound flight.

Hotel Location

5 Star Hotel

4 Star Hotel

3 Star Hotel

Dunhuang

Dun Huang Fu Li Hua International Hotel Detail

Dunhuang International Hotel Detail

Jinlong Hotel Detail

Lanzhou

Legend Hotel Detail

Longneng Hotel Detail

Changjiang Hotel Detail

Xiahe County (Gansu Province)

Labuleng Civil Aviation Hotel Detail

Jiusheng International Hotel Detail

Laboleng Wangfu Hotel Detail

Dexule Suite

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Hotel Description

Hotel Position : Plaza del Angel, 12, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

Opened:2000

Number of rooms:108

Postcode:100007

Redecorated:2017

The Ping'anfu Hotel (Ping'anfu Binguan) is a luxury hotel located in the hustle and bustle of the city center. It is only 4 kilometers from the railway station and 28 kilometers from the airport. This hotel provide comfortable rooms, ranging from standard doubles to deluxe suites. Facilities in rooms include international direct dial telephones, satellite televisions, central air conditioning and mini bars. Room service is available on request. Guests of the hotel will also have the chance to relax in the sauna and massage center. The hotel has numerous restaurants, mostly serving Chinese cuisine.

Services & Amenities

Hotel Policies

Check-in & Check-out

Check-in from 14:00

Check-out before 12:00

Hotel Notes

Smoking is now strictly prohibited within all public and enclosed spaces in Beijing. This hotel will NOT offer smoking rooms.

Hotel Description

Opened:2000

Number of rooms:108

Postcode:100007

Redecorated:2017

Price Includes

Entrance fees

Air-conditioned coach

Lunch

English-speaking guide

A bottle of water per day per person

Soft bed train from Dunhuang to Lanzhou

Hotels (if selected)

Excludes

Tips to the guide and driverCamel rideBoat ticketCable carEntrance tickets for No 169 and 172 grottoes at Bingling Grottoes

Add Product

It must be clearly understood that enjoying these extras is your own decision. They are not included in the itinerary or tour price, so you will need to pay separately. The ticket price depends on seating. Ask your guide to book tickets if you want to see any of the following.

Gansu (Lanzhou Dunhuang）

Flower Rains along Silk Road show

$70 For 1 people

Detail

Recall Dunhuang Show

$75 For 1 people

Detail

Dunhuang Celebration Show

$60 For 1 people

Detail

chinatoursnet

benniejay

2019-07-31

Yes everything was spectacular and fascinating very professional and prompt services. There were beautiful places to explore and to see in the 4 hours that we had. The comfort and beauty of the China was incredible, The history, culture and way of life of the local people we bumped into during the layover was beyond our expectations. Hiking on the Great wall after driving through a small remote countryside was very relaxing and rejuvenating. It was the best trip ever to experience on a few hours.

We had not previously used a travel agency for touring. The crew including the driver and tour guide were really funny, friendly and knowledgeable. Despite having limited time we still had free time allowing for shopping and grabbing a meal and drinks. Highly recommend this layover in Beijing.

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mirceao455

Bucharest, Romania

2019-06-28

Great, compact, amazing tour. Our guide Jenny did the best to show us the most important attractions in Beijing in just a 2 day tour. I recommand her tours, she is great with groups, friendly and well prepared.

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2funworldtravers

2019-05-25

Mike and Karen, Tucson, Arizona

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pedro148595

2019-05-22

Highly recommend for everyone coming to Beijing

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Mdezarraga2

2019-05-22

We had an amazing trip with Jenny! She is very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions in fantastic English. She also is very organized so we were on time to each stop of our tour!

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stevensE4605SC

Durban, South Africa

2019-05-09

Booking from South Africa on ChinaTour.net was so quick and easy, however I had to mail customer service as I had not received my confirmation within the 48 hours that the original mail had stated. Once done I received confirmation for all my train and internal flights within 20 minutes of sending the mail. I would highly recommend this website for booking trips through China and i will use it again in future.

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NYCfoodiegirl

New York, NY

2019-04-29

Well worth it! Jenny was really nice and incredibly helpful with the immigration process after airport personnel originally escorted to the wrong area and didn’t want to allow leaving the airport. She takes great photos! Beautiful views and fun to take the toboggan down. Wasn’t too crowded on this day - and definitely worth doing with a 7 hour layover. Nice car and driver too.

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NancyVaB

2019-04-13

Great app to buy train tickets. If you don't know the language you just show the e-ticket that the app gave you and the seller will give the tickets to you without the need to talk.

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aklein729

2019-02-20

Had a great layover tour! 100% worth it. Was easily picked up and transported to the Great Wall and back to the airport. Jenny’s English is perfect so communication flowed nicely. She even helped me take photos on the Great Wall!

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Sreesagubadi

valsayn, Trinidad and Tobago

2019-02-08

I used China tour company to visit Hangzhou on on feb 7th. It’s a private tour. The experience is very pleasant and enjoyable. Tour guide Mr. Mark Zhou was very good. He speaks good English and very patient. He knows his stuff. I visited West Lake , Buddhist temple and the Pagoda. The tour was very enjoying and place (Hangzhou) is a must to see if you wish to enjoy the nature and Chinese culture and tradition. I recommend it to every one visiting China.

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Booking Note

How to Book?

1. You can book online directly or send email to marcopolo@chinatoursnet.com

2. The personal information you filled in at the time of booking must be exactly the same as your passport. ChinaToursNet will not refund any losses due to missing or incorrect information.

3. Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.

4. Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required.

5. We accept Credit Card, PayPal and bank transfer.

6. The schedule can be adjusted by your tour guide due to the actual traffic condition.

7. Child definition: Child taller than 1.1 meters will be charged full price, child smaller than 1.1 meters will be charged half price.

Cancellation Policy:

If you cancel at least 30 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.

If you cancel between 20 and 15 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.

If you cancel within 15 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.

Hotel, Air tickets, Train tickets, Insurance and Card fees are not refundable.

Questions & Answers

Tour Code: A0373

Duration: 8days

Departure date: Everyday

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