Silk Road 12 Days Tour by China Orient Express (B)

Arrive in Beijing

Attraction & Activities:

Meals:

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★Sheraton Hotel or same class

Beijing/ Luoyang

Attraction & Activities:

The Forbidden City,Capital Museum

Meals:

Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★The China Orient Express

Luoyang/ Xi'an

Attraction & Activities:

Shaolin Temple,Forest of Stupas,Centre of Heaven & Earth

Meals:

Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★China Orient Express

After breakfast, we will arrive in Luoyang and visit to the Shaolin Temple. This temple is shrouded in legend and mystery. The origin of martial arts and kung fu is part of the mystique of Shaolin Temple and the Shaolin monks. This is probably the most famous temple in China, not only because of its long history and its role in Chinese Buddhism, but also because of its martial arts or Wushu. There is a theatre here which presents the famous Kungfu Show at 1400. We will taste Yongtaisi shaolin Vegetarian for lunch. Yongtaisi shaolin Vegetarian located close to the Shaoling Temple, the Yongtaisi Nunnery serves Vegetarian food. 22:30hrs we are onboard the ‘China Orient Express’ train to Xian after dinner. 

Xian

Attraction & Activities:

Big Wild Goose Pagoda,The Ancient City Wall

Meals:

Breakfast, Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★Sheraton Xian North City Hotel or same class

Xi’an/Tianshui

Attraction & Activities:

Terracotta Army,Huaqing Pool

Meals:

breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★China Orient Express

Shaolin Temple: The Shaolin Temple, tucked away in the woods of Shanlin Museum, is the main tourist attraction of the Songshan Mountain Scenic Area, and a key national AAAAA tourism zone.

Forest of Stupas: With a total of 232 ancient stupas, the Forest of Stupas is the largest of its kind in China, leading its counterparts in the shape varieties and history. It is known as the museum of ancient stupas.

Centre of Heaven & Earth: The historic monuments of Dengfeng in "The Center of Heaven and Earth," which include the ancient architectural complex at Mount Songshan and the site of the Xia-dynasty capital, are situated in and around Mount Songshan in Henan.

Tianshui/Jiayuguan

Attraction & Activities:

Maiji Mountain

Meals:

Breakfast, Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★China Orient Express

Jiayuguan

Attraction & Activities:

Jiayuguan

Meals:

breakfast,Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★Holiday Plaza Hotel Jiayuguan or same class

This morning we visit Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass), is the most western end of the Great Wall. Also known as 'the First and Greatest Pass under Heaven, and it is the best preserved and most magnificent military building among the passes of the Great Wall. Next, we move on to Overhanging Great Wall. It is about 7 mimes away from Jiayu Pass. It's located on a ridge that is 45 degrees from vertical hence the name Overhanging Great Wall. 

Jiayuguan/Dunhuang (Jiayu Pass)

Attraction & Activities:

Echoing-Sand Mountain

Meals:

breakfast, Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★Dunhuang Hotel or same class

After a pleasant breakfast, 10:00hrs special train to Dunhuang, we specially arranged for you on the train institute of Dunhuang experts and professors explain in detail for you. Reaching Dunhuang, we proceed to visit Mingsha Hill and Yueya Spring. Mingsha Hill measures some 40km by 20km and has a height of 80m. It is said that if we slide down its sleep slopes, we can hear sounds made by the moving sand. If the weather is good the sounds are likened to melodious orchestral music. This is one of the 4 famous mingsha hills in China. After dinner, we will continue to visit Dunhuang Night market -- Shazhou Night Market. It is one of the best night market in China and famous for its tasty snacks, local specialties, and crafts etc. 

Echoing-Sand Mountain: Singing Sand Dunes is a famous scenic spots in Dunhuang. It is also called Mingshan Mountain. These mountains are pale golden in color; their height is about a dozen meters and stretches across an area of more or less 40 kilometers. The dunes are huge and some measures about hundred meters while most of them are rather stable in shape though the dunes shift recurrently.

Dunhuang/ Turpan

Attraction & Activities:

Mogao Caves

Meals:

breakfast, Lunch,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★China Orient Express

Urumqi - Turpan

Attraction & Activities:

Jiaohe ruins，flaming mountain,Karez well system

Meals:

breakfast, Lunch,,Dinner

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★Hoi Tak Hotel or same class

After a pleasant breakfast we visit a karez irrigation system. Embodying the wisdom of the Xinjiang people, this irrigation system is designed for the desert, comprising surface drains underground canals and reservoirs. Currently there are some 1,258 systems in use, of a total length of over 3,000krn. It is said that the Karez irrigation system, the Great Wall of China and the Jinghang Grand Canal are the engineering miracles of ancient China. Following this, we visit the Flaming Mountain, immortalized in the classic story 'Journey to the West'. The bright red soil of the mountain glows even more under the glaring sun, and it is no wonder we feel the heat. We drive to Jiaohe Ancient City. Also known as Ya'er City, it is located 10km from Turpan, so named because it lies where two rivers meet. It is also said to be a Han Period Cheshi structure. We drive to Jiaohe Ancient City. Aisc known as Ya'er City, it is located 10km from Turpan so named because it lies where two rivers meet. It is a so sad to be a Han Period Cheshi structure. At 20:30hrs, we embark the 'China Orient Express' Charter Luxury Train to Urumqi.

Urumqi

Attraction & Activities:

Heavenly Lake,Xinjiang Regional Museum

Meals:

Hotel buffet breakfast, Chinese Lunch

Accommodation: Luxury ★★★★★Hoi Tak Hotel or same class

After breakfast, we proceed to the famous Tianchi Lake (Heavenly Lake) and Mt Tianshan. The former is situated halfway up Bogda Peak in Fukang County, about 1,980 above sea level. The lake surface spans an area of 4.9km2 and the lake has a depth of up to 105m, a circumference of 3, 400m and at its broadest it is 1 500m wide. We will take a cruise to enjoy the lake's amazing scenery. Aboard the cruise, we can also view the snow-capped summit of Bogda Peak which forms a captivating contrast to the jade-green lake waters. Next we visit the Museum of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. This museum has four or five thousand years ago until the modern Silk Road excavation and collected more than 1,000 pcs of precious cultural relics. Tonight, we can catch a tribal song and dance performance after the Xinjiang flavor of roasted whole lamb dinner.

Urumqi/Hometown

Attraction & Activities:

After breakfast, free at own leisure till the assemble time for the transfer to airport for the flight back to hometown.

Meals:

Hotel Buffet Breakfast