10 days tour

Gansu’S Silk Road Hexi Corridor

Gansu’S Silk Road Hexi Corridor

This tour includes:

Transport

Private vehicle and all ground transportation for 10 days

Guide

Professional English speaking guide All meals, transportation, lodging, and tickets for your guide

Accommodation

9 nights in Hotels

Others

All entrance tickets to Labrang Monastery, Rebkong Longwu Monastery, Mati Si, Danxia National Park, Jiayuguan Great Wall, Mogao Grottoes All taxes and fees

Meals

All meals (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner) from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 10

Not included:

Flights

Flights or trains to Lanzhou or from Dunhuang

Insurance

Travel insurance (we require all travelers to provided their own travel insurance for the duration of the journey. We recommend www.worldnomads.com and this is fairly cheap)

Others

Tips for your guide (recommended if service is good) Specialty or alcoholic drinks Visa or passport costs Snacks, souvenirs, or items of a personal nature

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Itinerary of your trip Gansu’S Silk Road Hexi Corridor

  • Day 1 Day 1: Arrive In Lanzhou
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 1: Arrive In Lanzhou

      Today we meet in Lanzhou to start our tour of Gansu’s Silk Road. For centuries Gansu was a vital trade corridor between China and Central Asia. From Lanzhou a 1200-kilometer section of the Silk Road stretches through barren desert in the shadow of the Qilian Mountains to modern day Xinjiang – this is the Hexi Corridor. As proof of all the trade along this route, you will find numerous ancient monuments scattered along the entire Silk Road – temples buried in cliff faces, monasteries, pagodas, towers and ancient palaces. This area also holds the western most part of the Great Wall of China. This valley was once the sole western passage in and out of the Middle Kingdom and even today there is nothing else in all of China like this place. This is China like you have never seen it! Our program takes participants through the remote regions of Amdo Tibet into the high grasslands and monasteries that are the heartbeat of Tibetan nomadic culture. Eat a cup of tart yak yoghurt, walk under the tall golden spires of monastery halls and giant Buddhas, and trek through rugged mountains to discover how nomads have kept their ways alive for centuries in the midst of an often unforgiving high-altitude environment. With the opportunity to stay with nomads, we’ll have insight into their daily routines and learn to appreciate the richness of their culture. From the wild grasslands of Amdo Tibet we will then head to Zhangye, Jiayuguan, and Dunhuang. These are desert towns of western Gansu Province and they were important arteries for trade along the Hexi Corridor of the Silk Road. See the rainbow striped mountains of Zhangye Danxia National Park and explore the westernmost section of the Great Wall in Jiayuguan. Much of this section of the Great Wall has been entirely covered by drifting desert sand but there still remains a few exposed sections that still whisper rumors of conquest and empire. Next we will have the opportunity to take a camel ride in the desert and stroll through the lively night market of Dunhuang as you watch the traditional art of Chinese paper cutting and block painting. We will end our tour in Gansu’s best grottoes as we walk into the hidden caves of the mystical Mogao Grottoes to see ancient Buddhist cave paintings in the sandstone cliffs of the desert. This tour is a must for culture and art buffs! From wooly yaks to regal camels, this tour really hits all the best monasteries and scencic spots in all of Gansu Province and even includes China’s largest salt lake.

  • Day 2 Day 2: Depart Lanzhou, Drive To Labrang
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 2: Depart Lanzhou, Drive To Labrang

      8:00am - Eat breakfast at or near hotel in Lanzhou 8:30am - Drive to Liujiaxia Resevoir 10:30am - Arrive at Liujiaxia Reservoir and take a boat to Bingling Monastery 11:30am- Arrive at Bingling Si, boat excursion to the 1000 Buddhas Grotto, visit the grottos 2:15pm - Depart Liujiaxia Reservoir for Labrang (Xiahe) at 2,900 meters, drive 210km 7:00pm - Arrive Labrang, Check into hotel in Labrang, rest 7:30pm - Eat Tibetan style dinner 8:30pm - Settle in Hotel in Labrang

  • Day 3 Day 3: Explore Labrang Monastery
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 3: Explore Labrang Monastery

      8:00am - Eat breakfast in hotel in Labrang 9:00am - Early morning walk to Labrang Thangka wall for pictures 9:30am - Tour Labrang Monastery and short hike to 3,000 meters 12:30pm - Lunch in Labrang 2:00pm- Set off from Labrang to drive 107km to Rebkong (Tongren) at 2,800 meters 5:00pm - Arrive in Rebkong, check into hotel 6:00pm - Authentic Tibetan dinner 8:00pm - Rest and sleep in Tibetan style hotel

  • Day 4 Day 4: Drive To Rebkong, Explore Longwu Monastery
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 4: Drive To Rebkong, Explore Longwu Monastery

      8:30am - Eat breakfast in hotel 9:30am - Explore Rebkong Longwu Monastery (with over 800 monks) 12:30pm - Eat lunch in Rebkong 1:30pm- Drive 10km to Rebkong Wutun Monastery, see Thangka paintings 3:30pm - Drive 165km to Xining 6:00pm - Arrive in Xining, settle into hotel 7:00pm Dinner in Xining 8:00pm - Return to hotel, rest.

  • Day 5 Day 5: Qinghai Lake Day Trip
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 5: Qinghai Lake Day Trip

      8:30am - Eat breakfast in hotel 9:30am - Drive 150km to the south shore of Qinghai Lake 12:30pm - Eat a picnic lunch on the lake shore, relax by the lake 3:30pm - Drive back to Xining 6:30pm - Dinner and rest 8:00pm - Sleep in hotel in Xining

  • Day 6 Day 6: Xining To Zhangye, Mati Grottoes
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 6: Xining To Zhangye, Mati Grottoes

      7:00am- Depart Xining hotel 7:15am - Arrive at Xining train station and check in 8:43am - Catch train D2741 from Xining to Zhangye 10:38am- Arive Zhangye (at 1,474 meters in elevation) train station, pick up at the station by a local driver 11:30am - Lunch in Zhangye or along the way to Mati Temple Grottoes 12:30am - Drive 65km to Mati Temple Grottoes 2:00pm - Arrive grottoes and explore for the afternoon 5:00pm- Drive back to Zhangye 7:00pm Dinner in Zhangye 9:00pm - Rest in hotel in Zhangye

  • Day 7 Day 7: Zhangye Danxia Formations, Jiayuguan Great Wall
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 7: Zhangye Danxia Formations, Jiayuguan Great Wall

      8:00am - Eat breakfast in hotel in Zhangye 9:00am - Early morning visit to Zhangye Dafo Temple (the giant buddha) 10:00am - Drive 32km to Zhangye Danxia National Park 11:00am - Arrive at Danxia formations 1:00pm- Set off to drive 225km to Jiayuguan, lunch along the way 4:00pm - Arrive at Jiayuguan Great Wall, explore and climb the wall 5:30pm - Depart Great Wall 6:00pm - Arrive Jiayuguan at 1,462 meters and settle into hotel 7:00pm - Dinner in nearby hotel 8:00pm - Rest and sleep in hotel in Jiayuguan

  • Day 8 Day 8: Drive To Dunhuang, Dunhaung Sand Dunes And Night Market
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 8: Drive To Dunhuang, Dunhaung Sand Dunes And Night Market

      8:00am - Breakfast in hotel 9:00am- Meet in lobby of hotel. Drive 374km to Dunhuang 2:00pm - Arrive at hotel in Dunhuang at 1,142 meters and rest and settle 2:30pm - In the afternoon explore the sand dunes near Dunhuang 6:00pm- Return to Dunhuang, dinner. Explore Dunhuang night market 8:30pm - Sleep in hotel in Dunhuang

  • Day 9 Day 9: Mogao Grottoes In Dunhuang
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 9: Mogao Grottoes In Dunhuang

      8:30am - Eat breakfast in hotel 9:30am -Drive to Mogao Grottoes 10:15pm - Arrive at Mogao Grottoes, spend the day exploring the caves and paintings 5:00pm - Return to Dunhuang, early dinner in town 6:30pm - Last dinner together in Dunhuang Night Market 8:00pm - Sleep in a hotel in Dunhuang

  • Day 10 Day 10: Depart Dunhuang
    • 12:00 am - 11:59 pm

      Day 10: Depart Dunhuang

      Depart Dunhuang in the morning

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Experience Style

Experience Style

Mixed

There will be challenging activities such as hiking, biking, canyoning and trekking, but you’re also going to have other means of transportation and relaxed moments to just chill.

Accomodation level

Accomodation level

Medium

This accommodation includes essential services like a hot shower, electricity, and a nice and comfy bed.

Experience Type

Experience Type

Small Group

You’ll be accompanied by a small group of travelers just like you.

Physical Rating

Physical Rating

Average

There are several physical activities that last from 2 to 6 hours in easy terrains, low altitude flats, or water experiences. Please ask if you’re not sure this applies to you.

Age range

Age range

Min: 4 / Max: 75

Age range allowed for this experience.

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