13 Days Tibet and Silk Road Tour from Xian

Transfer to your hotel after arriving in Lhasa airport or train station. It only takes half an hour of driving from airport to Lhasa city. You will be amazed by the spectacular plateau scenery along the Brahmaputra river. Normally you will arrive in the late afternoon or evening by train.

It only takes you 20 minutes driving to your hotel in Lhasa city. Check in at hotel, and have a good rest to acclimatize the high altitude.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

In the morning, visit the famous Potala palace and explore the grandest of this myriad chapel. You will appreciate its audience halls, the jeweled and Golden burial chortens (stupa Tombs) of past Dalai Lamas, and tremendous number of Buddhist frescoes, thangkas, combinations of mandala, etc. Tibet Museum is an important window to introduce the glorious culture of Tibet, and as a free Museum in Lhasa, you should not miss.

In the afternoon, visit the holist temple in Tibet, the Johkang Temple, built during Songtsen Gonpo's reign by princess Wencheng of Tang Dynasty, 647 A.D, and its famous Barkor Kora.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

• Potala Palace is always the No.1 attraction for travelers visiting Tibet.
• Holy Jokhang Temple

Visit two important monasteries in Lhasa, the Drepung and the Sera. Drepung monastery is situated at the foothill of a mountain and was founded by Jamyang Choeje in 1416. It was once the home to 10000 monks and Ganden podrang in Drepung is famous as it was the government centre and later moved to the famous Potala palace during the fifth dalai lama.

After having lunch, visit the Sera Monastery, which was founded in 1419 by Tsongkapa's disciple Jamchen Choeje. The most attractive is its Buddhist Scriptures debating held in the courtyard mostly around 3 - 5 in the afternoon.

Stay overnight in Lhasa.

• Monks chat happily before the assembly hall of Drepung monastery.
• Dramatic monk debate in Sera Monastery

The whole morning is free for you. After having lunch, you will be transferred to Lhasa Gonggar Airport to take a flight to Xian.

Upon your arrival in Xian, your local tour guide will pick you up at the airport and escort you to your hotel.

Stay overnight in Xian.

Visit the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. You will be attracted by the life-sized warrior figures, horses and different ancient weapons, each of which have distinct facial expressions and positions.

The rest of today, you will also visit the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Ancient City Wall.

Stay overnight in Xian.

• Xi'an Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum
• Big Wild Goose Pagoda, a landmark building in the ancient capital of Xi'an

Visit Muslim Street or Shaanxi provincial Museum in the morning, and then take a flight to Dunhuang in the afternoon.

Upon arrival in Dunhuang, you will be transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Stay overnight in Dunhuang.

Transfer to visit Mogao Grottoes, which is considered as the great treasure house of Buddhist arts in existence.

In the afternoon, visit Crescent Spring and Singing Sand Dune, where you can see the desert scenery and ride the camel in the desert.

Stay overnight in Dunhuang.

• Duhuang Mogao Grottoes
• Mingsha Sand Dune

Go out of Dunhuang to see Yumenguan Pass, The Great Wall of the Han Dynasty, and Desert Discovery at Yadan Landform Park.

In the afternoon, go to Liuyuan(2 hours driving), where you can take an overnight train from Dunhuang to Turpan (about 9 hours).

Stay overnight in the train.

Upon arrival, take a short break and then visit Suleiman Minaret, the Karez Wells, the Ruins of the Ancient City of Jiaohe, and local vineyard.

Stay overnight in Turpan.

• Located 180 kilometers southeast of Urumqi, Suleiman Minaret is one of Urumqi's most iconic landmarks
• The ancient city of Jiaohe

In the morning, transfer from Turpan to Urumqi to visit the holy Heavenly Lake, one of the most famous alpine lakes in the world. Located in the middle of the Bogda Peak, the crescent-shaped lake is about 2,000 meters (6562 feet) above the sea level.

After the tour, you will be transferred back to downtown.

Stay overnight in Urumqi.

• The Winter Heavenly Lake
• The Heavenly Lake

Fly to Kashgar in the morning. Transfer to Silk Road after arriving in Kashgar airport . The highlights of today include the Id Kah Mosque, the Old Towm and the Abakh Khoja Tomb.

Stay overnight in Kashgar.

• Id Kah Mosque
• Kashgar Old Towm

Explore the scenery of the Pamirs. Driving along Karakoram Highway, you can visit Comer Lake, Sand Mountain, Mt. Muztagh Ata, and Lake Karakul.

Stay overnight in Kashgar.

• Sand Mountain and Lake
• Karakul Lake

You will be transferred to the airport for your return flight.

And end the tour.