13 Days In-depth South Xinjiang Tour

Today your flight will touch down in Kashgar. We will meet you at the airport exit with a welcome board. Then a comfortable drive will send you to the local hotel for check in. The rest of the day is free to explore the city on your own. Rest up and get ready for tomorrow's adventure!

Your today's trip now kicks off!

Our first stop is Bulongkol Lake. Driving on the China and Pakistan Highway, enjoy your time admiring the magnificent Bulongkol Lake, also known as Baisha Mountain (White Sand Mountain). It is located in the Pamir Platea. Alternating between the dark rock and white sand, the scenery outlines a perfect calligraphic masterpiece, which looks quiet and beautiful.

Then turn to the mysterious Karakul Lake, where herds of livestock are reflected as Kirghiz herdsmen usually settle down and graze their herds by the lake.

After visiting, drive back to Kashgar in the late afternoon and have a good rest. Look forward to tomorrow!

Today, before driving back to Kashgar, we will first visit the Stone Fortress. The city is oval in shape and the city walls were built with sun-dried bricks on stone foundation.

Over the past few years, new wooden pathways have been constructed to allow tourist to walk these beautiful grasslands, known as the Golden Grassland. From here you can get even better photos of the Stone Fortress. You can also walk around the pastureland to see Local Tajiks customs. 

Freshen up in the morning and start your day! We will meet you at the hotel lobby and then drive you to the airport to catch a morning flight to Kashagr.

Upon arrival, we will do full day Kashgar city excursion.

Our first stop is the Idigar Mosque, the largest Mosque in China and the most sacred mosque for the locals to practise their Islamic activities.

Let's turn to the Old Town around 10:30 when the open ceremony is ready to greet all the tourists with the culture show, a further exploration to the special culture and you can experience the lifestyle.

Following a lunch in the local restaurant, continue the tour to the Apak Hoja Tomb, which is the holiest place in Xinjiang and an architectural treasure.

Kashgar city tour will end with wandering the bustling Handicraft street, where there are dazzling jewelry, primitive pottery, unique musical instrument and daily resources of the locals.

Then drive to Yarkent for overnight stay.

Today will be one of the unforgettable experiences as we will drive to Yarkent, stroll around the Yarkent Intangible Cultural Heritage Park and pay a visit to the Yarkent King Tombs.

Mainly inhabited by Turkic-speaking Muslims, this city has more than 120 mosques. The Uygurs are excellent at dancing. The "12 Mukams" (opera) is an epic comprising more than 340 classic songs and folk dances. After liberation, this musical treasure, which was on the verge of being lost, was collected, studied and recorded by Amannisha who was the concubine of Yarkent King. 

After visiting, soaking yourself into the Yarkent Old Town to explore more about the local lifestyle. 

Then in the afternoon, we will drive to Hotan to enjoy the performance in Yotkan Ancient Town. Have a good night!

This wonderful day will start from visiting Rewak Buddhist Ruins, which is a temple building site centered on a pagoda. On both sides of the courtyard wall, there are exquisite Buddha and Bodhisattva statues, as well as a large number of smaller auxiliary images and relief decorations. There are also a few murals on the courtyard wall. This site is a rare and important material for studying ancient Buddhism, temple forms, and sculpture art in Xinjiang.

Then drive through Taklmakan Desert Highway to Alaer, which means "green island" in Uyghur language. Enjoy the vast expanse of the desert along the way and feel the magnificence of nature!

Morning excursion starts from driving to the hometown of Tarim Populus euphratica in China --- Shaya County to visit the beautiful Populus euphratica forest. The primitive Populus euphratica forest in Shaya County covers an area of nearly two million acres, making it the largest in the world. Earlier, the Guinness World Records in Shanghai awarded this Populus euphratica forest the title of "the largest area of original Populus euphratica forest". The existence of large Populus euphratica forests has a positive effect on improving the local climate and blocking wind and sand invasion.

Strolling around the Tarim River Wetland Park is a pleasure. It is a comprehensive cultural landscape resort that integrates different kinds of Populus euphratica, Tahe River, lakes, wetlands, waterfowl (sand geese), nomadic (sheep), and wildlife.

Good morning! Today we will drive about 3 hours to Kuqa.

Our first stop is the Tianshan Great Canyon, which is an excellent geological park all over the world. It recorded the whole process of crustal movement in Xinjiang during the past 400 million years. 

Ending the visit to Tianshan Great Canyon, we will arrive in Kuqa and explore the Kuqa Old Town. Saying hello to the kids who are playing, giving a smile to the senior man resting under the tree and tasting the local cuisine, you will have an unforgettable memory in this old town.

Then continue to visit Kuqa Mosque, the second Mosque in Xinjiang, situated to the north of the old city of Kuqa county downtown. Taking a look at Kuqa Royal Palace, if lucky enough, you can see the last princess in China.

After breakfast at the hotel, take your time to admire Kizil Grottoes. As one of the four grottoes in China, it is the oldest one, but many architectures and murals are in well preservation. Here you will learn more about the culture and history of Buddhism and ancient Qiuci Kingdom. 

Next, travel to visit Kizilgaha Beacon Tower. Locating 10 km outside Kuqa, the Kizilgaha Beacon Tower provides security for traveling caravans on the Silk Road and prevents enemy invasions. This round earth tower, built with a wooden roof, rises to the sky in the middle of the desert landscape, becoming a typical scenery of the region. 

The last site we will visit today is Subashi Ruins, where you can experience an exotic sight more than one thousand years ago.

After visiting, we will back to hotel for rest.

A new day starts from crossing the Tianshan Mountain. We will drive at the foot of Tianshan Mountain, and along the way, you can admire the beautiful scenery.

After arriving in Korla, known as the "City of Pears" and the "City of Petroleum", we will stop before the Iron Gate, which was a very important pass in the ancient Silk Road.

Walking along the Peacock River after dinner, you can experience the local lifestyle.

Bid farewell to Korla today. This morning we will drive to Turpan. 

On arrival, please enjoy the sunset of Jiaohe Ruins with a history of 2,300 years. It lies between two rivers on a loess plateau atop a cliff of over 30m. As one of the best preserved ancient ruins in China, it was included into the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014.

Start your day after breakfast!

A must and first visit is the oldest Uighur village, Tuyoq Village, located in the very center of Flaming Mountain Canyon. It used to be the holy site of Buddhism and Islam. The village consists of four parts: Canyon scenery, Thousand Buddha Caves, Maza tomb and some old buildings.

Following is the visit to Sugong Minaret, a conduit for cultural exchange between different ethnic and religious groups. 

Thereafter, we will drive back to Urumqi, passing by the wind power station——the largest one in Asia spreading at the foot of Tianshan Mountain.

When arrive in Urumqi, you will have a chance to visit the Xinjiang International Bazaar, the largest bazaar in Urumqi. You'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and almost anything that you can imagine.

Say goodbye to amazing Xinjiang! You will be transferred to the airport and back to your sweet home. We wish you a happy flight home and hope we can serve you again in the future.