Day 1  Arrive in Xi'an
Met and taken to hotel. Welcome dinner.

Day 2  Xi'an
Visit Terracotta Warriors, Stone Tablets Temple, City Wall. Special dumpling dinner.

Day 3 Xi'an to Dunhuang
In the morning we will visit the 240-foot-high Big Wild Goose Pagoda. We may also have time to browse the night markets in search of souvenirs. Afternoon flight to Dunhuang.

Day 4  Dunhuang
Mogao Grottoes, Mingsha San Dune with an optional camel ride to Crescent Lake. Overnight sleeper train to Turpan (11-hour trip).

Day 5  Turfan
Karez system of irrigation, ancient city of Gaochang, Flaming Mountains, the Astana Tombs, the Bezeklik Buddhist caves
Evening Uygur folk dance performance.

Day 6  Turpan to Urumqi to Hotan
Visit the Emin Minaret and the colorful bazaar. In the afternoon we'll drive three hours to Urumqi, fly across the Taklamakan Desert to Hotan.

Day  7  Hotan
Hotan, famous for its jade, carpets, embroidery, and silk (examples of the area's silk weavings can be seen in many Xinjiang museums). Camel ride to buried Buddhist cities in the late 19th century.

Day 8  Hotan to Kashgar
Drive to Kashgar via Yarkand. Visit Kashgar Old City.

Day 9 Kashgar
Sunday Bazaar, afternoon drive to Karakol Lake. Overnight in Yurt. 

Day 10 Karakol Lake and Muztag Ata Mountain
Walking tour on the lake side, visit Kirghizes village. Drive back to Kashgar.

Day  11 Kashgar to Urumqi
Visite the  tomb of Abakh Hoja and the Mosque. Afternoon flight to Urumqi.

Day  12  Urumqi
Trip ends after breakfast.