Unique Dunhuang Memory
Dunhuang not only has the “Louvre of East” – Mogao Caves, but also boats some of the China’s most amazing desert landscape. Let us imagine camping in the vast and peaceful desert of Dunhuang, lying under the glimmering stars of galaxy and feeling the history and legends of the ancient Silk Road. What a beautiful scene it is! The camping can also be relaxing as you have chance to try many interesting desert activities, such as sand skiing, motorcycle driving, BBQ, etc. Above appealing imagination all can be done in our well-designed Dunhuang tour package.
Highlights of this tour
Welcome to Dunhuang, the brightest star in the Gobi desert. Your tour guide will welcome you in the airport/train station, and then escort you to your hotel. The rest of today is for you to explore this exotic city by yourself. Free time idea: Shazhou Night Market is the most bustling place in the city where you can stroll leisurely to experience local living, hunt for delicious food, relax in a drinking bar, or buy some interesting handcrafts, etc.
How to Get to Dunhuang? Dunhuang is located in remote northwestern China. You can get there by domestic flights from Shanghai, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Xining, etc., or high speed trains from Jiayuguan(1.5hrs), Zhangye(4.5hrs), Lanzhou(8.5hrs), Xining(6.5-7hrs), etc.
After breakfast, drive about 10 km from the Dunhuang city to visit the magic Echoing Sand Mountains and Crescent Lake which are located in the same scenic area. In the sunny days, the sand mountains echo like Orchestra music even if there is no wind. If you slide from the sand mountains, you can hear the echoing sound clearly. You will also visit the beautiful Crescent Lake which is surrounded by the Echoing Sand Mountains. Crescent Lake is a stunning oasis with some well decorated traditional Chinese architecture, some trees and flowers and a lake that has never dried up and shapes like a crescent moon.
In the afternoon, you will go to visit the modern Mogao Grottoes Digital Exhibition Center before going to Mogao Grottoes. You will watch two short but well-produced educational documentary movies that introduce the history, arts, and other facts about Mogao Grottoes. After the movies, take the interzonal bus to Mogao Grottoes.
Mogao Grottoes is famed as the "Louvre of the East", which is outstanding for its exquisite mural paintings and statues. There are now 492 grottoes in which about 45000 square meters mural paintings and 2100 colorfully painted statues from which you can trace the development of Chinese art over 1600 years from one dynasty to the next because each dynasty built its own caves to record its features. There are about 40 common caves opened to the public. In the tourist area, you will be divided into groups by different tour guides who will accompany you to visit the caves (usually 7~8 caves during April~November and 12 caves during December~March) with great introduction. After that, if you want to visit more other caves, you can do it by yourselves or follow other tour guides. Besides, there are 10 special caves (with extra fees) available for your extensional visiting.
Tonight you will camp overnight in the desert, which will be one-of-a-kind experience to get closer touch with the desert. During the camping, there are a lot of activities and programs for you to have fun, such as sand skiing, desert motorcycle, bonfire party, etc. There are two options available: 1) join in a group desert camping tour that has both foreign and Chinese tourists, which is more budget and lively; 2) book a private desert camping tour which can be tailor-made according to your personal requirements but costs more than the group tour. Please discuss your preference with your travel consultant in advance.Useful Tips: 1) It is necessary to make a reservation in advance for at least 7 days for Mogao Grottoes visit; 2) It is not allowed to take photos inside the grottoes; 3) the desert camping is only available during April~October.
Get up early to enjoy the magnificent sunrise on the desert. The rest of today is free for you until your tour guide see you off at the airport/train station.
A full day to explore the remote wild Gobi desert landscape as well as several legendary historical sites in western Dunhuang, including Yumen Pass (Jade Gate Pass) which used to be a military defensive pass as well as an important border for international trading along the ancient Silk Road, the Ruin of Great Wall of Han Dynasty which was built to fight against Xiongnu in the ancient time, Yandan National Geologic Park which also called Devil City in that you will hear the sound just like the devil screaming when the strong wind goes through the desert and Yangguan Pass which was the gate to another branch of ancient Silk Road.
Zhangye is located in central Gansu along the Hexi Corridor between Lanzhou and Jiayuguan. It is full of history and legends, and diverse in natural scenery. Here you can see the world famous Rainbow Mountains (the Danxia Landform), beautiful deserts, mysterious canyons, vast grasslands, lofty snow mountains, etc.
You can take an in-depth Danxia landform exploration with morning visit to Binggou Danxia and afternoon visit to Danxia Geopark in the Day 1; On the Day 2, you can visit the Giant Buddha Temple first, then go to visit Matisi Temple. After that, you still have enough time to take a flight or train to next destination.
Lanzhou - Zhangye - Jiayuguan - Dunhuang
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