A 10-day, 8-night China Silk Road tour from Lanzhou to Urumqi via Dunhuang and Turpan, following Xuanzang and Marco Polo.
Trip highlights
- New round: China Silk Road, Bringing Back the Tripitaka
- Must-see highlights
- The world-class show Ancient Sound of Dunhuang
- A boat ride on Tianchi, the Heavenly Lake in the mountains
- Travel into Silk Road country
- Crescent Lake, a desert oasis
- The Flaming Mountains, the volcano of the Journey to the West legend
- Xinjiang, the Central Asian charm of China
- 9-18 October 2026: good hotels, fine food, suitable for older travellers, not a joined group
Highlight places
Led by historiansEvery trip travels with an expert history lecturer who brings each site to life in plain language.
Off the beaten pathCentral Asia, the Middle East, the Himalayas — places most tour companies never go.
Private groups, no rushingRight-sized groups and unhurried time at the places that matter most.
Beyond ordinary travelEvery tour is designed by writers and professional travellers to create experiences that reflect who you are — for travellers who want more than an ordinary holiday.
About this tour
China: The Silk Road, Bringing Back the Tripitaka is a 10-day, 8-night tour (9-18 October 2026) following the route of the monk Xuanzang, who journeyed to India for the Buddhist scriptures, along a historic trade road that connected the world. It also includes Xinjiang, the Uyghur Autonomous Region. The tour runs from Lanzhou through Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang and Turpan to Urumqi.
Highlights include the Gansu Provincial Museum, the Zhangye Rainbow Mountain geopark, Jiayuguan Great Wall Fort, the Mingsha Dunes and Crescent Lake with a camel ride, the Ancient Sound of Dunhuang performance, the Mogao Caves, the Bezeklik caves, the Flaming Mountains, the ancient cities of Gaochang and Jiaohe, the Karez irrigation system, the Emin Minaret, the Xinjiang Regional Museum, the Grand Bazaar and Tianchi Heavenly Lake.
The tour flies with China Eastern Airlines via Kunming and Beijing, uses high-speed trains between Lanzhou and Zhangye and between Liuyuan and Turpan, and stays in 4- and 5-star hotels.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1Bangkok – Kunming – Lanzhou
Meet at 06:00 at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK), 4th floor, and check in at the China Eastern Airlines counter.
- 07:50: fly to Kunming on MU9622, arriving 11:15, with a layover of about 5 hours 35 minutes and no lunch provided.
- 16:50: fly to Lanzhou on MU9669, arriving at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport (LHW) at 19:05.
- Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu and a Silk Road hub, once called Jincheng under the Han. Drive past the Yellow River and the Zhongshan Bridge, built 1907-1909.
Day 2Lanzhou – Zhangye
Visit the Gansu Provincial Museum, founded in 1956, holding more than 350,000 objects including the Flying Horse of Gansu, a Han-dynasty bronze.
- 11:46-14:40: take high-speed train D2721 from Lanzhou West to Zhangye West, about 2 hours 54 minutes.
- Zhangye was founded under the Han in 111 BC, was a Silk Road caravan stop, and is where Marco Polo is said to have lived for about a year.
- Dafo Temple, with a 35-metre reclining Buddha, the largest clay reclining Buddha in China, and murals of the Journey to the West.
Day 3Zhangye Rainbow Mountain – Jiayuguan
Drive about 1 hour to Zhangye National Geopark to see the Rainbow Mountain, a UNESCO Global Geopark since 2020, whose red, orange, yellow and white colours come from sandstone and minerals deposited over millions of years.
- Drive about 3.5 hours to Jiayuguan, a Great Wall pass that guarded the Hexi Corridor.
- Jiayuguan Great Wall Fort, begun in 1372 under the Ming, known as the First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven and a World Heritage site since 1987.
Day 4Dunhuang: Singing Sand Dunes and Crescent Lake
Drive about 4.5 hours to Dunhuang, a frontier town founded under the Han in 121 BC and a centre of cultural exchange on the Silk Road.
- Mingsha Shan, the Singing Sand Dunes, rising up to 250 metres.
- Crescent Lake, an oasis among the dunes, with a camel ride of about 40 minutes (fee included in the tour price).
- The Ancient Sound of Dunhuang performance, inspired by ancient musical notation from the Library Cave and Mogao murals, featuring the pipa.
Day 5Mogao Caves – Train to Turpan
Visit the Mogao Caves, the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, a World Heritage site since 1987, with 492 preserved caves, more than 45,000 square metres of murals and over 2,000 painted sculptures. The first cave was carved in 366 by the monk Yuezun.
- 16:32-19:53: take high-speed train D575 from Liuyuan South to Turpan North, about 3 hours 21 minutes.
- Turpan is an oasis city in the heart of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and a strategic point on the Silk Road.
Day 6Turpan: Bezeklik, Flaming Mountains, Gaochang and Karez
- Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves: 77 caves carved into the cliff between the 5th and 14th centuries.
- The Flaming Mountains: red sandstone ridges from the Journey to the West legend, with a photo stop at the viewpoint and the Journey to the West sculpture theme park.
- The ancient city of Gaochang, where Xuanzang once stayed and preached to King Qu Wentai, part of the World Heritage Silk Roads: Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor.
- The Karez underground irrigation system.
Day 7Emin Minaret – Jiaohe – Urumqi
- Emin Minaret: the tallest minaret in China at 44 metres, built in 1777-1778 under the Qianlong Emperor.
- The ancient city of Jiaohe, founded in 108 BC as the capital of the Jushi kingdom, built on a leaf-shaped plateau ringed by 30-metre cliffs, a World Heritage site.
- Drive about 3.5 hours to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, recorded as the city farthest from any sea.
- Xinjiang Regional Museum: more than 40,000 objects including the 4,000-year-old Beauty of Loulan mummy.
Day 8Tianchi Heavenly Lake – Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar
- Tianchi, the Heavenly Lake, about 110 km from Urumqi at 1,907 metres, crescent-shaped with clear snowmelt water. Take a boat ride on the lake and pay respects to the goddess Xi Wangmu.
- In the afternoon, visit the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, opened in 2003 on more than 100,000 square metres with over 3,000 shops.
Day 9Urumqi – Beijing – Bangkok
- 10:30: leave the hotel for Urumqi Diwopu Airport (URC), about 30 minutes.
- 14:30: fly to Beijing on MU6108, arriving at Beijing Daxing Airport (PKX) at 18:25 with a layover of about 2 hours 40 minutes, meal on board.
- 21:05: fly to Bangkok on MU2071, about 4 hours 55 minutes, meal on board.
Day 10Arrival in Bangkok
Arrive safely at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) at 01:00 the next day.
Included
- Round-trip international economy flights
- Baggage allowance on international economy flights under airline standards, checked and carry-on
- Transport and sightseeing with an experienced driver
- Accommodation as specified, two guests per room (request in advance if you need a three-bed room; some hotels may not have triple rooms)
- Entrance fees as specified in the program
- Meals as specified in the program
- Experienced local guide
- Thai lecturer and tour leader
- Travel accident insurance with coverage of 1,000,000 baht per person (subject to the policy terms)
Not included
- Business Class upgrade for international flights
- Single room supplement (if staying alone): 13,000 baht per person
- Personal expenses such as telephone, internet, laundry, minibar, special meals or extra drinks outside the program, passport fees, excess baggage, seat reservations, medical costs for pre-existing conditions, personal portable oxygen cans, and lost luggage or valuables
- Tips for the tour leader, local guide and driver (recommended standard 630 yuan per person)
- 7% VAT, 3% withholding tax and other legal taxes
- Fuel surcharges and airport taxes if the airline raises prices
About this tour
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China: The Silk Road, Bringing Back the Tripitaka
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