2 Days Urumqi-Dunhuang-Urumqi Tour by High-speed Train

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Urumqi-Dunhuang by High-speed Train (L)
   Echo Sand Mountain and Crescent Spring, Shazhou Night Market

   At around 06:00, the local driver will pick you up from Urumqi downtown hotel and transfer to train station for your morning high-speed train to Dunhuang. The train rides around 4.5 hours, which would be a good chance for you to enjoy the scenery of Northwest China on the way.

   When you arrive at Dunhuang Liuyuan Train Station, the local English speaking tour guide and driver will be waiting for you at the exit gate by holding a welcome board with your name. After lunch in a local restaurant, your Dunhuang tour starts!

   Echo Sand Mountain and Crescent Spring are harmonious mates of miracle created by natural, glittering like a pearl along the Silk Road for thousands of years. The incredible co-existence between spring water and sand mountains always amazes visitors at their first sight here: the sand mountains meanders like a huge dragon and roars when wings blowing while the Crescent Spring, like a gentle maiden, is embraced in arms of mountains without being smudging. A life-time experience provided here as optional activity is camel ride at Echo Sand Mountain.

   

   Friendly tip: There is camel ride available in the Echo Sand Mountain, if you would like to try it, please pay in cash on your own (around CNY100 /pax ). Of course your tour guide will help to purchase tickets.

   Afterwards, move on to Shazhou Night Market. Though you might have visited many night markets or food streets during your weeks of vacation, Shazhou Night Market still brings something different for you. Mogao Caves visited in daytime put the most outstanding highlight of Dunhuang before you, Shazhou Night Market just takes you into the down-to-earth life of the local. Do you feel a pull from the strong perfume emitting from the stalls bathed in the dim lights and speed up towards the hawkers and carefully avoid the busy crowds? For sure, you will find the special vitality of this northwest city remoting from the country center during your leisure strolling.

   Accommodation: Overnight in Dunhuang

   

2. Day 2: Dunhuang-Urumqi by High-speed Train (B, L)
   Mogao Grottoes

   Today will be the highlight of your Dunhuang tour as you will head to the amazing Mogao Grottoes. As the existing anthology of Buddhist art with biggest scale and the best preservation in the world, Mogao Caves wins a fame of “the pearls of oriental art”. It keeps 735verns, about45,000 square kilometers frescoes, 2,415 painted sculpture, more than 4,000 flying Apsaras (the beautiful Bodhisattva in the Buddhism who has fair scent and does well in dancing and music), and 5 wooden constructions of Tang and Song Dynasty as well as thousands of Stone pillars and flagstones with lotus carving on them.

   In the afternoon, you will be dropped off at Dunhuang Liuyuan Train Station to catch the afternoon high-speed train back to Urumqi. Since the train rides around 4.5 hours, you can have a nap on the train. Upon your arrival at Urumqi, there will be the local driver picking you up and transfer back to your hotel. The 2 days tour will end by then, if you also need other China tours, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

   Accommodation: N/A