4 Days Dunhuang Leisure Tour

Day-by-day Itinerary

1. Day 1: Dunhuang Arrival

   Welcome to this 4-day Dunhuang tour. Upon your arrival at Dunhuang airport / train station, the local driver will pick you up from the exit gate and send you to the hotel you booked for check-in. For rest of the day, you are free to explore this Silk Road town.

   Meal: N/A

   Accommodation: Booked by Yourself

2. Day 2: Highlights in Dunhuang
   ‌Explore Silk Road Buddhist Art, Experience Fun Sing Dunes

   Today, the tour guide will take you to visit some of the most popular attractions in Dunhuang. The first stop is Mogao Grottoes, one of the four major grottoes in China and also a world cultural heritage site. The construction of Mogao Grottoes lasted for about 1000 years, from the Sixteen Kingdoms period to the Yuan Dynasty, which is unparalleled among Chinese grottoes. It is one of the most important attractions on the ancient Silk Road, witnessing the dialogue between different civilizations. Led by your guide, you will discover a wealth of Buddhist art here, including murals and painted sculptures.

   

   After lunch, we head to Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring. As the name suggests, you can see two attractions here. Mingsha Mountain is undulating and stretches about 40 kilometers from east to west, with its main peak reaching an elevation of 1715 meters. Looking up from the foot, the mountain resembles ancient Egyptian pyramids, towering and magnificent. Crescent Spring is surrounded by Mingsha Mountain and shaped like a crescent moon, hence its name. You can experience various interesting desert activities here, such as sand sliding, camel riding, and desert motorcycles. In the summer, at night (around 9:00-9:30), the scenic area has a lively starry sky concert.

   After the desert activity, go to the Shazhou Night Market to hunt for some delicious food. This is a must visit destination for Dunhuang nightlife. You can taste many specialty snacks here, such as donkey meat yellow noodles, sweet fermented barley drink, and also purchase intangible cultural heritage handicrafts such as woodcut board paintings and silk carpets. After the tour, we will take you back to the hotel to rest.

   Meal: Lunch

   Accommodation: Booked by Yourself

   

3. Day 3: Deep Exploration of Dunhuang
   ‌Han Dynasty Walls, Desert Gates, and Yardang Landform

   Today, you will further explore the ruins near Dunhuang. The Jade Gate Pass is located at the westernmost end of the Hexi Corridor and served as a gateway to various parts of the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. The main landscapes here are Gobi and desert. The existing city walls of Yumen Pass are intact, overall square in shape, 24 meters long from east to west, 26.4 meters wide from north to south, and the remaining walls are 9.7 meters high, all built of yellow clay. There is a lane at the foot of the north slope of the pass, which is the historical route for communication and postal services between the Central Plains and Western Regions.

   

   Afterward, continue on to the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty, which was built over two thousand years ago, from Dunhuang, China to Pingrang, North Korea. In history, it made outstanding contributions in resisting the Xiongnu and unifying the Western Regions. The part we are going to visit is the best preserved one.

   The last stop today is the Yardang National Geopark. This is the largest and most geologically developed Yardang landform in the world, with the most ornamental value. The geological relics in this park are rich and diverse, with over 5000 Yardang bodies that vary greatly in length, height, and appearance. Some of them are like owls, grottoes, fleets, peacocks, shells...

   After the visit, we will drive back to your hotel.

   Meal: Lunch

   Accommodation: Booked by Yourself

   

4. Day 4: Dunhuang Departure

   You are free to spend your time as you like until it's time to leave. Our driver will pick you up in the hotel lobby and send you to Dunhuang airport or train station for your departure. Your 4-day Dunhuang tour ends here.

   Meal: N/A

   Accommodation: N/A