Miraculous Qinghai and Legendary Silk Road Tour
8-Day Qinghai Lake, Zhangye, and Dunhuang Tour
This itinerary includes Qinghai and Gansu, which were two very important regions during the history of the ancient Silk Road. Qinghai is famous for high plateau lakes and grasslands as well as exotic ethnic culture, while Gansu features the Gobi Desert landscapes, Danxia landforms, Buddhist grottoes, and Great Wall culture.
Travel from Xining to dreamlike Qinghai Lake and Chaka Salt Lake, and then go to Zhangye with its unique Danxia — red sandstone landforms. End the trip at the mysterious city of Dunhuang, where you will enjoy the spectacular desert landscapes and experience unique ancient Silk Road culture.
Tour 'Wow' Points
FeastYour Eyes on the Spectacular Landscapes of Two High Plateau Lakes.
参观风景如画的青海Lake, which was selected as "the Most Beautiful Lake in China" by China's National Geographic, and be amazed by the stunning landscape around it. Also, take a train ride through "the sky mirror" — Chaka Salt Lake.
![Miraculous Qinghai Lake](http://www.l-line.net/data/grey.gif)
![Beautiful Chaka Lake](http://www.l-line.net/data/grey.gif)
Tracethe Roots of China's Brilliant Buddhist Culture on the Ancient Silk Road.
Admire exquisite architecture in celebrated Ta'er Monastery in Xining and Giant Buddha Temple in Zhangye. Appreciate amazing murals, sculptures, and grottoes in the mysterious Mogao Caves.
![Qinghai Ta'er Monastery](http://www.l-line.net/data/grey.gif)
![敦煌Mogao Caves](http://www.l-line.net/data/grey.gif)
Enjoythe Stunning Views of Wild China
Explore the famous Zhangye Danxia Geopark and take great photos of the Rainbow Mountains. Capture spectacular desert views of Echoing-Sand Mountain, Crescent Moon Spring, and Devil City — Yadan National Geological Park.
![Crescent Moon Spring](http://www.l-line.net/data/grey.gif)
![Zhangye Danxia Geopark](http://www.l-line.net/data/grey.gif)
Why Choose Us
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Your Wellbeing is Our Priority.
- 1-to-1 travel expert
- Vaccinated guides
- Private Rides
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Your Trip is Perfectly Planned.
- Less crowded
- Exclusive Exciting Experiences
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Your Booking is Risk-Free.
- No cancellation fee (up to 22 days before departure)
- Free changes
Finish Your Booking in as Quick as 1 Day
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Based on 10168 reviews
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Great Tour of Xi'an
This review is for our tour booked through China Highlights. Our tour guide was a gentleman named Rocky (幸福一生). He took wonderful care of my family (two kids, aged 7 and 10). He was flexible with our family's needs and picked great spots to eat lunch. He had loads of information on the best routes and places to take photos or just relax. I would highly recommend him. We enjoyed seeing the terracotta warriors and learning about their history. Seeing the colors that used to be on them and the process the preservationists are using to repair the damage were especially interesting. Our family's favorite part of the visit was the trip to Huashan mountain. What a beautiful place! There are a lot of steps, so beware. Nevertheless, even I was able to climb part of the way with my leg still recovering from a bad injury. The City Wall and seeing the Bell Tower were nice, but wouldn't be on my must-do list, especially if you've already been to the Great Wall. It's still an interesting piece of history and Rocky went out of his way to make it fun for us. The alley market in the Muslim quarter was fun for souvenir shopping, delicious snacks, and learning about the role Xi'an played in the silk road. It was raining during our visit to the Great Mosque, but it is such a beautiful, peaceful place. I wish we had planned more days in Xi'an to learn more. 更多的
Apr 2023, Mike
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Xi’an trip / Susan guide
我们花了三天在西安,我们有一个wonderful time here. Susan, our guide, made a huge difference, as she was very knowledgeable about the history of the place, provided a lot of information and historical facts, nice stories and she made it very exciting. On top of the normal attractions (Terracotta Warriors, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, The Big Mosque and the Muslim Quarter) she also recommended a very nice show that we attended next to the Ancient Wall of Xi’an. I full recommend that show to all then people coming to Xi’an. I also fully recommend Susan as a guide, as she is very knowledgeable about everything related to Xi’an and to the Chinese history. Thank you Susan for providing us such a great experience! Adrian Iancu 更多的
Apr 2023, Adrian Iancu
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Family Memories in Xi’an
Our recent trip to Xi'an with China Highlights and our amazing guide Susan was an excursion to remember. Susan is an incredible source of knowledge for the area and made every location come alive with her stories and information. Our trip to the Terracotta Warriors was a highlight of our time in the city but there was so much more to see and enjoy. So many great memories for our family in this dynamic city. Thank you Susan and China Highlights for another adventure in China. 更多的
Apr 2023, Allan M
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Trip to Xi'an- First China Adventure of Many More to Come
Our trip to Xi'an was AMAZING. We moved to China in October of 2020 and this was the first trip we have taken outside of Beijing. Our guide, Mervyn, was incredibly knowledgeable and her English was excellent. She was so kind and thoughtful in every way- she had the foresight to adjust our tour events so we could take full advantage of all experiences- most notably moving our visit to the City Wall to our first day when we actually had no tours scheduled to take advantage of the sunny weather as it was forecasted to rain for the rest of our visit. We had an amazing time learning about the history of China and Xi'an in particular, as well as the facts regarding the specific sites we visited. Mervyn also guided us through our lunches to try the best typical food on offer and even went as far to allow us to contact her in the evenings for suggestions for food and locations for our dinners. She was so thoughtful and always checked in with us to make sure we were happy with everything. 更多的
Apr 2023, Shauna M
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Trip to Xi'an- First China Adventure of Many More to Come
We booked a comprehensive tour with China Highlights for a 4 day trip to Xi'an from Beijing where we live. Services included booking high speed train tickets, hotel stay with breakfast, two full days of tours with lunches included, tour guide and private car/driver for all four days. China Highlights was also available for support virtually whenever we needed it. 更多的
Apr 2023, Shauna M
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Unforgettable trip to Xian
My husband and I spent three full days in Xian. We are Aussies living in China for work, and this was our first holiday exploring China. The tour itinerary prepared by China highlights was excellent, and covered some great sites/activities including Shaanxi history museum, big wild goose pagoda, Muslim quarter, Terracotta warriors, the city wall, Forrest Stone tablets, shadow play at the Gao courtyard and Hanyang tomb . Our local guide Helen was extremely knowledgeable about Xian and all the sites we visited. There wasn’t a question she couldn’t answer. Helen went the extra mile to ensure that we had an unforgettable trip, including shuffling the itinerary to avoid the rain for our ride on the city wall, ordering excellent dishes at the local restaurants, and recommending other restaurants to try for dinner. We feel very lucky to have had such a wonderful and friendly guide to show us around Xian. 更多的
Apr 2023, Rhiannon E
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Fantastic Tour of Xi'an
China Highlights created an amazing trip to Xi'an for us! We learned a lot from our tour guide, Mervyn, and enjoyed her company as she showed us all of the highlights. Our favorite art of the trip was eating our way through the Muslim Quarter. We returned to that area for dinner every night. China Highlights was easy to work with and Mervyn had more knowledge than we could even absorb. We can't wait to book another trip through China Highlights! 更多的
Feb 2023, Kate P
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Marvellous Mervyn and eXcellent Xi’an
Beyond the history, which is my personal bread and butter, was the actual bread and butter of the local restaurants and of course Xi’an’s famous snack street/Muslim Quarter! Delicious dumplings, locally sourced pomegranates and persimmons and unique persimmon cakes hot of the pan and noodles and more noodles - it is worth a visit for the food alone and I certainly hope I get to return soon! As always, China Highlights has done a stellar job and I wish whoever is considering this a memorable adventure and safe travels! 更多的
Jan 2023, Apis N
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Tour Map
Itinerary Quick Look
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests.
Airport or railway station pick-up
Ta'er Monastery, Erlangjian Scenic Area, and Qinghai Lake boat ride
Qinghai Lake sunrise, Chaka Salt Lake
Zhangye Danxia Geological Park
Giant Buddha Temple, Wooden Tower
The Mogao Caves, the Singing Sand Mountains and Crescent Moon Spring, Camel Riding
敦煌Museum, Yadan National Geological Park, Yumen Pass, the Great Wall of the Han Dynasty
Airport or railway station drop-off
Hotel Selection
—the Icing on the Cake
Boutique hotels are recommended to enrich your travel experience.
![Xining Hilton Hotel](http://www.l-line.net/data/grey.gif)
Price includes:
- Private air-conditioned business car with big windows and ample space
- English speaking local guide
- Activities, hotels, and meals listed in the itinerary
- 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling
Tour code: gq-1
Start planning your tailor-made tour now. Your 1:1 travel consultant will reply within 1 working day.