Gansu: Origins of the Silk Road Tour
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Overview
Highlights
- Learning to make our own bowl of traditional Lanzhou beef noodles
- Meeting a local Yugu Minority family and learning about their way of life
- Discovering Dunhuang's Mogao Caves with one of the world's leading authorities on medieval Buddhism's visual culture
What's this trip about?
Details
Travel Themes
Destinations
Attractions
Activities
Trip includes
- All meals as noted in the itinerary with complimentary drinking water
- All services of WildChina English-speaking guide(s)
- All accommodations, based on double-occupancy and including breakfast, service charge, and government tax
- Private chauffeur service to and from airport at start and end of your trip
- All overland transfers with private chauffeur and in-transport refreshments
- All admission fees and activity expenses, as noted in the itinerary
Itinerary
Meet your local WildChina guide at Lanzhou airport and transfer to your hotel in a private vehicle • If there's time, cruise down the Yellow River (the second longest river in China) on a traditional goat skin raft. This was the major form of transportation along the river until the first steel bridge was built in 1907
After breakfast, visit a local cooking school and learn the history behind the region's famous beef noodle soup; Learn the art of pulling noodles as thin as thread and then enjoy your own bowl of noodle soup for lunch; Take the high-speed train to Zhangye (3 hours) ...
Start the day early and visit the 12th century Giant Buddha Temple, home to the largest clay Buddha in Asia and the only well-preserved Western Xia Royal Temple in China; Before entering the temple, practice water calligraphy or Chinese Kungfu (weather permitting) fro...
Meet a local Yugu Minority family and learn about their way of life over a cup of tea. Visit the Matisi Grottoes (1-hour drive) one of the three most important Buddhist Grottoes in Gansu. The legend of Matisi (Horse Hoof Temple) can be traced back to the 4th century. ...
Visit Jiayuguan, the first pass on the western end of the Great Wall. The Jiayuguan Pass has been fully restored and is now the wall's best preserved fortress ; Continue your drive to the Wei-Jin Dynasty Tombs and see underground murals dating back 1700 years; If Try...
Start the day in the 'singing' Minsha Sand Dunes, named for the way they 'rumble' in the wind ; Stop by Crescent Moon Lake, an oasis nestled in the desert ; Enjoy a local lunch in the city's most famous food street ; Visit the Mogao Grottoes, a complex of 492 grottoes...
Watch the sunrise in the desert from the roof of your hotel; Enjoy a leisurely breakfast before transferring to the airport for your departure flight
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- You choose budget, destinations, activities, transport & lodging type
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Dates & Availability
Check Current Availability, prices, specials with WildChina.
The total tour cost includes the tour price (regular or promotional) and the compulsory local payment. The promotional price is subject to change. Check directly with the operator for the latest price offer. The tour operator requires you to pay only the tour price to purchase your travel. The compulsory local payment will be paid when you join the trip. All prices are based on double, twin or triple share occupancy. Solo passengers will be accommodated in a double, twin or triple room according to availability with a passenger(s) of the same gender. Single supplement only needs to be paid if the passenger does not want to share and requests their own room. Discounts can only be applied at the time of booking and cannot be added at a later date, regardless of any changes made to the original booking.
Prices may vary due to local taxes and trip seasonality. Click "Request Info" to inquire directly with the tour operator for the final trip price.
WildChina Reviews & Ratings
Other WildChina Reviews
Fantastic tour planning, guides, coordination...making travel easy
We traveled as a family to Beijing and Xi'an. Pre-trip planning was done via our travel agent, with excellent communication with the WildChina folks via email. Quest...
Attention to Detail
The attention to detail by WildChina made this trip our best ever! They made it so stress-free. Nice balance of physical exertion, mental stimulation, good food and ...
WildChina Coordinated a really "wild China" experience for us
We connected with WildChina and one of their directors, a Ms. Zhao, who assisted us in arranging guides, experiences and internal travel in Beijing and in several st...
Tour Operator
WildChina is a premium, sustainable travel company based in Beijing. Started in 2000 by Mei Zhang, a native of Yunnan Province and a Harvard MBA, WildChina offers distinctive, ecologically sensitive journeys to all corners of China. WildChina creates bespoke trips highlighted by rich personal interactions and superior access to experts and venues. We cater to an exclusive and sophisticated clientele interested in exploring the real China off the beaten path.
At WildChina, adventure and luxury are synonymous, meaning that we bring comfort to a truly distinctive experience. We plan every trip with the knowledge that our guests expect the highest quality of service and pride ourselves on our meticulous attention to detail.
Whether interested in seeing an untouched landscape or exploring an iconic site in a unique way, WildChina’s journeys will undoubtedly allow you to Experience China Differently!
WildChina was born on the sacred slopes of Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. Founder Mei Zhang, Yunnan native and Harvard MBA, had just completed the arduous kora pilgrimage, a ritual circuit around the base of the Tibetan mountain undertaken by Buddhists and Hindus for millennia.
To put it mildly, her grueling 56km hike was no walk in the park, even for a Mandarin speaker and relative local. On top of having no guide, lodgings or transport, and having to cope with being 4,500 meters above sea level, Mei was forced to fend off wild dogs along the way. Frightened and frustrated with the obstacles that tarnished an otherwise magical and spiritual journey, Mei had a revelation. She would pioneer a travel service to enable visitors to savor China’s stunning, often difficult to reach gems in a comfortable, stylish and stress-free way.
Since WildChina’s first ever trip in the year 2000, we have helped thousands of travelers have life-changing experiences in every corner of this vast and endlessly inspiring nation.
We will never crop out reality or cocoon our customers in a tourist bubble because we believe genuine and profound travel experiences disarm you when you least expect them, whether it’s that first sip of early harvest green tea under a spring sun, or the hushed flicker of yak butter candles in a Tibetan monastery
We believe in the power of travel to transform, to inspire and to bring people closer together, and we work tirelessly to perfect every detail for our customers. It’s this dedication, expertise and passion for travel in China that makes us an award-winning industry leader.
PRIVATE TRAVEL
WildChina works with you to curate tailor-made vacations that delight the senses and confound expectations. Browse our sample trips and let us know what speaks to you. Don’t be afraid to dream big – our years of on-the-ground experience enable us to go the extra mile to craft authentic, compelling experiences that never compromise on comfort.
SMALL GROUP TRIPS
Find adventure with other like-minded wanderers who share your desire to get at the heart of China and have authentic, life-changing experiences along the way. Whether you’re a first-timer or in search of something new, our Small Group Trips, capped at 12 people each, have got you covered.
WildChina Education
We believe that travel and learning always go hand in hand, which is why our China education adventures offer a tried-and-tested balance of adventure, discovery, community focus and self-empowerment.
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Logistics
What's excluded
- International & domestic flights and relevant taxes
- Chinese tourist visa, which is required for most foreign passport holders
- Travel, health and trip cancellation insurance
- Meals apart from those included in the itinerary and alcohol
- Expenses of a personal nature
- Excursions and activities not included in the itinerary
- Discretionary gratuities for guides and chauffeurs
Accommodation
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