Follow in the footsteps of adventurers by journeying along one of the world's most famous trading routes, the Silk Road. Beginning in ancient Xian, venture across this vast land to reach the fascinating outpost of Kashgar and its famous Sunday market.
Our Silk Road Explorer tour will see you exploring the most iconic sites, delving into deep-rooted culture and dining on delicious cuisine and thoroughly researched to bring you a range of once-in-a-lifetime experiences, many of which are entirely exclusive to us.
Come face to face with Xian's most famous army, the Terracotta Warriors
See the exhibits of Buddhist paintings, statues and sculptures
Visit the striking red sandstone Flaming Mountains and the elegant Emin Minaret
Relax and unwind at the alpine banks of placid Heavenly Lake
Sample Tibetan foods and flavours with a traditional Tibetan lunch, featuring 'momos', the tasty steamed and stuffed dumpling whose popularity has spread from the Tibetan Plateau throughout Asia.
Visit a traditional, nomadic home of a family of the Kazakh minority community, and spend some time with them, learning about their culture, and get a glimpse of life living in a yurt.
Wander amongst the packed stalls of the atmospheric Shazhou Night Market in the Silk Road frontier city of Dunhuang, browsing delicious foods, fascinating local wares and a wealth of souvenirs.
Fly overnight to Xian, the ancient former capital. Depending on your time of arrival, the rest of the day is yours to start soaking up the local culture.
Gaze over the ranks of warriors and horses, each one unique, whilst your guide introduces you to these life-like soldiers' fascinating story. Later, enjoy a gentle cycle ride that will take you the nine miles around the ancient city wall and take a walking tour of the narrow and winding streets of the Muslim Quarter. Tonight, enjoy a traditional dumpling dinner and take an optional 'Xian by night' tour.
Start the day with a visit to Xian Museum and the Little Wild Goose Pagoda. Later, board the bullet train to Lanzhou.
Begin today with a leisurely walk along the Yellow River and then head to the hilltop Baita Temple for a moment of tranquillity. Along the river and in Baita Park you can see locals practising tai chi. Later, tuck into some delicious Lanzhou-style noodles made with hand stretched dough. The next day, cross Liujiaxia Lake by speed boat and head into the green hills around Liujiaxia to explore the extraordinary Thousand Buddha Caves of Bingling Temple and their wealth of Buddhist murals, statues and sculptures. Also visit the statue of Maitreya.
Conquer the scenic Jishi Mountain Pass to arrive at Tibetan Xiahe and spend time acclimatising to the altitude.
Giving a taste of the mysteries of Tibet, Labrang Monastery is a fascinating maze of prayer wheels, chapels and chortens. Dine on traditional Tibetan food for lunch, including Tibetan dumplings, known as momos.
Return to Lanzhou and take the speedy bullet train to Zhangye, once an important commercial town along the Silk Road.
Rise early this morning to witness the sunrise over the kaleidoscopic mountains in Danxia National Park. Return to Zhangye and visit the Giant Buddha Temple before boarding your bullet train to Jiayuguan.
Seen as China's western gateway, Jiayuguan is the perfect place to get to grips with your Silk Road history. Visit the Jiayu Fortress and take a walk on the western extremes of the magnificent Great Wall for panoramic views over the starkly beautiful Gobi Desert.
Drive to Dunhuang. Located on a major trade and cultural crossroads, Dunhuang, known as the 'City of the Sands', sits in a verdant oasis on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Visit the Shazhou Night Market where you can wander amongst the stalls.
A system of temples and sanctuaries, visit the Mogao Grottoes that exhibit wonderful examples of Buddhist paintings and statues that span thousands of years.
Visit Crescent Moon Spring, nestled amongst rolling dunes and the famous Singing Sand Dunes, a phenomenon produced by the wind blowing through grains of sand.
Take the bullet train to Turpan, a lush green oasis set in a barren landscape. An easy-going town famed for its grapes, its pleasant streets are lined with lush vine trellises.
Visit the ruins of ancient Jiaohe and see the elegant Emin Minaret, the tallest in China. The next day, learn about the fascinating 2000-year-old Kerez irrigation canals and drive to Kurla.
Over the next three days travel along the original Silk Road through the Xinjiang Region, viewing ruins and sights largely unvisited by tourists. Start with a visit to see the ruins of Subashi, before arriving in Kuqa to see the Kyzil Thousand Buddha Caves. Continue travelling to Aksu, and on to the fabled city of Kashgar.
Its skyline punctured by minarets, Kashgar feels a million miles from China – in fact, it feels a million miles from anywhere! Although now a modern city, the sights and sounds of Kashgar's bazaar have remained unchanged for millennia. Sightseeing today includes a visit to Abakh Hoja Tomb, Id Kah Mosque and stroll through the narrow atmospheric alleyways around Id Kah Square.
Dive headlong into Central Asia's largest bazaar. Within this riot of textures, vivid colours and traditional dress, you can browse hundreds of stalls selling anything from spices and carpets to boots and blenders. Later, fly to Urumqi.
Escape to the tranquillity of Tianchi (Heavenly Lake), formed in a crater. Visit a Kazak minority family in their yurt and spend some time learning about their way of life. Tonight, enjoy local Uyghur lamb skewers for dinner.
Make a short visit to the Xinjiang Museum before flying to Beijing, China’s historic capital.
This morning is dedicated to China's most iconic sight – the Great Wall. In the afternoon, enjoy the idyllic landscapes of the Summer Palace as you wander through traditional Chinese gardens and see the exquisite architecture.
Head to Beijing's symbolic heart, Tiananmen Square and into the sprawling magnificence of the Forbidden City where you will find a complex full of imperial treasures. Soak up the ambience of the Temple of Heaven before visiting Yandaixiejie, where you will have some free time to wander the hutongs. This evening, dine on Peking duck and enjoy a Chinese acrobatic show.
Fly to New Zealand, arriving home the following day.
China’s high-speed rail network runs to about 45,000 kilometres of track, with trains speeding along at a top speed of 350 kilometres per hour (217 mph). Sleek and sophisticated in appearance and nearly always on time, these bullet trains connect over 200 cities all over the country, and come in three categories, G, D and C.
G trains are the fastest, running during the day, while D is second-fastest and offers overnight facilities like soft sleeper carriages. C trains run between neighbouring cities. All of these trains are air-conditioned, provide free boiled and cold water, have both Western and squat toilets available and have a dining car and café/bar for drinks.
Seats are all forward facing and are wider, softer and plusher with more legroom than your average airline seat. They are also reclinable so you can sit back and watch the landscapes fly by the window or if you’re on one of the newer trains (G category) browse the internet with the train’s Wi-Fi.We take several journeys onboard high-speed trains on our China by Rail and Silk Road Explorer tours.
Although they don’t reach the speeds of their high-speed counterparts, China’s regular train services are just as effective of moving people around the country but tend to be older and with lower quality facilities which is reflected in the price.
Generally air-conditioned, washbasins and boiled water is available at the end of each coach and there is a dining car serving freshly cooked food. There are toilets onboard, but they tend to be squat only. They also come in three categories – Z, T and K – Z being non-stop express trains that operate long distances between cities, running up to 160 kph (99mph), T being express trains with limited tops and K being fast trains that make the most stops of the three.
Regular trains are more likely to offer sleeper services with two classes, soft and hard. Soft sleepers offer compartments with a closing door, with four berths, two on each side, with a pillow and sheet provided, plus an individual reading light – we use this class of carriage on our Tibetan Railroad tour.
All of our tour departures include international flights and taxes in the price unless a land only option is selected
We have a selection of dedicated departures for solo travellers. These departures feature a maximum group size of 18 and exclusive benefits including a single room throughout your tour, complimentary return airport transfers (within 50km radius of major Australian airports) and a cocktail on arrival at your destination. Travellers from Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne also receive a complimentary Australian airport lounge pass for use prior to departure.
I am optimistic, easy going and dedicated. I know China and I am excited to share my knowledge with you; you are part of my family when you come to China. To know more about the fast-developing country, China and its super long history and tradition, come and join us Wendy Wu Tours. I promise you will reach home culturally fully loaded and ready to go again.
George was exceptional in his care of us all, nothing was too much trouble, he genuinely cared that we were having a great holiday. His knowledge and that of the local guides at each province gave us great insight into the history of the location and various sightseeing spectacles we were there to see.Mr and Mrs Brown
"Happiness can be infectious". As a friendly, caring and easy-going guide I can ensure you will have a worry-free and most rewarding trip, with a knowledgeable, professional and light-hearted guide.
Our National Guide, Alice, was excellent and very caring and thoughtful for all the group. Our local guides were also very good and provided lots of information and were flexible to allow us enough time to see everything and even arrange extra trips.Mr Andrew Charles
From my passion and knowledge of my country, you will experience a cross-cultural charm, full of stories and laughter on tour with me. You will be left with great memories and knowledge of China.
The success of this tour was due largely to our wonderful National Escort, Amanda, who guided our small “family” throughout and made this trip a "holiday of a lifetime". If you have the opportunity, try to arrange for Amanda to be your Tour Manager!Mr Edward Ayling
This is an experience of a lifetime. If I am your guide, you will have my knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to make this an unforgettable journey.
Our tour guide Jason was brilliant & a credit to your company. He was funny, intelligent, informative, always available and would go the extra mile when neededMrs Carrick
Relax, enjoy and leave the rest to me. See the different, touch the culture and explore the beautiful, wonderful and real China with me. "Do what you love, and love what you do!" This is my slogan, and I am Tony Li, come and join the Wendy Wu Tours with me!
Our National Escort Tony we couldn't speak highly enough. He was very well conversant with the English language and very knowledgeable in the history of the great country of China. Tony catered to our every need which made our holiday stress free.Mrs Diane Foley
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All of our tours offer a single room supplement, which means you’ll have a room to yourself throughout your chosen tour. Continue the check-out process for the applicable supplement.
On most tours, you can choose our 'Happy to Share' option, which may enable you to share a twin room with other solo customers of the same gender who also request Happy to Share. If a share partner is found, the Single Supplement will be removed from your booking. If a share partner is not found, the Single Supplement will remain and is payable with your final balance.
If you are booking on a Dedicated Solo departure, a single room is already included in the price and there are no additional single supplements to pay.
With our flight inclusive option, we'll do the planning for you and meet you on arrival.
We include airport pickup upon arrival at your destination and drop off at the end of your tour (on the scheduled tour arrival and departure days) and when booking pre or post tour accommodation with us.
We partner with established and reputable airlines for your international flights.
We can assist with upgrading your seat to premium or business class for an additional cost.
Our team will work with you to choose your ideal routing and if we make changes to your tour itinerary that impact flights, we’ll rebook them for you.
Our On-Tour Support Team is available to provide advice about how to handle flight changes.
