On arrival in Xi'an Xianyang International Airport, you will be met in the arrival hall by your local guide and/or National Escort from Wendy Wu Tours. Together with all other group members who may be arriving at a similar time, you will transfer approximately 1 hour to your hotel. Early check-in is not included. Additional night's before and after your tour can be arranged. An informal Welcome Dinner will be held on Day 1. If you miss this due to your arrival time, all information will be provided to you at breakfast the following morning.

This morning, view the formidable ranks of terracotta soldiers and horses, lined up in ranks to protect the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang. The Museum of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses is located around a 1-hour drive outside of Xian. From the bus park to the museum entrance there is a 15-minute walk. There are electric carts offered by private vendors which can be organised at your own cost. There is no electric cart available for the return from the museum exit to the bus park. Within the museum area the warriors can be seen in three different ‘pits’, which are active archaeological digs. The site is large and towards the summer months it can be hot outside. Sightseeing here involves approximately 2 and a half hours on foot. Next, visit the Xian Art Ceramics and Lacquer Exhibition Workshop to see smaller models of the warriors being made. Return to Xian and enjoy a gentle cycle ride that will take you the nine miles around the beautifully preserved 14th century city walls that enclose Xian’s old town. Explore the Muslim Quarter, Xian’s Islamic centre, where there are a myriad of small food stalls selling ample mouth-watering dishes. This evening, enjoy a traditional Shui Jiao dumpling dinner.

Start the day with a visit to the Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Xian Museum, home to a number of relics and artefacts. Later, transfer to the train station to board your 3-hour bullet train to Lanzhou. Enjoy an evening at leisure.

Today, take a leisurely walk by the Yellow River before enjoying a moment of tranquillity at the hilltop Baita Temple. Along the river and in Baita Park you can see locals practising exercises like Tai Chi and Square Dancing. Walk about 15 minutes from the temple and enjoy some delicious hand stretched noodles for lunch. Your visit to Baita Temple involves 2 hours of walking and climbing some steps. Next day, drive approximately 3 hours to picturesque Liujiaxia Lake and take a 40-minute speedboat ride across the water to the extraordinary Thousand Buddha Caves of Bingling Temple. Here, there is a wealth of Buddhist murals, statues and sculptures. Also visit the statue of Maitreya. Please note that the speed boats are small and very limited on space. At Bingling Temple there are dirt paths, wooden walkways and stairs built around the side of the cliff face. The upper levels of caves have been closed for several years. Return to Lanzhou in the early evening.

Check out of your hotel early this morning and drive around 3 hours to Lingsha. Lunch may be later than usual as there are no suitable restaurants until reaching Lingsha. In the afternoon, continue for around 2 hours through the scenic Jishi Mountain Pass to arrive in Xiahe – an autonomous region of Hui and Tibetan ethnic minorities. After check-in at your hotel, it is advisable to rest in order to acclimatise to the higher altitude. Daytime altitude: 2,800m Overnight altitude: 2,800m

Visit the impressive Labrang Monastery, home to a maze of prayer wheels, chapels and chörtens. Explore on foot for around 2 hours. Take some time to reflect before heading back to Xiahe to wander around the town itself. For lunch, dine on a traditional Tibetan meal, consisting of yak meat, tsampa and vegetable hotpot with dumplings.

Depart early this morning for the return drive through Lingsha to Lanzhou, which takes around 5 hours. After lunch, transfer to the railway station for your 3-hour bullet train to Zhangye, once an important commercial town along the Silk Road. Please note you will need to carry your own luggage on and off the train. On arrival, check in to your hotel.

Rise early this morning to visit the Danxia National Park at sunrise. Return to Zhangye and visit the Giant Buddha Temple. Transfer to the station and take the bullet train approximately 1 and a half hours to Jiuyaguan. Please note you will need to carry your own luggage on and off the train.

Drive around 20 minutes to visit the Jiayu Fortress before taking a walk on the Jiayu Pass and the western extremes of the magnificent Great Wall for panoramic views over the starkly beautiful Gobi Desert. Here there will be about 1 hour allocated to explore this section of the wall at your own pace; there are some steep sections so please be careful.

Drive 4 hours westward along the Hexi corridor to the oasis city of Dunhuang. Located on a major trade and cultural crossroads, Dunhuang, known as the ‘City of Sands’, sits in a verdant oasis on the edge of the Taklaman Desert. Visit the Shazhou Night Market this evening and try local snacks (at your own expense).

Early this morning, drive 30 mins out of town to visit the Mogao Grottoes Museum and the Mogao Grottoes, a system of temples and sanctuaries that exhibit wonderful examples of Buddhist paintings and statues that span thousands of years. Sightseeing at Mogao involves approximately 3-4 hours on foot. Lunch today will be a simple meal as the choice of restaurants in this area is limited. Please note: Mogao has high visitor numbers every day and the site guides tend to pressure groups to move through the caves faster than people would like. It can be very difficult and awkward for our Local Guides or National Escorts to change this, so your patience and understanding is requested.

This morning, drive around 10 minutes to Crescent Moon Spring, nestled amongst rolling sand dunes, and the famous Singing Sand Dunes, a phenomenon produced by the wind blowing through the grains. You will spend about 3 hours walking or riding camels. The cost of the camel ride is not included in your tour cost, but you can arrange this at your own expense.

Spend time at leisure in Dunhuang until you will transfer approximately 2 hours by bus to the Liuyuan train station for your high-speed day train to Turpan. You will be in 2nd class soft seats and the train journey takes approximately 4 hours. Please note you will need to carry your own luggage on and off the train. On arrival in Turpan, transfer to your hotel.

Today, visit the ruins of ancient Jiaohe. Spend 2 hours exploring the ruins before enjoying some leisurely sightseeing around the elegant Emin Minaret.

This morning, learn about the fascinating Karez irrigation canals. Drive around 6 hours to the town of 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.

Although now a modern city, the sights and sounds of Kashgar’s bazaar have remained unchanged for millennia, as it continues to be an integral trading post like it was in its Silk Road heyday. In the heart of the city, visit the Id Kah Mosque before spending some free time exploring the old alleys that intertwine around Id Kah Square. Here you will see artisans producing copper pots, traditional musical instruments, carpet and kilim rugs, as well as carpenters making colourful children's cots. Visit the Minority Art and Handicraft Shop. Marvel at the elegantly tiled tomb of Abakh Hoja, built in 1640 to reflect the artistic style of Samarkand.

This morning, visit the Sunday animal market and the Sunday Bazaar. Please be mindful of your valuables here. 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 1 hour and 40 minutes to Urumqi.

Today, travel to Tian Chi (Heavenly Lake), formed in a crater atop Bogda Mountain, where yurts nestle on its grassy banks. The journey will take 2-3 hours, changing to the local ‘environmental buses’ where necessary to reach the lake. Visit the Kazakh Folk Culture Village and learn about their way of life. In the evening, enjoy local Uyghur lamb skewers for dinner.

Enjoy a short visit to the Xinjiang Museum which houses collections of costumes, historical relics and mummies. Later, fly 3 and a half hours to Beijing and transfer to your hotel.

Today, take a walk on the Great Wall of China, appreciating the wall itself and the dramatic scenery. You will rise early this morning to drive approximately 2 hours northwest of the city to the Juyongguan Pass of the Great Wall. The aim of this is to avoid the crowds of tourists who will arrive later in the morning, as well as the heat later in the day. Your visit here involves walking from the bus to the first section. After your group has been given an introduction to the Great Wall’s unique history you will have free time to explore at your own pace. Later, visit the Jade Factory where you will be able to buy a small, handcrafted piece. In the afternoon, visit the Summer Palace, located in the north of Beijing, where you can enjoy idyllic landscapes in traditional Chinese gardens.

Walk across the lengths of Tiananmen Square into the magnificent Forbidden City. Afterwards, soak up the harmonious ambience of the Temple of Heaven. Sightseeing will involve approximately 3-4 hours on foot. Next, visit Yandaixiejie, where you will have some free time to wander the hutongs. Have lunch with a local family who call the hutongs home. This evening dine on Peking duck and watch a Chinese acrobatic show. Please note: The Forbidden City is closed on Mondays. If this day of touring falls on a Monday, your touring in Beijing will be switched around so that the Forbidden City is visited on an alternative day.

Any time before your flight is at leisure. You will be transferred from your hotel to Beijing Daxing or Beijing Capital Airport, according to the departure time of your international flight. Late check-out is not included. Additional night's before and after your tour can be arranged.