Silk Road Adventures on the China Orient Express
10-Day Ultimate Cultural Experience via Rail
Itinerary Details
Let the world's unique train – China Orient Express (also known as the Shangri-La Express) – take you to the Silk Road, which dates back to over 1,000 years, to explore the best attractions of the ancient Silk Road in 2019!
With its fabulous design and the intimate services offered on China Orient Express, as well as the various haunting sights along the Silk Road, we promise that you'll be dazzled.
Below is the itinerary for Route B - if you want to do it in reverse, please choose Route A.
Upon your arrival in Xi'an, your guide will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Xi'an is a city with over 3,000 years of history and it is also the starting point of the ancient Silk Road.
We offer our guests a first-class customer service, a romantic exploration of the most remarkable Chinese sites, and a constantly changing room with a view.
You can expect welcoming cabins, fine dining, and elegant surroundings no matter which remote corner of China you choose to explore.
Accommodation:
Grand Melia Xian or same class (5 stars)
Have breakfast in your hotel and then you will be driven to the famous Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world.
Be excited to observe Emperor Qin Shi Huang's – China's first emperor – great army of 8,000 life-sized terracotta soldiers and horses in three burial pits.
Afterward, you will continue on to visit the Huaqing Hot Springs at Mount Li. In ancient times, emperors used to go there to bathe and enjoy the scenic beauty. It has become a favorite spa area since the Tang Dynasty.
Accommodation:
Grand Melia Xian or same class (5 stars)
Have breakfast in your hotel before visiting the ancient Xi'an City Wall. It is the most intact ancient Chinese wall in existence, encircling and protecting the old part of Xi'an.
Then proceed to visit the statue at the starting point of the Silk Road and Big Wild Goose Pagoda's North Square, which is the location of one of the most famous Buddhist pagodas in China.
After a drive of 120 kilometers west of Xi'an, you will arrive at Famen Temple, which was first constructed during the Eastern Han Dynasty and is renowned for storing a veritable finger bone of Sakyamuni Buddha.
Thereafter, you will return to Xi'an ready to watch the marvelous Tang Dynasty Dinner Show at Tang Dynasty Palace. The various savory dishes together with the exciting show are sure to satisfy your appetite, your eyes, and your mind.
At 10pm, you will board the China Orient Express to travel to Tianshui.
Accommodation:
China Orient Express
Arrive in Tianshui at 6:30am. After breakfast, you will be driven to Maiji Mountain. The natural scenery of Maiji Mountain is the most beautiful among the famous resorts of grottoes in China.
The Maijishan Grottoes were first constructed in 384 and gradually became one of the large-scale grotto groups in China as well as one of the famous artistic spots in the world due to continuous chiseling and reconstruction throughout more than 10 dynasties.
There are 194 extant grottoes, including more than 7,200 clay and stone statues and frescoes covering an area of 1,300 square meters, which date back between the 4th and 19th centuries.
You will take the China Orient Express train to Jiayuguan at 4:30pm. Have another nice night on the train with wonderful evening and morning views of the local countryside.
Accommodation:
China Orient Express
After breakfast, visit Jiayuguan (Jiayu Pass), which is the western end of the Great Wall that was built in the Ming Dynasty. It is known as 'the First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven', and is the best-preserved and most magnificent military fort in China.
Then you will be driven for 7 miles to visit the Overhanging Great Wall. It got its named due to hanging on a mountain ridge at an angle of 45 degrees and it resembles a huge dragon.
Accommodation:
Holiday Plaza Hotel Jiayuguan or same class (5 stars)
After a pleasant breakfast, take this deluxe train to Dunhuang at 10am. We have arranged for Dunhuang experts and professors to introduce this exotic city in detail to you.
After arriving in Dunhuang, you will visit the beautiful Crescent Lake and the Singing Sand Mountains. Crescent Lake is an oasis in the Gobi Desert, surrounded by numerous sand dunes that reach a relative height of 250 meters (820 feet).
The Singing Sand (Mingsha) Mountains were named because of the sound created by the wind whipping off the dunes.
Accommodation:
Dunhuang Hotel or same class (3 stars, the best local hotel)
After breakfast, visit the world-famous Mogao Caves, an area that was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for having 1,600 years of accumulated cultural, architectural, and art treasures. There are 492 cave temples and 45,000 square meters of frescoes remaining there.
According to Tang Dynasty records, a monk had witnessed onsite a vision of 1,000 Buddhas under showers of golden rays. Thus inspired, he started construction of the caves and this work spanned across 10 dynasties. The Mogao Caves are commonly known as the Caves of the Thousand Buddhas.
At 5pm, you will begin your journey on the China Orient Express charter luxury train to Turpan.
Accommodation:
China Orient Express
It's a day for sightseeing in Turpan. Visit the Karez Well System at 7am to witness the wisdom of the Uyghur people. The irrigation system is especially designed for its desert location.
If all of these underground channels were connected, the total length would reach more than 5,000 kilometers, so it is regarded as one of the three engineering miracles of ancient China, along with the Great Wall and the Jing-Hang Grand Canal.
Afterward, you will move on to the Flaming Mountains, which is well-known to Chinese people because of the legendary story Journey to the West. It is regarded as the hottest place in China.
Then you will be driven to the ancient city of Jiaohe, an island-shaped plateau situated in Yarnaz Valley. It is the largest, oldest, and most well preserved earth-structured city in the world, with a history of 2,000–2,300 years.
Accommodation:
Grand Melia Xian or same class (5 stars)
After breakfast, visit Heavenly Lake of Tianshan by way of a boat tour. The mountain lake is 1,980 meters above sea level and features picturesque scenery of snowcapped peaks.
It is very pleasurable to take a boat trip across Heavenly Lake, which is covered with a layer of magical color, and to hear many beautiful myths and legends. Then head for Urumqi and visit the Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar.
Accommodation:
Grand Melia Xian or same class (5 stars)
It is time to say farewell to your memorable Silk Road trip and the unique China Orient Express. After a pleasant breakfast, enjoy some free time until it's time for your transfer to the airport for the flight back to your hometown or next destination. Bon voyage!
Trip Notes
1. This is a group tour, with about 25 travelers per group.
2. Prices are subject to change without any further notice.
3.Gratuities are not included. The current rate for all services is 150 USD per person.
4. Accommodation and tour itineraries are subject to change at any time due to circumstances beyond our control.
5. We reserve the right to distribute passengers who are sharing cabins.
6. Children under 11 years old will be credited the difference on hotel room costs.
Cancellation Policy
A non-refundable 10% deposit per person is required at the time of booking.
A cancelation received 45 days prior to the group departure will result in the forfeit of 25% of the land costs and the deposit.
A cancelation received from 44 to 30 days before the group departure will result in the forfeit of 90% of the land costs and the deposit.
A cancelation received within 30 days before the group departure (including "no shows") will result in the forfeit of 100% of the land costs and the deposit.
After the trip has commenced, we are unable to refund any amount for unused services due to your unwillingness/inability to participate, early departure, late arrival, or missed days on tours.
Tour Price
Price includes:
China Highlights, Asia Highlights, and Global Highlights collaborate to provide families and couples with personalized and stress-free experiences in diverse destinations.
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Great Guide Made Xi’an Extra Special
Our tour guide Jenny was excellent and made our time in her city extra special. Not only was she a wealth of knowledge about Xi’an’s ancient history, she also had insights and great recommendations for local restaurants and places to see based on her own experience. We saw Teracotta Soldiers, the Muslim quarter, a shadow puppet show, the Xi’an museum, and had a dumpling banquet!! Highly recommend China highlights who coordinated our trip to multiple cities in China. more
Jan 2024,
Rose A
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Susan was our guide and she was really helpful and highly prepared. She gave us all the information about places visited and organized everything in evergreen single details.I highly suggest to choose China Highlights and Susan to discover this Amazing city. more
Jan 2024,
Alessandra
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Xi’an with Juan!
From the beginning at the airport drive to the hotel, Juan explained us in a perfect Spanish the history of Xi’an. His seemly inexhaustible knowledge about culture and history let us truly enjoy places such as the city wall and the terracota warriors, places whose potential we could have only overseen if gone by ourselves. more
Jan 2024,
Diego Gorrón
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This is the way to see China
We travelled to China in September/October to visit a relative who lives in Shanghai. He was too busy to show us the sights of China so we decided to use China Highlights. I am so pleased we did. Carol arranged a trip for us to X'ian and back to Shanghai. It wasn't cheap, but it was well worth it. We caught the bullet train to X'ian. more
Jan 2024,
LDreviews
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Susan is great!
Susan is great!She is very knowledgeable about Xi An city and history. We really enjoyed and learned a lot about that city. more
Jan 2024,
Tiong-Oen
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Experiencia Xian
La ciudad es muy bonita y muy interesante. Nuestra guía Susana fue muy amable y dispuesta a explicar todo lo que vimos y nos ayuda con todas nuestras preguntas.Ella conoce bien los sitios turísticos y nos recomendó muy buena comida. Además ella habla muy buen espa?ol more
Dec 2023,
Elizabeth V@elizabethvT7737OK
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100% trustworthy and fuss free
While in Xi An, our local guide Mervyn (Yang Ru) was very knowledgeable about the rich history behind the historical sites we visited and she was very professional too. I appreciated their professionalism so much and would highly recommend them to anyone who wants a peace of mind and 99% hands off planning their vacations in China. more
Dec 2023,
Ami
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Great visit in Xi‘an with Jenny
We covered many different places and sights through which Jenny guided us expertly and efficiently, never wasting time but also never making us feel stressed, always presenting us with a wealth of information and answering all of our questions patiently while we were trying to get a grip on the long history of China. more
Dec 2023,
Philippe v
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Highly recommended!
Great tour of Xi’an! Our guide, Mark, was very knowledgeable, very accomodating of all our requests and showed us the main highlights of Xi’an! Trip, transfers and visits all went very smoothly. Loved it and probably will be back to visit again! Thanks Mark! :-) more
Dec 2023,
ceccoshani
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A Great Introduction to Xi'an
Mervyn was most professional in how she handled the visits to the different attractions in Xi'an. She is knowledgeable about the history and culture of the city and this really helped in the group's appreciation of the place. more
Dec 2023,
mobile
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Xian Full Day Tour Including Terracotta Warriors
Mervyn is a very good and knowledgeable guide! She came prepared and chock-full of informative & interesting nuggets about the Terracotta Warriors, City Wall and the Drum and Bell Tower. more
Dec 2023,
Kee Yun
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Expertly Guided Through China's Heart
The itinerary put together was excellent and my guide Mervyn good company, well informed, very committed and flexible. The Warriors visit was great and there are so many other aspects to Xi'an including a great museum, significant Muslim and Buddhist historical sites, cultural shows. great food and markets. Lives up to its description as 'the heart of China'. more
Dec 2023,
Patrick
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Amazing tour
We booked our day tour on short notice, to make sure we made the most of our time in Xi’an. Our tour guide Jenny was wonderful, highly knowledgeable and we had a great tour of the Terracotta Warriors, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and the Muslim Quarter. We more
Dec 2023,
benh1001
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CHRISTIANSEN's XIAN experience
We had a wonderful experience in XiAn with the help of our tour guide Mark. He is very knowledgeable and helpful.Activities we enjoyed - the XiAn City Walls, the Muslim Quarter , watched cultural show with dinner included, and terracotta Warriors. Mark took us to try the best local dumplings and noodle dishes. XiAn is a must see place while in China. Thank you for the great experience China Highlights ? more
Dec 2023,
Fely C
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Amazing experience in Xi’an
Our tour guide, Ken, elevated our travel experience with his extensive knowledge and infectious enthusiasm! He is a great storyteller and effortlessly wove together anecdote and facts as we navigated the historical sites and museums. His passion for the destination coupled with his professionalism really shone through and made it such an enjoyable and educational experience for the whole family! more
Dec 2023,
John F
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Great 1st trip to Dali
We had a great time in Dali. Daisy, our guide is fantastic and super warm-hearted and a great photographer. The hotel (Fansu) we stayed at is a cute and cozy sanctuary with very helpful staff. We wish we could stay a few more days. Definitely coming back again! more
Dec 2023,
SYW
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Intriguing 3 days 2 nights trip in Xian
Ken was very engaging in his description of China history in Xian. He always gave a brief background on our way to the place of interest which is helpful introduction. He was helpful in our request too in connecting our next destination's hotel and finding direction to the hotel. more
Dec 2023,
Valerie W
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2 day touring in Xi'an
Our tour was exhausting but amazing with Ken. He is knowledgeable and passionate about the historical information with each ancient relic we visited, especially the Terracotta Warriors. more
Dec 2023,
Catherine W
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Fantastic experience in Xi’an!
We had a fantastic time in Xi’an. Jenny is a top notch tour guide! Friendly, helpful, informative, and funny, we felt well cared for during our stay. She grew up in Xi’an and taught us a lot of the history, culture, and attitudes of the region. We had only 2 days in Xi’an but saw so much and ate wonderful food. I would highly recommend China Highlights and Jenny! more
Dec 2023,
Sandra T
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Amazing Xi'an Memories made
Our tourguide, Susan, received us with a smile and re-arranged our program from the itinerary to fit with the weather which was such a good call! She also gave amazing recommendations and suggestions which was not included in the itinerary and our trip would not have been the same without it. more
Dec 2023,
Slaaiblaar
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