Dunhuang Culture Discovery
This exclusive tour provides a multidimensional experience of the history and culture of Dunhuang and the Mogao Caves. Besides a cultural experience, you will also have the opportunity to enjoy the austere scenery and landscapes.
Highlights
- Grasp the opportunity to see the Mogao Caves, which might disappear in 50 years.
- Paint your exclusive mural on a mud slab that is made from the same materials as the Mogao Caves.
- Visit a unique section of the Great Wall that was built with plant stems and gravel.
- Explore Devil City (Yadan landscape) to witness a masterpiece that was created by wind and sand.
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Outstanding Tour of Xi’an with Crystal, The Best Guide!
![]() We loved our tour of Xi’an with Crystal. She is a top-notch guide and we are so happy and grateful she was our guide. She speaks excellent English and she taught us to say phrases in Mandarin. She is so knowledgeable about the city of Xi’an and all its historic and cultural places. Crystal taught us all about the city of Xi’an, its history, and the important dynasties here. We loved seeing the Terracotta Army, it was incredible. We will always remember riding bikes on the city walls. Crystal brought us to the most delicious restaurants and we ate very delicious food! We are vegetarians and Crystal ordered for us and made sure all the dishes aligned with our dietary needs. The Dumpling Banquet was so tasty! She also bought us local fruit to taste as well as sweets and treats wherever we went. Crystal took great care of us and really taught us a lot about China. We loved our time with her. Crystal is a remarkable guide because she is friendly, warm, flexible and helpful. The best thing about her is she has a sense of humor and loves to make sure her guests are having fun. Thank you, Crystal! more
Mar 2025, TeamDufortio Connecticut
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China highlight
![]() Merwin was the best in our trip . Thank you sooo much for your tour and your continued support and follow up. Definitely recommend it to all more
Mar 2025, Mohammad
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Xi’an experiences
![]() We had a great experience in Xi’an with our very knowledgeable guide Mervyn. We saw all the highlights of this ancient city and enjoyed some fabulous food due to our guide’s recommendations. Highly recommend more
Mar 2025, janng2016
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Suggested Itinerary
Your local tour guide will meet you in the arrivals hall of the airport or at the exit of the train station. After your guide meets you, he/she will escort you by private vehicle to your hotel. Have a good rest and be ready for the next day's adventure.
Evening idea:
Shazhou Night Market is worth visiting to experience the local flavor of Dunhuang. If you want to get close to this city quickly, try some local snacks, such as yogurt and nangs (flatbread).
Hotel options:
Dunhuang Hotel (4-star)
The Silk Road Dunhuang Hotel (5-star)
breakfast and lunch
Mogao Caves ticket booking:
In order to protect the fragile murals and paintings, the number of daily visitors to the Mogao Caves is restricted and your entrance ticket(s) must be reserved on the official website, which is in Chinese.
Tickets are difficult to get hold of, especially during the tourist peak season (July to October). Although we can guarantee tickets at least 5 days in advance, early booking is still recommended.
After breakfast, start to explore Dunhuang at the famous Mogao Caves. First, you will watch two movies to get a rough idea of the history of the Silk Road and the Mogao Caves. Then take the shuttle bus to the original cave area, where a professional expositor will lead you to visit seven caves.
After lunch, you will visit Dunhuang Museum. This museum has a great exhibition of the Silk Road culture, and it has duplicate caves with exquisite murals and statues that you can take photos of.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour:
The Mogao Caves include 735 caves, and 40 to 60 caves are normally open to the public. A normal visit to the Mogao Caves includes seven caves but, if you would like to see some special caves, we can arrange for you to visit some that are not open to the general public.
These special caves are treasures — they contain important murals and statues, and have made a significant contribution to the study of human culture and art .

breakfast and lunch
After the previous day's study of culture, you can test yourself on what you have learnt.
After breakfast, you will visit the Dunhuang Research Academy, a place where you can sit down to listen to the story behind the murals and appreciate the painting skills.
Make your own mural: Choose one of the mural samples and copy it onto a mud slab, which is made from the same material as the Mogao Caves. Take your masterpiece home with you.
Enjoy an organic vegetarian lunch at the academy before continuing your journey to the desert with a visit to the Singing Sand Mountains and Crescent Moon Spring. Ride a camel in the desert and imagine what it was like to ride across the desert 1,000 years ago.
Tip to tailor-make your tour:
It is beautiful to see the sunset in the desert in the late afternoon. If, however, you prefer to enjoy cool weather in the desert, you can adjust the visiting time to the morning.

breakfast & lunch
Witness the cultural relics and amazing landscapes near Dunhuang.
In the morning, you will be driven to the ruins of the ancient Great Wall of the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). You will see that it was built using layers of desert plant stems and gravel, which is quite different from the bricks used in other sections of the Great Wall.
You will also have a chance to visit Yumen Pass ('Jade Gate Pass'), which was once used as one of the west gates out of China during the Han Dynasty. It has been badly damaged by the shifting sands but still highlights the splendor of this magnificent architectural structure.
In the afternoon, explore Devil City — Yadan National Geological Park. Devil City is famous for its nighttime sounds and vivid rocks in various shapes that look like animals or world-famous attractions. If you want, you can stay there until sunset.

breakfast
Your guide and driver will take you to the airport/train station and ensure your check-in goes smoothly.
Our Service Includes:
- One-to-one consultancy with our travel expert
- Versatile and knowledgeable local guides
- Your own chauffeur and comfortable vehicle
- Hand-picked hotels to suit your preferences
- Hotel buffet breakfasts and local restaurant lunches
- Entry to all attractions on the itinerary
- The booking of internal transportation per your preferences
- A 24/7 helpline while you are traveling
Trip Notes
Transportation to and from Dunhuang
Domestic flights and trains have easy access to Dunhuang. There are daily flights between Dunhuang and the main cities in China, such as Xi'an, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Lanzhou. Please tell us your previous/next destination and we will help you to arrange the transportation.
Tour Price
Price includes: