Please note: groups are not allowed to have any stop on the way from the border to the Customs today because this area is the restricted area by the local military.
The distance from the border to Kashgar is about 180 km and the road condition is OK for bus driving. Beyond customs, the road becomes quite well highway until Kashgar. All the journey from the border to Kashgar takes about 7 hours. Arrival to Kashgar. Dinner and overnight in Hotel.
Stop at the beautiful Karakul Lake at lunch time and do some hiking and trekking around this beautiful lake. Meanwhile, please take this opportunity to visit some local yurt families.
Return back to Kashgar in the late afternoon. Altitude at this lake is about 3500 meters above sea level. The two-way distance by driving today is 400 km; Overnight in the same hotel.
Early in the morning you can see streams of people in donkey carts coming in to market. There are separate areas for animals, furniture, fabric, clothing, shish kebobs, shaves with a straight razor (including scalp), fruits and vegetables, and much more. In the animal bazaar care needs to be exhibited as horses and donkeys are being test-driven. Also in the animal bazaar you can find cattle, sheep, goats, and camels - all in a fairly small, walled-in area.
When you are in the midst of all this, you may feel like you have stepped back in time several hundred years. Sunday bazaar is now split in two parts with the main bazaar in East Kashgar city and the animal bazaar which is out of town about 3km.
After breakfast you will be free to roam the bazaar or to go along with a guide who will translate Uighur for you. Stay in the your hotel for night. Overnight in the same hotel.
As soon as you arrive at this mysterious town, you will be free for 2 hours to roam the bazaar or to go along with a guide who will translate Uighur for you ... Road condition today is very good. Distance by driving today is about 260 km. Overnight in Hotel.
Then transfer to Turfan. The transfer takes you 2 and half an hour to get Turfan area. The first sight to be visit is Gaochang ancient city, which was built in Tang dynasty, then to see the Astana Tombs under ground, visit an other Buddha caves named Bezlik Caves after the Astana Tombs. The last site is Beautiful Grape Valley, where your lunch is served under the grape trees.
After your big local lunch, go and visit the Imin Mosque, which is the typical construction of Uygur style. Enjoy the local singing and dancing performance under grape vines at night. Overnight in Hotel.
Tuyugou is an ancient village with roughly 1700 years of history, till this day they still preserve and use ancient Uyghur customs and culture. This valley village is also a pilgrimage area for many Muslims, with the main destination being The Mazar, or the tomb of the first Uyghur Muslim. It’s said that seven trips to Tuyoq is equal to one trip to Mecca.
There are many things to be seen and enjoyed in Tuyoq such as the Thousand Buddha Caves, the Mazar, the ancient village, all the ancient architecture, grapes, and the customs which you won’t find anywhere else … On the way to Urumqi in the afternoon, keep sightseeing to the west part of this area: visit the splendid ancient irrigation system – Karen Wells underground which have been more than 1500 years old, then do visit the Jiaohe, another city ruin which was built in Tang Dynasty which is the same age of Gaochang.
After all in Turfan, drive back to Urumqi by the same road. Overnight in Hotel.