We drive 1.5hr to Altai to catch the morning flight to Urumqi and your next destination.
Optional extension 1: 3.5 days Kashgar, Karakul Lake and overnight in yurt
Day 8 Urumqi - Kashgar
In the late afternoon we will drive to the airport and fly to Kashgar. After arrival in the westernmost city in China we will get picked up by our local driver. We will have dinner at a wonderful orchard sitting under a grape trellis. One or two local Uygur authority men, who will help us to understand more on the life and customs of this minority, will be invited to join the dinner. You can also watch or take part in a Uygur dance performance. (optional: 60 CNY/6 Euro per person). The rest of the evening after the dinner is free.
Day 9 Kashgar - Lake Karakul
We will have breakfast at the “Caravan Western Restaurant”, run by several foreigners, who have been living in Kashgar for as long as 15 years and have learnt the Uygur language. Have a chat with them and learn why these expatriates chose to live in this fabulous city.
After breakfast we will visit the renowned Sunday Bazaar, which has been operating since ancient times, and the scale has become larger and larger, attracting merchants from all over Xinjiang and neighboring countries such as Pakistan and Kirghizstan. Farmers from the suburbs of Kashgar come to the bazaar early in the morning, using various means of transportation, such as bicycles, motorcycles, tractors, trucks and donkey-drawn carts. The highways leading to Kashgar are crowded with these vehicles and pedestrians on Sunday mornings, as well as with flocks of sheep.
Afterwards we head to Karakul Lake (5-6hours), located approximately 200km from Kashgar. At an altitude of 3600m, it is the highest lake of the Pamir plateau. Surrounded by mountains which remain snow-covered throughout the year, the three highest peaks visible from the lake are the Muztagata (7546m), Kongur Tagh (7649m) and Kongur Tiube (7530m).
Explore a rural Uygur village on the way by donkey cart. And check out a small musical instrument workshop. You will cross green fields under the bright blue sky, Uygur men and women working under the sun in the fields, and if you are lucky you may see very pretty female Uygur donkey cart drivers. Once again you will have a unique opportunity to take outstanding pictures of this beautiful region and its lovely people.
We will stop on the way for lunch and arrive at Karakul Lake in the afternoon. You will have free time to walk around the lake, ride a horse, visit Tajik yurts and enjoy the sunset. In the evening we will have an outdoor barbecue dinner and stay overnight in a Tajik yurt or camp.
Day 10 Lake Karakul - Kashgar
We recommend you to get up early in the morning to take a few pictures of the sunrise amidst impressive scenery. After breakfast in a Tajik yurt we drive back to Kashgar and cycle around the city to check out some historical sites. We will have lunch on the way from Karakul Lake back to Kashgar.
Day 11 Kashgar
Many streets in the old districts of this city have "bazaar" as part of their names. Although most of the bazaars have ceased to exist except in name, there are still some that are still in use. From the names of these streets people can imagine the past glory of this ancient trading city on the Old Silk Road. Today we go shopping at the International Bazaar and around the more than 500 years old Atigar Mosque, the largest mosque in Xinjiang, situated on Atigar Square in the center of the city.
Your driver will take you to the airport for your flight to Urumqi and back home.
Optional extension 2: 1.5 days Turpan: Emin Minaret, Astana Tombs, Jiaohe Silk Road Kingdom
Day 8 Urumqi - Turpan
After arrival at the airport in Urumqi we drive to Turpan - which is a basin in the mountains of eastern Xinjiang and is also called "an oasis in the desert". You will explore a 2000-years old village outside of Turpan in the afternoon and stay overnight in Turpan.
Day 9 Turpan
Today we will go to the ruins of "Jiaohe". Jiaohe - about 10 kilometers west of Turpan County - was a strategically important city on the ancient Silk Road that travelers must pass through. Afterwards we will visit the Astana ancient tombs, which used to serve as the cemetery of the citizens of Gaochang from 273 in the Western Jin Dynasty to 778 in the Tang Dynasty and where mummies were discovered. Gaochang is situated at the foot of the Flaming Mountains, was founded in the first century B.C. and abandoned by the end of the 13th century.
The next highlight will be Emin Minaret, which is the largest extant old tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic tower among the hundred famous towers in China. Standing 2 km east of Turpan, Emin Minaret was built in 1777 in honor of the heroic Turpan general, Emin Khoja. He was an outstanding patriot who defended the unification of China throughout his life.
You will then explore the "Karez" System, an irrigation system of wells connected by underground channels, considered as one of the three great ancient projects in China, the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal. The structure of the karez basically consists of wells, underground channels, ground canals and small reservoirs. Your driver will take you to the airport for your flight to Beijing and back home.
Optional extension 3: 3.5 days trekking tour to the base camp of Mount Bogda
Day 8 Urumqi - Trekking Tour
After a briefing with the Urumqi mountaineering association, you will collect your gear and buy supplies for the trekking. Then we drive 1.5 hours to the starting point. After a two to three hours walk we arrive at the camp, where we stay overnight.
Day 9 Urumqi - Mt. Bogda
For today's ascension we need to rent horses from the Kazak. After arrival at the base camp of Bogda peak, we will have a "feast" at a height of 3250m above sea level.
Note: Take several batteries for your camera as you will certainly want to take a lot of pictures of this picturesque, breath-taking area.
Day 10 Mt. Bogda - Tianchi - Urumqi
We make our way back to Urumqi. You can choose to ride or to walk. Visit a local Kazak family and join them for lunch or snacks. Inquire about the Hazak nomads and discuss about their changing way of life: in 5 years you will not see their yurts together with their horses, sheep and oxen, as the government will force them to leave the area and find a new life in towns and cities.
In the afternoon we well reach the south bank of "Tian Chi", the Heavenly Lake. The Heavenly Lake is situated to the east of the Tianshan Mountain range, north of Bogda Peak, 97 km south of Urumuqi. Known as Yaochi in ancient times, the lake surface elevates 1,910 meters above sea level, with an average depth of 60 meters. Surrounding the Heavenly Lake are snow mountains, glaciers, forests and grassland alpine lakes, featuring a vertical natural landscape belt. We will cross the lake on a speed boat. After arrival in Urumqi, we will get picked up by our driver. After check-in at the hotel you will be rewarded with the last lamb feast in Xinjiang.
Day 11 Urumqi
Your driver will take you to the airport for your flight to Beijing and back home.
