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4 - 21 Sep 2015 (18 days) China's Silk Route Urumqi to Xian
Cost Rm6480 (per pax for 14 pax group), Rm6430 (16 pax) & Rm6230 (18 pax & above)

Update 1 July 2015 - Trip is FULL

Update 29 Jun 2015 - Trip on 11 Sept is FULL and decided to run another trip. Trip also going to FULL, few more seats but depends on availability of flight seats.

Update 16 Sep 2014 - September is super peak season for Silk road trip. We had FULL trips for previous years . As such, please CONFIRM your seat for this "most" popular Yongo trip. Flight schedule is based on 2013 and shall update once we have confirm flight schedule. We will collect deposit once we have min 10 pax. Please email rachelheng123@gmail.com 012-3520868 for registration.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
This is meant to be a "free and easy" adventure trip. Participants should be relatively fit, with a good sense of humour, and above all, have the right attitude for close travel with others through possibly some trying times. Most definitely, this is not a trip for prudes, whiners, fuss-pots, and other similiarly assorted types! We had a couple of those before and it wasn't pleasant for us or them. Although every effort will be made to stick to the given itinerary, ground conditions may change and cause some disruption and/or deviation from the norm. Otherwise, have fun!

Uighur Xinjiang is quite likely the least “Chinese” part of China , and this is where we begin to run through the gamut of sites and landscapes that has seen likes of Marco Polo and others of his like! We traverse the snow-capped pine-clad mountains of Tianchi, and the next will be in the giant sand dunes of Dunhuang, past the miraculous grape oasis of Turpan in the middle of dry and hot nowhere! Han China looms with the so-called end of the Great Wall at Jiayuguan before ending our silk road sojourn in Xian, visiting the Tibetan towns of Xining & Xiahe. All in all, a fine adventure, but certainly the journey will not be smooth as silk!

We hire buses most of the way and have three overnight trains (soft sleepers 4 pax per compartment) that will save us traveling time. We stay mostly budget hotels except for 2 nights in Tianchi Lake. Here accomodation is very basic and we sleep in Yurts or Mongolian Tents near the water's edge, pictured above.

Day 0 KLIA: Fly KLIA on China Eastern Airlines flight MU9862 to Pudong leaving on 04 Sep 0210AM early morning (Note : No need to take leave on today as meet at airport at 1155pm night on THU 3RD Sep)
Day 1 KLIA:Reach Pudong 0720AM morning 4 SEP. Connect flight FM9219 at 1245pm and arriving Urumqi at 1820PM. We will spend the rest of the day eating and shopping. Overnight (ON) Urumqi.
Day 2 Urumqi: On this day we use the convenient public buses to move about in Urumqi. This leaves members the option to skip certain places and also to come back earlier. We visit Remnin Peoples Park to view hundreds of residents participating in various morning exercise routines. Later we visit the touristic Hongshan Park and the Xinjiang Autonomous Region Museum. We spend the rest of the day at the Erdaoqiao Ethnic Market and the Grand Bazaar. Great eating available at the numerous Uighur restaurants. Overnight (ON) Urumqi.
Day 3 Tianchi Lake: On to Tianchi Lake 120 km 2.5 hrs to begin a 2 day stay in a Mongolian tent or yurt. Arrive in the early afternoon with time enough for to walkabout the lake area aka as the Swiss Alps of China. Simple Kazakh meals are provided. ON Tianchi. Note that these are local nomadic residence and sleeping/eating arrangements are very basic. But warm thick blankets are supplied. Yurts sleeps up to 10 pax. Many past Yongers are of the opinion that this is one of the highlights of the trip with unbeatable sceneries.

   
Dunhuang Mingshashan/Horse trek Tianchi Lake / Horseman baby boy at Tianchi / Found local Urumqi by giving last year photo!

Day 4 Nanshan: 195km 3.5hrs from Urumqi to Nanshan. A full day on horseback riding (Optional) and lunch stop. Cost of horse approximately Y60-80 (Rm30-40). We will stay a night in Nanshan. ON Nanshan.
Day 5 Turpan: After breakfast, we bus to Turpan 160km 2.5-3hrs, also known as the grape capital of China. We should arrive in time for a visit to the Karez Wells and the nearby Jiaohe ancient city, a UNESCO site. ON Turpan.
Day 6 Turpan: We'll start in the early morning to climb the 1,308 steps up to the top of Flaming Mountains with great views of Tianshan mountains and Turpan Valley. There are some grape vines ares below this same mountain. Then we move back to Turpan to browse the colourful Uighur market. Free and easy or we can go to visit the local Village. We then drive on the train station at Daheyan 40 min for the overnight train to Dunhang departing at 10pm. ON soft sleeper train.
Day 7 Dunhuang: We arrive at 830am and we'll spent some time browsing the interesting Dunhuang local market. After lunch we make our way to the UNESCO listed Thousand Buddha Caves at Mogao. We will have some free time in the evening going back to the markets to enjoy the local food. ON Dunhuang.
Day 8 Dunhuang: The sand dunes of Minshashan or Singing Sand Mountains are best visited in the early morning. These are the highest dunes in China. Bactrian camels rides are popular with tourists to move about this pretty desert area but walking is cheaper and better for photo-taking. We lunch in town and in the afternoon, we have the option of hiring bicycles (cost Y10) to visit the surrounding farms and villages. ON Dunhuang.
Day 9 Dunhuang/Jiayuguan (380km 5hr) : We bus to Jiayuguan 380 km 5 hours and visit Jiayuguan famous Fortress located at the Western end of the Great Wall of China. We also visit some Wei and Jin Dynasties Tombs, built some 1700 years ago. Located some 20km from Jiayuguan, it is famous for its brick wall paintings depicting scenes from everyday life from tea-making to silk production.
Day 10 Jiayuguan/Jiuquan/Zhangye/Lanzhou: Today we driving to Jiuquan visit the Jiuquan Park, the name of "Jiuquan' got its name because of the General Huoqubing, who defeated the Huns in Western Han Dynasty - 2 Century BC in Hexi Corridor, the Emperor Wudi awarded him a jar of wine for his victory. General Huo poured the wine into spring and enjoyed its wine with all the soldiers. Will drive to Zhangye after lunch and reach the Zhangye Colourful Danxia Landform- one of six beautiful Landform in China, the best time to visit the landform is in the late afternoon. Dinner then catch the 11pm overnight train to Lanzhou. O/N overnight train.

   

Danxia / Cycling at Xian Gate Wall / Turpan

Day 11 Xiahe: We arrive at Lanzhou at 7am and travel to Xiahe after breakfast. E njoy the scenic drive to Xiahe on part of the Qinghai Plateau. This less-frequented route is dotted with quaint and pretty Muslim Hui and Tibetan farms and villages. The rolling high altitude grasslands with flocks of yaks and sheeps are especially pretty. ON Xiahe.
Day 12 Labrang Monastery: A full day to visit Labrang Tibetan Monastery that is reputed to be more Tibetan than Tibet itself. We'll have adequate time just walking around and taking in the atmosphere. After the lunch, we bus to Lanzhou 4hr. ON Lanzhou.
Day 13 Lanzhou: We visit the banks of the Yellow River and its water-wheels and sheep-skins rafts. We also visit the White Pagoda Hill and all that will take us a good part of the day. We take a couple of rooms to freshen up and rest before our 1040pm train to Xian. ON soft sleeper train.
Day 14 Xian/Hua Shan town: We arrive at 630am at Xian and visit the Unesco's Terracotta Warrior and will drive to Huashan town for next day climb. ON Huashan town.
Day 15 Hua Shan Mountain: This is a full day tour to one of five scared mountains in China, located 120km from Xian. There are some scary climbs up chained platforms. There are also cable car rides available for the regular tourist. ON Xian.

   

Tulip in Xining/Huashan/Xian

Day 16 Xian: We will visit Shanxi Provincial Museum in the morning and afternoon then free rest of day include Beimenyuan night market at night.ON Xian.

Day 17 Fly Home: We have a couple of hours for final shopping before going to the airport for flight MU291 from Xian at 1500PM to Pudong, arriving 1715. Later on connect MU9861 at 1925PM to Kuala Lumpur

Day 18 Home reach KLIA 0110AM on 21 SEP 2015.

  
Monks in Labrang Monastery / Tibetans in Xiahe

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. Cost cover airfares, accommodation, bus and rail transport.
2. Accomodation will be in budget hotels and guesthouses. We also stay 1 night at basic Yurts or Mongolian tents in Tianchi Lake.
3. Airport transfers and inter-town travel by chartered bus and local train is covered.
4. Cost above is based on availability of "4 person cabins" (soft sleepers) on the trains. Cash refunds will be made if we use "6 persons cabins" (hard sleeper).
5. Not covered are China visa fees Rm78, airport taxes & fuel surcharges (subject to change), meals except for Tianchi Lake, in-town taxis/bus, extension hour for the room, entrance fees, bicycle hire and horse trek in Tianchi. Note that entrance fees in China are HIGH and expect to pay about Rm900 for the numerous places we cover on this extensive itinerary. The one day where we move about in Urumqi by public buses/taxis is also not covered, about Rm5-10. Estimate meals between Rm30 to Rm50 per day, for the balance 15 days totals Rm450 to Rm650.
6. Guides accompanying group do expect tips. Yongo encourages group members to be generous but should commensurate with services rendered.
7. A deposit of Rm1080 is payable to confirm your place.
8. Cost is subject to change if there's a significant changes in foreign exchange rates and airfares.

Email: rachelheng123@gmail.com or yongo123@gmail.com
Phone: Rachel 012 352 0868
Phone: Yong Lee Min: 016 220 9033 or 603 4031 6225
Mail: 19 Lorong Air Bersih Tiga, Air Panas, 53200 Kuala Lumpur