Destinations: Xi'an, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang
Silk Road Student Tour: From Xi'an to Dunhuang
This 10-day expedition follows the ancient Silk Road east to west - from Xi'an, where caravans once set out, through the Gansu corridor to Dunhuang, where the Mogao Grottoes preserve a thousand years of Buddhist art. Students cross the Danxia rainbow mountains of Zhangye, stand at the western end of the Great Wall at Jiayuguan, and walk the singing sands of the desert at Dunhuang. The tour returns to Xi'an for departure, since Dunhuang is served by domestic flights only - a planning point we handle for you.
Optional Extensions
Day 1 - Xi'an Arrival: Transfer from Xi'an airport; welcome dinner; orientation on the Silk Road - the goods, the faiths and the people who travelled it.
Day 2 - Xi'an: Terracotta Army full morning; City Wall walk at sunset; Grand Tang Dynasty district in the evening, where the Tang capital's night life is recreated.
Day 3 - To Zhangye: High-speed rail west to Zhangye (about 4 hours). Evening walk through the old town and its Great Buddha Temple quarter.
Day 4 - Zhangye: Morning at the Giant Buddha Temple - home of the world's largest indoor reclining Buddha, a Liao-dynasty wonder. Late afternoon at the Zhangye Danxia National Geopark: the rainbow-coloured rock formations at golden hour, geology lesson included.
Day 5 - Jiayuguan: Rail or road to Jiayuguan. Visit the Jiayuguan Fort, the "First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven" - the western terminus of the Great Wall - and walk the Overhanging Great Wall built across the desert ridge. Overnight in Jiayuguan.
Day 6 - To Dunhuang: Morning rail or flight to Dunhuang. Afternoon at leisure in the desert oasis town; evening walk along the night market, tasting apricot water and Lanzhou noodles.
Day 7 - Mogao Grottoes: A full study day at the Mogao Caves: a specialist cave-art guide takes you through a curated selection of the painted caves, explaining the murals, the flying apsaras, the sutra caves and the thousand-year patronage. Afternoon: a mural-painting workshop where students copy a classic motif on a plaster tile.
Day 8 - The Desert: Morning at the Singing Sands Dunes and Crescent Lake: camel ride, sand sliding, and the desert biology of the oasis. Afternoon at the Dunhuang museum or a free hour in the old town; evening group reflection.
Day 9 - Return to Xi'an: Rail or flight back to Xi'an. Evening free; packing.
Day 10 - Departure: Airport transfer from Xi'an.
