Kashgar- Hoten 4 days tour

Kashgar - Yengisar - Yarkand - Kargilik - Hotan
(Silk Road)
This is one of the most recommended tours from French tour groups and individuals whenever we take them to the Sunday Market in Hotan and camel riding in the Taklimakan Desert. This tour will offer you an excellent chance to enjoy camel rideing amongst towering sand dunes and the opportunity to learn and experience Uyghur history and culture in the villages and towns on the way to Hotan. During the time of the Silk Road towns like Yarkand and Hotan were developed cities and capitals of their respective Uyghur kingdoms.
Day 01
Kashgar to Hotan (540km/336 miles)
Our driver and experienced Silk Road guide will meet you at your hotel at 8:00am local time and drive you to Hotan. First stop is at a Yengisar Knife Factory in the famous knife town of the same known whose quality and workmanship are renown throughout Xinjiang.
Pushing on we will have lunch in Yarkand, a former capital of Uyghur Kingdoms in the Past. In Yarkand, we will visit the Golden Mosque, Amannisahan Tomb (a famous musician in 16th Century.), Tomb of Kings during the Seidiye Kingdom and an interesting graveyard for locals in the Town. During the time of the Silk Road, Yarkand was a developed city and a major transportation hub. Throughout history, many musicians from India and Kashmir came here to learn.
After lunch, we will visit the old town and then drive on to Hotan. On the way, we will stop in Kargilik (Yecheng in Chinese) to see the Jamma Mosque and local market. We should arrive in Hotan at about 5:00pm local time and check into the 3 Star Muztagh Hotel.
Day 02
Hotan Sunday market
Today, we will visit the Hotan Sunday market. This is one of the biggest markets in Hotan and Kashgar where you could learn about Uyghur's way of life and market culture. After the market, we will visit historical places such as Malike awat Ancient City, the thousand year old Walnut and fig trees and the Jade River (where locals still hunt for jade to this day). In the afternoon, we will have free time to walk around the old town and finish the day with a pleasant dinner in a Uyghur home there.
Day 03
Hotan - Jiya village and Taklimakan Desert: (30km/19miles)
After breakfast, we will prepare a good pack lunch for the desert and drive out to the Imam Asim Tomb where we will go into the Taklimakan desert with camels. On the way there, we will stop in Jiya village to witness a traditional Silk and Atlas work shop and carpet factory. We will ride camels about 4 hours in the big sand dunes, camp out with out own tents and dine on real camp-fire food just as caravans did before us. This is an excellent way to experience real desert life. We cook using local tools and collect firewood locally 鈥?you can even help out if you like! Our camel driver always has a yarn or two to tell and a drowsy evening always end a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Day 04
Imam Asim Tomb - Hotan (30km/19miles)
An early rise means a spectacular sunrise out in the desert and a fleeting moment that will remain with you forever. There will be plenty of opportunities to take photographs from sunup to sundown throughout the day. Beginning with a caravan breakfast, we saddle up the camels and return back out of the desert to the Imam Asim Tomb for lunch.
The tomb is particularly famous amongst locals in and around Hotan. In May, many people come from far and wide to pray at the tomb. They regard it as a holy place as there are few tombs and large mosques in Xinjiang for locals to pray in. Some local people also slaughter sheep or goats whose skulls and hides can sometimes be seen on site. Following lunch we drive back to your hotel in Hotan. It is possible to drive back to Kashgar today or fly back to Urumqi by evening flight.
We hope you find our service better than expected and have the enjoyable time in Xinjiang you deserve.