Southern silk road tour from Torpan

Turpan - Toksun - Korla - Cherchen - Qarkilik - Niya - Keriya - Hotan - Yarkand - Kashgar ( 6 days Southern silk road)
Day 01
Turpan - Tohsun - Korla (450km/280miles)
Our Silk Road tour guide will meet you at your hotel in Turpan at 9:00am local time and accompany you to Korla, which is about 6 hours drive including photo and lunch stops on route. We can stop for lunch in one of the villages on the way. Today, we will enjoy the villages of the Silk Road and the Gobi desert of the Turpan basin. Time of arrival in Korla is about 4.00pm local time. We will check in to the Bostan Hotel or any other hotel you request.

Day 02
Korla - Qarkilik (444km/276miles)
At 7.00am local time we will set out for Qarkilik, one of the most historic cities in Southern Xinjiang. You will enjoy high sand dunes and oasis villages & towns that have long borne witness to Silk Road history. Once these places were inns for the caravans to stop overnight and their atmospheric location still invokes a proud history and culture for you to be part of once more. After we check into our hotel in Qarkilik, we will visit Arjin Mountain natural park, Desert springs, Birds Island and Miran Ancient City (note these are optional and depend and available time).

Day 03
Qarkilik - Cherchen (320km/199miles)
Wash Ancient city changed to Washixia Ancient City as stated on tourist map.
After an early breakfast at 6:00am local time, we will visit Yadang miraculous earth soil, Komtura valley as well as Washixia Ancient City before we drive on to Cherchen. On the way, we will stop for lunch with a local family in a local village. At one time this road flourished as an old Silk Route with many caravans plodding along its length. In almost every old town and village here you can gain a fresh taste of Silk Road life and you are sure to learn what you want to know about the Silk Road. We will arrive at Cherchen at about 4:00pm local time.

Once Cherchen was a former capital of 16 kingdoms during the time of the Silk Road. In 2002, three tonnes of Jade were famously found here in the Kunlun Shan Mountains nearby. Sights of interest in Cherchen include: a splendid traditional Uyghur house built in 1911 in Toghrak village and the 2600 year old Zahunluk tombs. The traditional Uyghur house maintains the feeling of old Uyghur life as once written in history books.

Day 04
Cherchen - Niya (280km/174miles)
Today, we will set out for Niya town, after visiting Zahunlonk Old Tombs which have a history of over 2600 years (some tombs even older). The tombs lie only 6kms from town. The tombs are especially interesting and lie six kilometers from Cherchen. In one tomb an entire family of 14 people were discovered. In another was a couple whose boots were remarkably well-preserved. The sight is a remarkably well-preserved witness to the cultures and people of another age. You will love the beauty of this desert oasis and we can stop for photos as often as you want. Our lunch today will be in a local restaurant and arrival in Niya will be around 4.30pm local time. We will check in Niya Gong yu hotel or Bao rui hotel.

Day 05
Niya - Hotan (303km/188miles)
Following breakfast we begin our day with a visit to the Niya Museum, home to very old mummies found in Niya Ancient City some time ago. Then we drive on to Hotan. On the way, we stop off in Keriya, a town whose ladies are reputed to wear the smallest women鈥檚 hat in the world. Lunch will be spent in Keriya. At 2.00pm we arrive in Hotan and take an hour鈥檚 rest after the drive in either the Muztagh Hotel or Hotan Binguan. Then we carry on to look for Jade along the Kara Kax (Black Jade River) - where locals still hunt to this day - as well as spend time at a Silk and Atlas cloth workshop and traditional carpet factory.
Our day ends with an interesting visit to the Imam Asim Tomb. 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. From there we head back to your hotel.

Day 06
Hotan - Kashgar (540km336miles)
At 7:30am local time we drive to nearby Malike Awat ancient city, 25kms away from Hotan. Then we will head to Kashgar. On the way, we will stop in Kargilik to visit the Jamma Mosque and local market around there. For lunch, we will stop in Yarkand.
At one time, Yarkand was the capital of Uyghur kingdoms in Xinjiang and has long been a cradle of Uyghur Civilisation. After lunch, 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.
We will spend a half-hour walking around the old town and then drive on to Kashgar. In Yengisar (meaning new fort), we will stop off to visit a knife factory, for which the town is famous. Most Uyghur men wear knives as part of local custom and almost all come from Yengisar. The town is famous throughout Xinjiang and here you can see real experts at work. We arrive in Kashgar around 4:30pm local time and check in to either Seman Hotel or Qinibag Hotel.