16 days Aerjinshan Discovery Adventure

Erdaoqiao Market & International Bazaar

Our nice guide will meet you at the airport and then start your Xinjiang Photography Tour. City sightseeing in Urumqi.
Visit Xinjiang Museum, Erdaoqiao Market & International Bazaar, and Enjoy the Uyger Show
Xinjiang Museum,the museum is the main institution to collect and investigate the unearthed cultural relics and specimens in Xinjiang. There are more than 50 thousand pieces of various kinds of cultural relics stored in the museum, among them, the ancient mummies represented by ‘the Loulan Beauty', manuscripts in Chinese, Kharosthi, Qiuci, Yanji, Tibetan, Uigurian and other characters prevailed in ancient Westen Regions, the silk ,wool, cotton and hemp fabrics and folk rainment, etc., are unusual tidbits in the world.
Erdaoqiao Market & International Bazaar is the largest in Urumqi. You'll find a bustling market filled with fruit, clothing, crafts, knives, carpets and almost anything that you can imagine. On Sunday, there are more stalls and more goods to buy than any other day. The old streets around the bazaar are really worth seeing.Here is the most welcomed place by tourist especialy by ladies where they can buy some traditional Uygur make up cosmetic.

Day 2

Urumqi  Turpan (200kms, 2.5-3hrs driving)

Bezklik Grottoes

In the morning head to Turpan, the famous for the grapes, hot weather and historical sites.
Upon arrival, visit Bezklik Grottoes, Astana Tombs, Tuyoq Valley and Kumtag Desert
Bezklik Grottoes . “Bezeklik”means “a place with beautiful decoration”. These caves are first excavated in Qu`s Gaochang period. The exising caves were reconstructed by Uighurian people. Themes of the murals are mainly the stories about causes.
Astana Tombs, covering an area of 10 square kilometers, the Astana Tombs are the graveyard of the residents lived in the Gaochang City in the Jin-Tang times. Between 1959 and 1975, a great number of cultural relics have been unearthed, including Chinese documents, textiles, epitaphs, coins, clay sculptures, pottery, wooden wares, silk-paintings, crops and foods ,etc., and total number of them reaches tens thousands. Known as “the Underground Museum.
Tuyoq Valley, constructed iin eastern and western cliffs in Tuyoq valley . more than 40 caves, there are 10 preserving murals. They are considered to be the earliest caves in Turfan, Murals are mostly damaged, but unique in style

Day 3

3 Turpan  Korler (190kms 2.5hrs driving)

Karez Irrigation System

In the morning visit Jiaohe Ruined city, Karez Irrigation system, Sugong Minaret, after lunch head to Korler
Jiaohe Ruined The Jiaohe Ruins is located on a mesa in willow leaf shape between the Yarnaz River valleys 10 kilometers to the west of Turfan City. running from northwest to southeast, 1760 meters long and 300 meters across at the widest part. The city includes city gates, streets and lanes, government office, temples, domestic houses, cave houses, wells, and an underground temple.
Karez Irrigation System,The Karez System is a unique irrigation system in Turfan, which, taking advantage of the slopes, draws the underground water to flow by itself to irrigate farmland. It consists of four parts: vertical wells, underground channels, ground canals and small reservois
Sugong Minerat,Locatedin Mura Village 2 kilometers to the ast of the city of Turfa, theTower was built in the 41st year of the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty,It is an embodiment of the ancient architectural arts of the Uygur nationality. The tower is 37 meters high and 10 meters in diameter at the base. The body of the tower is cylindroid in shape, built with bricks arranged in various symmetrical patterns on the outer wall. The tower has 14 windows and a spiral stairs inside it leading to the top.

Day 4

Korler  Ruoqiang (420kms, 5-6hrs)

Bosten Lake

Our adventure start today. In the morning head to Korler and visit the Bosten Lake, and the Irion Gate Pass. Free in the evening, and you can have a walk along the Peacock River and know more about the local’s life.
Bosten Lake Called “the Western Sea” in ancient times, the Bosten Lake is Located in the southeast part of the north of Korla City, and is under the jurisdiction of Bohu County. As a biggest freshlake in Xinjiang, it covers an area of 988 square kilometers, with an elevation of 1048 meters, and has a storage capacity of over 80 hundreds of million cubic meters. This lake is the home of the Kaidu River and source of the Konqi River. It is rich in aquatic resources. A great variety of fish, such as flat mouth fish, Tarim split belly fish, crucian, mussel and shrimp, etc. live in its water. Now the Bosten Lake is developed into an important aquatic products base and a scenic spot for visit.

Day 5

Ruoqiang  Yitunbulak town (310 kms, 9hrs)

Aerjinshan Natural Reserve

In the morning visit the Loulan Museum, and the Photo Exhibition of Lop Nur and Ancient Loulan Ruins, Aerjinshan Natural Reserve, then head to Yitunbulak Town.
Today we have to across the Rugged Kumu Daban and Tashi Daban, driving on the winding mountain road, even some place destroyed by the flood. The sea level of Tashi Daban is 4200ms, it is the hub of the main ridge in Aerjinshan Mountain, when you are crossing the Daban, and there is a platform for parking. You can have a bird-view of the whole reserve. And we still have the chance to see the Argali sheep, the argali, or the mountain sheep (species Ovis ammon) is a wild sheep, which roams the highlands of Central Asia (Himalaya, Tibet, Altay). It is also the biggest wild sheep, standing as high as 120 cm (47 in) and weighing as much as 180 kg (400 lb). The Pamir argali (also called Marco Polo sheep, for they were first described by that traveler) may attain more than 6 ft (1.8 m) in length.
Travel Tips:
1, the road condition is bad, the driver must be very careful.
2, there wont petrol station, so you have to prepare enough petrol in Yitunlak.
3, There is no road in Reserve area because of the influence of the weather, and snow. In addition to other self-provision, there will not have any external assistance.

Day 6

Yitunbulak Kechik Lake (400kms, Gebi 8hrs)

Aerjinshan Nature Reserve

After breakfast drive to Aerjinshan Nature Reserve. It is the largest Mountain Nature Reserve. You can enjoy the picturesque landscape. There are spectacular alpine desert and dozensn of alpine lakes, which offers great opportunity for scientific research and exploration.
Travel Tips:
1, the driving is very hard, the road is consists of the rivers, mud, marshes, gully, snow-slopes, daban and etc.
2, We have access to the external area of the Reserve, so it is occasionally to meet with wild yak and Tibetan wild ass. But please don’t take too much time on them, otherwise we cant get to the destination on time, and you can visit more and more in the following days.
3, Wild ass can be seen, which color is the same with the mountain around, you will miss them closely if you are not careful. The asses are used to chasing the vehicles. We should be avoiding the contest, so that hurt them.
4, the permit needed today. Other wise you can’t be continue your adventure, but be fined.
5, we overnight in Qimantag county where inhabitated by about 10 families, living on the pastoral life very far from the modern society.

Day 7

Kechik  lakeKardun (180kms, gebi desert)

wild Yark

After breakfast, head to Kardun pastureland, and you can see many rare animals including the wild Yark, Tibetan Gazelle, Tibetan Ass.
Travel Tips:
1, there is a nice lake at the south of the Qimantag County, at dawn of the autumn, a large number of birds on the lake fly
2, I am so sorry that I realized how poor my English is to describe the picturesque of the view. The spring in the desert, the river in the desert, alpine lakes, pastureland, rare birds, variety of the wild ass. What a kind of views.
3, Ayakumu Lake is a mountain lake which is never frozen with the sea level of 3876ms. It is the lowest point of the Reserve; the lake is 45kilometers long and 10kilometers wide. To the east, there is a cliff Stone Mountain, to the west, there is a mountain in the shape of Pyramid with the sea level of 4400ms. We will drive along the north shore of the lake, please be careful, don’t fall into it..

Day 8

Kardun  Yicikpaty protection station. (200km, 5hrs)

Enjoy the platue view; experience the heaven of the wild animals.

Ayakeku Lake

Ayakeku Lake---Black Bear Mountain—Golden Junction (240kms, )
After breakfast, visit the Ayakeku Lake which inhabitated by the variety of the birds.

Day 10

Golden JunctionDanban—Aqikeku Lake (140kms, 4—6hrs)

Today we have to drive about 5000ms, there is almost no path, we have to drive climb the slope. Cross the Daban, visit the Aqikeku Lake and the Kunlun mountain just stand by you.

Day 11

11 Aqikeku Lake  Whale Lake (220kms)

IKunlun Mountain

IKunlun Mountain with the sea level of 5000ms, there exist large glacier, which bring life to the mountain area. Whale Lake is 37kms from east to west, 7.6kms from south to north, covers the area of 260kms, with the sea level of 4708kms, the whole lake shaped in a Whale that is the name comes from. The lake is not a salty lake that’s why the animals and birds prefer to live there.

Day 12-14

Whale Lake Aqikeku Lake  Yitunbulak Town--Dunhuang

During these 3 days, you will visit the laked mentioned, and in the afternoon of day 14th, drive to Dunhuang. The city which played important role in the ancient silk road. It is famous for the Mogao Grottoes.

Mogao Grottoes

In the morning Visit Mogao Grottoes, Echoing-Sand Mountain and the Crescent Lake, Camel Riding
Mogao Grottoes : Constructed over a millennium, from the 4th to the 14th centuries, the caves hold the world's richest treasure house of Buddhist sutras, murals and sculptures.Cameras are not permitted.
Echoing-Sand Mountain : Crescent Moon Spring is 6km south of Dunhuang in the Singing Sands Mountains and is quite literally an oasis in the desert. The spring's name derives from the crescent moon shape taken by the small pool of spring water between two large sand dunes. Although the area is very dry, the pool doesn't dry up as one might expect.

Day 16

Dunhuang  Your Destination

You will be transferred to the airport and take the flight back to your destination based on your flight schedule.