Silk Road Splendor – 6 Days 5 Nights Luxury Cultural Journey in Gansu

Arrive in Lanzhou by flight. After pickup, transfer to the city. If the flight arrives early, visit the Gansu Provincial Museum or the Yellow River Scenic Area. Check into the hotel after dinner.

After breakfast, travel to Wuwei to visit the Leitai Han Tomb, built in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, famous for the national treasure “Horse Treading on Flying Swallow.” The tomb, constructed under a rammed earth platform, yielded over 230 artifacts (gold, silver, bronze, jade, etc.) and 30,000 ancient coins, including a finely crafted bronze chariot and horse procession. Visit Kumarajiva Temple, founded in the Later Liang Dynasty, expanded in the Tang, and restored in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Built to honor the Western Regions monk Kumarajiva for spreading Buddhism, it has over 1,600 years of history and is a valuable site for studying Five Liang culture and Buddhism. Continue to Zhangye and check into the hotel.
Tip: Lanzhou to Wuwei (~270 km, ~3.5 hrs); Wuwei to Zhangye (~250 km, ~3 hrs).

After breakfast, visit the Big Buddha Temple (originally Kasyapa Tathagata Temple, also called “Reclining Buddha Temple”), a national AAAA scenic spot. Built in 1098 during the Western Xia, it houses the largest Western Xia Buddhist hall, the largest indoor wooden-framed clay reclining Buddha, and the most complete first-edition Yongle Northern Canon.

A key Silk Road landmark, it’s a museum of architecture, sculpture, murals, and artifacts. Then, explore Zhangye Danxia Landform, a stunning geological wonder with colorful, wave-like hills in red, yellow, white, and green hues. Multiple viewing platforms offer breathtaking scenery. Proceed to Jiayuguan and check into the hotel.
Tip: Zhangye to Jiayuguan (~230 km, ~3.5 hrs).

After breakfast, visit the AAAAA-rated Jiayuguan Pass, a 231-meter rammed earth fortress on a 150-meter-high, 45-degree slope, with walls stretching 8 km north to the Black Mountain Suspended Wall and 7 km south to the First Pier. Known as the westernmost point of the Ming Great Wall, it’s a strategic pass.

Tour the First Pier of the Great Wall, the southernmost Ming Dynasty beacon tower by the Taolai River, offering dramatic views. En route to Dunhuang, stop at Guazhou’s Desert Art Base, featuring the 15-meter-long Child of the Earth sculpture—a “giant infant” sleeping in the Gobi—and the Boundless installation, symbolizing life’s limitless possibilities.

Arrive in Dunhuang and check into the hotel. Optional evening shows (at own expense): Meet Dunhuang Again or Music of Dunhuang.
Tip: Jiayuguan to Dunhuang (~385 km, ~5 hrs).

After breakfast, visit Mingsha Mountain & Crescent Spring, a timeless marvel where the oasis persists amid shifting sands. Enjoy activities like fountain gazing, mountain climbing, sand sledding, or camel riding (at own expense). Then, tour the AAAAA-rated Mogao Caves, known as the Thousand Buddha Caves, a 20th-century cultural treasure.

Guided tours reveal intricate sculptures, murals, and history spanning ten dynasties. Mogao tickets are pre-booked (A-ticket: 6,000 daily, includes 2 films + 8 caves + shuttle; B-ticket: 12,000 daily, includes 4 caves + shuttle; if unavailable, visit West Thousand Buddha Caves). After dinner, board the overnight hard-sleeper train to Lanzhou based on Mogao’s schedule.

Arrive at Lanzhou train station and be picked up. If the return flight is late, visit the Gansu Provincial Museum or Yellow River Scenic Area. Transfer to the airport for your flight home based on your schedule.