Home > Hiking & Trekking > 6 Days Hiking Tour in Silk Road
TRIP OVERVIEW
Danxia landform is formed from red-coloured sandstones and conglomerates of largely Cretaceous age. The landforms look very much like karst topography that forms in areas underlain by limestones, but since the rocks that form danxia are sandstones and conglomerates, they have been called "pseudo-karst" landforms.
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(B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
DAY 1 BEIJING – JIAYUGUAN (by air then by train)
Local tour guide will meet at Lanzhou Zhongchuan Airport and then transfer to Lanzhou railway station by car (70km, 1.5hour), take a night sleep on the train to Jiayuguan.
Overnight on the train.
DAY 2 JIAYUGUAN (hiking time: 4-5hrs, BLD)
After breakfast, we will visit Wei-Jin tombs (10km, 20minutes) . After that, we will start our hiking from the No.1 Beacon Tower and visit Jiayuguan Pass and the Great Wall museum, hiking further on to the hanging Great Wall or more further up the time.
Hiking (4-5hours).
Jiayuguan Pass is the key waypoint of the ancient Silk Road. Well known by the name "First and Greatest Pass Under Heaven", it's the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall and also one of the most intact surviving ancient military buildings.In the past, Jiayuguan has a somewhat fearsome reputation for Chinese people who were banished were ordered to leave through it for the west, never to return.
Wei-Jin Mural Brick Tomb is a big tomb group with over 1,400 tombs built between the 3rd Century and 5th Century during the Wei and Jin dynasties. Renowned as the largest subterranean art gallery in the world, housing a great deal of colorful murals, the gallery has attracted tourists from both home and abroad since 1972 when it was excavated. Most tombs are of families, housing bodies of three or four generations, and now only Grave 6 and Grave 7 are open for tourism.
Overnight at the hotel in Jiayuguan.
DAY 3 JIAYUGUAN - DANXIA (hiking time: 4-5hrs, BLD)
Morning: After breakfast in the hotel of Jiayuguan, transfer to Danxia by car ( 260km, 3-4 hours).
Afternoon: Lunch at Danxia. Start Hiking(4-5hours) along north part of Danxia Landform, enjoying great view of Qilianshan and sunset in Danxia.
Overnight at local Guest House in Danxia.
DAY 4 DANXIA - ZHANGYE (hiking time:4-5hrs, BLD)
Morning: drive into Danxia for sunrise at 5:00-6:00am in the morning. After breakfast, trend to south part of Danxia and start hiking (4-5 hours) around Binggou Rock viewing the red terrestrial classic rock landform.
Afternoon: after lunch in Danxia, we'll drive to to Zhangye(40-50km, 1hour) , visit the Giant Buddha Temple, where the biggest indoor sleeping Buddha in China is preserved.
Giant Buddha Temple is the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province of the Western Xia (1038-1227) period. China's largest reclining Buddha is well preserved in this temple. Located in the southwest corner of Zhangye in Gansu Province, it was built in 1098 to house the Buddha. In its 900 years the temple was restored many times during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Overnight at hotel in Zhangye.
DAY 5 ZHANGYE/MATISI TEMPLE (hiking time: 4-5.5hrs, BLD)
Morning: after breakfast in Zhangye, forward to Matisi Temple by car ( 70km, 1.5hour). Visit south part of Matisi and hiking (6-7km, 1-1.5 hours) along Thousand-Buddha caves.
Afternoon: after lunch, visit and hiking(20km, 3-4 hours) in north part of Matisi, including caves neighbor to Sanshisantian cave (for culture protection, Sanshisantian shiku is not open to public now) and Songlin waterfalls. Then go for fascinating Yugu folklore, a unique nomadic minority of Gansu. Enjoy a nice local dinner with folk song and dancing in the evening.
The Grottoes of the Matisi Temple Complex consists of various Temples and the Caves with their Deities and Murals. Set within the beautiful surroundings of the Green foothills of the Qilian Mountains, and along a cool and refreshing river, Matisi offers a unique and amazing scenery. It was described by Marco Polo in his Book "Travels to the Orient" (or Ill Millione) and were well developed, active and full of Buddhist Monks and Pilgrims by the time of the 13Th Century.
Overnight in Yugu local tent (no private washing-room in the tent, only open, natural toilet).
DAY 6 YUGU - ZHANGYE - XINING - BEIJING (hiking time: 3-4hrs, driving time: 5hrs, BLD)
Morning: after breakfast in Yugu, hiking on Gaoshancaodianzi (20km, 3-4hours) --south part of Qilian Mt. Then drive to Zhangye (80km, 1-1.5hours) ,enjoying the nature view of Qilian Mountains along the road.
Afternoon: after lunch in Zhangye, drive to Xining by car (340km, 5hours-for one part is under construction).
Evening: after supper, tour guide will see off at the airport (40km, half hour) to take evening flight back to Beijing.
End of the tour.
The tour cost includes
The tour cost does not include
Cancellation and Refund Policy for Tours Reservation
Cancellation in advance Cancellation penalty
More than 30 days No Cancellation Fee
30-10 days 50% of the full payment
9-0 days or no show 100% of the full payment

Necessities
Enough films and batteries, Sun-cream with the protection index of 40-60, sunglasses with a sun protection factor of 15, the lip creams and balms with SPF rating, towel, toothpaste, electric torch, Snack foods.
Cloth that you bring must be warm enough and can be removed easy enough according to the weather, including Jacket, hat, Cotton underwear, Socks, Long-sleeve Shirts, T-shirts and Pants (Shorts are not appropriate at any time while hiking), comfortable shoes, rain gear (long rain coat is better).

Medicine
In addition to the normal medications for traveling, just like the Aspirin and medicine for diarrhea, siriasis,sunstroke and carsickness.

Currency to use
US$ is acceptable only in a very limited range, e.g. tips. However, for convenience, Chinese currency is the best choice. If you want to change US$ to Chinese currency in the tour, you can change it in the Hotel you stay or in the Bank of China. You could draw cash only from Bank of China in the big city, the ATM there doesn't always work properly and the bank is not easy to find. Please bring some cash at hand to use.

Food and drink
a) Eating is an important part of your China experience. Generally breakfasts are included in the itinerary and offered by hotels. China Highlights recommends local Chinese restaurants that are popular with local people for lunch. You can order dishes with the help of your guide. We usually leave dinner for your own choice — Western food can be found in most large cities.
b) We have tried to arrange various food in different cities. But you may still think the food is simple and not as delicious as in the big cities especially while trekking in the mountains and villages. If you have any priority of the food (eg. If you are vegetarian or you are allergic to MSG, peanut oil, fish and peanut, etc) please inform us early, we will try to alternate the food accordingly. At the same time please prepare some of your favorite snacks and substitution food in case of need.
c) Meals in the home stays will be different from the cities but clean, which leave you a good chance to experience the ethnic minority culture. We will pack a breakfast for you of cold cereal, milk, toast, fruit, and jam for the home stay.
d) It is very important to drink a lot of water and eat enough fruit in your tour especially while trekking in the mountains and villages. You are advised not to drink tap water.

Accommodation
Hotels in China are bound by Government laws which mean that air conditioning is switched on nationally in May and the central heating in November (this may vary slightly depending on the region).
In some remote areas, sometimes shower maybe not available in the home stay. A married couple is not allowed to share a room in the Miao's home-stay due to the local customs.

Tipping
It is customary to tip service providers in the travel industry in Asia, depending on the service. Tipping is expected — though not compulsory — and shows an expression of satisfaction with the people who have assisted you on your tour. Recommendations for tipping drivers (3 USD per person per day as a guideline) and local guides (8 USD per person per day as a guideline) would depend on the quality and length of the service.

Vehicles
We use comfortable sedans or vans with air-conditioning. The comfort and safety of our customers is of utmost importance, so we ensure that all of the vehicles we use are well maintained and always very clean. Our drivers take pride in their vehicles.

Tourist insurance
It is a must before going, please provide us the confirmation of insurance company when sign up.

Customs
In some provinces with many minorities (like Guizhou, Guangxi, Tibet, Xinjiang and etc.), the customs and habits of local people are different from place to place. The local guide will inform you what should care. Respect the local customs and religions. The people are very kind and hospitable. You can feel free to talk with them. But there are some rulers you should go by!
a. Do not photo them without getting the permit, please show the respect to them!
b. Don't talk the sensitive topics like the political and the religion matters!

Conditions
When you sign up for the trekking tour, you acknowledge that there are risks involved in trekking in high altitude and confirm that you are fully aware of and accept these risks. It is customer's responsibility to determine whether the tour he/she choose is suited to his/her physical condition. Customers are responsible for the cost of any medicines or medical care they may require during the trip for any reason. Please make sure you have adequate personal medical insurance to meet any medical emergency which might arise. In some cases, if you need medical care during the tour, you may be required to pay for it at the time it is rendered and seek reimbursement from your insurer after you return home. Please check with your medical insurer for details. In the event of a medical emergency, we will make every effort to assist you in obtaining necessary care. Also, please tell us in writing if you suffer from any allergies or other physical conditions which might affect you during the tour (if you hasn't tell us in writing before going, you are supposed to be healthy enough to take the tour). Finally, please check with your doctor to find out what inoculation may be recommended for the areas you will be visiting. It is your responsibility to obtain all necessary inoculations. We reserve the right to decline to accept any person as a member of the tour, or to decline to retain any person, if such person's physical condition, mental well-being or behavior interferes with the operation of the tour. There will be no refund in such cases.

Always take good care of your belongings.