Classical Silk Road 14 Days: Xian, Lanzhou, Labrang, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi, Kashgar

This 14-day route follows the Chinese leg of the Silk Road from Xi'an to Kashgar, tracing the old trade path west through desert, oasis towns and Tibetan highland culture.

You move through some genuinely different worlds in one trip — Xi'an's imperial history, the Tibetan Buddhist monastery at Labrang, the fortress at Jiayuguan, the desert dunes and caves around Dunhuang, and Kashgar's markets near the old Silk Road crossroads. A local guide travels with you through the key stops.

It's a long, ground-covering route through China's northwest, better suited to those who want depth and history over beach time or downtime.

What you'll do

• Walk the ancient city walls and see the Terracotta Army in Xi'an
• Visit Labrang Monastery, one of the major Tibetan Buddhist monasteries outside Tibet
• Stand at the Jiayuguan Fort, the western end of the Great Wall
• See the Mogao Caves and Mingsha Sand Dunes at Dunhuang
• Explore Turpan's ancient ruins and the Flaming Mountains
• End the Silk Road route in Kashgar's old bazaars