Southern Xinjiang Hidden Gems | Kashgar Old Town + Baisha Lake + Karakul Lake + Tashkurgan Stone City + Aral Golden Grassland In-Depth 5-Day Tour

Welcome to Kashgar~! Our guide will meet you in the airport arrival hall and take you to a hotel in downtown Kashgar for check-in. After that, you can rest at the hotel or explore the surrounding area. Kashgar is located on the southwestern frontier of Xinjiang. In ancient times it was called Shule and was once one of the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions. Since ancient times, it has been a place where multiple ethnic groups live together, a stage for diverse cultural exchanges, the westernmost general intersection of the northern, middle, and southern routes of the ancient Silk Road, and the meeting point of the four ancient civilizations. Its unique geographical advantage made Kashgar a commercial distribution center where "envoys could see one another on the road, and merchants never ceased coming and going," earning it the reputation of the "Kingdom of Bazaars (trade markets)." Tip: It is recommended to take a morning flight to Kashgar. You need to apply in advance for the border pass required for the next day's itinerary. Pass application working hours: 10:30-18:00. Suggested ways to arrive 1. By plane: Kashgar Laining International Airport (KHG) is the second largest airport in Xinjiang and one of the westernmost airports in China. It has multiple direct domestic routes, such as Urumqi (about 2 hours), Beijing (about 6 hours), Shanghai (about 7 hours), Xi'an, Chengdu (about 5 hours), Lanzhou (about 4 hours), and Chongqing (about 5 hours), as well as direct routes to Central Asia, such as Islamabad. 2. Border ports: Irkeshtam Port and Torugart Port are important ports connecting China and Kyrgyzstan; Karasu Port is the only land port between China and Tajikistan; Khunjerab Port is the only land port between China and Pakistan. If you plan to enter Kashgar through a land port, please contact your consultant in advance for specific arrangements and costs.

After breakfast, your exploration today will begin at Kashgar Old Town. Kashgar Old Town is located in the city center and is the only completely preserved labyrinth-style urban district in China, one of the largest earthen architectural complexes in the world, an important post station on the ancient Silk Road, and a representative of Uygur culture. When visiting the old town, you must not miss the opening ceremony, where you can watch wonderful folk performances and feel the local enthusiastic atmosphere. You can also stroll leisurely through the crisscrossing alleys of Kashgar Old Town, admire the traditional and exquisite Uygur architecture and simple historical sites, browse handicraft shops with strong ethnic characteristics, and taste the most authentic Xinjiang cuisine. The calls of vendors and the pleasant sound of bells on camels' necks make people feel as if they have traveled through time and returned to Kashgar's most prosperous and flourishing period. In addition, you can also visit Kashgar's landmark building, the Id Kah Mosque. This is the largest mosque in Xinjiang, one of the largest mosques in China, and one of the three most influential mosques in Central Asia. Here, you can not only see the grand scene of worship and feel the strong religious atmosphere up close, but also relax and sunbathe with locals in Id Kah Square. If you want to deeply experience the daily life of local people, you can go to a century-old teahouse, order a pot of local specialty tea, chat with hospitable Uygurs, and enjoy a rare leisurely slow time. If you are lucky, you can also hear the pleasant singing and playing of Uygur elders, and may even join them in dancing. If you happen to visit Kashgar on a Sunday, you must not miss the Kashgar Livestock Bazaar. This is the largest live livestock trading market in Xinjiang and even Asia, full of primitive trading fun and strong Uygur culture. Every Sunday, it is as lively as a festival. You can see the most traditional and ancient methods of livestock trading, and "bargaining in the sleeve" is the most interesting part, full of wit and fun. Tips: The Kashgar Livestock Bazaar has a large number of livestock such as cattle, sheep, horses, donkeys, and camels, and there will be a strong smell. If you are sensitive to smells, it is recommended to bring a mask.

This morning, you will be taken on an exciting road trip along the China-Pakistan Highway, about 400 km in total, about 8 hours. Along the way, you can enjoy the magnificent Pamir Plateau scenery, gaze at spectacular snow peaks such as Muztagh Ata, Kongur Tagh and Kongur Tiube, and stop to visit two famous attractions, White Sand Lake and Karakul Lake. The China-Pakistan Highway, also known as the Karakoram Highway or Pamir Highway, is the world's highest-altitude cross-border highway and an important road connecting China and Pakistan. Its stunning scenery of canyons, wetlands, snow peaks, grasslands, lakes and glaciers along the way makes it the most beautiful three-dimensional scenic avenue in southern Xinjiang. Once regarded as the most mysterious and dangerous section of the ancient Silk Road and a forbidden zone described as "ten thousand mountains piled with snow, snow pressing down ten thousand mountains," it has now become a beautiful scenic highway. [White Sand Lake], also known as Kakelak Lake, is a plateau flat lake with an area of about 44 square kilometers and an elevation of about 3,660 meters. It is known as "the most beautiful lake on the Pamir Plateau," and its scenery is especially magnificent. The water here is as clear as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds and distant snow mountains. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and backed by White Sand Mountain, whose slopes are covered with white sand. Under the sunlight, the sand is especially fine and soft, like pure white silk. When strong winds blow, the white sand on the mountain makes a whistling sound, earning it the name "Resounding Sand Mountain." [Karakul Lake], also known as Kalakul Lake or Black Lake, is a rare plateau lake in the world and belongs to an alpine glacial erosion and moraine lake, with an elevation of 3,600 meters and a total area of 10 square kilometers. The lake is surrounded by icy peaks and snowy ridges. On calm days, the silvery peaks, green grasslands and livestock by the lake are reflected in the water, exceptionally beautiful. Opposite the lake is Muztagh Ata, known as the "Father of Ice Mountains," with an elevation of 7,509 meters (often said in mountaineering circles to be 7,546 meters). Muztagh Ata belongs to the Kunlun Mountains and is the third-highest peak of the Western Kunlun range. Muztagh Ata, Kongur Peak and Kongur Tiube stand together like pillars holding up the sky on the beautiful Pamir Plateau, and are iconic landscapes of the Pamir Plateau. If you stay long enough by Karakul Lake, you will find that the lake water changes color with the light, sometimes azure, sometimes emerald green, sometimes blue-gray, hence it is known as the "Color-Changing Lake." After the tour, you will drive to Tashkurgan County, which "borders three countries in one county, has two ports connecting two Asian regions, and two roads linking east and west," and visit a local Tajik family. Tashkurgan County has a long history and is the main southern gateway of the ancient Silk Road, with magnificent plateau scenery, unique ethnic culture and majestic historical relics. The Tajiks here are China's only indigenous Caucasian ethnic group, famous for their beautiful songs and dances and exquisite handicrafts. Here, you can chat and interact with the hospitable Tajiks, learn about their unique lifestyle and folk culture, admire their colorful traditional architecture and clothing up close, listen to traditional Tajik music and instruments, and have the chance to see the eagle dance performance, a national-level intangible cultural heritage. You can also walk into local streets and alleys to taste distinctive authentic food and snacks.

After breakfast, set off to visit the Tashkurgan Stone City, a fortress of great strategic importance on the ancient Silk Road. [Tashkurgan Stone City] was once the capital site of the ancient Western Regions' thirty-six states, the Kingdom of Qiepantuo (Puli Kingdom). The castle was built on a high hill, with an extremely steep terrain. Outside the city, there are multiple layers of city walls, some broken and some continuous. Between the walls, stone hills overlap and rocks are piled up, forming the unique scenery of the Stone City. Although only broken walls and ruins remain, there are snow peaks around it, and below are grasslands and rivers, combined with the rich Tajik ethnic customs, giving it a bold and unrestrained beauty. In addition, the famous Chinese monk Xuanzang once stayed here for 22 days to preach sutras when he returned from India, which is of great historical and cultural significance. After visiting the castle ruins, go to visit the vast Alar Golden Grassland below Tashkurgan Stone City. [Alar Golden Grassland] is also known as Alar National Wetland Park. It is composed of wetlands, grasslands, rivers, marshes, snow mountains, and plateaus. The scenery here is beautiful, with herdsmen's tents and flocks of cattle and sheep dotted among it. Standing on the grassland, you feel relaxed and happy, with blue sky and white clouds, snow peaks and green grasslands, and infinite beautiful scenery. At sunrise and sunset, the grassland here is dyed golden by the sunlight, creating an extremely stunning scene. After the tour, you will return to Kashgar along the scenic China-Pakistan Highway to rest. You will have the opportunity to enjoy again from different angles the spectacular snow peaks, lakes, and other natural landscapes along the way.

After breakfast, you can take some time to explore more of Kashgar's scenery according to your own preferences, and experience up close the unique ethnic culture and rich Silk Road charm of this ancient city. After the tour ends, this wonderful and unforgettable 5-day Kashgar and Tashkurgan trip in Xinjiang will come to an end. Our guide will take you to the airport for your flight to the next destination. If you would like to extend this trip and explore more destinations in China, such as Beijing, Harbin, Shanghai, Yunnan, Xi'an, Zhangjiajie, Chengdu, Tibet, Guilin, etc., you can also contact our customer service to arrange it for you.