Xinjiang Travel Reviews on Tripadvisor.com

We went on a 13 days private tour to Xi’an, Xinjiang and Chedu. Our travel consultant Leo Li, was referred to me by my friend since he had used his services a few times in the past. Leo responded to my emails promptly, answered all my questions in detail and was well organized. We did have a minor problem during our trip, but Leo was able to resolve the issue quickly and thoroughly by email. The travel arrangements, hotels, tour guides, places we visited, exceeded our expectations.

Our tour guides and drivers were extremely friendly and helpful. Timo, Sophie and Ali were very flexible in our simple requests and minor changes in our itinerary.

Overall, our trip was exceedingly enjoyable and memorable, I would highly recommend Leo’s travel consultant services to all my friends and family.

It was in 2020,our group of 12 seniors with average age in the mid seventies, some speak little Chinese from Vancouver, Canada was looking for a tour agent that will provide us with itinerary of the Silk Route, and also with guides that speaks both English and Chinese. We were fortunate to find Leo Li of China Discovery. knowing we are all seniors, Leo worked patiently with us through email communications on the itinerary, and provided us with all necessary information on Safety, and weather conditions in the tour area. Unfortunately, our tour plan paused due to Pandemic, Leo was kind enough to assist us obtaining the refund that was paid. In 2023, we reconnect with Leo for the purpose of tour The Silk Route in 2024, Leo helped work out the costs of all travel expenses, including first class train, air and transfer for all.

We were able to travel in October 2024. All guides assigned to the trip were very professional, speak well in English; all very friendly and kind taking care of seniors, spend extra hour over their call of duty; they also help the group checking in on train and air. Spacious bus for the local travel was clean and comfortable. All lunches and dinners that were included in the tour were more that excellent with touch of local flavour. Thanks to the guides that we learned a lot about the History and culture of the area, understanding how people lives. We are extremely happy that we found the right tour agent for the trip, will recommend Leo Li of China Discovery to any potential traveller.

I want to thank you, Tracy, for our trip along the Silk Road, from Lanzhou to Kashgar. You were very kind, helpful and competent, firstly, in answering all my questions before leaving and, then, we appreciated a perfect organization, that allowed us to fully enjoy the wonderful places we visited. Thanks to our guides too who made us known the history, the culture, the art of this part of China. I highly recommend you to others.

First-class start to finish. We did the 11-day private tour from Lanzhou to Kashgar. Hotels, drivers and guides all excellent; never felt rushed and tour was well paced whilst fitting in a great deal. Our contact at China Discovery Tracey Tan went above and beyond to be helpful and tailored the tour to our wishes, and communication was great. Strongly recommend and would definitely use again when visiting another part of China.

Let's keep this short: all the good things they say about ChinaDiscovery are true. It was a lot of fun designing this trip with my consultant Wonder Wang, everything worked out perfectly well despite many complicated special wishes. Wholeheartedly recommended!

I travelled with friends - all of us active, healthy seniors. The core of our trip was the Silk Route (Xinjiang's Kashgar, Urumqi, Dunhuang, Xining) with extensions to Chengdu, Yellow Mountain, Hangchow, and Shanghai. Tracy of China Discovery managed our entire trip. She helped us with all the details in the months we took to plan this trip and managed questions along the way as we travelled. She was communicative, thorough, friendly, patient and responsive as she learned about our preferences.

Our arrivals and departures at airports, bullet trains and hotels were smooth. Our guides were excellent and were fluent English speakers. Their pride and love for their cities were clear and I learned a lot from them. The hotels chosen by China Discovery were very good and in areas that were extremely convenient. I should mention there were two staff changes in the months that we took to plan this trip but the transition to each professional was smooth.

I would certainly look up China Discovery (and Tracy) when I take another trip to China!

Thanks to Wonder Wang I had the trip of a lifetime. I wanted to visit the Silk Road in China and the pandas in Chengdu but due to circumstances I had to do it alone. Wonder made a fantastic itenary for me. Everything was in it, all the guides spoke English fluently and were very knowledgeable. The drivers drove very safe in luxury cars. All the hotels were very clean and on a good location. Some more modern, others more local atmosphere, but all fine.

Contact with Wonder was very easy and quick. Before but also during the trip we kept in touch, which gave me a good feeling. If I go back to China, I’m sure I ask Wonder to organize it. I also recommend Wonder and China Discovery to my friends.

We had a fantastic time on the 8 Days Classic Xinjiang Tour organised by Wonder Wang. The tour organisation was customised to our requirements and was smooth from inquiry stage to the end of our tour. All hotels selected was the best of it's class within our budget and the guides were also very professional & friendly. For a fairly remote China destination, like Xinjiang - Kashgar - Taxkorgan, you really need a good & experienced guide and we're happy China Discovery was able to organise our epic holiday.

We have taken a 14 day silk road tour from Urumqi to Beijing

It was organised by Jack Lee was a travel consultant. The tour was organised very well according to our needs and specific specifications. He kept into mind everything our rooms, our travel, comfort, and our sightseeing as we had senior citizens aboard

The guide, Aisha Amy Jenny and Oscar, excellent and knowledgeable speaking good English and-answered all our queries the drivers were careful and followed. rules the car-was neat and clean and in order right from day one till the end of a trip, we had a lovely time a well planned trip with a well planned leader,jack li

Looking forward to many more trips organised by China discovery

They are the best tour operators in china

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I went to Western China for the 36th time in their organization. Accurate organization, great hotels, restaurants, and last but not least, we had knowledgeable and kind guides who quickly became part of the team, so the otherwise not easy tour was also enjoyable. Thank you very much! We can only recommend them!

Eight months ago, I started planning a Silk Road tour for a group of 20 seniors, with an itinerary of 23 days, covering Xian, Luoyang, Tianshui, Xining, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi and Kashgar.

With the expert guidance of Jack Li, our travel consultant. He helped me plan the itinerary and arranged all the daily local tours, accommodation and transportation (comfortable private coach, 6 bullet trains and two domestic flights) for our group.

Jack was excellent. He was patient and immaculate when we were working out the details during the planning stage. He literally crafted the entire trip. He was always contactable and responded quickly to my queries. He coordinated well with the local guides and provided good support on occasion when arrangements (food, hotel, trains) on the ground did not turn out as we expected.

Our ‘Journey to the West tour’ itself was a wonderful experience of history, culture and nature. We experienced ancient cities, amazing thousand years old colourful Buddhist fresco, Camel riding in the desert, Rainbow mountains (better than Grand Canyon), an icy lake, a sand storm and a road trip to beautiful Karakul lake, (surrounded by harsh and snow cap mountains). We ended our tour in Kashgar, visited the ancient style ‘Live Stock Market’. Special appreciation to all local guides (Wally, Cherry, David, Sally, Frank, Vicky, Gulnar and Mohammad) for their excellent knowledge.

Thanks to Jack Li, we had a hassle-free trip in which we could enjoy the wonderful mix of diverse sights and sounds of the Silk Road. I have no hesitation in recommending Jack Li and China Discovery!

We were a group of 8 senior citizens traveling from Beijing to Taskurgan Xinjiang along the Old Silk Road trail. cities that we visited include Xian, Zhangye, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi and Kashmir.

Our Itineraries was planned by Jack Li of China Discovery.

Credit must go to Jack, our consultant who has been working professionally and patiently on the program for several months despite repeated changes. We like to acknowledge that all were finally worked out and we enjoyed this trip very much. We also want to thank our friendly local guides Linda, Vivian, Muhtar and Lvyik, they are so helpful and knowledgeable. Transfers and en-route services were satisfactory too.

Xinjiang is such an amazing place. The sceneries/ landscapes were spectacular! We learnt so much on the history and cultures of the different ethnic people.

We have no hesitation in recommending Jack Li of China Discovery to our families, friends and those who are planning to visit China.

Alan & Lily

Australia

We travelled in a group of 6 on an 18-day trip to some of the cities on the Silk Road, covering Xian, Lanzhou, Zhangye, Badain Jaran, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi and Kashgar. Leo Li was our travel consultant; he helped us plan the itinerary and arranged all the local guides, tours, accommodation and transport connections (road, rail and air) for our private tour.

Leo was excellent. He was patient and attentive when we were working out the details with him during the planning stage. During the trip, he was always contactable and responded quickly to our queries or feedback. He coordinated well with the local guides and made good “service recovery” on the few occasions when arrangements on the ground did not turn out as we expected .

The Silk Road trip itself was a wonderful experience of history, culture and nature. It was a trip of contrasts - from desert one day to an icy lake the next, from ancient Buddhist grottoes to modern Muslim bazaars. Thanks to Leo, we had a hassle-free trip in which we could enjoy the wonderful mix of diverse sights and sounds of the Silk Road. Would strongly recommend Leo and ChinaDiscovery !

Our 13 day Silk Road tour was the best experience ever for us - a group of six ladies in our dustiest and seventies!! It wasn’t just about visiting China! It was about its rich cultural heritage; its arts, its calligraphy, its operas, the food, the different religious influences, the pagodas, the palaces, its architecture and its texts. It’s also about its long political history, stretching back thousands of years; years of court intrigues, Emperors and Concubines, about the wars, the armies, the violence, the suicides, the rise and fall of Dynasties. Then there is always the Great Wall! It’s also about its diverse and humbling geography from lush green woods, to clear lakes, to snow capped mountains, the sand dunes and the vast deserts. And beneath all of that, it’s impossible not to see this country’s national pride, the people’s hopes, their industriousness and their aspirations. More than that, it has been about our own experience with the people, the dust storms, the cold, the heat, the bullet trains, the sleeper trains and the sights and the streets! Thank you, Vivian Lì ( China Discovery) for making this happen!

We are a group of 6 senior citizen women and we had the time of our lives. China Discovery helped open our eyes to the wonders of China, as we traversed from the east to west- taking in Beijing,Xi’an, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi and Kashgar with varying topography, history and climate: from deserts, dust storms, dunes, snowcapped mountains and frozen lakes, we followed the modern Silk Road and whilst some of us rode camels some of us walked up the dunes.

China Discovery guides in each city helped us and cared for us and Vivien Li of China Discovery put them all together and constantly kept in touch with us. Once one of our bullet trains was cancelled due to dust storms and Vivien contacted us within an hour to inform us and booked us into an alternative transport. Another group in another tour did not even know their train had been cancelled until we told them to check the next day. So grateful to Vivien!!!

My family and I went on a 11 days Silk Road Tour in China end of Oct 2023 with China Discovery. Journey began at Beijing to Xian, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi then end in Kashgar. Overall a very well organised trip. Logistics were well coordinated, and hotels were of excellent standard. Local cuisines were gastronomic delights. The guides were all knowledgeable which added so much colours to the sights and sounds. Rita the arranging agent was very responsive from the start and continue to monitor to ensure a smooth tour. Definitely a recommendation for anyone thinking of using China Discovery and Rita.

My husband and I took private tour to Silkroad from Xian to Kashgar through China Discovery. If I knew this tour company earlier I would have been there long time ago. Their consultant and guides at each destination were wonderful to make my trip seamless and pleasant from preparing, visa application, money exchange, getting us familiar with their culture, food ordering recommendations... even to flight check-in problem solving, etc., and my life long dream came true. I thank more than enough for their professional services and certainly recommend this company.

A truly amazing tour of Xi'an (terracotta warriors), the ancient city of DunHuang, and the exotic cities of Xinjiang within 14 days, fully arranged by China Discovery. The Travel Consultant Mr Johnson Wang had been extremely patient in answering enquiries and clarifying doubts before finalisation of the Tour which the Company carefully tailored to our physical needs. Our requirement of a leisurely tour was fully met and hotels provided were clean and spacious ! The Guides, Drivers and cars were definitely above our expectations!

Our flight out of Kashgar was unexpectedly cancelled by the Airline and we were left stranded with our visa-free permit expiring in 2 days! We missed our next connecting flight and risked leaving China without an extended visa!! Mr Johnson Wang and the Management of China Discovery kindly helped in assisting us obtain an extension of our visa, and extended hotel bookings. For this, we are truly grateful to Johnson and China Discovery!

We will definitely use back China Discovery for other Tours within China should there be another opportunity !!!

We took a 20 day Chinese Silk Road trip starting in Luoyang and ending in Kashgar - the western most city in China close to the border with Kyrgyzstan. There were 8 of us in a small privately organised tour which Leo Li managed for us from China Discovery Chengdu.

I have been to China for work and twice before for holidays - this is definitely the best trip hands down. The itinerary was excellent and tailored to our needs. The hotels were fantastic (maybe except for one which was borderline) - all Chinese owned and operated hotels (there was only 1 international branded hotel in the entire 20 days). They were clean, spacious and very obliging to our needs.

The food organised by Leo was excellent on all days.

We requested English speaking guides and had 6 in all at various stages of our trip. They were all excellent, very knowledgeable about the history and significance of the locations in relation to the Silk Road and great company and humour too.

The guides went out of their way to ensure we were comfortable - even to the extent of organising special meals when a few of us got sick and another left his bag in the mountains!

The trip included historic cities beginning with Luoyang, Lanzhou, Xian, Xining, Qinghai Lake, Chaka Lake, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumuqi and Kashgar. The trip utilised a combination of China's excellent bullet trains, private bus and flights (between Urumuqi and Kashgar and Kashgar to Shanghai)

Leo seemed to work all hours! Thank you Leo and your team for making our trip so memorable!

I highly recommend China Discovery Tours and will definitely without hesitation use them again.

Some tips for travelling in China:

1. Bring Cash! - WeChat Pay (linked to your credit card) works, but not all the time. Our personal success rate was about 40%. Even in the big cities like Shanghai. So definitely bring cash. PS - you will need internet connection to pay by WeChat - see internet connection below.

2. Watch for "Spit Bombs" (the Hark...Phui!) - its getting better especially after the pandemic. But in the smaller tier 2 and 3 cities definitely watch for it. Now you know why Chinese people take off their shoes when entering homes! :)

3. Chinese hotels are very warm and the aircon doesn't work in winter. Switching the aircon to cool will STILL give you heat!! So be prepared. However, despite this, as mentioned, our Chinese branded hotels were excellent.

4. Everything in China is huge! Except for the toilet rolls in the hotels! Don't ask me why. So if you need to have a big one, make sure you have sufficient toilet paper! Don't be afraid to ask, they are generous when you ask. (The 4-5 star hotels in the main cities are OK though)

5. Speaking of loos, we tried to make sure we only do No 1s in the public loos. Most of the tourist locations are OK but they are of the squatting kind... Of course the ladies have a tougher time than us guys. So before you embark on your daily tours - as much as possible make sure your system is all clear!

6. Internet connection seems to work fine (yes even Google, Messenger, YouTube etc)...BUT, BUT I think it is because I am on data roaming. Another member of the group had the same experience - No need for VPNs. But have a VPN loaded on your phone anyway as a backup. (We were on Australian Mobile network - Vodafone and Optus). Not sure how long this is going to last. Others not on data roaming had massive issues with the Great Firewall. Of course forget about the hotel wifi, the firewall is strongest there! Also 4G works better than 5G. So setting your phone to only 4G might make your internet connection more stable and reliable.

7. Enjoy the people - they are very friendly and patient (especially with our payment issues with WeChat). Trying to speak mandarin goes a long way!

8. Enjoy the food - it is generally safe but of course be sensible. We stuck to the main markets, hot cooked food and except for a short unexplained stint, we were good.

Above all - enjoy the experience!

We had Johnson Wang as our travel consultant to develop a customized 16 days itinerary with flexibility to accommodate any unexpected surprises. A team of dedicated and knowledgeable staff that included local guides and drivers made our tour an amazing and worry-free one. We appreciate very much the help from local guides for transfer at train stations and airports as the check-in process may not always be the same. My most impressive experience was in Dunhuang and Chengdu. The tours at Turpan, Kashgar, and Tashkrugan are my favorites. Beijing and Xian are always fascinating. We are looking forward to China Discovery to plan our next trip.

We traveled the Silk Road from Gansu province to Xinjiang province by rail.

Our planned stops at Lanzhou, Zhangye, Dunhuang, Turpan, Kashgar and Urumqi is sufficient to open our eyes to the beauty of what these provinces has to offer. From their spectacular landscapes and UNESCO sites to the beauty and friendliness of the locals, it’s just too amazing. We had 5 different English speaking guides and 7 different drivers throughout and their service was great

Everything went smoothly as planned. There were some very small glitches but Jack Li, our travel advisor is very good and helpful in sorting things out for us as he is very responsive to messages. Overall, we enjoyed our trip very much and looking forward to our next trip next Spring with China Discovery.

Leo Li is very professional, provided useful tips when planning our itinerary. Clear, prompt and hassle free communication and dealings prior to trip. English speaking guides were excellent and accommodating, allowing us opportunity to pick melons and cotton. Understood our food preference and introduced all Uighur types of food. Highly recommend this company for a trip to Xinjiang.

Great buddy trip to Xinjiang. We do not like too much road travel so we covered 3 cities - Kashgar, Urumqi and Turpan. I think these 3 cities already gave us a good flavor of what Xinjiang looks like, not just the sceneries or old cities but also the culture and foods. Highly recommend that you get in touch with China Discovery, they will give you some good recommendations on your travel itinerary. Reach out to Rita Jiang.

T.H. Go

Long China trips for not-so-young people

Four of us in our 60-80s have recently returned from our 25 days trip (26.08-19.09) covering [1] Datong, Hanging Temple, Pingyao Ancient City, Yingxian Wooden Pagoda of Fogong Temple, Hukou Waterfall, Xi’an, [2] North Xinjiang (Urumqi Bazaar, Ulungur Lake, Hemu Village, Kanas Lake, Rainbow Beach, Guozigou Bridge, Sayram Lake, Karajun Grassland,Tekes County aka BaGua City), [3] Chengdu (Leshan Giant Buddha, Emei, Ya’an-Kangding,Luding Chain Bridge, Panda Tour), Huanglong Valley, Jiuzhaigou Valley, [4] Zhangjiajie, Fenghuang Ancient Town and finally, Beijing (on our own, 3 nights).

Above 4 group of sightseeing points are customized and planned with Ms. Wing Zeng of China Discovery with her friendly and professional suggestions and helps as well as personalized responses. Her selections of 7 tour guides (and drivers) all along the routes are mostly fine, who are knowledgeable in the subject matters involved, helpful and have tried their best to answer our numerous questions along the tours. This is in contrast to previous 2 China tours (of two members in our group) with other travel agency where the tour guide(s) were primarily taking them from one point to the next without too much “explanations”. Nevertheless, more “understandable English”-speaking guide (in 1 instance) would help non-Chinese-speaking tourist to enjoy the program more completely. Also, Chinese breakfast with western alternatives would be a plus for some of us (not so easy to adjust to the lifestyle of other country?).

The whole trip is of course no doubt tiring. Fortunately, at the end, we do “overcome”. And all of us are happy with the services rendered to us by this Chengdu-based China Discovery, with which we are connected via WeChat to Ms. Wing Zeng to deal with any unexpected issue arising out of the long trips without any problem as she has immediately, sovereignly reacted to the situation to address them.

We would highly recommend those who want to visit China to take the services of “China Discovery” based in Chengdu with their team of professional travel consultants like Ms. Wing Zeng into consideration to enjoy the trips less hassle.

Attached are some of our travel pictures to share the happy moments of this trip:

We have travelled to over 50 countries over the years. We are in our 70s and are fully retired 4th generation NZ Chinese. The 14 day Silk Road private tour with China Discovery is the best holiday we have experienced, since we started travelling in 1980. We learnt about our history, culture, people and experienced different food, landscapes, and geomorphology formed millions of years ago.

The tour guides we had were excellent, with their manner, knowledge and professionalism. The four star hotels were of a high standard. China Discovery were very helpful in providing assistance with our visas, suggestions and accommodating changes as required. We have recommended this company and tour to friends, who having seen our photos are keen to embark on this adventure accordingly.

Michael and Linda Wong

New Zealand.

My wife, I and our Chinese friend took the Xinjiang Landscape Tour to northern Xinjiang which includes Rainbow Beach, Hemu Village, Kanas Lake, Karamay, Lake Sayram, the Grasslands, and Dushanzi Grand Canyon. The tour was arranged by Ms. Tracy Tan who did a great job incorporating our deviations to China Discovery's template tour making everything work seamlessly. We were in constant contact with her through WeChat during the tour. Xinjiang is about the size of Alaska so the distances between locations requires several hours to navigate so bring plenty of snacks and some things for entertainment when the guide is not providing information. We went in late August until early September so the crowds were minimal for a Chinese tourist destination. The scenery is spectacular, the people are warm and friendly, but expect some jostling for position to get on the many park buses by the Chinese domestic tourists...what we consider rude, a country with a population of 1.4 billion considers as culture. The itinerary states that there is a family visit in the Hemu Village, but it's actually a staged performance in a cozy log cabin. Weather prevented us from go up to the viewpoint as Kansas Lake. We did a ski lift cable car ride up to a peak in the Hemu village for some great views. A note of caution for those taking up the offers of free lance horsemen in the Grasslands area. The guest rides in the saddle and the horsemen sits bareback behind controlling the reins. They charge about $7USD for around a 15-20 minute ride which varies from a walk to a full gallop. Since the guest can only hold on to the saddle horn and no access to the stirrups the horsemen must secure the rider for safety by wrapping their arms around the waist and sometimes chest of the riders so for this reason any female contemplating doing a ride should have a backpack or some other barrier to prevent the horseman free access to areas that should be off limits. My wife thoroughly enjoyed the ride because a normal trail ride in China is someone holding the reins of your horse and slowly walking and her horseman was a perfect gentleman.

Our 10 Day Silk Road Tour began in Xi’an and ended in Kashgar. Leo Li did a great job of arranging our accommodations, interesting itinerary, transfers , drivers and very knowledgeable guides! The tour gives us a deeper insight to the China segment of the Silk Route. In Xi’an we enjoyed strolling along the solid Ancient City Wall and we amazed by the huge numbers of Terracotta warriors in Pit 1! In Dunhuang the Mogao Grottoes the art works were so well preserved! Naturally preserved mummies in the Xinjiang Museum were something not to be missed. We were well rewarded by two overwhelmingly beautiful lakes and their surroundings after a long drive from downtown Kashgar. We also net friendly locals along the way and enjoyed spicy noodles and kebabs!

Trip to Urumqi, Turpan, Kashgar and Tashkurgan. Had a fantastic 11-day tour of Xinjiang Province. Wonderful local guides who were extremely knowledgeable about their areas. Breathtaking scenery wherever we went, especially on the road trip to Tashkurgan! The whole trip was well organised and went without a hitch.

Would definitely return to Xinjiang and go to many more places that we haven't visited.

Xinjiang was always in my bucket-list since the day i arrived in China, and finally china discovery made it true. The all in all experience was very good. They agreed to a customized itinerary as I wanted to cover different landscapes together in Gansu and Xinjiang . Our tour guide was not able to join us for one day, even though our driver helped us with the tickets and stuff , the company instantly gave a refund for the tour guide service as well. The tour guides and drivers all were very sweet and friendly. Since I’m from India, the driver in xinjiang offered to play indian songs during our road trips

Xi'an, Dunhuang and Xinjiang (Turpan, Urumqi, Kashgar)

This is the 4. time we booked a tailored tour with Vivien from China Discovery. The organization from Vivien was perfect again, would have been hard or impossible for us to find out where we need which documents and Covid test. Vivien helped us on short notice adding some attractions in Dunhuang or changing hotel in Turpan (we had chosen a hotel not recommended from the original itinerary).

The highlight of the tour was for sure Xinjiang with its beautiful landscapes, especially the different mountains still covered with snow, the different architecture and culture.

Fantastic trip to western China.

Amazing diversity in scenery, people and things to do. Trip very well organized. Amazingly smooth communications with Rita Jiang. Thoroughly recommend this tour agency../p>

It was a trip along the old Silk Road in the foot steps of the 7th century monk Xuanzang. We prepared the itinerary approached the agencies to arrange the transport, hotels and guide for our trip. China Discovery offered us the tour the way we were looking for. Ms Riley Guo of CD was vary helpful in finalization of details. We appreciate the arrangements.

Our group of 8 travel friends was looking for a tour of the Chinese Silk Road. We knew which places we wanted to visit but we could not find any tour offered by a US tour company. After researching on the Internet, we took a chance and chose "China Discovery", based in Chengdu, China. We chose them because they would customize a tour for us and because of their excellent communication via email. I was lucky to have Mr. Wonder Wang respond and that was the beginning of many emails to set up our requested itinerary and work out all the details of which cites would fit into our 20 days schedule. We visited Beijing, Xian, Lanzhou, Jiayuguan,Dunhuang,Turpan, Urumqi, and Kashgar. We traveled by high speed train, by air, and in 35 passenger buses. Our English speaking guides were always waiting for us at each new destination and the bus drivers were great in the crazy Chinese traffic. The tour guides were flexible to make our days more efficient and to meet our needs. The food was very good and the hotels were better than I expected for the Silk Road.

It was a pleasure working with Wonder, it was so easy because he always quickly responded to my emails. He made suggestions on everything such as sleeper trains vs high speed trains, 15 passengers van vs 35 persons bus, hotels, and adjusting the schedule to fit our many requests. My favorite was letting us know that we could upgrade from second class train seats to first class for only $71 per person for all 3 of our high speed train trips.

Rita Jiang with China Discovery arranged my solo tour of this western China portion of the historical Silk Road. Starting from Lanzhou to Zhangye,Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi, and finally Kashgar. The tour guides and drivers were very good with very comfortable 4 star accomodations. I especially liked being able to experience various modes to transportation from high speed train to overnight train, private driver,and some short flights. The arrangements were seemless. The landscapes were varied from snow covered mountains, sand dunes, rivers and lakes, and some very interesting desert topography. Of course, the highlights are the historical sights such as Mogao Grottoes, Jiaohe Ancient City, Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, and Yardang National Park. I was very surprised how these western outpost cities have been transformed into modern cities. Overall, I really enjoyed this trip.

Rita Jiang with China Discovery arranged my solo tour of this western China portion of the historical Silk Road. Starting from Lanzhou to Zhangye,Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi, and finally Kashgar. The tour guides and drivers were very good with very comfortable 4 star accomodations. I especially liked being able to experience various modes to transportation from high speed train to overnight train, private driver,and some short flights. The arrangements were seemless. The landscapes were varied from snow covered mountains, sand dunes, rivers and lakes, and some very interesting desert topography. Of course, the highlights are the historical sights such as Mogao Grottoes, Jiaohe Ancient City, Bezeklik Thousand Buddha Caves, and Yardang National Park. I was very surprised how these western outpost cities have been transformed into modern cities. Overall, I really enjoyed this trip.