Today's Theme: First Encounter with Southern Xinjiang

Today is the assembly day. Everyone will arrive one after another in Kashgar, an important town on the ancient Silk Road. After arrival, please go to the hotel to check in by yourself according to your flight time.

If you arrive early, you can freely explore the urban area: visit Kashgar Museum to appreciate the thousand-year-old history; or stroll in Gaotai Residential Area to feel the real daily life of Southern Xinjiang.

In the evening, a special welcome dinner will be arranged. Amidst the characteristic food of Southern Xinjiang and the warm atmosphere, the tour leader will introduce the itinerary and precautions, officially kicking off this Southern Xinjiang exploration journey.

Accommodation : jiudian (or similar)

Meal : Breakfast; Supper

- Reference Hotel Pictures

Today's Theme: Millennium Old City | Desert Starry Sky​    The first journey after arriving in Kashgar starts with a City Walk under the morning light of the ancient city. As the morning sun shines, the loess walls and wooden carved gate towers of the ancient city gradually light up with light and shadow, and the call to prayer and children's laughter come from the winding alleys. Walking into the streets and lanes of the East City and West City, you can see craftsmen busy in their shops, and the morning market is gradually bustling. At this moment, travelers truly step into the daily life of Kashgar for the first time.​    After lunch, head east all the way to the N39 Desert Camp in Maigaiti. The scenery along the way gradually transitions from an oasis dense with populus euphratica to a yellow sand Gobi, until entering the most representative desert landscape in Southern Xinjiang. After arrival, enjoy a special afternoon tea first and take a short rest. In the evening, share a hearty dinner under the afterglow — pilaf, jar meat, mutton skewers, seasonal fruits and dried fruits, and feel the unique warm hospitality deep in the desert. During this period, you can also experience free sand sliding and gallop freely on the golden sand slopes.​    When night falls, start the special night activities arranged by the camp: hike among the sand dunes, look up at the starry sky, meditate quietly, or sing and dance around the bonfire. What's more exciting is that a Twelve Muqam and Meshrep performance will be presented on site — this art form, known as the "Encyclopedia of Uyghur Music", integrates singing, dancing and music, making people indulge in the melodious melody and warm atmosphere.​    Stay in a double room with an independent bathroom in a luxury wild cabin, and enjoy the perfect combination of modern comfort and natural ruggedness under the desert starry sky.

Transport : Luxury Bus (5-6 hours)

Accommodation : Tashkurgan Desert Camp (or similar)

Meal : Breakfast; Supper (Hotel Restaurant)

- Reference Hotel Pictures

Today's Theme: Silk Road Ancient Kingdom | Important Town of Shache​    Wake up at the desert camp and greet the Taklamakan under the first ray of sunshine. After breakfast, bid farewell to the depths of the desert and drive to Shache, an important town on the Silk Road. Since ancient times, it has been the capital of "Shache Kingdom", one of the 36 kingdoms in the Western Regions, and once an important gateway on the southern route of the Silk Road. It is said that the Twelve Muqam, a treasure of Uyghur musical art, was sorted out and inherited under the auspices of Amannisha Khan, the princess of Shache, making it a cultural treasure handed down to this day.​    Continue the journey in the afternoon, cross the oasis and Gobi, and arrive in Kashgar, the heart of Southern Xinjiang. As an important commercial town where the East and West met on the ancient Silk Road, it integrates the diverse cultures of Central Plains, Western Regions and Central Asia. The streets, mosques and bustling bazaars will gradually unfold the unique charm of Kashgar in the days to come.

Transport : Luxury Bus (4-5 hours)

Accommodation : UrCove by Hyatt (or similar)

Meal : Breakfast

- Reference Hotel Pictures

Today's Theme: Ancient City Morning Light | Plateau Blue Lake

After breakfast, drive south along National Highway G314 to enter the Pamir Mountains. Stop at Baisha Lake on the way, where the lake water is clear and blue, backed by white sand dunes, presenting a spectacular scene of blue and white intersection; continue forward to Karakul Lake, where the Muztagh Ata snow-capped peak is reflected in the lake, like a "mirror of the Father of Ice Mountains". Arrive in Taxkorgan County in the evening. This small town at an altitude of 3,000 meters is a settlement of the Tajik people and the starting point for exploring the plateau scenery and humanistic stories next.

Transport : Luxury Bus (5-6 hours)

Accommodation : wanda (or similar)

Meal : Breakfast

- Reference Hotel Pictures

TBD

Today's Theme: Heavenly Road Wonders | Plateau Families

Today's itinerary will go deep into the hinterland of the Pamir Mountains. After breakfast, drive along the winding Panlong Ancient Road. This heavenly road climbs from 3,000 meters to 4,200 meters above sea level, with more than 600 bends in just over 30 kilometers. Looking down from a high place, it is like a giant dragon coiled among the mountains, a paradise for photographers.

Then head to the clear blue Bandir Blue Lake. The lake water presents an exotic blue due to mineral reflection, which contrasts interestingly with the vigorous Gobi rocks on both sides, known as the "Sapphire of the Pamir Mountains".

In the afternoon, walk into a Tajik village and start a visit to a Tajik herdsman's home. Among the cooking smoke and stone houses, feel the unique national customs of the Tajik people, listen to the stories of herding and farming, taste the milk tea and snacks offered by the warm hosts, and experience the most real warmth of the Pamir people.

Return to Taxkorgan County in the evening to check in. A day of thrilling heavenly road and plateau warmth interweaves, leaving a deep impression unique to the Pamir Mountains.

Transport : Luxury Bus (4-5 hours)

Accommodation : wanda (or similar)

Meal : Breakfast

- Reference Hotel Pictures

TBD

Today's Theme: Zero-Distance Muztagh Ata Glacier | Looking Back at the Pamirs

After breakfast, head to Muztagh Ata Glacier Park to start a plateau hiking experience. Today's goal is Muztagh Ata No. 4 Glacier — here, you can touch the glacier with your own hands and feel the cold pulse from the "Father of Ice Mountains". The glacial meltwater converges into a blue plateau lake at the foot of the mountain, and the ice wall glows with a deep blue luster in the sun, quiet and magnificent.

The highest point of the glacier park is 4,688 meters above sea level. If the weather, road conditions and everyone's physical condition permit, the tour leader will lead the team to continue climbing to the 4,700-meter ridge line. Standing on the ridge line, the vision suddenly opens up, with glaciers and lakes in full view, as if being close to the Pamir sky.

In the afternoon, go down the mountain and drive back to Kashgar. As the snow-capped mountains gradually fade away, the Gobi and oasis unfold again, drawing a conclusion to the Pamir section. Arrive in Kashgar in the evening to check in.

Transport : Luxury Bus (5-6 hours)

Accommodation : UrCove by Hyatt (or similar)

Meal : Breakfast

Trekking Distance : 3 kilometers

Trekking Time : 1-2 hours

Altitude Gains & Losses : 130 meters

- Reference Hotel Pictures

Today's Theme: Slow Walk in the Ancient City | Farewell to the Silk Road

This is the last day of the itinerary. After breakfast, you will have free time in Kashgar. You can linger again in the streets and lanes of the ancient city, walk into the bazaar to choose characteristic handicrafts, or sit down in a teahouse to quietly feel the slow time in Southern Xinjiang. You can also go to the Id Kah Mosque Square to watch the daily pulse of this famous Silk Road city and the local residents who are walking with their children, chatting and resting.

According to the time of your return flight, go to the airport by yourself and officially say goodbye to everyone. So far, the Southern Xinjiang journey has come to a successful end. The camel bells of the Silk Road and the snow-capped mountains and lakes of the Pamirs will become the most vivid echoes in your memory.

Accommodation : Own arrangement

Meal : Breakfast