Natural Wonders beyond the Great Wall

Nihao! Welcome to Jiayuguan, its Ming-dynasty fort symbolically marking the end of the Great Wall and the border between the civilized world of China and the wilds of central Asia, inhabited by desert demons and barbarians.
You will meet your guide in the hotel lobby at 6.30pm who will go through the details of your itinerary and answer any questions. Then head out for an orientation walk and welcome dinner.

Accommodation:
•Great Wall Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Dinner

Today’s sightseeing starts with a visit to the dead in the Wei Jin Tombs (AD220-420). There are thousands of tombs in this desert site with incredibly preserved wall paintings depicting everyday life of the times.
In the desert west of Jiayuguan stand the remains of the First Beacon (or Fire Tower) of the Great Wall; its position high on the cliffs above the Tao Lai River allowed enemies to be seen far-off and the town warned. We can cross the river by suspension bridge.
The Great Wall Museum includes photos shot by William Lindsay who explored the Great Wall during 1907-1908 as well as history of its construction and successes and defeats.
Lunch in a local restaurant before visiting the famous Jiayuguan Fortress. Built in 1372, primarily as defense against the Mongolians, it is also known as “The First Pass Under Heaven”; its walls and buildings well-preserved.
Of immense strategic importance the C16th section known as the Hanging Great Wall was reconstructed in 1987. It is an incredible point to watch the sunset – walking for about 1 hour you have sweeping views of the desert backed by distant snow-capped mountains.

Accommodation:
• Great Wall Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

It is 1.5 hours journey to Zhangye by bullet train, arriving in time for lunch in town.
In the afternoon visit Danxia National Geological Park, the largest of China’s danxia landform areas. Danxia is a landform unique to China; once an undersea area red sandstone was deposited as mountains rose and rivers formed. The sedentary layers formed have different colors of red, purplish red, yellowish green, grayish green, and gray as well as wonderful shapes. They are often called the Rainbow Mountains or Rainbow Danxia. The lighting is best for photos in the late afternoon.

The lighting on the red landforms will be excellent for pictures when it is late in the afternoon. There are a total of 4 scenic platforms, 3 of which are pretty large and each stay depending on your preference, half an hour to an hour ro so. For Rainbow Danxia, afternoon is better than morning in terms of lighting and photographing and Binggou Danxia is better in the morning with Qilian Snow Mountains in the far distance facing the sunlight.

Accommodation:
• Hua Qiao Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

This morning drive 30km to Binggou Danxia. The Binggou Danxia (Ice Valley Landform) is smaller than Rainbow, but it is a very different rock formation. The precipices, stone columns, aiguilles and hills are often considered to look like Buddhas from a distance. Generally it takes about 3 hours to make the circuit of scenic points, however keen photographers may take longer.
The afternoon is spent hiking around the newly founded Alien Valley Geological Park. The landforms here are often compared to the surface of the planet Mercury.

Accommodation:
•Hua Qiao Hotel or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

Continue to explore the Alien Valley Geological Park, visiting the Jupiter Gorge, characterized by its deep canyon, steep cliff and memorable colors, as well as its mystery. The hike takes about 5 hours, covering 9 km.
After lunch, we will drive though the grasslands to Mati Si, the Horse-Hoof Temple. Dating from the C4th and described by Marco Polo this is a vast series of cave temples and grottoes carved into the hill side.
The Puguang Temple comprises 33 caves and it is here, according to legend, that a horse from the heavens once left its hoof prints, hence the name. There is a clear Tibetan influence in the style and decoration. Your guest house is within the scenic area.

Accommodation:
• Sunan Wolong Shanzhuang or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Set into the verdant foothills of the Qilian Mountains along a beautiful river, the caves and surrounding park are a wonderful place for hikers. First hike to the Thousand-Buddha Cave (Qianfo Grottos) before venturing north to the Taoist Thirty-three Heavens Grottoes. In the shape of a pagoda carved into the cliff face, it has 7 floors and 21 grottoes with connecting rock-hewn corridors. Local belief has it that anyone who can reach the thirty-third heaven will enjoy a successful life. There are optional additional sites which you can hike to if you wish.
Lunch in the park town before driving 26km to Golden Tower Monastery, hiking the most scenic 3km of the route. The paintings and here predate Dunhuang by 300 years and it is believed that the inspiration for the more famous caves came from here.
Dinner can be arranged inside a Yugu Yurt for a real life experience with Yugu ethnic people; descendants of nomadic Uighurs who settled in this area in the Ming Dynasty.

Accommodation:
• Sunan Wolong Shanzhuang or similar (2 nights)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Head out to the Pingshanhu Grand Canyon (116km). It is listed in the world top 5 canyons, equally famous as Colorado Canyon. It is also China’s most famous outdoor photographic site. On arrival the hike in the canyon is about 2.5 hours with quite a lot of climbing.
After lunch continue (60km) to visit the Giant Reclining Buddha Temple. This temple was first built in 1098 and derives its name from the 35-meter long sleeping Buddha, surrounded by arhats and Qing Dynasty murals; the largest indoor clay Buddha statue of its kind in China.

Accommodation:
•Run Hu Hotel Zhangye or similar (1 night)
Meals Included:
• Breakfast, Lunch

Today is your last day in Zhangye. You are free until transferring to the station for bullet train to Xining where trip ends.

Meals Included:
• Breakfast