After breakfast, visit a local cooking school and learn the history behind the region’s famous beef noodle soup • Learn the art of pulling noodles as thin as thread and then enjoy your own bowl of noodle soup for lunch • Take the high-speed train to Zhangye (3 hours) and drive to the Danxia land formation, more popularly known as the ‘Rainbow Mountains’ • Hike through five different “platforms” of height and explore the changing views • Get your camera ready for a sunset view over the colorful mountains.

Start the day early and visit the 12^th century Giant Buddha Temple, home to the largest clay Buddha in Asia and the only well-preserved Western Xia Royal Temple in China • Before entering the temple, practice water calligraphy or Chinese Kungfu (weather permitting) from a local master in the temple grounds • Continue your exploration of Zhangye’s unique landscapes when you hike in Pingshanhu Grand Canyon

Meet a local Yugu Minority family and learn about their way of life over a cup of tea. Visit the Matisi Grottoes (1-hour drive) one of the three most important Buddhist Grottoes in Gansu. The legend of Matisi (Horse Hoof Temple) can be traced back to the 4^th century. Here you’ll find Tibetan and Chinese cave art and the hoof print of the legendary flying horse who chose the mountains as a holy site • Hike or ride a horse through the surrounding pine forest to Linsong Waterfall (1 hour) • Enjoy a picnic lunch on the way • In the afternoon, drive to Jiayuguan City (3 hours) • Your guide will help you check into your hotel and the evening will be spent at your leisure

Visit Jiayuguan, the first pass on the western end of the Great Wall. The Jiayuguan Pass has been fully restored and is now the wall’s best preserved fortress • Continue your drive to the Wei-Jin Dynasty Tombs and see underground murals dating back 1700 years • If Try your hand at stone painting – a traditional local craft that uses stones from the Gobi Desert • After lunch, drive to Dunhuang (4 hours), a fertile outpost close to where the Silk Road split into its southern and northern routes either side of the impassable Taklamakan Desert • Spend the evening exploring local night markets or enjoy dinner on the roof of your hotel

Start the day in the ‘singing’ Minsha Sand Dunes, named for the way they ‘rumble’ in the wind • Stop by Crescent Moon Lake, an oasis nestled in the desert • Enjoy a local lunch in the city’s most famous food street • Visit the Mogao Grottoes, a complex of 492 grottoes representing the pinnacle of Chinese Buddhist art • The caves were created over the course of 1,000 years and were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 • OPTIONAL: We’ll arrange an expert in Chinese Buddhism to accompany you through caves not open to the general public • In the evening, visit a local artist’s studio or head out on a foodie’s adventure with your guide to Yue Quan Xiao Zhen Market.