Day 1: Kunming, Yunnan Province
Meeting; Dinner
Welcome to Yunnan Province. The variety of its ethnic groups and landscapes makes Yunnan the perfect place to begin our OBT travels together. As always we will gather for our get-acquainted meeting and then enjoy a dinner of local specialties.

Kunming Long Teng Hotel (2 Nights) No hotel website. Please use your favorite hotel booking engine to review or book.

Day 2: Kunming
Jiuxiang Cave, Stone Forest
We begin our explorations with a visit to Jiuxiang Cave. Not just another cave, this natural wonder impresses with its scale, variety of formations, its dramatic setting, and an interior waterfall. Our afternoon destination is the Stone Forest. This amazing conglomeration of karst structures looks to be straight out of a science fiction movie. We’ll take plenty of time to explore and wander among the shards, blocks, towers, and erratic formations.

Day 3: Lijiang
Old Town tour, Three Pagodas, Erhai Lake
Our morning begins with a two-hour train ride to alluring Dali, beautifully situated between a lake and mountains. We’ll enjoy a brief walking tour of the historic old town, then a coach excursion to the area’s highlights. We’ll include a photo stop at the Three Pagodas, the titular symbols of Dali. We then proceed to scenic Erhai Hu with its magical vistas of the Cang Shan mountains, which soar to 13,000 feet. Then its back on the train to continue our journey to charming World Heritage designated Lijiang. The town’s time-locked old town is most delightful at night, so we’ll conclude this busy day with a quick wander and dinner near the Old Market Square.

Lijiang House Boss Resort Hotel (3 Nights)

Day 4: Lijiang
Tiger Leaping Gorge
Today we enjoy an all-day excursion to Tiger Leaping Gorge. The gorge, famous for the boiling and roiling “angry Jinsha River”, is a sight not to be missed. Among many photo-worthy view stops we’ll descend to the “howling tiger” viewing platform for up-close views of this stunning natural spectacle.

Day 5: Lijiang
Blue Moon Valley, Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
This morning we venture to nearby Blue Moon Valley with its terraced pools, unique blue water lakes, and views of the area’s signature mountain - Jade Dragon. A cable car whisks us up to a viewing platform with unparalleled views. We’ll return to Lijiang for a free afternoon.

Day 6: Lanzhou, Ganshu Province
Travel Day
After breakfast we’ll be transferred to Lijiang’s airport for our flight north to Ganshu Province and our destination of Lanzhou. We’ll be most of the day underway to gain Ganshu Province. Our reward is arriving in an entirely new travel ecosystem.

Wyndham Hotel Lanzhou HaiYue (1 Night)

Day 7: Zhangye
Dafu Temple
After our long travel day we will take a leisurely morning today. We’ll visit Lanzhou’s premier sight, White Pagoda Hill, before taking a midday train to Zhangye. Upon arrival we will visit Dafu Temple with it’s 120-foot long reclining Buddha statue.

Zhangye Qianxi Silk Road International Hotel (2 Nights)

Day 8: Zhangye
Mati Si, Danxia
We have two amazing sights to enjoy on this day. We begin with the Mati Si cliff temples. Built into or clinging to rugged sandstone cliffs, these photogenic monastery structures are accessed by interior passages, winding staircases, and wooden bridges. In the afternoon we’ll foray to Danxia National Geological Park, otherwise known as the Rainbow Hills. The multi-chromatic striations of these remarkable hills have been called “an overturned palette from heaven”.

Day 9: Jiayuguan
First Beacon Platform
We begin the second week of our tour with another bullet train. We will sweep along the Hexi Corridor, the ancient Silk Road, flanked by the Qilian Shan mountains and the Hei Shan mountains. Our destination is Jiayuguan, the historical western gateway to Imperial China. After settling into our hotel, we will visit the First Beacon Platform and the western terminus of the Great Wall.

Jiayuguan Plaza Holiday Inn Hotel (1 Night)

Day 10: Dunhuang
Jiayuguan Fort, Hanging Great Wall
In the morning we will have a guided tour of mighty Jiayuguan Fort. More than 600 years old, this bastion was called the “Impregnable Defile Under Heaven”. It guarded the pass at “the end of the civilized world”. Next up, the Hanging Great Wall, a section of the wall that snakes up the encroaching mountains, seeming to defy gravity. In the afternoon we’ll continue on to Dunhuang, an oasis on the edge of the great Gobi Desert.

Dunhuang Tianrun Yibo Hotel (2 Nights)

Day 11: Dunhuang
Singing Sands
Our destination today is the iconic Crescent Moon Lake in the midst of the Singing Sand Dunes. Surrounded by towering dunes, the crescent-shaped lake is a tiny photogenic superstar in the midst of a vast desert environment. The vista of undulating dunes stretches to the horizon. Nearby is the remarkable Singing Sands Mountain, a huge sand dune that makes a humming sound when the wind blows.

Day 12: Xian, Shaanxi Province
Mogao Caves
Before embarking for our afternoon Xian flight, we have one last world class sight to explore. The evocative Mogao Caves are one of the greatest repositories of Buddhist art on the planet. Once hosting 18 monasteries and dating back to the fourth century, 492 caves were eventually carved into rock-hewn temples. We’ll spend the morning exploring this exquisite site. Upon arrival in Xian we’ll be transferred to our hotel. Tonight we gather for a last dinner together to celebrate our travel discoveries.

Xi’an Bell Tower Hotel (1 Night)

Day 13: Tour Over
OBT1 officially ends after breakfast today. Imprint will assist with airport transfer arrangements. For those continuing on with OBT2, we will organize an optional excursion to see the famous Terre Cotta Warriors or you have a day at leisure to enjoy Xian.