5 Days Ningxia Discovery Tour from Yinchuan to Zhongwei Shapotou
Step into the world of exotics
Ningxia is a magic place where barren desert and harsh mountains meet mighty rivers, lovely oasis, colorful lakes and verdant grape fields, different cultures blend each other, such as traditional Han culture, Islamic culture, Silk Road, etc. As the smallest province in China, Ningxia only costs you only around 4 days to enjoy all its highlighting charms which mainly gather around the area between Yinchuan and Zhongwei. That’s why we have created this 4 Days Ningxia Discovery Tour for you. You will start your tour from the capital Yinchuan where you will step into the world of exotics, then travel southwestward to enjoy magnificent landscape of Yellow River and endless Shapotou desert fun.
This is a valuable private tour package, which means you will not only enjoy authentic travel experience but also high-standard tour services – comfort, flexibility and privacy.
Highlights of this tour
- Unlock Ningxia’s history and culture in Western Xia Imperial Tombs, Ningxia Museum and Rock Paintings of Helan Mountain;
- Enjoy a leisure cruise on the Yellow River to see the featured 108 Pagodas in Qingtongxia Scenic Area;
- Witness how the mighty Yellow River meets the vast Tengger Desert at Shapotou, also enjoy some desert fun there;
- Find out what is the underground base of Great Wall like in Shuidonggou Ruins.
Basic Trip Information
- Price:
- from
Request
- 1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one double-bed room in a 4-star hotel and traveling in low seasons;
- 2. This price is subject to change according to your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate.
- Travel Route:
- Yinchuan - Qingtongxia - Zhongwei
- Travel Length:
- 5 Days and 4 Nights
- Tour Code:
- CD-NXT-04
- Group Size:
- You, your family, friends or group
- Experience:
-
- Departure:
- Any day you want
Full Itinerary Day by day
- Day 1 Yinchuan Arrival
-
Welcome to Yinchuan, the capital city as well as the transportation hub of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. You will be greeted by our tour guide at Yinchuan airport/train station after your arrival, then be transferred to check in to you hotel in downtown. The rest time is free to explore this exotic northwestern city.
Free time idea: 1) go to watch the night view of Drum Tower; 2) stroll around Huaiyuan Night Market.
-
- Day 2 Yinchuan Day Tour (B, L)
-
After breakfast, meet your tour guide to start today's exploration of Ancient Xixia Kingdom and Helan Mountain Nomadic Rock Painting.
The first place to visit is the Western Xia Imperial Tombs which is located about 30km from Yinchuan downtown. Being built from the 11th century to the 13th century, it is one of the largest existing imperial cemeteries with the most complete ground sites in China. There are 9 emperors' tombs and more than 200 tombs of princes and nobles. Each imperial mausoleum is an independent building group that sits north to south and is a vertical rectangle, and its scale is comparable to that of the Ming Tombs in Beijing but with completely different style like Egyptian Pyramid.
After the Western Xia culture exploration, move to next site - Rock Paintings of Helan Mountain which recorded the living scenes of ancient human beings 3,000 to 10,000 years ago in northwestern China, such as grazing, hunting, sacrificial ceremony, war, dancing, etc. It is an important treasure house for the study of the culture and history of mankind in ancient time.
After all the visits and activities, drive back to Yinchuan downtown.
-
- Day 3 Yinchuan - Qingtongxia - Zhongwei (B, L)
-
Today you will travel to Zhongwei which is about 200km (about 3~4 hours’ drive). It is famous for vast desert and Yellow River.
On the half-way, you will make a stop to visit Qingtongxia Yellow River Canyon & 108 Pagodas. The mighty Yellow River menders through the sinuous canyons of Qingtongxia then races to the plains of central China. The 108 Pagodas is the no.1 highlight in the scenic area. It was built in the Western Xia Dynasty (1038~1277). It is the largest existing Tibetan Buddhist pagoda group in China. There are a total of 108 pagodas arranged in odd numbers of one to nine to form a large tower group of an equilateral triangle. Buddhist believers believe that there are 108 kinds of sorrows in one's life, and praying to the 108 pagodas can relieve all the sorrows. Travelers usually take a cruise to visit the 108 Pagodas. There are two visiting routes: Route A is a short cruise on the Yellow River then take escorsion visit to the 108 Pagodas; Route B is more expensive than Route A but it takes you to visit the 108 Pagodas, also lets you cruise through the canyons with a length around 16km. To enjoy the highlights to the fullest, you will take the Route B. (If you want to save time, we can also arrange Route A.)
After Qingtongxia visit, you will keep drive about 1.5 hours (about 115km) to Zhongwei city to visit Gaomiao Temple(The High Temple). It is a not just a temple but a complex of temples of not only Buddhist, but also Taoist and Confucianist, which is very unique in the world. Besides the religious culture, the architectures of Gaomiao are magnificent with complicated structures and ornate decorations. Most of the houses, temples, towers and arches were constructed during Qing Dynasty (1636~1912) and the Republic of China (1912~1949). Gaomiao Temple even provides you an insight into “Chinese Hell Culture” in its underground world.
After Gaomiao Temple visit, go to check in to your hotel in Zhongwei city downtown.
-
- Day 4 Zhongwei - Shapotou - Yinchuan (B, L)
-
Today you are going to enjoy desert fun in Shapotou Scenic Area on the southeastern edge of Tengger Desert which is believed as one of the five most beautiful deserts in China. What makes Shapotou unique is that both the wildness of northern China and the elegance of the southern China can be enjoyed at the same time in a single place as you standing on the high sand dunes and watching the desert extending to the north while the Yellow River is surrounded by boundless oasis.
Exploration in Shapotou Scenic Area can be different. For those who want to enjoy outdoor fun, you can take part in many activities (not included in the entrance fee), such as Sand Dune Sliding, Camel Riding, Sand Motor Riding, Floating along the Yellow River on a sheepskin raft, etc. For those who want to skip these commercial experiences, you can also find your own things to do, such as enjoying a desert walking, sitting on a sandhill to watch Yellow River flowing, visiting Desert Museum, etc. Feel free to discuss with your tour guide who will help you accordingly.
After Shapotou fun time, we will transfer back to Yinchuan for accommodation. En route you will visit Xige Winery which is good at wine and beautiful in architecture. It was established in 2017 by Zhang Yanzhi who graduated from the Bordeaux Wine Academy in France and is also the first Chinese member of the Académie du vin de Bordeaux. The winery has 20,000 acres of vineyards, of which 15,000 acres are old vine vineyards over 20 years old. There are more than 20 existing grape varieties, such as Snake Dragon Pearl, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, etc. During your Xige Winery visit, you will be provided an opportunity to try several amazing wines produced here in the factory, also go to find out how the Xige wines are produced by visiting their grape fields and production areas. There are two packages available: A - trying 3 kinds of wines + visiting about 2 hours; B - trying 4 kinds of wines + visiting about 2 hours. Please let your travel consultant know your preference before booking.
-
- Day 5 Yinchuan Half-day Tour & Departure (B, L)
-
Today you will have a half-day tour before your departing flight/train.
You will visit Ningxia Museum first which has collected over 40,000 historical relics including 159 National First-class Cultural relics and more than 4,000 important relics of National Third-class or above. Among all the collections, The Hu Whirling Dance Stone-carved Tomb Gate, the Gilt Bronze Bull, and the Lishi Zhiwen Stone Carving are listed as National Treasures.
After the museum visit, drive about 38km (about 45mins) to next attraction - Shuidonggou Ruins (The Valley of Water Caves) which is the earliest Paleolithic cultural site excavated in China. It is known as "the birthplace of China's prehistoric archaeology" and "the historical witness of cultural exchanges between China and the West". It was found in 1923 by French paleontologists Teilhard de Chardin and E. Licent. Through excavation, a large number of stone tools and animal fossils were unearthed. From the exhibitions, you can imagine what is living of ancient humans like in 40,000 years ago. In addition to the ancient sites, in Shuidonggou, you can also see the most complete ancient military defense base in China which includes the Ming Dynasty Great Wall, beacon towers, castles, soldiers hiding caves, etc., as well as beautiful Danxia landform scenery.
After the visit, you will be transferred to catch your departing flight/train. Your Yinchuan trip ends.
-
-
Recommended or Similar Tour Packages You May Also Like
-
-
3 Days Yinchuan History and Culture Tour
Yinchuan City and around
-
4 Days Best of Ningxia Tour with Tengger Desert Adventure
Yinchuan / Tengger Desert
-
6 Days Ningxia Luxury Homestay Tour with Winery and Desert Camping
Yinchuan / Qingtongxia / Zhongwei
Customize your own China Tour
-
- We are here to help you design your own travel experience in China which suits your specific needs best. Tailor make now!
