DAY 1
Depart on your scheduled flight to Beijing.
DAY 2
Arrival in Beijing, where you will be met by our Tour Manager and your Chinese guide and transferred to your hotel. During the afternoon you will be taken on an included in tro duc to ry city tour. You will see Chang An Avenue and the strikingly beautiful Temple of Heaven.
DAYS 3 & 4
Please see description of Days 3 and 4 of our 10 day China tour on page 10.
DAY 5
Morning flight to Xian, the former capital of China and the starting point of the ancient Silk Route. Afternoon city sightseeing, including the city wall and Goose Pagoda.
DAY 6
Visit the Terracotta Army. Please see description of Day 8 of our 10 day China tour on page 11.
DAY 7
Morning flight to Dunhuang in Gansu Province for a two night stay. The lush, ancient oasis town of Dunhuang flourishes amidst barren desert, with a backdrop of mountainous rolling sand dunes. The town was a key trading centre on the Silk Route.
DAY 8
Morning visit to the incredible sand dunes at Mingsha. Afternoon visit to the stunning Mogao Caves, the most impressive and best preserved examples of Buddhist cave art anywhere in China. For ten centuries, Dunhuang was a flourishing centre for Buddhist culture on the Silk Route. The grottoes were then abandoned, forgotten and eventually covered by sand until the 20th century.
DAY 9
Morning drive along the old Silk Route into the desert to the remarkably preserved ruins of the Custom House and fort at the Jade Gate Pass. You will also see the very western extremity of the Great Wall, from where the traders set out towards the Heavenly Mountains. Afternoon free in Dunhuang before an evening transfer to the town of Linyuan to catch the overnight sleeper train across the desert plain to Turpan, in the Xinjiang Province of western China.
DAY 10
Morning arrival at Daheyan station then transfer forty miles south to Turpan, the second lowest location on earth, yet awash with water from carefully orchestrated underground channels. Vineyards thrive here and wine and raisins are a local speciality. Turpan and its surroundings are rich in treasures from the Silk Route, including the ancient cities of Jiaohe and Gaochang, the Bezeklik Grottoes, the Tombs of Astana, the Karez Irrigation Channels and the Emin Minaret. Full sightseeing is included, and also a local dance performance in the evening.
DAY 11
Sightseeing continues in the morning, including the dramatic Flaming Mountains, followed by a drive north to Urumqi, the provincial capital. Here you will visit the outstanding regional museum, devoted both to the Silk Route history and to Xinjiang’s minority groups – ideal preparation for your stay in Kashgar amongst the Uighurs, Kazaks, Tajiks and Uzbecks, who outnumber the Han Chinese in this ethnic melting pot. Transfer to Urumqi Airport for the flight to Kashgar for a two night stay.
DAY 12
Full day included excursion along the fabulous Karakoram Highway as far as beautiful Karakuli Lake, close to the Pakistan border and the end of the Chinese portion of the romantic Silk Route. The scenery is stunning as you climb into the Pamirs, passing through the Ghez River Canyon, with a backdrop of mighty snow-capped peaks. Visit local herdsman’s houses at Karakuli Lake before returning to Kashgar for a special evening of Uighur music and song.
DAY 13
Marco Polo described Kashgar as having “fruitful soil, cotton a-plenty, and inhabitants who live by trade”. The description is equally valid today, particularly every Sunday when the population swells by up to 100,000 for the largest weekly market in the world. Hundreds of donkey carts (still the normal mode of transport), pedestrians and animals flood into town for a day’s intense bargaining. This ritual has continued for centuries, and captures perfectly the ethos of the Silk Route – a dazzling experience for any visitor. Lunch will be taken in an Uighur household, and, in addition to the market, sightseeing will include the old town, and the Id Kah Mosque, for Kashgar is predominantly a Muslim town. Late evening return flight to Urumqi for an overnight stay.
DAY 14
Morning flight to Beijing. Afternoon free.
DAY 15
Morning transfer to the airport for your return flight to the UK. As you will be flying westwards your arrival is later the same day.