THE SILK ROAD TO BEIJING

22 days from GBP2,869 to GBP2,899 including flights

Tripcode: ACR

Itinerary

Day 1: Depart London.
Day 2: Arrive in Tashkent very early in the morning. Those not travelling with the group from London will join us at the hotel in Tashkent. Later in the day we fly to Bokhara. SH (L,D)
Day 3: A full day's sightseeing in Bokhara, an extraordinary city boasting over 900 historical monuments. In contrast to Samarkand, which we visit later, the old town has remained a separate district from the rest of Bokhara, undergoing lots of restoration and preservation in recent years. It is the perfect setting to sit and drink green tea at a chai-khana (tea-house), watching the world go by much as it has done for hundreds of years. Of particular interest is the Fortress Ark where, in the 19th century, the Emir of Bokhara had the English officers Stoddart and Conolly imprisoned and executed. We will see the old town with its domed bazaars and khauz (stone pools which used to be the city's only water supply); the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, an exquisite example of early Islamic architecture dating back to the 10th century; and the attractive 12th century Char Minar. One of the great landmarks of Bokhara is the Kalyan minaret, known as the death tower, where many an unfaithful wife met a sticky end. SH (B,L,D)
Day 4: We leave Bokhara early for the drive to Samarkand arriving at lunchtime. In the afternoon we visit the bustling bazaars of the city. Samarkand is still a major centre for textiles, carpets and works of art and is the perfect city to try out bargaining skills and explore the ancient markets. SH (B,L,D)
Day 5: We spend time in Registan Square, perhaps Samarkand's greatest treasure and Tamerlane's outstanding creation - a vast complex of domes and minarets, mosques and medrassas. There is also time to visit the Bibi Khanym Mosque and the Shahr-I-Zindah, an avenue of tombs and one of Samarkand's most moving sights. We also visit Ulugh Bek's Observatory and the exquisite jade mausoleum of Gur-i-Emir, the resting place of Tamerlane, who is now being rapidly reinstated by the Uzbek government as a national hero. SH (B,L,D)
Day 6: In the morning we return to Tashkent arriving later that day in time to explore the capital city by night. SH (B,L,D)
Day 7: Today is a very long day and we transfer early in the morning to the airport and board our flight to Bishkek. On arrival in Kyrgyzstan we drive to Naryn via Issyk-Kul Lake. On the way we stop to visit an 11th century restored relic of the Silk Road - Burana Tower. All that remains of the Kharakhanid city of Balasagun (which the Mongols spared in the 13th century) is this 25m burnt brick tower and an outdoor museum, set in a beautiful location beneath the mountains. Issyk-Kul Lake, "the pearl of the Tien Shan", is surrounded by mountains and is one of the most important natural water reservoirs on the planet. We continue to Naryn and prepare to cross the Torugat Pass to China. On the way to Naryn we will pass the nomad Kyrgyz in their yurts. They are often very hospitable and we may well get invited in to sample local smetana (sour cream) or kaymak (a sort of butter) and tea. Naryn is at the beginning of the At-Bashi range of mountain and the temperature drops as we climb. BH

(Yurt accommodation) (B,L,D)
Day 8: Today is a very long day and we transfer early in the morning to the airport and board our flight to Bishkek. On arrival in Kyrgyzstan we drive to Naryn via Issyk-Kul Lake. On the way we stop to visit an 11th century restored relic of the Silk Road - Burana Tower. All that remains of the Kharakhanid city of Balasagun (which the Mongols spared in the 13th century) is this 25m burnt brick tower and an outdoor museum, set in a beautiful location beneath the mountains. Issyk-Kul Lake, "the pearl of the Tien Shan", is surrounded by mountains and is one of the most important natural water reservoirs on the planet. We continue to Naryn and prepare to cross the Torugat Pass to China. On the way to Naryn we will pass the nomad Kyrgyz in their yurts. They are often very hospitable and we may well get invited in to sample local smetana (sour cream) or kaymak (a sort of butter) and tea. Naryn is at the beginning of the At-Bashi range of mountain and the temperature drops as we climb. BH

(Yurt accommodation) (B,L,D)
Day 9: Kashgar has been the hub of activity in the Western Xinjiang province of China for over 2000 years. It was a major centre along the old Silk Road and was crucial to British politics during the Great Game. In fact, the remains of the famous British Consulate are still situated behind the modern Chinibagh Hotel. Although recent politics have influenced the development of this provincial city, in many ways life has not changed for the local Uighur ethnic majority. The streets are bustling with traders of hats, cloth and silks, leather goods, knives, musical instruments, jade and, of course, carpets. Many Uighur women are still seen with their heads completely covered by dull brown scarves. Kashgar is a truly captivating city. Its Islamic heritage is evident in the 15th century Id Kah Mosque and the elegant 17th century Abakh Hoja Tomb, with four minarets and a tiled dome. The recent introduction of night street markets provides the perfect environment to discover the city and its culinary delights by night. SH (B,D)
Day 10: We spend a few hours at Kashgar's famous Sunday animal market. This is an open-air affair, to which hundreds of people come from the surrounding villages to buy and sell their animals, meet their friends, gossip and eat and it is a photographer's paradise! In the afternoon, we transfer to the railway station and board the train for Kucha.

Sleeper train/ BH (B,D)
Day 11: East of Kashgar, the Silk Road splits into its northern and southern arms, going either side of the dreaded Takla Makan desert (the name means 'if you go in you never come out'). We follow the northern arm by train as far as Kucha. On our left are bare mountains, sometimes in an amazing variety of colours, while on our right the green fertile strip between desert and mountain varies in size, with, surprisingly, the occasional shallow lake. As we approach Aksu in the early morning, the snow peaks of the Tien Shan are often visible to the north. We arrive in Kucha and drive to the Kizil caves, through spectacular scenery, including the remains of an ancient Han dynasty watchtower and a remarkable red-walled gorge. a remarkable red-walled gorge. The caves themselves no longer hold much of interest, the superb Buddhist frescoes having been carted off to Europe in the early years of this century, but they lie at the bottom of a magnificent 'Grand Canyon', which itself merits a visit. We return to Kucha for the night. SH (B,D)
Day 12: We then head east again through mainly gravel desert to Korla, visiting the ruins of the old Buddhist city of Subashi on the way. As we drive we pass ancient Han dynasty watchtowers along the roadside. Korla, now a modern city still has a Mongol population dating back from the time of Genghiz Khan. SH (B,D)
Day 13: A long day's drive ahead as we head east of Korla before the road runs through desert. This is initially dotted with evidence of China's growing petro-chemical industry, before we climb steadily through a strange landscape reminiscent of a giant's slagheap to the top of a pass at around 1,830m. A continuous descent, initially through a narrow gorge, takes us deep into the Turfan depression. As we descend, the temperature rises, and we continue on to Turfan, past ancient irrigation channels. Turfan is one of the more remarkable of the Silk Road oases, lying about 150m below sea level (only the Dead Sea is lower), and irrigated by a series of underground channels, which come down from the mountains. The heat can be oppressive in summer, but Turfan is remarkably fertile when compared with the surrounding desert, and for this reason it was always one of the most important settlements. We spend the night in a very basic hotel. A display of Uighur dancing can sometimes be arranged in the evening. SH (B,D)
Day 14: There are numerous sights in the oasis to visit. One is Astana, the immense cemetery of Turfan, which has tombs going back to the Jin and Tang dynasties, and has provided archaeologists with a great deal of information about the Silk Road; there is also an interesting museum. Historically, more interesting than the town of Turfan is the remarkable collection of abandoned cities to be found in the desert just beyond the oasis. We will visit the best-preserved of these, the impressive ancient city of Jiaohe. The entire fringe of the Takla Makan is dotted with ruins, plundered by archaeologists earlier this century but then totally ignored until the last few years, when a few visitors have started to trickle in. Probably the most famous of these is the Buddhist complex at Bezeklik, an amazing collection of caves and brick temples, once profusely decorated with paintings, and like Kizil plundered in the early part of this century, but with a little more still remaining. The site is very attractive, in a canyon beyond the 'Flaming Mountains', a remarkable range of eroded hills that glow red and orange in the changing light. There is also a handsome brick built minaret in the Turfan mosque, and we have a look at the grape-drying barns, which produce the raisins for which the depression is famous. In the evening we make our way to the railway station, and board the overnight train to Liuyuan. Sleeper train/

BH (B,D)
Day 15: We arrive at Liuyuan in the morning, and then have a couple of hours drive to reach Dunhuang. After lunch we visit the curiously situated Crescent Lake, set among giant sand dunes, and in the evening we can take a walk through the open-air night market, with many kinds of food available from the small street restaurants. Dunhuang was once one of the most important staging posts on the Silk Road, but its significance faded with the decline of trade. Now however it is returning to its previous importance, as just outside the town is the oldest Buddhist shrine in China and the greatest collection of Buddhist art in the world - the Mogao caves. Some 500 of the caves, carved out of steep sandstone cliffs, have been studied and catalogued. The earliest paintings date from the fourth century AD, the most recent from about a millennium later: the caves were unknown to the west until the beginning of this century, although they were still a place of pilgrimage for oasis people. As well as the innumerable statues and paintings of Buddha, the vivid and colourful cave paintings are remarkable as a thousand-year record of life on the Silk Road. Merchants and pilgrims commissioned paintings and statues in the hope that this would secure them a safe crossing of the desert. Unfortunately many of the finest works, including the oldest printed book in existence, were removed early this century by British and other European adventurers, and now languish in various museums (though the British Museum has recently brought out a lot of central Asian antiquities from its vaults, some of which have never been publicly displayed before). SH (B,D)
Day 16: /
Day 17: Fly to Xian and transfer to our hotel. The contrast in scenery is striking. Gone is the dry and barren west, for we are now in the agricultural heart of China. Here the climate in summer is usually hot and humid, and we pass neatly arranged rice fields on the short drive to the city. Once the grand capital of the Chinese Empire, Xi'an's massive city walls still stand - probably because they are so massive that no revolutionary was willing to tackle the huge task of removing them! During these 2 days we will visit one of the two Wild Goose pagodas, the Great Mosque and the Drum Tower in the heart of the city and of course the famous mausoleum of Emperor Qin with its staggering display of terracotta warriors. Emperor Qin Shi Huang of the Qin Dynasty dates from the 2nd century BC and his tomb lies covered by a grassy mound amidst green fields. Originally four armies were planned, at each point of the compass, life-size and lifelike. Three have been found and it is assumed the emperor's successors decided enough was enough before the fourth was begun. The first pit excavated had an estimated 6,000 figures in its one army. Recently a second and third pit have been opened to the public containing the 'command post' for the entire operation. This is one of China's great tourist attractions, and some people may find the sheer numbers of visitors - both domestic and foreign - rather overpowering. There is also time for shopping in the excellent market place in the Muslim quarter. SH (B)

In the evening of Day 16 we take the overnight train to Zhenzhou.

Soft sleeper (B,D)
Day 18: Arriving at Zhenzhou a two hour drive takes us to the Longmen caves, one of the four major Buddhist cave sites in China, which lie about 16 kms from Luoyang. Started around 1,500 years ago, some 100,000 Buddhist images were carved out of the cliff face over a period of 300 years. Sadly, as elsewhere in China, European adventurers looted a considerable number of statues and murals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but a great deal still remains and it is a most impressive site. Hotel
Day 19: We have an early morning transfer to the airport for the short flight to Beijing. On arrival we have a day's organised sightseeing, including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City with its innumerable courtyards and temples, and the Temple of Heaven. SH (B)
Day 20: We make a day excursion to one of the less visited sections of the wall, either Simatai or Mutianyu, where the wall is an amazingly impressive sight, snaking off across mountains and valleys into the distance. SH (B)
Day 21: The day is free for individual sightseeing or shopping. In the evening we transfer to the airport and check in for the London flight. For land only clients the trip ends after breakfast. Those on group flights will be taken to the airport for their flight. (B)
Day 22: Arrive London.