Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive Kashgar
Travelers will be arriving at all times during the day. Feel free to arrive
at any time. There are no arranged activities on day one, but we will have
a general meeting in the evening followed by dinner.
Day
2 Kashgar
Kashgar is renowned for its Sunday market, arguably the best in Central
Asia. It’s a wonderful pageant of colour and noise as up to 100,000
traders come to buy and sell everything from silk to camels.
Day
3-4 Khotan
Traveling by bus along the southern fringes of the desert, we head for
Khotan, famous for its jade, carpets and silk. We visit some of the small
cottage industries to see handicrafts being made by local families and
there is a chance to try the best of the local transport - a donkey cart
ride to the Grand Bazaar.
Day
5 Minfeng
We overnight in Minfeng before entering theTaklamakan Desert on our way
north. Minfeng is a quiet little Uygur settlement where time seems to
have lingered for a while and so do we, at least for a night.
Day
6 Taklamakan Desert
This is the day for our remarkable journey through the world's second
largest desert, the Taklamakan. A superbly built highway that takes us
to the northern edge and a rest in one of the oasis towns.
Day
7-8 Heaven Lake
Our chartered bus takes us up in the mountains to Heaven Lake and a relaxing
break in our journey. Lodging in with the Kazaks in their yurts (tents)
around the magnificently situated lake offers unique vistas and a beautiful
outdoor experience. We can sit back, take in the fresh air and (only for
the brave) taste the grim mare milk.
Day 9-12 Turpan
In the shadow of the Flaming Mountains lies one of our favourite
places in China, Turpan, a delightful oasis town with grapevine trellises,
open air restaurants and colorful markets. We visit the Emin Minaret, the
Bezeklik Buddha grottos, the wondrous Karez underground irrigation system
and the ancient garrison town of Jiaohe. We board an overnight train to
Dunhuang in the afternoon of day 12.
Day
13-14 Dunhuang - Mogao Buddha Caves
We arrive in Dunhuang, an area of dramatic contrasts with lush
cultivated fields surrounded by mountains and sand dunes. A pre-dawn climb
to the crest of the massive sand dunes is a must for a stunning desert
sunrise. We also visit the ancient Mogao Caves containing some of the
most extraordinary Buddhist art to be found in China.
Day
15-16 Jiayuguan
We board a local bus to Jiayuguan, a remote outpost in the
middle of the desert. With a backdrop of the snow capped Qilian mountains,
Jiayuguan is a dramatic garrison town and a stronghold of the ancient
Ming empire. We spend the day visiting the Ming Fortress and the western
end of the Great Wall before boarding an overnight train to Xian.
Day
17 Overnight train journey to Xian
We spend the full day on board the train crossing the open
spaces of a vast arid region and passing through the famous Hexi Corridor,
the historical gateway to the Silk Road.
Day
18-19 Xian - Terracotta Warriors
With a history stretching back more than 2000 years, Xian has
many attractions, the most famous being the Terracotta Warriors. Xian
is one of the few Chinese cities to retain its city walls and where we
find the first traces of Muslim influence in the Great Mosque, bustling
markets and back streets. We board an overnight sleeper train to Beijing
in the afternoon of day 19.
Day
20-21 Beijing - The Great Wall
Our journey ends in Beijing, one of the world's most impressive
cities and China's capital. The Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square are
simply breathtaking and we spend a morning visiting these. There are many
other attractions too like the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, the
Lama and Taoist temples and the Silk Market which there will be free time
to visit. We also take a day-trip to a lesser known section of the Great
Wall, one of the wonders of the world.
Day
22 Depart Beijing
You are free to depart at any
time today as no activities are planned.
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