SILK ROAD & TIBET

Day 1: Arrive Xian

Transfer to the hotel.

Day 2: – Jiayuguan

This morning there is a visit to the Silk Road Museum  before transferring to the airport for the flight to Jiayuguan. Here a sightseeing tour includes a visit to the famous fort constructed in 1372 at the western end of the Great Wall and the 16th Century Overhanging Wall which once connected the fort to the Mazong range. (B/L/D)

Day 3: Jiayuguan – Dunhuang

Travel by road to the oasis town of Dunhuang. The town is notable for the confluence of artistic styles and philosophies from Central Asia – Turkish, Mongolian, Christian, Manichean and Buddhist. This evening we visit the lively Night Market just off the town’s main street, where an exotic range of souvenirs including leather puppets, scroll paintings, jade items, antique coins and much more is offered for sale. (B/L/D)

Day 4: Dunhuang – Turpan

Today we will tour the astonishing caves cut by Buddhist monks from 366 AD on into cliff faces at Mogao. These caves contain the greatest grouping of early Buddhist painting and sculpture to survive. In the afternoon, you will visit the Museum and Research Institute to see how the caves were discovered and some of the objects that remained in them. Next we move on to the magnificent desert scenery of the Mingsha Sand Dunes, some as high as 300m, where there will be an opportunity to ride camels. Transfer to the station for your overnight train to Turpan.

(B/L/D)

Day 5: Turpan

Turpan is a largely Islamic city lying below sea level in a depression in the desert. Today there is an excursion to the spectacular rock formations of the Flaming Mountains and you will see the ancient Thousand Buddha Caves at Bezeklik. Another trip into the desert then takes you to the mystical ruins of the ancient settlement of Jiaohe, founded over 2000 years ago. Evening Folklore Show. (B/L/D)

Day 6: Turpan

Today we drive 70km to the peaceful ancient village of Tuyugou in a lush valley in the Flaming Mountains before moving on to the ancient ruins of Gaochang, built in the 2nd century BC, which we will tour in donkey carts. We will have lunch, accompanied by music ,in the Grape Valley. (B/L)

Day 7: Turpan – Urumqi

Urumqi – Kashgar

Travel by road to Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang. Here you will visit the excellent Xinjiang Regional Museum to see the incredibly well preserved mummies found in ancient tombs. In the afternoon we fly to Kashgar. (B/L/D)

Day 8: Kashgar

To visit Kashgar, China’s westernmost city, is to step back in time, with the traditional lifestyles of the traders, worshippers and bakers seemingly unchanged among the mud-brick walls, horse carts and bazaars. Today you will visit the famous Sunday Bazaar, where tens of thousands of villagers and nomads arrive in their donkey carts, often causing traffic jams. Large numbers of minority peoples come to trade, all sporting their distinctive costumes and headgear. (B/L/D)

Day 9: Kashgar – Urumqi

This morning you will visit the sacred resting place of Abakh Hoja, a 17th century ruler of the region, and his descendents. This tomb is the holiest place in the area, an architectural treasure where five generations of his family are buried, including, it is said, Xiangfei, the emperor Qianlong’s legendary “Fragrant Concubine”. Later in the day you fly to Urumqi. (B/D)

Day 10: Urumqi

Urumqi is 900m above sea level, just below the foothills of the Heavenly Mountains (Tianshan), an unspoiled arcadia where Kazakh families pitch their yurts in summer and graze their herds of horses, sheep and cattle. Today you will drive out through this picturesque countryside to the Heavenly Lake at an altitude of 2000m, an unexpected alpine paradise encircled by snow-capped peaks. (B/L/D)

Day 11: Urumqi – Xining

Xining – Lhasa

Today you will take a flight to Xining, the capital city of the huge neighbouring province of Qinghai which, geographically and culturally, is part of the Tibetan Plateau. This afternoon you will visit the monastery and the restored residence of the Muslim Warlord. After dinner tonight you will board a special train to travel across the Tibetan Plateau to Lhasa. (B/L/D)

Day 12: Lhasa

During today’s journey you will have the opportunity to enjoy the unique Tibetan landscape with its distant snow capped mountain peaks, verdant valleys planted with barley and extensive areas of desolate plateau that are part of a vast high -altitude desert. On arrival in Lhasa in the evening you will transfer to your hotel. Lhasa, the principal city of Tibet, has a rich traditional culture that continues to exist beside the modern developments introduced by the Chinese.(B/D)

Day 13: Lhasa

Today we visit the imposing Potala Palace, once the centre of Tibetan government and the winter residence of the Dalai Lama. Towering over the city, this enormous building, 13 storeys high and with thousands of rooms , chapels, shrines and statues, is one of the architectural wonders of the world. We go on to the 1300-year-old Jokhang Temple, round which pilgrims follow the Barkhor, the holy path of transformation. Lining this circuit are fascinating shops, stalls and teahouses. (B/L)

Day 14: Lhasa – Tsedang

Enjoy another day of sightseeing in Lhasa, including the holy monastery of Drepung. Drepung was originally the largest and richest monastery in Tibet and housed the Nechung, the State Oracle. Founded in 1416 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa, at one time it had more than 10,000 monks and governed 700 subsidiary monasteries. Today, approximately 400 monks and novices live here and their orchards help sustain the monastery. Later we travel south by road to Tsedang, Tibet’s early cultural centre. (B/L/D)

Day 15: Tsedang

Tsedang will weave a magic spell as you trek through the rocky terrain dotted with picturesque Tibetan homes, local bazaars and Buddhist monasteries. We explore the Samye Monastery, dating from 775 AD, the first Buddhist monastery established in Tibet and the site of the tombs of ancient Tibetan kings . The main building at the monastery is a three-storeyed tower with decorative interiors that reflect a pleasant amalgamation of Tibetan and Indian decorative styles. You can ride a horse to local nunneries and ancient caves located close by. (B/L/D)

Day 16: Tsedang – Shigatse

Today you will be driven to Shigatse, the second largest city in Tibet and the traditional home of the Panchen Lama, the second highest lama after the Dalai Lama. The scenery along the road to Shigatse, at an altitude of 4000m, is in itself a wonderful sight. We spend the rest of the day sightseeing in Shigatse, visiting the monasteries along the banks of the Yalunzangbu and watching the sun set over the mountain peaks. (B/L/D)

Day 17: Shigatse

This morning we visit the wonderful Tashilhunpo Monastery, the seat of the Panchen Lama, before driving southwest to Gyangtse to visit the Palkor Chode Monastery, with its unusual stupa, the Kumbum Chorten. We will also visit a carpet factory at either Shigatse or Gyangtse. (B/L/D)

Day 18: Shigatse – Lhasa

Return to Lhasa by road. (B/L/D)

Day 19: Lhasa

Today you will visit Sera Monastery which was founded in 1419 by one of Tsongkhapa’s eight disciples and became famous for its tantric teachings. The warrior monks of Sera, the dob-dobs, were admired as athletes, but also feared. As well as the dark and dramatic chanting halls and chapels, the monastery originally housed three Bhuddist colleges. Today, there are approximately 300 resident monks here and a central lane and fairly simple layout make the monastery easy to explore. If possible we shall time our visit to coincide with one of the monks’ colourful daily debates about the scriptures. (B/L/D)

Day 20: Lhasa – Chengdu

Transfer to the airport for flight to Chengdu to connect your onward flight. (B/L)

The prices of above tour are quoted on the basis of a minimum of 2 persons travelling together.