Scroll down to bottom for departure dates, prices and hotel list.

Warning: If your body reacts strongly to high altitudes, this tour is not for you. You'll spend several days close to 3,000 metres above seal level and the highest point during the trip is 4,700 metres or 15,416 feet above sea level.

Day 1/Wed: Departing Home City
The journey begins with your transpacific flight departing from a city of your choice. Cross the International Date Line and lose a day. If you depart from the West Coast and prefer to see the Rocky Mountains, be sure to ask for a seat on the right side of the plane.

Day 2/Thu: Arrival in Beijing
Meet your guide upon arrival in late afternoon and transfer to the hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure. Dinner is not included today. If you feel hungry before going to bed, there is a number of nice restaurants around the hotel.

Day 3/Fri: Beijing
Beijing had already been a strategically important city in northern China for centuries when Kulai Khan decided to move his capital here from Karakorum in Mongolia. With the collapse of the vast Mongol empire in 1368 AD, Beijing lost its status as the country's capital but soon regained it when the imperial court of the successive Ming Dynasty moved here from Nanjing. Beijing continued to serve as China's capital after Manchu tribes dethroned the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty in 1644 and established the Great Qing Empire (Qing Dynasty), which lasted till 1911. Today Beijing remains China's capital. It is a world-class cultural and educational centre with a resident population of 22 million (2011), ranking Beijing China's second largest city after Shanghai. Beijing is renowned for its opulent palaces, temples, and huge stone walls and gates, treasures that make Beijing the most popular destination city in China among both domestic and international visitors.

Our first stop today is Tian'anmen Square, which is followed by the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park and an old hutong - alleyway flanked with traditional residential courtyards. Dinner is a delicious Beijing roast duck feast. (B/L/D)

Day 4/Sat: Beijing
Enjoy a full-day excursion to the legendary Great Wall at Mutianyu, 75km northeast of the city. Zigzagging over 6,000 kilometres from east to west along the undulating mountains, the Great Wall, said to be visible from the moon, was built to hold off tribal invaders from the north. Construction of the earliest sections of the Wall started in the 7th century B.C. A major renovation started with the founding of the Ming Dynasty in 1368 and took 200 years to complete. The wall we see today in Beijing is almost exactly the result of this effort. (B/L)

Day 5/Sun: Beijing - Chengdu
Morning sightseeing at the Temple of Heaven. Built for emperors to worship Heaven, the Temple of Heaven is China's largest extant complex of ancient sacrificial buildings occupying an area of 273 hectares and three times the area of the Forbidden City. Late afternoon flight to Chengdu after a tour of the Summer Palace. (B/L/D)

Day 6/Mon: Chengdu
Tour of the Giant Panda Breeding Centre is followed by a visit to the museum built on the archaeological site of Sanxingdui Culture (Bronze Age). First chanced upon by a farmer in 1929, Sanxingdui, 40km west of Chengdu, continued to surprise the archaeological community in the decades to come. In 1986, two major sacrificial pits were discovered and the breakthrough aroused widespread academic attention from around the world. The Sanxingdui finds are exciting, but they remain enigmatic. So far no written records of this 5,000-year-old civilization have been found. (B/L)

Day 7/Tue: Chengdu - Lhasa
Morning schedule includes Wang Jiang Lou Park and a typical local tea house. Wangjianglou means "river-overlooking tower" and the park is so named because of the ancient pagoda-shaped wooden tower onsite. The beautiful little park dotted with verdant bamboo groves has long been a favourite spot among locals for morning exercise. People in Sichuan enjoy going to tea houses, their equivalent of pubs or neighbourhood coffee shops found in the West, where people, especially retirees, exchange gossips and play chess among other things. We board noon flight for Lhasa and upon arrival spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting acclimatized to the high altitudes. (B/L)

Day 8/Wed: Lhasa
Situated in a wide, mountain-fringed valley on the north bank of the Kyichu River, Lhasa (elevation 3700m) is a rapidly expanding city with a population of over 540,000. An important settlement for well over a thousand years, Lhasa was originally called Rasa, but was renamed by King Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century when he moved his capital here from the Yarlung Valley. Following the collapse of the Yarlung dynasty two centuries later, power dispersed among local chieftains and the city lost its pre-eminence. It was not until the seventeenth century, with the installation of the Fifth Dalai Lama as ruler by the Mongolian emperor, Gushri Khan, that Lhasa once again became the seat of government.

This morning we visit the Dalai Lama’s Potala Palace. Afternoon sightseeing at Jokhang Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist buildings in Tibet and a remarkable combination of Tibetan, Indian, Nepalese and Han Chinese architectural styles. No visit to Jokhang Temple is complete without checking out the Barkor Street bazaar outside the temple. (B/L)

Day 9/Thu: Lhasa
Morning visit to the Dalai Lama's summer residence Norbulinka. This afternoon we tour grand Sera Monastery, where lively debates held Monday to Saturday from 3 to 5 pm between resident monks often draw a large audience. (B/L)

Day 10/Fri: Lhasa - Gyantse - Shigatse
Following breakfast, we drive along the Southern Route to Gyantse (265km). Highlights of the scenic drive include Kambaba Pass (4700 metres/15416 feet above sea level) and the holy lake Yamdrok Yumtso. Every summer throngs of Tibetan pilgrims come to the lake to pray for blessings by the lake fairy. Afternoon sightseeing in Gyantse takes in the Fortress of Gyantse Dzong and Pelkhor Choede. We continue on to Shigatse (90km) in late afternoon arriving at the second largest city in Tibet around dinnertime. (B/L/D)

Day 11/Sat: Shigatse - Lhasa
This morning we visit Tashilunpo Monastery, the religious and administrative headquarters of the Panchen Lama - paramount leader of the Yellow Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. Return to Lhasa via better paved Northern Route (295km). Vast pastureland, barren mountain slopes, snow-capped peaks, blue skies, white clouds, scanty population, and ubiquitous prayer flags - these images combine to conjure a sense of solitude and mystery. (B/L)

Day 12/Sun: Lhasa - Xi'an 
Spend the morning relaxing or exploring the ancient Tibetan capital on your own. We fly to Xi'an in mid-afternoon. Please note that depending on flight availability you may need to fly to Xi'an in the morning. (B)

Day 13/Mon: Xi’an
Eastern terminus of the fabled Silk Road and one of the ancient capitals of China, Xi'an is home to the Terracotta Army designed to follow the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) into eternity. Visit the excavation site of the Terracotta Army located 30km east of the city and the emperor's mausoleum nearby. Tonight we enjoy a music and dance show of Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) style after dinner. (B/L/D)

Day 14/Tue: Xi'an - Dunhuang
Today's schedule takes in the ancient City Wall and the Wild Goose Pagoda. Late afternoon flight to Dunhuang, an oasis strategically located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, The city was also known at times as Shazhou or 'City of Sands'. Dunhuang is best known for the nearby Mogao Caves or Mogao Grottoes. The caves form a system of 492 temples containing some of the finest examples of Buddhist art spanning a period of 1,000 years. Along with Longmen Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes, Mogao Grottoes form the three famous ancient Buddhist sculptural sites of China. If time allows, we will visit Dunhuang Museum either before or after hotel check-in. (B/L)

Day 15/Wed: Dunhuang
Morning sightseeing introduces us to the brilliant murals and sculptures inside Mogao Grottos, one of the most celebrated legacies of the Silk Road era. Situated at a strategic point along the Silk Route, at the crossroads of trade as well as religious, cultural and intellectual influences, the 492 cells and cave sanctuaries in Mogao are famous for their statues and wall paintings, spanning 1,000 years of Buddhist art. In the afternoon, we visit the Crescent Moon Lake and Singing Sand Dunes. (B/L)

Day 16/Thu: Dunhuang - Urumqi - Turpan
Morning flight to Urumqi, capital and the largest city of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Urumqi means vast pastureland in local Uighur language. Muslim Uighurs account for 71% of the oasis city's entire population. Our sightseeing takes in the provincial museum of history and Red Hill Park. Transfer to Turpan (180km) late in the afternoon. (B/L/D)

Day 17/Fri: Turpan - Kashgar
Situated on the northern route of the fabled Silk Road, Turpan is a fertile oasis where crops and vineyards are irrigated by an underground water canal system called karez. Ethic Uyghurs make up 70% of the local population. Our sightseeing today includes Jiaohe Ruins (Yarkhoto, an ancient garrison town), the Bezeklik Buddhist Caves in the Flaming Mountains, and the Karez museum. Transfer to Urumqi airport to fly to Kashgar in the evening. (B/L/D)

Day 18/Sat: Kashgar
Located at the westernmost tip of China, Kashgar, also known as Shufu in the old days, is a vibrant kaleidoscope of Central Asian cultures. An oasis 1200 metres above sea level, Kashgar is a remarkably prosperous and pleasant place, despite remaining, in part, an essentially medieval city.  

After breakfast we embark on a full-day excursion to Karakul Lake, 198 kilometres southwest of Kashgar. Accessed via legendary Karakoram Highway leading to Pakistan, the lake, 3,600 metres above sea level, sits on the laps of Muztagh Ata and Kongur, two towering peaks of the Pamir Mountains. The scenery along the way is simply stunning: high mountain pastures nibbled by camels and yaks tended by yurt-dwelling Tajiks. (B/L)

Day 19/Sun: Kashgar
Kashgar’s extraordinary Sunday market, when half of Central Asia seems to converge on the city, is as exotic to the average Han Chinese as to the foreign tourist. We spend most of the morning exploring the Sunday market. Afternoon sightseeing includes Abakh Hoja Tomb (also known as Fragrant Concubine's Tomb) and Id Kah Mosque. Lunch with a Uighur family or at a Uighur-run restaurant offering authentic local fare. (B/L)

Day 20/Mon: Kashgar - Urumqi - Shanghai
Since direct flight from Kashgar to Shanghai may be unable, we'll have to fly to Urumqi in the morning to connect our Shanghai bound flight. Air travel time from Urumqi to Shanghai takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes covering 3,649km. Activities scheduled for Day 9 in Urumqi may be moved to today depending on air schedule. (B/L/D)

Day 21/Tue: Shanghai
After four decades of anemic growth in a state planned economy, Shanghai is roaring back to recapture its position on the world stage. With a population of 23 million and rapid economic expansion in the last 20 years, Shanghai has again become a leading global city with significant influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology and transport.

Our sightseeing in Shanghai begins with a stroll on the Bund - a waterfront promenade famous for its landmark neoclassical buildings of European style, followed by Shanghai Museum and Yu Garden. Enjoy an exciting acrobatic show after dinner. (B)

Day 22/Wed: Shanghai - Home City
Spend the morning packing and relaxing. Transfer to the airport by Maglev train for return flight departing in the afternoon. Cross the International Date Line and arrive home the same day. (B)

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Hotels
City	Nights	Hotel	Star Rating
Beijing	3	Crowne Plaza U-Town
Chengdu	2	Crowne Plaza City Center
Lhasa	4	Four Points by Sheraton
Shigatse	1	Jiumuyamei International Hotel	- best available
Xi'an	2	Sheraton Xi'an
Dunhuang	2	Dunhuang Hotel	- best available
Turpan	1	Tuha Petroleum Hotel	- best available
Kashgar	3	Tianyuan International	- best available
Shanghai	2	Sheraton Shanghai Hongkou

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