20-day Silk Road & Southwest China Tour (2010)

Beijing - Dunhuang - Turpan - Kashgar - Karakul Lake - Urumqi - Chengdu - Lijiang - Shangri-la (Zhongdian) - Kunming - Shanghai

Scroll down for departure dates, prices and hotel list.

Day 1/Sat: Departing Home City
The journey begins with our transpacific flight departing the west coast in early afternoon. Cross the International Date Line.

Day 2/Sun: Arrival in Beijing
Meet our guide upon arrival in late afternoon and transfer to the hotel. The balance of the day is at leisure.

Day 3/Mon: Beijing
Today is a free day to recover from jet lag or explore the ancient capital on your own. Optional tour to the Great Wall, Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City is available on request and the cost depends on the number of participants. Welcome dinner at a famous Peking roast duck restaurant. (B/D)

Day 4/Tue: Beijing - Dunhuang
Morning flight to Xi'an or Lanzhou where we connect the flight to Dunhuang arriving in the afternoon. Depending on air schedule we may have time to visit Dunhuang Museum this afternoon. (B/L/D)

Day 5/Wed: Dunhuang - Turpan
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. Board overnight soft-sleeper train for Turpan after dinner. Each private compartment consists of 4 bunk beds (2 upper, 2 lower) and can be locked from inside. (B/L/D)

Day 6/Thu: Turpan
Transfer to hotel for breakfast upon arrival early in the morning. Today we visit Jiaohe (Yarkhoto) Ruins, an ancient garrison town, and the Bezeklik Caves (Buddhist temples) in the Flaming Mountains. (B/L/D)

Day 7/Fri: Turpan - Urumqi - Kashgar
Free morning to explore the exotic oasis town, where Muslim Uighurs account for 71% of the population. Travel to Urumqi (180km) in the afternoon by air-conditioned deluxe motor coach to fly to Kashgar. (B/L/D)

Day 8/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.

Enjoy 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 9/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 the whole morning exploring the Sunday market. Afternoon sightseeing takes in Id Kah Mosque and Abakh Hoja Tomb (also known as Fragrant Concubine's Tomb). (B/L)

Day 10/Mon: Kashgar - Urumqi
Morning flight to Urumqi, the largest city in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Urumqi means vast pastureland in local Uighur language. This afternoon we visit the History Museum, Red Hill Park and a carpet factory if time allows. (B/L)

Day 11/Tue: Urumqi - Chengdu
Enjoy some free time in the morning. The noon flight to Chengdu (2258km) takes 3 hours. Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province with an urban population approaching 3.5 million. (B/L/D)

Day 12/Wed: 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 13/Thu: Chengdu - Lijiang
Morning schedule includes Wangjianglou (river view) Park and a traditional tea house. Fly to Lijiang in late afternoon. Lijiang is home to the ethnic Naxi people whose intriguing Dongba religion and unique customs coupled with the region's enchanting scenery combine to make Lijiang and its vicinity a fascinating place to explore. The old town known as Dayan is protected as a UNESCO-designated World Cultural Heritage Site. (B/L)

Day 14/Fri: Lijiang
A walking tour of the old town is followed by an excursion to Yunshanping or Spruce Meadow, an alpine pasture surrounded by virgin forests at the foot of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. En route we stop by an ancient village. The evening concert of classical Naxi music is optional if available. (B/L)

Day 15/Sat: Lijiang - Shangri-la (Zhongdian)
After breakfast we embark on an overland journey to Zhongdian. The day-long driver covers 200 kilometres of country road snaking through scenic river valleys and high mountains dotted by villages of various ethnic nationalities. En route we stop by at Tiger Leaping Gorge, the first bend of the Yangtze. (B/L/D)

Day 16/Sun: Zhongdian
We spend the morning visiting Bita Lake surrounded by virgin alpine forests and a Tibetan village along the way. Afternoon sighhtseeing takes in Songzanlin Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, and a local market. (B/L/D)

Day 17/Mon: Zhongdian - Kunming
The morning flight to Kunming takes less than one hour. Capital of Yunnan Province, Kunming is widely known as the "city of eternal spring" due to its temperate climate year-round. Our sightseeing in Kunming includes the historic Western Hill Scenic Area. (B/L)

Day 18/Tue: Kunming
Enjoy an excursion to Stone Forest. Located 126km southeast of Kunming, the Stone Forest is a massive collection of gray limestone pillars created by water erosion. The tall rocks seem to emanate from the ground in the manner of stalagmites, with many looking like trees made of stone. Afternoon sightseeing at Bamboo Temple and a flower market. (B/L/D)

Day 19/Wed: Kunming - Shanghai
Morning flight to Shanghai. Free afternoon to explore on your own. We recommend Shanghai Museum, Yu Garden, the Bund, and the popular evening cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy the city's spectacular neon-lit skyline. (B)

Day 20/Thu: Shanghai - Home City
Free morning to pack and relax. Transfer to airport to board return flight. Arrive home the same day. (B)

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Hotels
City	No. of Nights	Hotel	Star Rating
Beijing	2	Sheraton Beijing
Dunhuang	1	Dunhuang Hotel	- best available
Overnight Train	1	first class sleeper	not applicable
Turpan	1	Oasis Hotel	- best available
Kashgar	3	Chini Bagh Hotel	- best available
Urumqi	1	Hongfu Hotel
Chengdu	2	Jinjiang Hotel
Lijiang	2	Guanfang Hotel
Shangri-la/Zhongdian	2	Paradise Hotel
Kunming	2	Bank Hotel
Shanghai	1	Sheraton Shanghai Pudong

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