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23-day Silk Road & Southwest China Tour
(2010)
Beijing - Xi'an - Dunhuang - Turpan - Kashgar
- Karakul Lake - Urumqi - Chengdu - Lijiang - Shangri-la (Zhongdian) - Kunming -
Shanghai
Scroll down for departure dates, prices and hotel
list.
Day 1/Wed: Departing Home City
The journey begins with our transpacific flight departing the west coast in
early afternoon. Cross the
International Date Line.
Day 2/Thu: 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/Fri: Beijing
Beijing, capital of China, is the country's second largest city in terms of
population. Following a brief orientation we visit
Tian'anmen Square, the
Forbidden City and an old
hutong - alleyway flanked with
traditional residential courtyards. Welcome dinner features delicious
Beijing roast duck, a local
delicacy. (B/L/D)
Day
4/Sat: Beijing
Enjoy a full-day excursion to the legendary
Great Wall, 90km northwest 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. On the way back to the city in the afternoon
we stop by at the Spirit Way at
Ming Tombs. The Spirit
Way, serving as the entrance to the Ming Tombs, is lined with statues of
guardian animals and officials. (B/L)
Day 5/Sun: Beijing - Xi'an
Morning sightseeing at the
Temple of Heaven. Built for emperors to worship Heaven, the Temple of Heaven
is China's largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings occupying
an area of 273 hectares and three times the area of the Forbidden City. Late
afternoon flight to Xi'an following a visit to majestic
Summer Palace, a royal resort during the
Qing Dynasty. (B/L)
Day
6/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 7/Tue: Xi'an - Dunhuang

Today's schedule takes in the ancient City Wall
and the Wild Goose Pagoda. Late afternoon flight to Dunhuang. We visit Dunhuang
Museum if time allows. (B/L)
Day 8/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 9/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 10/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
11/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 12/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 13/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 14/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
15/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 16/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 17/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 18/Sat: Lijiang - Shangri-la (Zhongdian)

After breakfast we embark on an overland journey to Zhongdian. The day-long
drive 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
19/Sun: Zhongdian
We spend the morning visiting Bita Lake surrounded by virgin alpine forests and
a Tibetan village along the way. Afternoon sightseeing takes in Songzanlin
Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, and a local market. (B/L/D)
Day 20/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 21/Tue: Kunming - Shanghai 
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. Evening flight to Shanghai.
(B/L)
Day 22/Wed: Shanghai
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. Evening entertainment is a dazzling acrobatic
show. (B/L/D)
Day 23/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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|
Dates & Prices 2010 |
|
Depart (Wed) |
Return (Thu) |
Full Package
from Vancouver/San Francisco
air add-ons from other cities |
Land Package
excluding int'l airfare |
Single Supplement
applicable to travellers
without a roommate |
|
Aug 25 |
Sept 16 |
$6950 |
$5950 |
$1450 |
|
Sept 01 |
Sept 23 |
$6950 |
$5950 |
$1450 |
|
Sept 08 |
Sept 30 |
$6950 |
$5950 |
$1450 |
|
Sept 15 |
Oct 7 |
$6950 |
$5950 |
$1450 |
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|
Costs Not
Included in Tour Prices |
| Taxes &
Surcharges |
Recommended Tipping |
Chinese Visa Fee |
| Full Package |
Land Package |
| please contact us for |
current amount |
$10/client/day |
Click here for details |
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