23-day Silk Road & Southwest China Tour (2011)
Beijing - Xi'an - Dunhuang - Turpan - Kashgar - Karakul
Lake - Urumqi - Chengdu - Lijiang - Shangri-la (Zhongdian) - Kunming - ShanghaiScroll 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, 70km 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. (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 after a tour of the
Summer Palace. (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
 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 9/Thu: Dunhuang - Urumqi
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
afternoon sightseeing takes in the provincial museum of history and Red Hill
Park. (B/L)
Day 10/Fri: Urumqi - Turpan - Kashgar
Drive to Turpan (180km) after breakfast. Sightseeing in Turpan includes
Jiaohe Ruins (Yarkhoto), an ancient garrison town, and the Bezeklik Caves
(Buddhist temples) in the Flaming Mountains. Tranfer to Urumqi airport in
late afternoon 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 - Chengdu
Morning flight to Urumqi (1hr40min) to connect flight bound for Chengdu (3hr,
2,258km). Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province with an urban population
approaching 3.5 million. (B/L/D)
 Day
14/Tue: 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 15/Wed: 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 16/Thu: 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 17/Fri: 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
18/Sat: 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 19/Sun: 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 20/Mon: 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 21/Tue: 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 22/Wed: Shanghai
Today is a free day. Exploring China's most dynamic city on your own has never
been easier. Our recommended list includes
Jinmao
Tower, a ride aboard the world's only commercially run
Maglev train, and
the popular evening cruise on Huangpu River to enjoy the city's spectacular
neon-lit skyline. (B)
Day 23/Thu: Shanghai - Home City
Free morning to pack and relax. Transfer to airport by taxi (cab fare
approximately $23 or 150 yuan) to board return flight. Arrive home the same day.
(B)
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|
Dates &
Prices 2011 |
|
Depart (Wed) |
Return (Thu) |
Full Package
from Vancouver
air add-ons from other
cities |
Land Package
excluding int'l airfare |
Single Supplement
applicable to travellers
without a roommate |
|
Jul 20 |
Aug 11 |
$7250 |
$6150 |
$1550 |
|
Aug 17 |
Sept 08 |
$7250 |
$6150 |
$1550 |
|
Sept 07 |
Sept 29 |
$6950 |
$6150 |
$1600 |
|
Sept 21 |
Oct 13 |
$6950 |
$6150 |
$1600 |
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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 |
|
China tours
since 1998 
