Silk Road

country:	China, Uzbekistan
location:	Silk Road
trip type:	A small group adventure
departures:	This trip is no longer running
price:	From £2799 - £2899 (22 days) including flights from the UK, from £2099 excluding flights.
vouchers:	Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday

Silk road holidays

Asia overland tours

the amazing things you'll be doing

From the magnificent ancient cities of Central Asia we retrace the epic route along the Silk Road to Beijing. This fascinating region has so much on offer; overnighting in a nomadic yurt, watching deals being struck in the amazing Sunday market at Kashgar and coming face-to-face with Xi'an's inspiring terracotta army. Traversing mountains, crossing vast high plains, skirting great deserts and visiting fabled cities, we gain an insight into the various cultures and landscapes of one of the world's most inspiring regions.Please read our News item concerning China visa application changes

day-by-day itinerary

Day 1:	Depart London.
Day 2:	Arrive Tashkent; fly to Bokhara.
Day 3:	Full day sightseeing including the Emir's Palace and Char Minar.
Day 4:	To Samarkand; afternoon visit the old bazaars.
Day 5:	Full day sightseeing including Registan Square and Tamerlane's Mausoleum.
Day 6:	To Tashkent; free afternoon.
Day 7:	Early morning flight to Bishkek; visit Burana Tower; spectacular mountain drive to Naryn via Issyk-Kul Lake, passing nomad encampments en route.
Day 8:	Stunning drive across Torugat Pass to Kashgar in Chinese Xinjiang.
Day 9:	Sightseeing including Abakh Hoja Tomb, Friday Mosque and bazaars.
Day 10:	Visit Kashgar's incredible Sunday Market, Central Asia's biggest and busiest; train to Kucha.
Day 11:	Visit Kizil Caves, set in a 'Grand Canyon.'
Day 12:	Explore Subashi Ruins; to Korala.
Day 13:	Into the Turfan depression, the second lowest point on earth.
Day 14:	Visit ancient Buddhist cities on the edge of the Takla Makan; overnight train to Dunhuang.
Day 15:	Visit giant sand dunes and Mogao 'Thousand Buddha' Caves.
Day 16:	Fly to Xi'an; visit the Terracotta Army.
Day 17:	Sightseeing including the Great Mosque, Drum Tower and Wild Goose Pagoda; overnight train to Zhenzhou.
Day 18:	Arrive early at Zhenzhou; day trip to Luoyang to visit Longmen Caves and White Horse Temple; return to Zhenzhou.
Day 19:	Early morning flight to Beijing; sightseeing in Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven.
Day 20:	Excursion to less-visited sections of the Great Wall.
Day 21:	Free time for individual sightseeing; depart.
Day 22:	Arrive London.

small group adventure holiday

Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places.

award winner

This tourism business won an award in our 2004 Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical, Magazine of the Royal Geographical Society

how this holiday makes a difference

Community
As a part of our continued commitment to responsible tourism, we work closely with our local operator to run this trip in a way that aims to reduce impacts and to give as much back as possible to the local communities. As with the rest of our trips the basics to such a policy is to run trips which involve small groups, never to exceed 20 people.

This is a very unique trip which is based around the opportunity to get to know an immerse yourself among the varying cultures and local traditions along the silk road. Throughout the trip we get the opportunity to interact with local communities, including the nomad Kyrgyz (who are very hospitable and we may well get invited in to sample local smetana (sour cream) or kaymak (a sort of butter) and tea) in their yurts ensuring our money stays in the varying local economies. Where possible on the other hotel nights, we use all locally owned and run accommodation. This we believe contributes directly to the local community as local staff are employed and locally produced and sourced goods are bought for the accommodation. Many of the different cultures we visit are based on song and dance and we make sure that where possible we employ local song and dance troupes attaching an economic benefit to keeping these unique traditions alive.

Our local operator has spent significant time training your guides on responsible tourism issues. This means that your leader will be informed of the different ways in which you will be able to contribute to local economic development and conservation matters.

Environment
We have at our offices worked to reduce our carbon footprint through a reduction of energy use and energy conservation measures. We also actively reduce the waste produced by having active reduction and recycling policies in place. We run regular staff workshops on Responsible Tourism. Global warming is a reality and to help you make a difference by reducing the carbon dioxide that is produced when you travel we offer a chance to carbon balance your flights. We encourage all our clients to do this and do so for all our staff travel. Go on do your bit!

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