Silk Road tour, tailor made
| country: | China |
| location: | Silk Road |
| departures: | This trip can be tailormade throughout the year and can be adapted to suit your interests, budget and requirements as necessary |
| price: | From £1340 (12 days) excluding flights, based on 2 travelling (or £1100 based on 4 travelling). Domestic flights and trains are £433 including taxes |
the amazing things you'll be doing
"Go in and never come out", the literal translation of the Taklamakan Desert, is an apt description of the dangers caravan traders on the Silk Road once faced.
Our journey takes us along the Southern Silk Road, following the rim of the Taklamakan, before crossing the dessert and joining the Northern Silk Road at Kucha. (A more complete trip along the Silk Road, a Northern extension can also be arranged.) Getting off the standard tourist path, we pass through the remnants of Southern Silk Road oasis towns of days and legends past.
We shop in local bazaars, rest at remarkably green oasis outposts, visit the ruins of a 5th century Buddhist temple, and camp in the desert to awake to a stunning sunrise.
This journey is a demanding one – the accommodations are standard, the driving is tedious, and the cuisine, while exotic, can be repetitive. Nevertheless, the rewards are immense, as we learn about a culture markedly different from the Chinese, travel through stunning desert vistas reminiscent of Central Asia and the Middle East, and discover the treasures of silks, jades, and spices that made this road famous.
Best time to go: Xinjiang has a desert climate with a low annual rainfall of only 150 millimeters (6 inches). Winters are very cold and summers extremely hot. The best time to visit this province is in autumn (September to late October), when the days are long, the sky is clear and temperatures are more comfortable than in the heat of summer. Another excellent reason to visit at that time is the abundance of delicious melons and other fruits and vegetables which are then available.
Please note: We are providing touring in China throughout the Olympics, but we do not have access to tickets for the Olympic events. These would have to be purchased by clients separately.
Please note: We do not offer spa and beach holidays.
Our journey takes us along the Southern Silk Road, following the rim of the Taklamakan, before crossing the dessert and joining the Northern Silk Road at Kucha. (A more complete trip along the Silk Road, a Northern extension can also be arranged.) Getting off the standard tourist path, we pass through the remnants of Southern Silk Road oasis towns of days and legends past.
We shop in local bazaars, rest at remarkably green oasis outposts, visit the ruins of a 5th century Buddhist temple, and camp in the desert to awake to a stunning sunrise.
This journey is a demanding one – the accommodations are standard, the driving is tedious, and the cuisine, while exotic, can be repetitive. Nevertheless, the rewards are immense, as we learn about a culture markedly different from the Chinese, travel through stunning desert vistas reminiscent of Central Asia and the Middle East, and discover the treasures of silks, jades, and spices that made this road famous.
Best time to go: Xinjiang has a desert climate with a low annual rainfall of only 150 millimeters (6 inches). Winters are very cold and summers extremely hot. The best time to visit this province is in autumn (September to late October), when the days are long, the sky is clear and temperatures are more comfortable than in the heat of summer. Another excellent reason to visit at that time is the abundance of delicious melons and other fruits and vegetables which are then available.
Please note: We are providing touring in China throughout the Olympics, but we do not have access to tickets for the Olympic events. These would have to be purchased by clients separately.
Please note: We do not offer spa and beach holidays.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Friday, Fly to Urumqi from gate cities of Beijing, Shanghai. Visit Xinjiang Provincial Museum and take an onwards flight to Kashgar. |
| Day 2: | Kashgar Local City Quarter. Uighur Family Visit. Aba Hoji Tomb. Possibly join a local Uighur wedding ceremony. |
| Day 3: | Kashgar Sunday Market. Livestock Market. Id Kah Mosque. |
| Day 4: | Kashgar to Khotan via Yarkang and Yingjisha for knife workshops. |
| Day 5: | Morning visit Khotan Carpet and Jade workshops. Afternoon we head to Minfeng where we camp in the Taklamakan Desert. |
| Day 6: | Witness a desert sunrise. And then drive to Kucha, quaint oasis town. |
| Day 7: | Kucha. Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves and Grand Canyon. |
| Day 8: | Kucha to Turpan via Urumqi. |
| Day 9: | Visit Gaochang Ancient city, Bezeklik Caves, Jiaohe Ruins and Karaz well. |
| Day 10: | Dunhuang. Visit UNESCO World Heritage Mogao Caves. Dinner at Muslim restaurant, followed by a visit to Dunhuang’s local night market. |
| Day 11: | Sunrise at Mingsha Sand Dunes. Visit to secluded desert oasis, Crescent Moon Lake. |
| Day 12: | Return to Beijing. |
tailor made holidays to China
We are a local operator and recognize that people are individuals, with individual tastes and wants; why should you book an off the shelf package holiday when you can have one tailor made just for you? Our holiday will include everything you want to see and do, when you want to travel, for the duration you choose, and at a budget you set.how this holiday makes a difference
|
Community Interaction: The predominant population in most parts of Xinjiang, the Uighurs are mostly Muslim, and trace their history back over two millennia to nomads in the vicinity of Lake Baikal. While visiting a Uighur family at their home, we have the opportunity to learn more about their culture, religion, and lifestyle through impromptu discussions. Weather permitting, we dine outdoors under a grape trellis, and feast on a traditional, home-cooked meal. At the same time, we invite local musicians and dancers to perform traditional songs that were once renowned along the Silk Road for their beauty.
Camping in the Taklamakan: The desert that Silk Road traders once feared to cross is our home for one night. The intense heat and dryness, coupled with blowing winds and shifting sands, made the Taklamakan one of the most feared places in Asia. However, our expert camp crew sets up a campsite for us, and we enjoy a barbeque and a glass or two of the local wine under the immense night sky. While camping, we adhere to responsible practices by ensuring that we leave no trace of our presence behind. We pack out all our trash and equipment, and take care not to disrupt the environment in any way. Waking up to the sun rising over the vast emptiness of desert around us gives us a greater appreciation of our relationship to Nature. Travel in a sustainable way: We support small, family-run, locally-owned businesses: hotels, restaurants, shops, tour guides. We choose people who invest their creativity and resources in giving travelers simple, friendly, sustainable, and honest experiences--people with ideals. To us traveling responsibly means consuming responsibly. Uniqueness of program: China opened its long-sequestered hinterlands back to the early days, we’ve found many new areas, and many new approaches to old areas, and we’re struck by the unending discoveries that China offers. We’ve got a bright bagful of ideas for Private Journeys, arranging from walking and trekking excursions to art and cultural appreciations, with various looks behind the curtains all over the country. We customize our travel programs to the individual’s needs, and strive to make every experience a fulfilling and exciting journey. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've lead the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |