Tailor Made Holidays in The Silk Route, China: Introduction

For 2,000 years the Silk Route, linking China with Europe, has attracted all manner of tyrants, traders, artists and spies. From Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and Marco Polo in antiquity to Younghusband, Aurel Stein and Stalin in the modern age, all have left an indelible mark on the people and places of this remarkable region.

There is no single Silk Route; rather the name signifies a series of ancient roads stretching across modern-day China, into Central Asia and the Middle East. The myriad points of interest along the way can be visited in their own right or as part of one of the world’s greatest journeys, tracing the path of the silk and jade heading west, or the gold and ivory heading east.

Selected Highlights

Our specialists have travelled the length and breadth of the country to research the best places to stay and things to do. Here they list a few of their favourite “unmissables”. Click here for more highlights

Admire the spectacular Oytagh Glacier

Off the Karakoram Highway outside Kashgar, the Oytagh Glacier forms the base of a sheer wall of white that is the face of Mt. Oytagh. Approached via a...  [more]

Discover the glorious Mogao Caves at Dunhuang

Set in the Gobi Desert, Dunhuang is an oasis in the otherwise endless sands. About half an hour from the city are the Buddhist Caves at Mogao which...  [more]

Enjoy the scenery of the Torugart Pass

The 3,752m Torugart Pass that forms one of the main border points between Kyrgyzstan and China, is one of the most spectacular border crossings in this part...  [more]