Group Tours: Along the Silk Route Sept 08

Following in the footsteps of the great traders and explorers of old, this grand tour takes you along the route of the ancient Silk Road through the fabled khanates of Bukhara and Samarkand of Central Asia and over the high passes into Western China through to Beijing. The tour combines the world-renowned cultural and historical sites of the Silk Route with some of the planet’s most stunning scenery. En route you’ll cross the towering 3752m Torugart Pass into China, haggle with the locals at the incredible Kashgar Sunday Market and visit the magnificent Buddhist Grottoes at the oasis town of Dunhuang.

Commencing in Tashkent, this three-week tour is timed to avoid the worst of the summer heat, and to witness the various local markets as they bulge with the bountiful autumn harvests. Much of the route is covered by private coach, though a few reliable domestic flights cover the great distances quickly and conveniently. Due to the remoteness of many of the regions, accommodation is often simple in nature, but always clean and comfortable. Where options are greater we have selected good quality international-style hotels for a taste of comfort along the route. To avoid the Olympics in Beijing in 2008, the September tour will operate in reverse - beginning in Uzbekistan and traveling east into China.

Places Visited

• Tashkent
• The Southern Silk Road
• Bukhara
• Khiva & Around
• The Karakoram Highway
• Beijing
• Issyk-Kul & Song Kol