Grand Asian Caravan

Departing: Beijing - 45 days
Countries visited: China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Armenia, Georgia & Turkey

An incredible adventure along Asia's ancient routes of trade and conquest. From China's Forbidden City and Silk Road oases to the once forbidden frontiers of the Tien Shan Mountains and the fabled cities of the Silk Road; Samarkand and Bukhara. And beyond, across the desert to ancient Merv and Holy Isfahan, the ancient sites of Georgia, Mtskheta, Tbilisi and Kutaisi, before following the Black Sea coast to Istanbul - gateway to Europe.

Itinerary

Days 1-3. Beijing
Beijing is an incredible contrast of sights, sounds and smells, explore the backstreets (Hutongs) of the old town with their food stalls and street vendors for a taste of ‘old Beijing’. Our ‘Scheduled Sightseeing’ takes in the "must see" sights: the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and Temple of Heaven. Finally our overnight train carries us south to the gateway of the great Silk Road, Xian.

Days 4-5. Gateway to the Silk Road
As ancient Chang'an, Xian was one of the largest cities in the world, this was a time of trade and prosperity and for over 400 years the great caravans set forth through the city's West Gate bound for the Taklamakan Desert, the high passes of the Tien Shan Mountains and the fabled cities of Central Asia. Today the city walls, towers, pagodas and incredible Terracotta Army reveal the city's long and turbulent history.

Days 6-8. The Silk Road to Turpan
Our two night journey carries us westwards to Jiayuguan, the bastion ramparts of the Great Wall's most westerly garrison, and across the Taklamakan Desert to the far-flung frontiers of Xinjiang Province. The oasis of Turpan still reflects life as it was along the Silk Road and the faces in the bazaar recall the four corners of Asia. Leaving the desert we board our train for the journey to Kashgar.

Days 9-11. Kashgar & the Irkeshtam Pass
At the crossroads of British India and Imperial Russia's Central Asian territories, this legendary Silk Road town played centre stage in the ‘Great Game’, while centuries earlier its strategic position made it one of the most important staging posts of the great Silk Road. Today the Sunday Market, with its incredible characters and riot of colour, is worthy of its reputation as one of Central Asia's best. Beyond the city lie the high passes of the Tien Shan Mountains, gateway to Kyrgyzstan and the fabled cities of Central Asia. We follow the Silk Road over the Irkeshtam Pass to Sary Tash and Osh.

Days 12-13. Across the Fergana Valley
Strategically located at the western gateway to the Fergana Valley, Osh prospered with Silk Road trade until the Mongol armies destroyed the city in the 13th century. Continuing through the valley we visit the silk producing town of Margilan with its large bazaar and the potters town of Rishton before travelling to Kokand and Tashkent.

Days 14-19. Samarkand & Bukhara
At Samarkand we explore Central Asia's most spectacular architectural ensemble; the Registan, plus other highlights including the Shah-i-Zinda complex, Bibi Khanym Mosque and the Ulug Bek Observatory. Across the Kyzyl Kum Desert lie the mud-brick monuments of Bukhara. Once known as ‘holy’ Bukhara, it was home to more than 2000 mosques, today its monuments are some of the oldest on the Silk Road; the Ark Fortress, Samani's Mausoleum and, spared the destruction of Genghis Khan, the Kalyan Minaret - one of central Asia's tallest.

Days 20-29. Across the Kara Kum Desert to beautiful Isfahan
Beyond Bukhara we cross the Kara Kum Desert to Mary and the ruins of Merv, one of the greatest of all the ancient Silk Road cities. In Ashghabad we visit the Tolkuchka Bazaar with its red sea of traditional Turkmen carpets and beyond the city into the Kopet Dag Mountains and across the border to the most holy of Irans’s cities; Mashhad. This incredible shrine complex of Emam Reza, the eighth grandson of the prophet Mohammed, is one of the great architectural wonders of the Islamic world. We join our overnight train to the beautiful city of Isfahan with its wonderful blue tiled buildings and covered bazaar and discover some of the city’s renowned tea-houses. Towards Armenia and a stop at Tabriz to enjoy the carpet bazaar then to Goris and across the border to Yerevan.

Days 30-39. Caucasus adventure
Crammed between the Caspian and Black Sea is an incredible treasure trove of early Christian monuments set amongst the beautiful mountain scenery. We explore Yerevan and the mountain spa town of Dilijan continuing to Georgia and explore its ancient capital, Mtskheta and the old town of Tbilisi. The Caucasus were a crossroads of trade and conquest through the centuries and we discover the best the region has to offer, with time to enjoy their legendary hospitality and fine wines! By way of Gudauri, Gori and Kutaisi we emerge at Batumi on the Black Sea and cross the northern frontier into Turkey.

Days 40-45. The Black Sea coast
Many of the caravan trade routes finished at the ports of the Black Sea where ships carried the valuable merchandise onwards to Constantinople and the Mediterranean. Our last few days follow the Black Sea coast through Trabzon, Samsun and Safranbolu to Istanbul and the end of this incredible journey along the Silk Road.

Essentials

Group Size
15 maximum, plus Tour Leader

Accommodation
Hotels & Guesthouses - 36 nights (twin share)
Homestay - 1 night (shared)
Trains - 7 nights (4 berth)

Meals
Breakfast (37), lunch (2), dinner (5).

Travel by
Train: Comfortable 4-berth sleepers.
There are 6 rail sectors on this journey
- Beijing to Xian (1 night)
- Xian to Turpan (2 nights)
- Turpan to Kashgar (1 night)
- Mashhad to Isfahan (1 night)
- Isfahan to Tehran (1 night)
- Tehran to Tabriz (1 night)
Other: A variety of private chartered vehicles (China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Armenia & Georgia) and public buses (Turkey) are used on the non-rail overland sectors. For 'Scheduled Sightseeing' we generally use small minibuses, and for 'City Exploring' we use local taxis, public transport and go on foot.

Sightseeing
Scheduled Sightseeing is part of the itinerary and includes all transport, entrance fees and English speaking local guide. While too numerous to detail here, extensive 'Scheduled Sightseeing' is provided in the following cities: Beijing, Xian, Turpan, Kashgar, Osh, Andijan, Margilan, Kokand, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Mary, Ashghabad, Mashhad, Isfahan, Tehran, Tabriz, Yerevan, Dilijan, Tbilisi, Gori, Kutaisi and Istanbul. Full details in the Trip Dossier. City Exploring is further sightseeing outside the itinerary guideline but with the Tour Leader.

Visas
Required for China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Turkey (depends on nationality). Sundowners Overland will provide all required invitation letters and full visa support, including detailed visa guidelines.
Note: Due to the remote areas visited you should be prepared for some basic accommodation and rail sleepers on some sectors.