Silk Road Caravan

Departing: Beijing - 32 days
Countries visited: China, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Travel the Silk Road aboard this exciting new rail adventure from Asia to Europe. From Beijing to Dubai through the oases of the Taklamakan desert to the fabled cities of Samarkand and Bukhara. Then across the Kara Kum desert and Turkmenistan to the holy city of Mashhad. Iran will surprise and reward every visitor with its warm welcome and the incredible monuments and architecture of Isfahan. On through its dry plains and across the Straits of Hormoz to Dubai

Itinerary

Days 1-3. Beijing - the adventure begins
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, while your Tour Leader is on hand for some relaxed ‘City Exploring’ to the Silk Market, Summer Palace and Forbidden City. Finally our overnight train carries us south to the gateway of the great Silk Road, Xian.

Days 4-6. Xian, gateway to the Silk Road
For centuries the great caravans set forth through Xian's West Gate bound for the Taklamakan Desert, the passes of the Tien Shan Mountains and the fabled cities of Central Asia. It was a period of trade and prosperity and Chang'an, as Xian was then known, was the glittering capital of ancient Cathay. Today the old city walls, towers, pagodas and incredible Terracotta Army reveal the city's long and turbulent history.

Days 7-9. The Silk Road to Turpan
Our two-night journey carries us westwards to Jiayuguan, and the bastion ramparts of the Great Wall's most westerly garrison, 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 travel to Urumqi and join the international express train to Almaty.

Days 10-12. Dzungaria to Tashkent
The towering Tien Shan Mountains were a formidable obstacle for the camel caravans and only a few passes provided access to the markets of Central Asia. The long delayed Sino-Soviet Peace Railway project was finally completed, and the railway now traverses the mountains through the Dzungarian Gate to Kazakstan. Snow-capped peaks can be seen for most of the year at the border post of Druzhba (Peace) before the downhill run to Almaty and beyond to Tashkent.

Days 13-18. The cities of Central Asia - Samarkand & Bukhara
No city is so evocative of the ancient Silk Road than ‘golden’ Samarkand, Tamerlane's turquoise-spangled capital. We explore Central Asia's most spectacular architectural ensemble; the Registan, plus many 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, Samanid Mausoleum and, spared the destruction of Genghis Khan, the Kalyan Minaret - one of central Asia's tallest. Explore the old town and enjoy one of the many chaikhanas (tea-houses) in Lyabi-Hauz.

Days 19-21. Across the Kara Kum Desert to Iran
Beyond Bukhara and across the Kara Kum Desert to Ashghabad. We explore the city before crossing the Kopet Dag Mountains to the most holy of Iran's cities - Mashhad. The incredible shrine complex of Emam Reza, the eighth grandson of the prophet Mohammed, is one of the great architectural wonders of the Islamic world, and is said to receive more than 5 million pilgrims each year.

Days 22-24. To beautiful Isfahan
We join our overnight train to the beautiful city of Isfahan with its wonderful blue tiled buildings and covered bazaar. Our sightseeing includes the stunning Masjed-e Emam Mosque, one of Iran's great architectural ensembles, with time to explore the Grand Bazaar and discover some of the cities renowned tea-houses.

Days 25-32. Across the Gulf to the Emirates
Further south to Shiraz once the Persian capital then beyond the city to Persepolis, the massive palace complex contructed by Darius the Great and destroyed by Alexander the Great and with large stone reliefs carved into the walls is surely one of Asia’s most impressive ancient sights. We explore the narrow lanes of the inhabited ‘old city’ of Yazd a ‘living museum’ and then to Meymand well off the tourist trail where houses are carved into the hillside and to the gulf port of Bandar-e Abbas with it’s thriving fish market and bustling bazaar. Across the Straits of Hormoz to Sharjah, an Emirate on the Persian Gulf, and on by road to Dubai where the ancient world meets ultra-modern metropolis.

Essentials

Group Size
15 maximum, plus Tour Leader

Accommodation
Hotels & Guesthouses - 23 nights (twin share)
Train - 7 nights (4-berth)
Ferry - 1 night (shared)

Meals
24 in total. Breakfast (23), Dinner (1).

Travel by
Train: Comfortable 4-berth sleepers.
There are 5 rail sectors on this journey
- Beijing to Xian (1 night)
- Xian to Turpan (2 nights)
- Urumqi to Almaty (2 nights)
- Almaty to Chimkent (1 night)
- Mashhad to Isfahan (1 night)
Ferry: Bandar-e Abbas to Sharjah (1 night)
Other: A variety of private chartered vehicles (China, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Turkmenistan & Iran 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, Almaty, Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Ashghabad, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Persepolis, Yazd, Meymand, Bandar-e?Abbas, and Dubai. Full details in the Trip Dossier. City Exploring is further sightseeing outside the itinerary guideline but with the Tour Leader.

Visas
Required for China, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran & UAE (depends on nationality). Sundowners Overland will provide all required invitation letters and full visa support, including detailed visa guidelines.