17 days / 16 nights

A & K Insider Access

During your Silk Road journey, experience behind the scenes insight ranging from a visit to the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Institute in Xian, where access is generally closed to the public, to a Yangling Museum tour with the site director, throughout which you will be able to view the all-important restoration lab. Also exciting is the option of dinner with a traditional Uighur family in Turfan, granting you the opportunity to truly discover the community and culture of the place.

• The Forbidden City and Millennium Museum Beijing
• Yangling excavation museum
• Terracotta Warriors
• The Great Wall
• Gobi and Taklamakan Deserts
• Oasis towns of Kashgar and Turfan
• Karakorum Highway
• Dazzling Shanghai
• Expert lectures by archaeologists and historians
• A&K Professional Escort

Itinerary

Day 01 Australia-Beijing
Fly with Qantas to the dynamic Chinese capital where your A&K Escort awaits your arrival. The rest of the day is at leisure.
The Peninsula Beijing

Day 02 Beijing
A briefing this morning before setting off to visit the new Millennium Museum, a highlight with a remarkable exhibition on the Silk Road to inspire you for the coming journey. This afternoon it’s off to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. A special welcome dinner is arranged this evening with an introduction to China’s Silk Road history by a resident historian (B,L,D).
The Peninsula Beijing

Day 03 Beijing-Xian
Fly to historic Xian, once the start of the famous Silk Road. A tour of the Yangling Museum reveals remarkable archaeological discoveries from Han dynasty tombs. Meet the site director and pay a special visit to the restoration lab. An evening slide presentation on the treasures of the Silk Road by a resident archaeologist (B,L). The Shangri-La Hotel

Day 04 Xian
A morning at the world famous Terracotta Warriors and an afternoon focus on Xian and its role as a Silk Road centre with visits to the Great Mosque and old quarter, the Museum of Tang Culture and a special visit to the Shaanxi Provincial Archaeological Institute, normally closed to the public, to view recently excavated artifacts (B,L).
The Shangri-La Hotel

Day 05 Xian-Dunhuang
Fly west to historic Dunhuang, a charming desert outpost with visits to ancient Han ruins and the Jade Pass, a fortress garrison which marked the furthest boundary of ancient China. An optional late afternoon camel ride to the towering Mingshashan Sand Dunes is on offer (B,L,D).
The Dunhuang Hotel

Day 06 Dunhuang – Urumqi
Today visit the greatest attraction of the region, the Mogao Caves, which hold the world’s largest concentration of Buddhist art crafted over a period of more than 1000 years and was the birthplace of Chinese Buddhism. Join eminent Chinese specialist from the Dunhuang Institute for visits to the special caves. Early this evening, fly to Urumqi, vibrant capital city of the Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region (B,L,D).
Sheraton Hotel Urumqi

Day 07 Urumqi-Turfan
This morning visit the Xinjiang Museum noted for its exceptional collection fo ancient mummies. From here travel overland to Turfan, the oasis town that is a rich repository of Silk Road history and culture. Cross the northern rim of the great Taklamakan Desert and descend into the Turfan basin, the agricultural jewel of Xinjiang, home to the Uighur people from central Asia (B,L,D).
The Oasis Hotel

Day 08 Turfan
Today’s adventures chronicle the history of the Silk Road with visits to the ancient city of Gaochang (Karakhoja), the Astana Tombs, the bustling Turfan bazaar and the elegant Suliman’s minaret. Round the day off with dinner in a traditional Uighur family compound (B,L,D).
The Oasis Hotel

Day 09 Turfan-Kashgar
Visit the ancient Silk Road garrison town of Jiaohe and a local Uighur farm before flying to Kashgar, fabled gateway to the Karakorum Highway and the last major city along China’s rugged western frontier (B,L,D).
The Baroni Hotel

Days 10-11 Kashgar
Two days spent in this exotic frontier town. Sunday is the day of Kashgar’s legendary bazaar, one of the great market experiences of Asia, when this ancient site of trade and commerce is inundated by thousands of people from near and far. It is a kaleidoscope of colour, sound and smell. Other highlights include the Mausoleum of Abjak Hoja and Lake Karakuli, accessed from the Karakorum Highway. The area is famous for its breathtaking panoramic vistas of snowcapped mountains, high alpine desert and fertile, rolling meadows. Unique dining experiences are also included with lunch in a traditional Uighur compound and dinner in an orchard with a performance by local Kashgarian musicians (B,L,D).
The Baroni Hotel.

Day 12 Kashgar-Aksu
Bid farewell to Kashgar and drive along the western rim of the Taklamakan Desert to Aksu, an oasis outpost (B,L,D).
Hong Ta Hotel

Day 13 Aksu-Kuqa
The overland journey continues to Kuqa, formerly an important trading post and once the seat of the fabled Qiuci Kingdom, an ancient Buddhist realm known for its rich philosophical traditions. Visit the Kezil Caves, a vast network of Buddhist caves with astonishing murals dating to the 3rd Century (B,L,D).
Kuqa Hotel

Day 14 Kuqa
Today we visit the Kumtara Caves where images of Apollo aside that of Asian deities suggest a link between Hellenistic Greece and Central Asia (B,L,D).
Kuqa Hotel

Day 15 Kuqa-Urumqi-Shanghai
Fly to Urumqi and on across the country to Shanghai, China’s great eastern metropolis (B,L).
Four Seasons Shanghai

Day 16 Shanghai
This morning A&K arranges a specially guided tour to the Shanghai Museum to view some of the treasures linked to China’s ancient Silk Road history. The afternoon is at leisure before a farewell dinner at Shanghai’s fashionable T-8 in the popular Xintiandi district (B,D).
Four Seasons Shanghai

Day 17 Shanghai-Australia
Our adventure in China comes to an end as the high speed Maglev train spirits us to the airport for the flight home (B).

Departure Dates & Prices – Pilgrims on the Silk Road

Tour Departs:

On the following dates

Note: Contact us for Business Class Airfare Supplement