The Silk Road was probably the most important development in human history, which brought close trading and subsequently cultural contacts between the east and the west. Our Silk Road to Bukhara is a journey tracing the footsteps of the most interesting of the many branches which will bring back picture of the life as it was then.

Day 01: Arrive Beijing (CHINA)
Nihao! We are warmly greeted as we arrive at Beijing International and transferred to our hotel.
Every visit to Beijing makes it evident that this city is fast growing and, like in it’s hey day, is once again becoming the capital of the world.
Overnight: Jianguo Hotel, Beijing (1 night)

Day 02: Beijing/Xian (Flight)
We start our journey to the origin of the Silk Route by taking a short flight to Xian, a town that was visited by Marco Polo in the medieval times. Branches of the Silk Route started flowing east, west north and south from this magical city. Our afternoon tour includes the Big & Small Wild Goose Pagoda, Bell and Drum Tower, the Muslim Quarter, the 12th century mosque and the Shanxi Museum.
Overnight: Garden Hotel, Xian (1 night) (B, D)

Day 03: Xian/Lanzhou (Flight)
The capital of Shaanxi Province, Xian was once amongst the largest cities in the world and the capital for 11 dynasties. It was the starting point of the Silk Road and is now, with the exception of Beijing, the most popular tourist attraction in China. Today we tour the Tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi and its terracotta figures, (over 6000 life-size warriors and horses buried along with the Qin Dynasty emperor responsible for the unification of China in 200 BC). Next stop is the traditional Banpo Neolithic Village where we visit the remains of a village inhabited between 4500 BC and 3750 BC. Evening transfer to the airport for a short flight to Lanzhou.
Overnight: Jinjiang Hotel, Lanzhou (2 nights) (B, D)

Day 04: Lanzhou
In the morning we take an excursion to Bingilisi Caves. (B, D)

Day 05: Lanzhou/Labrang (Drive)
This morning we head out for Labrang, to visit the famous Labrang Lamasarai, a monastery heavily influenced by Tibetan architecture.
Overnight: Hotel Ethnic, Labrang (1 night) (B, D)

Day 06: Labrang/Lanzhou/Dunhuang (Drive/Flight)
We return to Lanzhou for an evening flight to Dunhuang, the 2000 year old town on the edge of the Gobi Desert. It was once an important caravan stop, also here the Silk Road splits into different routes stretching 7000 Km all the way to the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.
Overnight: Dunhuang Hotel, Dunhuang (1 night) (B, D)

Day 07: Dunhuang/Turpan (Train)
Our afternoon touring includes the amazing sand dunes & the Magao Caves, the oldest Buddhist shrines in China. These ancient hand-carved shrines are a World Heritage Site and represent a thousand years of devotion to Buddha between the 2nd and12th Centuries. We then take an overnight train to the oasis of Turpan, which lies in one of the world’s great land depressions, 505 feet below sea level. Turpan was the most important city of the Middle Ancient Silk Route.
Overnight: Overnight train (1 night) (B, D)

Day 08: Arrive Turpan
Turpan lies in one of the world’s great land depressions at 505 feet below sea level and was the most important city of the Middle Ancient Silk Route. Today we take a full day tour to include Gaochang, the Flaming Mountain and the Bezkilik Thousand Buddha caves followed by Jiaohe and the famous Karez System. In the evening we get time to visit the oasis town and meet the local folks.
Overnight: Oasis Hotel, Turpan (2 nights) (B, D)

Day 09: Turpan
We start the day with a visit to the Tuyugou Caves, which are are considered to be the earliest hewn caves in the Turpan area. This group of caves, hewn in the Gaochang Prefecture period between the Jin and the Earlier Liang dynasties, has a history of 1,600 years. There are 46 caves in the group, nine of which have Buddhist murals still visible in them. This is then followed by a visit to awesome Emin Minaret - the largest extant old tower in Xinjiang and the only Islamic tower among the hundred famous towers in China. The Minaret was built in 1777 in honor of the heroic Turpan general, Emin Khoja. He was an outstanding patriot who defended the unification of China throughout his life. (B, D)

Day 10: Turpan/Urumqi/Kashgar (Drive/Flight)
Morning we depart for Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, situated at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. Our tour of Urumqi includes the Ardaoqiao Market, a covered street of food & textile stalls. Later we take our short flight to Kashgar, where we are met and transferred to the hotel.
Overnight: Golden Silk Road Hotel, Kashgar (2 nights) (B, D)

Day 11: Kashgar
If one would like to see a place where time has stood still it is Kashghar (Kashi). Walking through the narrow lanes of this old town evokes a scene from the Arabian Nights. Kashgar has remained sheltered from outside influences with locals who are very friendly. Amongst the most popular professions are coppersmiths, carpenters, jewelers and cobblers, all using tools of bygone days. Our tour of Kashgar also includes the Abak Hoja Tomb, the Id Koh Mosque and the old town where we might even take a ride on the donkey cart taxi. One of the most popular events in the town is the weekly Sunday Bazaar that draws a variety of ethnic groups like the Uyghur, Tajik, Kyrgyz and Kazakh to the streets of Kashgar. They come on foot, bikes, horsebacks, modern motorcycles and donkey carts, all with the hope of selling merchandise that ranges form scissors to camels. (B, D)

Day 12: Kashgar/Torogart/Naryn (Drive - KYRGYZSTAN)
This morning we depart for Kyrgyzstan’s newly opened frontier. This will be a long, but interesting day as we are traveling into the mountainous region with breath-taking views of the litter Pamirs.
Overnight: Guest House, Naryn (1 night) (B, D)

Day 13: Naryn/Karakol (Drive)
Depart for Karakol with enroute visits to include Djeti Oghuz, Kirghiz nomads camp and interesting rock formations. While in Karakol, visit includes the Russian Orthodox Church and Dungan Mosque.
Overnight: Hotel Amir, Karakol (1 night) (B, D)

Day 14: Karakol/Cholpan Ata/Bishkek (Drive)
Today we head for Biskek via Cholpan Ata to visit the Preshevalsky Museum, the bazaar and the Burana Tower. The Museum of Prezhevalsky has been named after the famous Russian explorer who spent the best years of his life in the region conducting research on animal and plant life. Prezhevalsky was sent by Nikolai, the Czar of Mongolia and Tibet as part of the Russian diplomacy during the era of the famous Great Game. Later we continue with the scenic drive to the Kyrghyz capital.
Overnight: Ak Keme Hotel, Bishkek (1 night) (B, D)

Day 15: Bishkek/Osh/Ferghana (Flight/Drive - UZBEKISTAN)
Morning transfer for flight to Osh and on arrival proceed to the border and after the formalities continue to Andijan and then proceed to Ferghana where we shall visit Margilan to visit a traditional silk factory and Rishton to visit a ceramic factory. (B, D)

Day 16: Ferghana/Tashkent/Samarkand (Flight/Drive)
Morning transfer for flight to Tashkent. Upon arrival we are met and driven to Samarkand. After an evening rest in our hotel, we visit the famous Registan Square to see the beautiful madrassah illuminated. Subject to shows, we will witness an awesome Sound & Light Show followed by a typical and delicious Uzbeki dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Hotel Malika, Samarkand (2 nights) (B, D)

Day 17: Samarkand
The historic town of Samarkand is a crossroad and melting pot of the world's cultures and has been declared a World Heritage Site recently., Samarkand had its most significant development in the Timurid period from the 14th to the 15th centuries. Our tour takes us to the major monuments and includes the Registan Mosque and the adjoining madrassas, Bibi-Khanum Mosque, the Shakhi-Zinda compound and the Gur-Emir Ensemble, as well as Ulugh-Beg's Observatory. Our afternoon tour also includes the Afrosiab Museum, located on the site of ancient Afrosiab and the Historical Museum of Uzbek Culture & Art, with the wooden coffin of Tamerlane and a large copy of the Koran. (B, D)

Day 18: Samarkand/ Shakhrisabz /Bukhara (Drive)
We depart for the World Heritage Site of Shakhrisabz, home-town of Tamerlane. This historic centre contains a collection of exceptional monuments and ancient quarters, which bear witness to centuries worth of history, and particularly to the period of its climax in the 15th century under the empire of Tamerlane. After our tour of this town, we continue for yet another gem of Uzbekistan, nay of Central Asia, Bukhara
Overnight: Zagaron Hotel, Bukhara (2 nights) (B, D)

Day 19: Bukhara
One of the grandest of Uzbek centers, Bukhara is an open museum with many mosques,
madrassahs and a grand minaret. We spend the day visiting some of the finest examples of Islamic Architecture in the world, where exquisite tile and mosaic work complements the beautiful brick-work; no wonder the city is a World Heritage Site. Our visit includes the Lab-e-Khauz Complex with the Nadirkhon Devanbegi Madrassah, the Mogak Attari Mosque and the Poi Kalon Minaret. We also visit the Madrassahs of Aziz Khan and the Ulugbek Ark Fortress, the residence cum army headquarters of the Bukharan Emirs that houses an interesting collection of objects from those days and the Mausoleum of Ismail Samanid, which features some of the best 10th century brickwork, with a marked Persian influence. We conclude the day with a visit to Sitora-i-Mokhikhosa, the Summer Residence of the former Emirs of Bukhara. (B, D)

Day 20: Bukhara/Khiva (Drive)
Our drive to Khiva is through the arid setting of the Kyzyl Kum Desert. Along the way we stop for some refreshments and see how humans have survived over the centuries in this barren landscape.
Overnight: Hotel Asia, Khiva (1 night) (B, D)

Day 21: Khiva/Urgench/Tashkent (Drive/Flight)
Today we explore the World Heritage Site at Khiva, a city where time has stood still. Here you feel in the midst of the Arabian Nights. Our visit starts with the main site of Ichan Kala followed by Kalta Minor, the Kunya Ark, the Rakhimkhon Madrassah, the Mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, the Friday Mosque and the Tashauli Palace and Harem. To complete the feeling, we climb the Khodja Minaret to take in the amazing fairy tale panorama. In the afternoon we are transferred to the airport for our flight back to Tashkent.
Overnight: Dedeman Hotel, Tashkent (1 night) (B, D)

Day 22: Depart Tashkent
Our visit to Tashkent starts with the old part of the city, the Kafelsashi Mausoleum, the Barak Khana, the Tila Shaikh Mosque and Archives, followed by the Chorsu Bazar, Kukeldesh Madrassah, the Friendship Square and the Navoi Theatre. Afternoon transfer to the airport for your departure flight. (B)

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Departure Dates

2008 English Speaking Departures May 15 and Sep 04

Inclusions

Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Accommodation as mentioned or similar, including hotel taxes Meals as mentioned (B=Breakfast D=Dinner) Ground transfers as mentioned. Sightseeing with services of local English speaking guide Entrance fees to museums and sites included in the itinerary Domestic air & train tickets required Necessary visa supports International Airfares Departure/Airport & Border taxes Insurance & Visas Beverages/Tips

Tour Price

We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.

Departure Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement 2008 min 6 participants US $ 4995 • CA $ 4995 US $ 750 • CA $ 750 2008 min 2 participants US $ 6390 • CA $ 6390 US $ 750 • CA $ 750

Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour

Canada - West Coast CA $ 2300 USA - West Coast US $ 1400 Canada - East Coast CA $ 2100 USA - East Coast US $ 1600

Participants

This tour operates on a minimum of 02 and a maximum of 15 participants.

Notes

Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.