Today we arrive in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.

NOTE: Due to visa procedures, you will likely need to be without your passport/s for 4-6 weeks prior to departure.

Overnight in Tashkent.

Today we tour Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan, the third largest of the former Soviet Republics.

Uzbekistan is prospering under independence and this shows in the modern capitol building at the centre of town. We visit the Old City, which has mosques and madrassas (Islamic schools) housing craft workshops and dating from the 14th century. Chorsu Bazaar, a huge open market beside Kukeldash, draws crowds of people from the countryside, many in traditional dress.

We also include Kafelsashi Mausoleum, Barak Khana Medressah, Tila Shaikh Mosque and archives. Later we drive to the Friendship Square and the Navoi Theatre.

This evening we fly to Urgench and transfer by road to nearby Khiva, once the most remote of the Silk Road's oasis cities.

Overnight in Khiva.

Legend has it that Khiva was founded when Shem, son of Noah, discovered a well here. The town certainly existed by the 8th century, as a minor fort and trading post on a Silk Road branch to the Caspian Sea and the Volga. In the early 16th century, Khiva was made capital of the Timurid Empire, becoming a busy slave market and pivot of the khanate for the next three centuries.

Khiva is an ancient walled city and looks much like it did in centuries past. It is one of the few sites in Central Asia where one can easily imagine life during the time of the emirates. We will spend the morning wandering its maze of ruins and great mosques. Our tour includes Ichan Kala (walled city), Kalta Minor Minaret, Kunya Ark (inner citadel), and Madrassa Rakhimkhon. Later we walk to see Mausoleum of Pakhlavan Makhmud, Islam Khodja Minaret and Museum, the medieval Friday Mosque, and Tashauli Palace and Harem. Your afternoon is free to further explore the walled city.

Overnight in Khiva.

Today we travel by road to the Turkmenistan border (30 km). We meet our Turkmen vehicle and drive to nearby Kunya Urgench (Old Urgench). This was the capital of once powerful Khorezm Kingdom, which flourished in the 6th century BC, only to be wrested away from the last of the Persian rulers, the Sasanids, by the invading armies of the Arabs. A powerful and merciless invasion of the Mongolian hordes put an end to the ruling dynasty.

Today we see pre/post Timurid period monuments spread over a large area, including the Turabeg Khanum Mausoleum, the burial place for the Sufi dynasty that ruled Khorezm between the Mongol and Timurid invasions.

Early this evening we fly from nearby Dashauz to Ashgabat (Ashkhabad).

Overnight in Ashgabat.

Ashgabat is located in a spectacular natural setting, between the Kara-Kum Desert and the Kopet-Dag mountain range. A settlement on the site of the city was successively occupied by the Parthians, Seljuk Turks, and the Mongols. Under Russian control, it became the administrative capital of the Trans-Caspian oblast, and was the centre of trade between the Russian empire and Persia; the Trans-Caspian railway reached here in 1885. The transliteration of the town's name was changed in 1992 to more accurately reflect the Turkmen original.

Today we tour Ashgabat, with a visit to the History Museum, including the famous carpet section. We continue to the lively Sunday market -- the Tolkuchka Bazaar.

Overnight in Ashgabat.

Today we fly to the Silk Route city of Merv. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of culture and politics at a site of major strategic value. It is claimed that Merv was briefly the largest city in the world in the 12th century. The site of ancient Merv has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Upon arrival we visit Merv Museum and have a comprehensive tour of Merv, visiting the ancient Hellenistic fortress of Gaiyur Kala, and the sites of Erk Kala and Sultan Kala. We shall also see the impressive mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, one of the most powerful Khorezmian rulers.

Overnight in Merv.

Today we travel by road and cross the border back into Uzbekistan and Bukhara, former capital of the once powerful Emirate of Bukhara. The balance of the day is free to explore Bukhara centre on foot.

With buildings spanning 1,000 years of history and a thoroughly lived-in city centre that hasn't changed much in two centuries, Bukhara is one of the best places in Central Asia to catch a glimpse of pre-Russian Turkestan. Most of the city centre is an architectural preserve and includes a massive royal fortress, plenty of former madrassas, a number of ancient public baths and the remnants of a once-vast market complex .

Overnight in Bukhara.

We spend today exploring the old quarter of Bukhara on foot. The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia and the city itself has existed for half that time. Located on the Silk Road, the city has long been a center of trade, scholarship, culture, and religion. The historic center of Bukhara has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

The highlights of today tour include Labi-hauz, a 17th century plaza built around a pool; three domed bazaars; the 12th century Kalan Minaret, once the tallest building in Asia; and the Mausoleum of Ismail Samani, the town's oldest structure (completed around AD 905) and surely one of the most elegant in Central Asia.

Overnight in Bukhara.

We depart early for Shakhrisabz, the birthplace of Tamerlane, where we tour Ak-Saray Palace, Kok-Gumbaz Mosque, House of Meditation and the Crypt of Timur, a man who changed the course of history and made so much of a difference to Central Asia. This small town 90 km (56 miles) south of Samarkand, seems nothing special until you start seeing the ruins dotted around its backstreets and the megalomaniac ghosts of a wholly different place materialize. This is Timur's hometown, and once upon a time it probably put Samarkand itself in the shade. There's little left of Timur's Ak-Saray Palace except bits of the gigantic, 40 m (98 foot) high entrance covered with gorgeous filigree-like blue, white and gold mosaics, but it's staggering to try and imagine what the rest of this glorious summer palace must have looked like.

We continue later to Samarkand. No name is as evocative of the romance of the Silk Road as Samarkand. For most people it's as mythical as Atlantis or as remote and legendary as Timbuktu.

Most of Samarkand's high-profile attractions are the work of Timur, his grandson Ulughbek and the Uzbek Shaybanids, who between them made the city Central Asia's economic, cultural and intellectual epicentre in the 14th and 15th centuries. Almost everything of interest is in old town, whose layout has remained unchanged since this period.

Overnight in Samarkand.

Samarkand, sometimes called the ‘Rome of the Orient' was already flourishing when Rome and Babylon were founded. During the course of our full day tour we visit the famous Registan Square, Bibi Khanum Mosque, Mausoleum of Tamerlane, Observatory of Ulughbek, the site where Uleg Bek, grandson of Tamerlane, made some of the greatest achievements of the pre-telescope era of astronomy in the 15th century. We also visit the regal mausoleums of Shah-i Zinda, site of Central Asia's most sacred Islamic shrine; the massive mosque of Bibi Khanym, and the adjacent colourful market where you can purchase Samarkand's famous bread which Alexander the Great unsuccessfully tried to have duplicated back home in Greece, or try some of the region's local produce.

We also visit the museum on the site of the ancient Afrosiab archaeological site.

Overnight in Samarkand.

Today is free in Samarkand. You can explore Registan Square, part open-air museum and part open-air craft market. You will have the opportunity to purchase some of the region's well-known ikat fabric, which local craftsman can turn into trousers in less than a day.

Overnight in Samarkand.

Today we travel by road from Samarkand to Penjikent ("five villages"), located in the Khujand area of Tajikistan in the picturesque Zeravshan River Valley.* It was a superbly fortified, well-organized city with a palace, two temples, markets, houses decorated with numerous paintings, wooden and clay statues of ancient gods. Panjikent was the last city on the way from Samarkand and a favourable location since no caravan going from the mountains or returning to Samarkand could bypass Panjikent.

We spend time at the site and at the nearby site museum before returning to Uzbekistan and the busy and colourful Sunday market in the town of Urgut at the foot of the Pamir Range.

* NOTE: The security situation in Tajikistan is fluid, and the border with Uzbekistan can close without notice. If we are unable to visit Penjikent we will substitute other activities at the discretion of your Tour Leader and / or local agents.

Overnight in Samarkand.

We have an early start for our drive back to Tashkent airport from where we fly to Almaty, the largest city in Kazakhstan. Despite losing its capital status to Astana, Almaty remains the country's major commercial center.

Overnight in Almaty.

Today we have a full day tour of Almaty.

Compared to other cities in Central Asia, Almaty is quite young. It was founded in 1854 by Russians in the valley of Almaty and was just a fort at first. Its name was Zailisky, then it was named Verny. In 1921 it became Alma-Ata and in 1929 it became the capital of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1993 it became Almaty.

We visit Zhenkov's Cathedral, built in 1904, and an extraordinary example of a Russian Orthodox church built in wood. Later we visit the Museum of Kazakh Musical Instruments and the Central State Museum with its excellent displays of Scythian art and some rock drawings depicting the ancient Nestorian pilgrim movement on the Great Silk Routes. A hall dedicated to the nomadic tribes of Kazakhstan the highlight of ethnic section of the museum.

Overnight in Almaty.

Today we travel by road across the border to Bishkek in the Kyrgyz Republic and embark on a city tour on arrival.

Originally, Bishkek was called Pishpek. In 1926 Pishpek became the capital of the Kyrghiz Autonomous Republic. In 1936, as the capital of the Kyrghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, Pishpek was renamed Frunze in honour of a major political organizer of the Civil War who was born in Pishpek to a Moldavian family. Today Bishkek is a modern city with vast squares, crowded bazaars, impressive administrative centers, and educational institutions.

Our tour includes Oak Park, Central Square, Statue of Manas, and Victory Square. We will also visit the National Historical Museum. At the northern end of Bishkek's central square, this enormous example of socialist realist architecture was once the Lenin Museum, entirely devoted to the man himself. After independence, two of its three floors were cleared to make way for exhibits that reflected Kyrgyzstan's new status as an independent state. Luckily for visitors one floor has been preserved, along with a huge centrepiece statue of Lenin leading the revolutionary masses.

Overnight in Bishkek.

Today's scenic drive takes us along the shores of scenic Lake Issyk-Kul, the tenth largest lake in the world by volume and the second largest saline lake after the Caspian Sea. Although it is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, it never freezes; hence its name, which means "warm lake" in the Kyrgyz language.

Karakol boasts a number of places of interest to visitors, such as a very pretty wooden mosque built by Chinese artisans for the local Dungans between 1907 and 1910 entirely without metal nails and a similarly appealing wooden Russian Orthodox church, the Holy Trinity Cathedral, completed in 1895, used as an officer's club during Soviet times, but now restored and in use again. The Regional Museum, following some sponsorship from the nearby Canadian gold mining concern, has exhibits on the Issyk-Kul petroglyphs, Scythian bronze artifacts, and a short history of the geology and mineral exploitation in the region.

Overnight in Karakol

Today we explore some old Russian settlements and Przhevalsky's Memorial, dedicated to the Russian explorer Nikolei Przhevalsky, a local icon. The location is spectacular in the heart of the Tien Shan Mountains. We travel by road back to Bishkek and enjoy a farewell dinner.

Overnight in Bishkek.

Today we transfer to the airport for our flight to Kashgar (via Urumqi in the westernmost Chinese Province of Xinjiang), arriving late in the evening.* We will be met on arrival driven to our hotel for our overnight stay. If we are left with time in Urumqi between flights we can visit the Urumqi Museum before flying to Kashgar.

For centuries this cross-roads has been a major trading town. In fact the inhabitants of Kashgar still make their living by trade. Kashgar is a triumph of commerce over both nature and ideology. Historically, it was the junction of at least four branches of the Silk Route, despite being surrounded by awesome physical barriers: the Tien Shan to the west, the Pamirs and Karakoram to the south and the Takla Makan desert to the east. About 300,000 people live here, the majority being of the Uighur ethnic group.

* NOTE: We may be meeting other travellers booked on our tour of Western China at this point. There may also be a change in Tour Leader at this stage.

Overnight in Kashgar. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

We begin our city tour with a visit to a huge statue of Mao -- one of the few left in China. We continue on to the Tomb of Abakh Hoja. This is an unusual piece of Islamic architecture set on the edge of this oasis town. Buried here with Abakh Hoja is one of his daughters. She is also one of Kashgar's famous women, for she was the girl who became known all over China as the Fragrant Concubine. Stolen, or given as a gift to the Emperor Qianlong (there are many legends surrounding her fate), she was said to exude from her body a sweet jasmine fragrance.

We return to the city centre for a walk through ancient Kashgar's walled city. Here we will visit the Id Kah Mosque, the largest mosque in China. Later we will wander through the local bazaar. The daily bazaar comprises myriad tiny intersecting streets where craftsmen, woodworkers, blacksmiths, coppersmiths, cobblers and other artisans supply the people of the Kashgar area with their daily wares. We will also visit the old town and perhaps have a chance to visit a local family in their home; our local guide will do their best to organize this.

Overnight in Kashgar. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

Today we witness one of the most colourful outdoor markets anywhere in the world. Together with crowds who have journeyed from all over Xinjian, and from as far away as Pakistan, Tajikstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Russia and elsewhere, we will make our way to this weekly event. Kashgar's Sunday Market is bustling with flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle and horses, piled high with saddles and ropes, silk fabrics and cottons, fur hats and woven baskets, dried lizards and pickled snakes, cut glass jewelry, brooms and carpets and even freshly made carts and newly trained young donkeys to take it all home. The Chinese government recently constructed new facilities to house the market and it has lost some of its exotic atmosphere, but the visit is still very much worthwhile.

Later today we board our flight to Urumqi.

Overnight in Urumqi. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

Urumqi means 'beautiful pastures' in Mongolian. It stands 900 m (3,000 feet) above sea level, just below the northern foothills of the Heavenly Mountains. The snow-clad Bogda Peak dominates the skyline. The city is predominantly Han, but does include many other ethnic minorities.

This afternoon we drive through the desert to the oasis town of Turpan (pronounced 'toor-fan'). A short drive west of Turpan brings us to the ruined city of Jiaohe, which means "confluence of rivers". The layout of the city is still clear among the dusty ruins, including private homes, government buildings, watchtowers and a Buddhist monastery complex. Although the city developed many centuries earlier, most of today's remains are from the Tang Dynasty, a period when the population numbered more than 5,000.

Overnight in Turpan. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

The population of Turpan is predominantly Uighur. These people are famous for the raisins they make from the grapes grown in this oasis. This morning we will visit the Emin Minaret and Song Gong Ta Mosque, located at the edge of the oasis surrounded by vineyards and corn fields. This exquisite minaret is made entirely of mud bricks and stands 36 m (118 feet) high. The elegant tapering style is known as pre-Safvid, and originates in Iran.

We will also visit the ancient karez irrigation system. The water, which flows from the melting snows of the northern mountains, is supplied to Turpan by man-made underground channels or "karez". Over 1600km (992 miles) of these channels prevent the water from evaporating in the intense summer heat before reaching the town. Today the water is used to irrigate the grapevines, a key feature of the oasis.

In the afternoon we will visit the impressive ruins of the ancient city of Gaochong, 47km (29 miles) southeast of Turpan. Having come about as a garrison town and a Chinese base for grain production, this town eventually became the capital of the Kingdom of Gaochong. The practice of Buddhism led to the establishment of many tombs, monasteries, temples and large religious communities -- the ruins of which can still be seen today.

This evening we will board the southeast bound train for an overnight train ride to Dunhuang* (4 OR 2 person compartments, as available; single compartments NOT available; single supplements reflect sharing for this one night).

* NOTE: Occasionally this train service terminates in Liuyuan, short of Dunhuang. If this is the case for your chosen departure, we will disembark in Liuyuan and bus the remaining distance to Dunhuang.

Overnight train. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

Today we will disembark from our train journey in the large oasis town of Dunhuang. The people of Dunhuang are overwhelmingly Han, and one immediately feels one is in the China of the east.

Overnight in Dunhuang. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

Early this morning we will make a visit to the Mogao Caves, the greatest repository of Chinese Buddhist cave art, spanning the period from the Northern Wei to the Yuan dynasties (7th to 14th centuries). Begun in AD 366 and constructed over 1,000 years, these caves are filled with murals, dedicated mainly to Buddhism. In AD 33, a vision inspired a monk to cut the first hundred caves and over the next ten centuries, Dunhuang became a flourishing centre of Buddhist culture on the Silk Road. In the early days of the Silk Road, Dunhuang (meaning "Blazing Beacon"), was an important centre and the western-most outpost for China in the first century BC.

Later this afternoon we will take a short drive to the edge of the Dunhuang Oasis, where cultivation is brought to a halt by 40 km (25 miles) of sand dunes (the highest dune rises 1715 m / 5,660 feet above sea level). The spring-fed crescent lake is nestled amidst the high yellow sand dunes of Mingsha Shan. Camel rides into the dunes are available (optional expense), or you may choose to climb the dunes for a view of the Dunhuang Oasis and surrounding desert.

Overnight in Dunhuang. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

Today we fly from Dunhuang to Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China. While many of its elements are common to other Chinese cities, the sum of this city--its scope and presence in history--has no equivalent in China or anywhere else in the world.

Beijing is not only the political and administrative center of the People's Republic of China, it is also China's single greatest repository of monuments and treasures from the imperial era. It is also the second-largest and fastest growing municipality in today's China, the home and workplace of 9.3 million people.

Overnight in Beijing. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

This morning we travel north of Beijing to the Great Wall of China. A walk along the enormous undulating towered and turreted wall is spectacular. Rising and falling in concert with the ridges of the northern hills and undulating far off into the distance, the Great Wall consistently exceeds visitors' expectations and remains one of humankind's most remarkable accomplishments.

The wall's construction began during the Warring States Period (403-221 BC), when separate sections were built in scattered strategic areas. Following China's unification under the first Qin Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi (221-206 BC), 300,000 men -- many of them political prisoners whose bodies are buried in the wall -- were put to work connecting the segments into one huge rampart of stone and earth.

We will have plenty of free time to explore the wall before returning to Beijing early this afternoon.

After lunch we will have a tour of the Summer Palace, located in the northwest area of the city. During the late Qing Dynasty this was the summer retreat from Beijing's heat for the imperial family and court. Originally created as an imperial garden by Emperor Qianlong, it was destroyed and plundered during the Second Opium War in 1860. In 1888 the notorious Empress Cixi used the money intended for the Chinese Navy to build this opulent summer retreat for herself. In 1900 the Summer Palace was damaged extensively once again during the Boxer Rebellion, but was rebuilt shortly thereafter. Equally famous as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace is called "Yiheyuan" (Garden of Nurtured Harmony) in Chinese. It is up to now the best preserved and the largest imperial gardens in China.

Overnight in Beijing. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

We begin today with a visit to Tian'anmen Square, the place where one million students rallied for democracy in 1989. This is the largest public square in the world. Originally built in 1651, the square was quadrupled in size in 1958 to its present 40.5 hectares (100 acres) during a massive city-wide reconstruction program. Each flagstone is numbered so that parade units can line up in their assigned places.

From here we walk to the Forbidden City, a huge complex of palaces, pavilions, courtyards and gardens, which was off-limits to commoners for 500 years. This is where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties carried out their administration and lived, now open as a Palace Museum.

This afternoon we visit the Temple of Heaven, completed in 1420, and expanded over the years by two Qing Dynasty Emperors. Qinian Hall, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, with the three blue-tiled cone-shaped roofs, has become a worldwide symbol of Beijing. It was hit by lightning in 1889 and then completely restored. No nails or pegs were used in the original construction nor in the restoration.

Overnight in Beijing. Meal plan: Breakfast and dinner.

Departure from Beijing.

BON VOYAGE! Meal plan: Breakfast.