The Silk Road Tour

—- A 15 day tour uncovering the many facets of China’s ancient civilization by visiting Beijing, Urumqi, Kashgar, Turpan, Dunhuan, Xi’an and Shanghai

*Strongly recommend Monday departure for the famous Kashgar Sunday Bazaar

ITINERARY:

*ABF – American Buffet Breakfast; B – Breakfast; L – Lunch; D –Dinner; SD –Banquet;
** Time – All times listed in the itinerary are LOCAL TIME;

Day 1 [Monday] Depart Canada
You will depart from Canada on a non-stop flight to Beijing, during which you will cross the International Date Line (I.D.L.) and fly over the North Pole. The entire journey will take about 11 – 12 hours.

Day 2 [Tuesday] Beijing
You are transferred by private vehicle to centre located hotel. The hotel is within a few minutes walking distance to Wangfujing Street.

The Regent Hotel Beijing (5 star)
99 Jinbao Street. Dongcheng District, Beijing
T: (86 10) 8522 1888
www.regenthotels.com;                                                                                                                                                               

Day 3 [Wednesday] Beijing (B, L, D)
In the morning, you visit the Forbidden City, the abiding symbol of imperial China, where you may marvel at its expansive architecture, magnificent imperial gardens, and many museums of Chinese antiquities and treasures. In the afternoon you visit Temple of Heaven, one of the finest cultural expressions of the Ming Dynasty. The Temple of Heaven represents the most advanced principles of architecture available at the time and serves as the ritual centre of the imperial government. In the evening, you enjoy a special Peking duck banquet a leading restaurant.

Day 4 [Thursday] Beijing (B, L, D)
After breakfast, you explore Beijing’s picturesque Houhai district where many old courtyard homes are preserved amidst narrow Hutong alleys bordering tree-lined lakes. You may tour the district by “Pedi-cab” for a more lively experience of traditional Chinese life. In the afternoon, you tour the famous Great Wall at Mutianyu, a rugged section of the Wall that is less crowded and with cable car available. There you enjoy the astounding views of the Wall as it winds over the surrounding hills.

Day 5 [Friday] Beijing – Urumqi (B, L)
You take a morning flight to Urumqi in Western China, capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Upon arrival, you transfer to the hotel. Afterwards, you tour the Nanshan Pasture where Kazaks continue to herd sheep and horses as did their ancestors.

Sheraton Hotel Urumqi (5 star);
669 Northern Youhao Road, Urumqi;
T: (86 991) 699-9999;
www.starwoodhotels.com;

Day 6 [Saturday] Urumqi – Kashgar (B, L, D)
You visit the Provincial Museum and meet with the museum director. The newly renovated museum is one of the largest in the country and houses an impressive collection of exhibits, covering artifacts’ and relics from more than twelve minority groups. Numerous tomb artifacts and 3000 year-old mummies found in Xinjiang are amongst the rare items on display. The world famous mummies are on permanent exhibit here. For dinner, you are given a special opportunity to sample Uighur cuisine. In the evening, you fly to Kashgar, an important hub on the Silk Road. Kashgar today is a vibrant Islamic center within the China. It is the largest oasis city in Chinese Central Asia and 90 percent of its 3 million-population are of Uighur ethnicity.

Tian Yuan International Hotel (4 star)
8 Ren Min East Road, Kashgar, Xinjiang
T: (86 998) 280-1111;

Day 7 [Sunday] Kashgar – Urumqi (B, L, D)
You enjoy the cultural ambience of this great Central Asian region, including the Id Kah Mosque. This Uighur structure is the largest in China and is five hundred years old. One hundred thousand worshippers may attend religious services at the same time. Later on, you visit the Tomb of AbakhHoja, built in 1640. Legend has it that five generations of the same family are buried in this tomb. The first generation to be buried here was Yusuf Hoja, a celebrated Islamic missionary. You then tour the Three Immortal Buddhist Caves and wander the Great Market and absorb the special atmosphere of central Asian bartering. The feeling of the old life still pervades this ancient tradition. You then have an opportunity to visit an ethnic kindergarten and enjoy lunch with a Uighur family. You fly back to Urumqi in the evening and check-in Sheraton Hotel.

Day 8 [Monday] Urumqi – Turpan (B, L, D)
This morning you are transferred via motor coach to exotic Turpan. You will visit the Thousand Buddha Caves hewn into the sides of the Sengim Gorge. You then drive to the nearby ruins of Gaochang, built in the first century; CE. Gaochang used to be a garrison town and later became a key point along the Silk Road. By the seventh century it held authority over 21 other towns and the practice of Buddhism led to the establishment of many monasteries and temples.

Tuha Petroleum Hotel (4 star);
230 Wen Hua Road, Turpan, Xinjiang
T: (86 995) 866-6666;
www.hoteltuha.com;

Day 9 [Tuesday] Turpan (B, L, D)
You begin your day with a visit to the Underground Museum at Astana. The director will give us an introduction. Later, you stop by the ancient Kariz underground irrigation system and enjoy dinner with local Uighur families featuring minority music and dance performances.

Day 10 [Wednesday] Turpan – Dunhuang (B, L, D)
A 6 hours railway journey along the West Corridor will give you a good opportunity to study the gateway of the Silk Road. In the afternoon, you will arrive in Dunhuang – a city located in the northwest desert of Gansu Province, this 2,000-year -old town was once a thriving centre of Buddhist monasticism. Here you explore the Mogao Caves which cut into the steep cliffs at the edge of the desert. The Mogao Caves contain thousands of Buddhist murals and statuaries, and constitute one of the world’s great repositories of religious art. You visit the grotto interiors displaying Buddhist sculpture and murals unchanged since the Tang Dynasty. An old inscription records that the first cave was created in 366 CE. Despite erosion and man-made destruction, 492 caves are still well preserved. UNESCO listed the Mogao Caves as a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Grand Soluxe Hotel (4 star)
1339 Guan Zhong Road, Dunhuang, Xinjiang
T: (86 937) 886-2888;
www.dhsoluxehotel.com;

Express Train D2704 Turpan / Dunhuang 10:25AM / 14:26PM (1ST Class);                                                                    

Day 11 [Thursday] Dunhuang (B, L, D)
You visit a newly built museum featuring replicas of ancient Dunhuang art and religious artefacts. Later, you may ride camels on the desert in Crescent Moon Spring Park.

Day 12 [Friday] Dunhuang – Xian (B, L, D)
A morning flight brings you to the ancient Tang Dynasty capital; Xian. You then explore the History Museum and its artifacts spanning many dynasties.

Shangri-La Hotel Xi’an (5 star);
38B Keji Road, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province;
T: (86 29) 8875-8888;
www.shangri-la.com;                                                                                                                                                                          

Day 13 [Saturday] Xian – Shanghai (B, L)
Your second day in Xian begins with the viewing of the extraordinary 2,300-year old terra-cotta warriors, the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qinshihuang. The warriors still stand at the original site of the emperor’s burial complex; where they were discovered by peasants in 1974. In the afternoon, you fly to Shanghai and transfer to hotel. You are given leisure time to explore Shanghai in the evening.

The Westin Bund Centre Hotel (5 star);
88 Henan Central Road, Shanghai;
T: (86 21) 6335-1888;
www.starwoodhotels.com;

Day 14 [Sunday] Shanghai (B, SD)
You spend the entire morning visiting Shanghai Museum viewing its wonderful collection of Chinese bronzes, jade, pottery and ceramics, paintings and calligraphy, old coins, and furniture’s. Later, you explore New Heaven & Earth, a stylish restaurant and then the shopping district in the old French Concession area. You then enjoy lunch at a restaurant of your choosing on your own. Afterwards you visit the Yu Garden in old Shanghai to view the Chinese traditional garden ambience. In the evening, you enjoy a memorable farewell banquet will be booked for you in a leading local restaurant. After dinner, you stroll along the Bund, viewing the beautifully decorated colonial buildings along the Huangpu River.

Day 15 [Monday] Shanghai-Canada (B)
You are escorted to the airport after breakfast for a nonstop back home flight, marking the end of this remarkable trip along The Silk Road. The whole Trip is finished!

The whole trip is finished!

PRICES – International Transpacific Airfare is quoted separately & Subject to change without notices

  • CAD$7,550.00 / per person – land portion only, double occupancy – 2-5 people group;
  • CAD$6,400.00 / per person – land portion only, double occupancy – 6-9 people group;
  • CAD$1,690.00 –  Single Supplement;

The above tour arrangement is INCLUSIVE of:

  • All transportation in China (Beijing–Urumqi-Kashi-Urumqi-Turpan-Dunhuang-Xi’an-Shanghai);
  • Hotel accommodations throughout (based on double occupancy);
  • All related taxes, hotel 12.5% service charge and airport security fees within China;
  • Daily American Buffet Breakfast throughout and lunch & dinner as indicated in the itinerary;
  • All airport / hotel / airport transfers;
  • Private comprehensive sightseeing with all transfers in each city in a private vehicle;
  • All admission fees for the programs listed in the itinerary;
  • English speaking guide;

The above tour arrangement is EXCLUSIVE of:

  • Travel Insurance – we may arrange this for you;
  • International round-trip transpacific air ticket (Canada / Beijing /  TOUR / Shanghai / Canada)*;
  • China visa * visa application is available upon requests;
  • Gratuities to tour guides, private tour car drivers (suggest CND$12-$15 / per tourist, per day);
  • Any personal expenses like laundry, long distance phone call, hotel mini-bar beverage and postages.

TERMS & CONDITIONS:

Terms & Conditions prepared by China Travel Service (Canada) Inc. is attached and it will apply for the whole trip to China.