The Silk Road

For centuries, traders plied the so-called "Silk Road," a long and hazardous adventure linking the markets of Western Europe to the ancient Chinese capital of Xi’an. This tour retraces part of that epic journey, traveling along the fabled Hexi Corridor, then out across the deserts of Western China, with a detour to amazing Xiahe, a place of pilgrimage for Tibetan Lamism. Many spectacular sights are witnessed during this journey, including the awe-inspiring Forbidden City in Beijing, various sections of the Great Wall of China, the renowned Terracotta Warriors and the superb Buddhist painting at Dunhuang. The scenery is varied and even hostile in places, but always hauntingly beautiful. Most of all, this tour represents a cultural odyssey. From the heart of the Han Chinese homeland, you travel west, meeting numerous ethnic groups such as the Mongols and the Turkish-speaking Uighurs of Central Asia, en route to the remote oasis town of Kashgar. At the completion of your journey, you fly back to Beijing.