Along the Silk Route Escorted Group Tour 10 May 2018 The Terracotta Warriors, Xian We are very proud to have received a number of awards over recent years from The Times, The Guardian and Observer, The Telegraph newspaper and Ultratravel magazine, and Wanderlust, as voted by their readers. We are a Which? Recommended Provider and have also won awards with The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Condé Nast Traveller. Additionally, we have achieved recognition from the Best Company organisation for our great working environment. These awards are widely recognised as being the most respected in the travel industry as they are professional surveys of the publications’ readerships. With over 500 travel companies for you to choose from in the UK alone, we hope you find these awards are an additional reassurance of the quality of service you can expect from Audley. Contents Meet our specialists ______________________________ 4 Introduction to tour ______________________________ 6 Flights & visas ___________________________________ 8 Day by day summary of our Along the Silk Route arrangements ___________________________________ 9 Price _________________________________________ 12 Why travel with us? ______________________________ 13 Introduction to the region _________________________ 14 Photographs of the region __________________________ 22 Your itinerary in detail ____________________________ 24 Accommodation information ________________________ 45 Charity support _________________________________ 53 General information ______________________________ 54 Terms and conditions _____________________________ 58 Forbidden City, Beijing CONTACT This tour has been put together by: Quality of Service Stuart Howarth Most companies claim to offer first Product Executive class service, but very few genuinely Direct Line: 01993 838 432 set out to achieve it. At Audley we are wholeheartedly devoted to Telephone: 01993 838 200 offering you first class service from Fax: 01993 838 010 the moment we start planning your E-mail: trip until after your return. If you feel [email protected] that our standards at any time drop below your expectations or you have Stuart's love of travel began with a trip around Europe any suggestions about how we could improve our the summer before starting University, and was fully service, then please contact the Manager, Hannah Busby realised whilst living in Canada as part of his Master's on 01993838302 or email Degree in Organic Chemistry. Having completed his [email protected] studies, Stuart set off again, this time exploring Asia and Australasia. Of all of the places he visited the culture and We may record telephone calls to ensure quality of service and for incredible landscapes he found in China had him hooked training purposes. and he spent the majority of his first trip exploring as much of the Chinese countryside as possible. Upon joining Audley Stuart travelled back to China to expand his knowledge of the country and revisit some of his favourite places, as well as discovering some hidden gems. When he's not waxing lyrical about the joys of China and it's incredible food, people and landscapes, Stuart loves the outdoors and you'll find him hiking and skiing whenever and wherever possible. 4 Meet our specialists Meet our North & Central Asia Specialists The members of our North & Central Asia team have lived and breathed this fascinating collection of countries. In the name of research we’ve travelled to the tip of Japan and the far west of China, ventured along the exotic Silk Road, slept in yurts, and journeyed by train through the vast expanses of Siberia and Russia, stopping along the way to try delicacies such as yak butter tea, Mongolian hot pot, sea urchin sushi and shots of neat vodka! Meet our specialists 5 Introduction to our Along the Silk Route tour Introduction to our Along the Silk Route group tour Following in the footsteps of the great traders and explorers of old, this grand tour takes you along the route of the ancient Silk Road through western China and over the high passes into Central Asia to the fabled khanates of Bukhara and Samarkand. The tour combines the world-renowned cultural and historical sites of the Silk Route with some of the planet's most stunning scenery. En route you'll visit the magnificent Buddhist Grottoes at the oasis town of Dunhuang, haggle with the locals at the incredible Kashgar Sunday Market and cross the towering 3752m Torugart Pass into Kyrgyzstan, one of Asia's hidden gems. Commencing in Beijing, this three-week tour is timed to avoid the worst of the summer heat, and hopefully coincide with the alpine flowers in Kyrgyzstan. Much of the route is covered by private coach, though a few reliable domestic flights cover the great distances quickly and conveniently. Due to the remoteness of many of the regions, accommodation is often simple in nature, but always clean and comfortable. IS THIS TRIP FOR YOU? Travelling in Central Asia requires flexibility, patience and understanding; flight timetables and other arrangements often change at short notice, accommodation is simple and there are long drives on unsealed roads. It should be remembered that Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are still very much third world counties and western China is similarly still developing. If, however, you are looking for stunning scenery, fascinating culture and have a keen sense of adventure, this is absolutely the trip for you! Group size The group size is kept to a maximum of 16, this ensures that the trip is a more personal experience and that you can always hear and speak to your guides. The small group size also ensures that your experience of a particular sight is not marred by the presence of too many people. Your main mode of transport will be a coach that seats 20-30, so there is plenty of space for everyone. Please note that on this trip there are quite a few long days travelling, due to the sheer distances you will be covering, often on poor roads so be prepared for some bumpy conditions. The amazing scenery should make the journeys worthwhile. There is a minimum requirement of 10 passengers to run this tour, so the first 10 people to book will be done so on a provisional basis until minimum numbers are reached. Deposits for those first 10 people will be fully refundable should the tour not operate. Single travellers We welcome single travellers on tours. You have two options - you can choose to share a room with another single traveller on the tour and pay the standard tour price (this option will only be available if another single traveller of the same sex is also willing to share), or you can choose to guarantee the sole occupancy of your room, in which case a single supplement is payable. Group tour leader An experienced English guide will meet you on arrival in China and travel with you throughout your group trip. Along the way we will also be using expert local guides who are carefully selected for their in-depth knowledge of the area. Meal arrangements Daily breakfast is included at your hotel and a number of lunch and dinners are included (where stated) at the hotel, a local restaurant or, on occasions where you are travelling, as a simple packed lunch. Your tour leader or guides will be able make suggestions for dining where this is not included. Special dietary requirements Special dietary requirements should be highlighted by you on the booking form. However, you must be aware that it is unrealistic to expect specialist diets to be catered for in some of the destinations we will be visiting. We will advise hotels and airlines of your request but we cannot guarantee their availability. Tour health & fitness requirements To ensure that all participants get the most out of the tour, it is important that you are fully aware of the level of activity and fitness and medical health required to successfully complete this itinerary. Please read this dossier carefully prior to confirming your place on the tour, and having established the facts, it is your responsibility to contact us with any concerns regarding individual levels of fitness, health or ability. Please be aware that our tour leaders have the right to exclude 6 Introduction to our Along the Silk Route tour Introduction to our Along the Silk Route tour customers from the tour if they feel they are not sufficiently fit, healthy or able to complete the tour without affecting its safety, comfort or smooth progress. If you would like to discuss any of these issues further please contact us. Activity level - medium A good level of fitness is required for this trip and you should be physically active. You should be aware and prepared for all or any of the following on this trip: • High altitude - the tour crosses passes at more than 3,500m. • Extremes of temperature - this will vary considerably depending on date of departure, but be prepared for possible highs of 35-40C (Turpan and Bukhara particularly) and lows of 0-5C (Kyrgyz passes). • Long drives on rough, occasionally bumpy roads, in a range of vehicles including coaches and 4x4 cars for up to 12 hours per day (and potentially more dependent on local conditions). • To carry or wheel your own luggage through airports and from the vehicles to hotels and vice versa. • To join all day walking tours of cities, monuments and historic sites. (All of these are optional). • Border crossings may require you to walk with your luggage. • Where significant changes to the itinerary are required (e.g. following closure of the Torugart Pass), accommodation may be simpler than specified with shared facilities. We will endeavour to ensure this does not happen but in some cases options are likely to be very limited. Visas China A visa is required by all visitors to China.