Sun Eclipse Tour and Silk Road Highlights - Total Solar Eclipse of August 1st 2008 - Observe the sun eclipse in one of the world's three best viewing locations: Balikun - Travel along the Tianshan (Heavenly) Mountain Route of the Silk Road - Visit the major towns of Hami, Turpan and Urumqi - Stay overnight in a Kazak yurt and camp in the Kumutage (Kumtag) Desert - Explore ancient and non-touristy Uygur villages - Visit the Urumqi History Museum with mummies on display - Taste the local specialties of Xinjiang Province - Have a great adventure in this fascinating region with its deserts alpine lakes, snow mountains and glaciers China Sun Eclipse Tour 2008 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE TOUR & SILK ROAD HIGHLIGHTS A total eclipse of the sun will be visible from within a narrow corridor that traverses half the earth on Friday, 1st August 2008, beginning in Canada and extending across northern Greenland, the Arctic, central Russia, Mongolia, and China. Do not miss out on this unforgettable travel experience! The viewing location will be far from the hustle and bustle of the big cities at one of the world's three best locations this year. This tour will lead you through Xinjiang Province - the ªWild Westº of China - and along the Northern Silk Road Route. Travel date: 29th July 2008 - 6th August 2008 . Destinations: Urumqi, Tianchi Lake, Balikun, Hami, Shanshan, Turpan . Duration: 9 days . Starting in: Beijing . Ending in: Beijing . Group size: min. 2 pax, max. 10 pax QUICK INTRODUCTION XINJIANG PROVINCE Lying in northwestern China, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, also called Xin for short, was referred to as the Western Region in ancient times. It has an area of 1,66 million square kilometers, roughly about one-sixth of the total territory of China. Xinjiang is the largest and has the longest boundary line among China's provinces and autonomous regions. It shares 5,600 kilometers of frontier with Mongolia in the northeast; Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirghiszstan, and Tadzhikistan in the west; and Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India in the southwest. Xinjiang is divided into two basins by Mount Tianshan, Dzungarian Basin in the north and Tarim Basin in the south. The Karakorum highway links Islamabad, Pakistan with Kashgar over the Khunjerab Pass. Xinjiang©s lowest point is 155 metres below sea level (lowest point in China). Its highest peak is 8611 metres above sea level on the border with Kashmir. The Xinjiang-Kyrgyzstan border is marked by the Tian Shan mountain range. The Torugart Pass (3752 m) is located on this border. Please visit our website www.hiddenchina.net for more information China Sun Eclipse Tour 2008 DAY 1, 29TH JULY 2008 BEIJING - URUMQI (D) From Beijing we fly to Urumqi - the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the largest city in the western half of China. Upon arrival, you will be picked up at the airport by our guide and transferred to the hotel (5*). We will then explore the city square and the local bazaar on foot. After our welcome dinner in a nice Uygur style restaurant we walk through the night street market which is an excellent way to get acquainted with the city. DAY 2, 30TH JULY 2008 URUMQI HISTORY MUSEUM & HEAVENLY LAKE (B/L/D) In the morning we visit the Urumqi History Museum with its 3000-year-old mummies on display, where you will gain insight into the history of the most ancient states along the Silk Road. A delicious lunch will be served at a local restaurant and will consist of the traditional chicken specialty. In the afternoon we drive to the Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) which will take about 1.5 hours. The Heavenly Lake is situated to the east of the Tianshan Mountain range, north of Bogda Peak, 97 km south of Urumuqi. Known as Yaochi in ancient times, the lake surface elevates 1,910 meters above sea level, with an average depth of 60 meters. Surrounding the Heavenly Lake are snow mountains, glaciers, forests and grassland alpine lakes, featuring a vertical natural landscape belt. We will stay overnight in a Kazak yurt beside the lake. Optionally you can also sleep in a 3-star-hotel nearby. DAY 3, 31ST JULY 2008 TIANCHI LAKE - BALIKUN ALONG THE SILK ROAD (B/L/D) Today we will drive from the Heavenly Lake to Balikun: the viewing location for the total solar eclipse the next day. This will be the longest driving day (approximately 7 hours). En route we will visit several historic sites along the Northern Silk Road Route with Mount Bogda standing proud on the horizon. We will visit the sites of ªBei Ting Du Hu Fuº - the highest administrative body governing the western region, set by the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Petrified Wood Park in Qitai and the Balikun Lake. Qitai is the world's second largest petrified wood park, only next to the one in the State of Arizona, USA, with relics of dinosaurs and miracles of nature like Gingko trees, which provided food for dinosaurs some 140 million years ago. Balikun Lake stretches over an area of 112.15 square kilometers at an altitude of 1'585m above sea level, with yurts of Kazak people dotting the surrounding area and animals grazing. We will stay overnight in a 3-star-hotel in Balikun Town. Please visit our website www.hiddenchina.net for more information China Sun Eclipse Tour 2008 DAY 4, 1ST AUGUST 2008 TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE (B/L/D) Experience the total sun eclipse in one of the world's best viewing locations! We will stay overnight in a 3-star-hotel in Balikun Town. DAY 5, 2ND AUGUST 2008 BALIKUN - HAMI (B/L/D) In the afternoon drive to Hami located in a fault depression about 200 meters below sea level. Hami was called Kunmo in ancient times and Yiwulu in the Han Dynasty. Hami Prefecture has a population of 400,000 of which the Han nationality makes up 67 percent and other minority nationalities 33 percent. The city of Hami includes 24 nationalities in its population of 300,000. The Han nationality accounts for 66 percent, the Uygur 26 percent, the Kazak 2.7 percent, the Hui 3.7 percent and the other 1.6 percent is made up of the Mongol, Manchu, Tibetan, Xibe, Ozbek and Kirgiz nationalities. As the hometown of the Hami melon, the prefecture has been known far and wide since the reign of the Qing Dynasty Emperor Kangxi, when the Islamic king of Hami began to use Hami melons as gifts to the Qing court. We will visit the Mausoleum of the Uygur Kings of Hami Kingdom and stay overnight in the city's best hotel (4*). DAY 6, 3RD AUGUST 2008 HAMI - SHAN SHAN (B/L/D) Today we visit the ancient town of Shanshan and the Kumtag Desert. Shanshan used to be a Chinese kingdom that existed roughly from 200 BCE - 1000 CE at the north-eastern end of the Taklamakan Desert including the Great Salt Lake known as Lop Nur. Because of its strategic position controlling the Southern as well as the Main Silk Road, the kingdom was regularly contested between the Chinese and the Xiongniu, a nomadic people from Central Asia. The Desert of Kumtag is a section of the Taklamakan Desert stretching over an area of approximately 22,8000 square kilometers. It is bordered by Dunhuang in the east and Tian Shan in the north. A noticeable feature of Kumtag Desert is the presence of large accumulations of drift-sand, especially along the foot of the crumbling desert ranges, where it rises into dunes sometimes as much as 250 feet (76m) in height. In the evening you can either camp in the Kumtag Desert or stay overnight in a 3-star-hotel in Shanshan Town. Please visit our website www.hiddenchina.net for more information China Sun Eclipse Tour 2008 DAY 7, 4TH AUGUST 2008 SHAN SHAN - TURPAN (B/L/D) We will drive towards Turpan, another very important town along the Silk Road, located in a basin in the mountains of eastern Xinjiang and also often referred to as ªan oasis in the desertº. We will also drive to the Tuyu valley, which goes by the name of ªMecca of Chinaº, since seven Mohammed seers are laid to rest here. It is said to be the best preserved Uygur ancient village built in a green valley at the foot of the Flaming Mountains (the Gobi Mountain) with ancient Buddhism rock painting and Muslim tombs. You will stay overnight in a 4-star-hotel. DAY 8, 5TH AUGUST 2008 TURPAN - JIAOHE - TURPAN (B/L/D) After breakfast, we will go to the ruins of Jiaohe - located about 10 kilometers west of Turpan - which used to be a strategically important city on the ancient Silk Road some 2'500 years ago and the capital of the former Cheshi State. The city is built on a plateau surrounded by deep, fertile valleys and has no walls as it is protected by the natural fortification of the precipitous cliffs. It used to be a flourishing state capital with Buddhist temples, living quarters and government sections until it was tossed into the reigns of the Turpan, Hui and Mongols at the end of the 8 century and was finally abandoned in the beginning of the 14th century. We will have lunch (local bread, kebab, fruits) in a picturesque orchard and will then explore the Karez System, an irrigation system of wells connected by underground channels, considered as one of the three great ancient projects in China, the other two being the Great Wall and the Grand Canal.