Azerbaijan - Turkmenistan - Uzbekistan - Kyrgyzstan - China

Section III 
Central Asia and China
May 20 - June 25, 2012 (37 days)
Price:  € 12530 / USD $17945
Single Supplement: €   2360 / USD $   3380

Day 46, Tuesday, May 22 Baku – Caspian Ferry 
Today we will be at leisure until the time for boarding the Caspian ferry.
Those who leave the group from Baku, will be transferred to airport for your homebound flight.
B/L/D Caspian Ferry

Day 47, Thursday, May 23 Arrive Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan 
Our ferry may arrive Turkmenbashi around noon (schedule unknown). We will go through a long border-crossing formality before officially entering Turkmenistan. We will spend the night near Turkmenbashi.
B/L/D Kuwati Hotel

Day 48, Thursday, May 24 Full day in the Yangykala Canyon 
Explore the Yangkala Canyon in Western Turkmenistan.
Drive on very bumpy road to reach Yangykala Canyon. 
Yangykala Canyon was formed 50 to 70 million years ago, when the area was the bottom of an ocean. Today, shells and fossilized coral still litter the dusty floor and walls of the canyon. It is truly an amazing place on earth!
Tonight, we will reach a pilgrim’s place by the name Gosli Ata. Since this region is quite remote, we will need to prepare our own food and sleep on carpeted floor where the local pilgrims usually spend the night.
B/L/D Gosli Ata Pilgrims’ Rest

Day 49, Friday, May 25 Gosli Ata – Balkanabat (driving distance: 120 km) 
We will drive to the nearby city Balkanabat to rest.
The city of Balkanabat was just a stopover point to enable us to get well out into the wilderness from the remote Yangykala Canyon area. Visit a local bazaar in Balkanabat.
B/L/D Nebitchi Hotel

Day 50, Friday, May 26 Balkanabat – Ashgabat (driving distance: 320 km) 
Drive into the capital of Turkmenistan in the morning. Leisure time after lunch. 
B/L/D Grand Turkmen Hotel

Day 51, Sunday, May 27 Ashgabat
Today we will have a full day of sightseeing in and around Ashgabat; including a city tour, a visit to the Carpet Museum, visiting the Bakharden underground lake as well as Kipchak Mosque. Later, we will tour the Old Nisa – the remains of the Parthian kings’ residence. Continue to National museum and return Ashgabat. 
B/L/D Grand Turken Hotel

Day 52, Monday, May 28 Ashgabat – Darvaza (driving distance: 255 km) 
Morning at leisure in Ashgabat. After lunch depart for a night of camping in the Karakum Desert. Tonight there will be an amazing experience of a life time! 
B/L/D Desert Camping

Day 53, Tuesday, May 29 Darvaza – Dashoguz – Khiva, Uzbekistan (driving distance: 395 km) 
Drive through the desert and arrive at Dashoguz, a small town by the Uzbek border. After lunch, we will cross the border to enter Uzbekistan. Upon arrival in Khiva, check into the hotel and walk around the old city at leisure. 
B/L/D Hotel Kheivak Malika

Day 54, Wednesday, May 30 Khiva 
Khiva was the capital of the Khiva Khanate in the 17th century, and has still retained the exotic flavour of a medieval Oriental town. Today we will tour Ichan-Kala (the inner town), which is encircled by brick walls, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in the 10th century. Our visits will include: Mohammed Amin Khan Madrassah, Kunya Ark, Islam Khoja Madrassah and Minaret, Jummi Mosque, and Tash Hauli Palace. We will also see desert sights such as Toprak Kala and Koi Krylgan Kala. 
B/L/D Hotel Kheivak Malika

Day 55, Thursday, May 31 Khiva – Bukhara (driving distance: 410 km) 
Drive to Bukhara through the KizilKum Desert. The road can be very difficult if the new road is not yet ready. Lunch stop en route.
En route we stop to see the Amudarya River, known to many western explorers as the Oxus River. We will arrive at Bukhara in the late afternoon. In the evening we will see a folk performance in Nadir Devanbegi Madrassah. 
B/L/D Asia Hotel Bukhara

Day 56, Friday, June 01 Bukhara
Bukhara is the only city in Central Asia where the flavour of the East has been preserved intact. It is a town-museum with about 140 architectural monuments dating back to the Middle Ages. Today our excursion in Bukhara includes visits to the mausoleum of Ismail Samani, a masterpiece of classical Eastern architecture, and the Poi Kalon Ensemble with its 50 meter-tall minaret decorated with unique patterns, towering over the centre of ancient Bukhara. In evening we will have dinner in a local traditional style restaurant. 
B/L/D Asia Hotel Bukhara

Day 57, Saturday, June 02 Bukhara – Samarkand (driving distance: 280 km) 
After breakfast we will start our trip to Samarkand, arriving in the afternoon where we will have lunch and some leisure time. 
B/L/D Asia Hotel Samarkand

Day 58, Sunday, June 03 Samarkand 
Samarkand was once known as the Garden of the Universe. It reached the height of its glory during the reign of Tamerlane who cherished the dream to make his capital the most beautiful city in the world. Today we will have a city tour of Samarkand including the famous Registan, Bibi Khanum Mosque, Shah-i-Zinda Ensemble, Ulugbek Observatory (15th century), and Chupan Ata (1440s). Later we will visit Khoja Abdi Darun, Khoja Abdi Birun and Ishrat Khana Mausoleums, and the famous Samarkand carpet factory. 
B/L/D Asia Hotel Samarkand

Day 59, Monday, June 04 Samarkand – Tashkent (driving distance: 310 km) 
In the morning we will start out for the capital, Tashkent. Upon arrival, check into the hotel and rest. Leisure time in the afternoon.
B/L/D Tashkent Palace Hotel

Day 60, Tuesday, June 05 Tashkent – Ferghana Valley – Osh (driving distance: 426 km)
Today we will start early in the morning heading towards Eastern Uzbekistan: the famous Ferghana Valley. The road from Tashkent to Ferghana Valley is a bit challenging, crossing many mountain passes on the way. We will arrive in Ferghana for lunch. 
In the afternoon drive to the Kyrgyz border and continue to Osh, the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan; reputed to be about 3000 years old. There are several legends about the origin of the city, including claims that it was founded by Solomon or Alexander the Great. Even if such a grand personage did not establish Osh, its position at a crossroads along the ancient trading routes that became known as the Silk Road almost guaranteed that it would become a major settlement. Excursion to Osh Bazaar, one of the biggest bazaars in Central Asia, stretching for about one kilometre along the river. Visit holy mount Suleiman-Too (Solomon’s Throne). According to legend this mount appeared after King Solomon rested here. For Central Asian Muslims, “Taht-I-Suleiman” is the 3rd most sacred place after Mecca and Medina. At the top there is a 16th century mosque and a museum. 
B/L/D Sunrise Hotel

Day 61, Wednesday, June 06 Osh – Chichkan Valley (driving distance: 430 km) 
Drive to the Chichkan Valley. Following the Ferghana Valley the road climbs through spectacular mountains and follows the Naryn River. We will overnight in the valley at a newly built lodge by the river. 
B/L/D Oson Lodge

Day 62, Thursday, June 07 Chichkan Valley – Kochkorka (driving distance: 260 km)
Today the drive becomes challenging after 155 km of paved road. The route takes us through some of the alpine mountains and meadows of Kyrgyzstan. Along the way we will get a chance to meet Kyrgyz shepherds, and learn about their paths and their nomadic life. Drop in at a local nomadic yurta for tea. In the afternoon, arrive the village of Kochkorka and stay at a local B&B-style accommodation. Enjoy a Kyrgyz dinner and folk show. 
B/L/D Family stay

Day 63, Friday, June 08 Kochkorka – Naryn (driving distance: 130 km) 
Today we will drive along the gravel road to Naryn. En route visit villages and trek a bit in the mountains. 
B/L/D Celestial Mountain Guesthouse

Day 64, Saturday, June 09 Naryn – Kashgar, China (driving distance: 330 km) 
Our departure will be early in the morning! Drive from Naryn to the border; we need to arrive at the border before noon. After the border-crossing, drive onto Kashgar via the Torugart Pass. Arrive into Kashgar late in the afternoon. 
B/L/D Grand International Hotel

Day 65, Sunday, June 10 Kashgar 
Kashgar, the largest oasis city in China and Central Asia, used to be the last outfitting station on the centuries-old Silk Road. 
A city of bazaars, two-wheeled carts, dusty streets and 4000 mosques, Kashgar reveals a strong Islamic influence. Its narrow maze of alleyways and open air markets display all the myriad faces of Central Asia with Uygur, Kyrgyz, Tajik and Kazakh merchants and locals, all busy haggling over camels and sheep, brightly coloured fabrics, fur hides and hats, handmade carpets and knives. Trade remains timeless still, especially on Sundays, when the entire community gathers at the one of the world's liveliest markets. Leisure day in Kashgar exploring the market. 
B/L/D Grand International Hotel

Day 66, Monday, June 11 Kashgar – Khotan (driving distance: 520 km)
Drive from Kashgar to Khotan. On the southern part of the Silk Road, Khotan was an early centre for the spread of Buddhism from India into China. It fell to the Arabs in the 8th century and grew wealthy on the proceeds of the caravan trade that travelled the route between China and the West. 
B/L/D Zhejiang Hotel

Day 67, Tuesday, June 12 Khotan – Minfeng (driving distance: 288 km) 
Drive from Khotan to Minfeng; visit the local ethnic groups en route. 
B/L/D Niya Hotel

Day 68, Wednesday, June 13 Minfeng – Korla (driving distance: 780 km) 
Drive from Minfeng to Korla crossing the Taklamakan Desert from south to north along the longest desert highway in the world. Upon arriving in Korla, the sense of achievement is quite overwhelming. 
B/L/D Loulan Hotel

Day 69, Thursday, June 14 Korla – Turpan (driving distance: 390 km) 
Drive from Korla to Turpan. Turpan is located in the Turpan Basin at the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. The city has a population of nearly 200,000, most of whom are Uygurs. The Turpan Basin is the lowest area in China, in which the Aiding Lake, with its surface being 154 meters below sea level, is the second lowest spot in the world, next only to the Dead Sea. 
B/L/D Tuha Petroleum Hotel

Day 70, Friday, June 15 Turpan 
Visit to the Kan-er Waterwell, and the ruins of Jiaohe City, now on the list of UNESCO's historical and cultural sites, which protects the Tang Dynasty ruins of homes, garden walls, government offices, pottery kilns, temples and pagodas, all of which are still easily recognizable. Evening dinner will be arranged at a local Uygur house. 
B/L/D Tuha Petroleum Hotel

Day 71, Saturday, June 16 Turpan – Dunhuang (driving distance: 840 km) 
Depart Turpan early in the morning, leaving the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. After lunch at Hami, we enter Gansu Province and arrive Dunhuang in the evening. Dunhuang was once an important junction on the Silk Route, where it split into different branches, this oasis in northwest China, on the edge of the Gobi Desert, is surrounded by sand dunes. By the 4th century AD, the route had brought the city both commercial prosperity and a growing Buddhist community. 
B/L/D Dunhuang Shazhou Grand Hotel

Day 72, Sunday, June 17 Dunhuang 
This morning, take a bus tour to visit the Mogao Grottoes, a series of 500 caves which contain the world's most valuable display of Buddhist art - manuscripts, some 2,400 painted sculptures and 45,000 square metres of frescoes. In the late afternoon, tour the Singing Sand Hill and Crescent Moon Lake. Be prepared for a camel ride over the sand dunes! 
B/L/D Dunhuang Shazhou Grand Hotel

Day 73, Monday, June 18 Dunhuang – Jiayuguan (driving distance: 520 km) 
Drive to Jiayuguan and visit the Jiayuan Pass - the western end of the Great Wall. Onto Jiuquan and overnight. 
B/L/D Jiuquan Great Wall Hotel

Day 74, Tuesday, June 19 Jiuquan – Zhangye (driving distance: 400 km) 
Drive to Zhangye and visit the Zhangye Museum. This museum is located in the Giant Buddha Temple, which is the largest architectural relic in Gansu Province, of the Western Xia (1038-1227) period. China's largest reclining Buddha is well preserved in this temple. Marco Polo spent one year in the town of Zhangye. 
B/L/D Zhangye Hotel

Day 75, Wednesday, June 20 Zhangye – Lanzhou (driving distance: 355 km) 
Drive to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province. Enjoy the scenery of the Yellow Clay Plateau en route. Upon arrival, tour the Yellow River Park. 
B/L/D Konggang Hotel

Day 76, Thursday, June 21 Lanzhou – Xian (driving distance: 525 km) 
Today is your last driving day! Expect an early morning departure and arrive in Xian late in the evening. Xian, the ancient capital of China, was earlier known as Chang’an. Xian, once home to a diverse collection of ethnic groups trading in all types of material goods and religions was the central terminus for all trade along the eastern section of the Silk Road. Xian is end of your Silk Road driving journey. Welcoming ceremony on the ancient city wall upon arrival. 
B/L/D Xian Terra Cotta Warriors’ Apartment Hotel

Day 77, Friday, June 22 Xian 
Visit the Terra Cotta Warriors Museum and Shanxi Provincial Museum. 
B/L/D Xian Terra Cotta Warriors’ Apartment Hotel

Day 78, Saturday, June 23 Xian – Beijing 
Morning visit the old city wall. Afternoon transfer to the airport and fly to Beijing. 
Dinner party to celebrate the end of the great driving adventure!
B/L/D Bamboo Garden Hotel

Day 79, Sunday, June 24 Beijing 
Leisurely visit the Tian’an Men Square and the Forbidden City. Possible evening show.
B/L/D Bamboo Garden Hotel

Day 80, Monday, June 25 Depart Beijing 
In the morning transfer to the airport for your departure home. End of this unforgettable driving adventure!
B