The Great Silk Road Adventure

China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran & Turkey - This amazing trip offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for those with sufficient time to travel the entirety of one of the major branches of the Silk Road all the way across Asia from Xi’an in central China to Istanbul in Western Turkey, covering a distance of some 12,000 kilometres and six contrasting countries.

Following in the footsteps of travel luminaries Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta, Hsuan-Tsang and a million ancient Silk Road traders, we’ll take in not only some of the world’s most iconic sights like Xi’an’s Terracotta Army, Samarkand’s Registan Square and Istanbul’s Blue Mosque, but we’ll also cross mountains, deserts and grasslands and meet amongst others the Uighur, Kyrgyz, Uzbek and Turkmen peoples who have made these lands their home.

One of our biggest trips to date, we look forward to welcoming you on this epic continental journey through one of the world’s most engaging and little-known regions.

Highlights:

• Undertaking a unique trip of a lifetime along the Silk Road from Xi'an to Istanbul
• Journeying through China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran & Turkey
• Visiting more than 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
• Experiencing the incredible diversity of the region from mountains and deserts to grasslands and fertile river valleys
• Seeing some of the world’s finest architectural and cultural gems
• Meeting the many different ethnic groups who live along the old trade routes

Tour Includes:

• Full services of a Tour Leader with local guides and drivers
• 47 breakfasts, 44 lunches, 38 dinners (typically in local restaurants where viable)
• All transport (minibuses, boats, cars, domestic flights and trains)
• 47 nights' accommodation (42 in comfortable hotels, 2 in homestays, and 3 on overnight trains)
• All entrance fees, sightseeing, excursions and activities as per the itinerary
• A carbon-offsetting contribution to Carbon Clear (if booking international flights through our office)

NB. Please note that there are some differences between the itineraries for departures in different years, so please be sure to refer to the individual tour itinerary for full details.

ALL OUR SMALL GROUP TOURS HAVE NO LOCAL PAYMENTS, HIDDEN EXTRAS OR COMPULSORY SINGLE SUPPLEMENTS.