Day 1 | BEIJING Arrival day. |
Day 2 | BEIJING Excursion to visit the Great Wall at one of the dramatic but less visited sections. |
Day 3 | BEIJING Today we visit Tiananmen Square and the magnificent Forbidden City. Overnight train to Xian. |
Day 4 | XIAN Arrive in Xian, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. Visit the Terracotta Warriors with a guide. |
Day 5 | XIAN Free morning to explore this fascinating city and discover the links to its glorious past. In the afternoon we board our train to Jiayuguan.
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Day 6 | ON THE TRAIN TO JIAYUGUAN Our journey today follows the Gansu corridor, a memorable section of the old caravan route.
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Day 7 | JIAYUGUAN Visit the end of the Great Wall and Jiayuguan Fort. Optional early morning walk along the Taolai River to the dramatic end of the Ming Great Wall. Continue to the Fort with its spectacular setting in the heart of the desert, with a backdrop of snow capped mountains.
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Day 8 | DUNHUANG Drive across the desert to the oasis town of Dunhuang.
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Day 9 | DUNHUANG Visit the amazing Buddhist Mogao Grottoes. In the afternoon we visit Crescent Moon Lake and have the opportunity to take a camel ride into the sand dunes of the Taklamakan Desert. |
Day 10 | DUNHUANG Free morning to explore the oasis - perhaps hire a bike and cycle through the nearby fields and villages. Transfer to Liuyuan for the overnight train to Daheyan.
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Day 11 | TURPAN Transfer to the delightful oasis town of Turpan.
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Day 12 | TURPAN Today we visit the atmospheric ruined cities of Gaocheng and Jiaohe. We also visit the nearby Grape Valley to sample the local wines and raisins.
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Day 13 | KASHGAR Transfer to Urumqi. Time to visit the sights of interest, including the museum with its extraordinary mummies, before our flight to Kashgar. |
Day 14 | KASHGAR We have a full day to enjoy the wonderful Sunday market. Join the locals for fresh dumplings and tea, watch the horse traders race their prospective animals and shepherds buy and sell their sheep and goats.
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Day 15 | KASHGAR A free day to explore.
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Day 16 | KASHGAR Free morning in Kashgar. Board the overnight train to Urumqi for impressive views of the Taklamakan Desert and the Tian Shan (Heavenly Mountains).
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Day 17 | BAIYANG GOU Arrive in Urumqi and transfer to Baiyang Gou or White Poplar Gully, a small and little visited Kazakh yurt community. Overnight in a traditional Yurt.
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Day 18 | BAIYANG GOU A free day to enjoy the surrounding countryside. Take a trek into the hills or perhaps hire a horse.
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Day 19 | BEIJING Return to Urumqi in time for the flight to Beijing.
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Day 20 | BEIJING Tour ends. |
Starting in Beijing, our fascinating journey takes us to Xi'an, Chang'an of old, the traditional starting point of the Silk Road. We then follow one of the northern caravan routes westwards to the end of the Great Wall, and beyond. 
