Silk Road Explorer: Fully-inclusive China tour with FREE flights!

DAYS 1-2: AUSTRALIA TO XIAN (D)

Fly overnight with China Southern Airlines to Xian. Depending on your time of arrival the rest of the day is yours to start soaking up the local culture.

DAY 3: TERRACOTTA WARRIORS (B, L, D)

Housed in three immense hangars, the ranks of the Terracotta Army stand sentinel in their subterranean necropolis, constructed to protect China’s first Emperor in the afterlife. Gaze over the warriors and horses, each one unique, whilst your guide introduces you to these life-like soldiers’ fascinating story. Later, enjoy a gentle cycle around the ancient city wall and take a walking tour of the narrow and twisting streets of the Muslim Quarter. Sample the delicious, freshly cooked snacks and gain an insight into the city’s fascinating culture. Tonight, dine on Xian’s traditional and delicious dumplings.

DAY 4: TRAIN TO LANZHOU (B, L, D)

Start the day with a visit to the Little Wild Goose Pagoda and the Xian Museum, home to a number of relics and artefacts. Later, transfer to the train station to board your 3-hour bullet train to Lanzhou. Enjoy an evening at leisure.

DAY 5: EXPLORE LANZHOU (B, L, D)

Today, take a leisurely walk by the Yellow River before enjoying a moment of tranquillity at the hilltop Baita Temple. Along the river and in Baita Park you can see locals practising exercises like Tai Chi and Square Dancing. Walk about 15 minutes from the temple and enjoy some delicious hand stretched noodles for lunch. Your visit to Baita Temple involves 2 hours of walking and climbing some steps.

DAY 6: BINGLING TEMPLE (B, L, D)

Head to Liujiaxia Lake to explore the extraordinary Thousand Buddha Caves of Bingling Temple and their Buddhist murals, statues and sculptures.

DAY 7: JOURNEY TO XIAHE (B, L, D)

Conquer the scenic Jishi Mountain Pass to arrive at Tibetan Xiahe. Take some time to acclimatise to the higher altitude.

DAY 8: LABRANG MONASTERY (B, L, D)

Labrang Monastery is a fascinating maze of prayer wheels, chapels and chortens. Dine on traditional Tibetan food for lunch, including momo dumplings. There will also be time to wander through Xiahe Township.

DAY 9: ZHANGYE (B, L, D)

Return to Lanzhou by road and take the bullet train to Zhangye, once an important commercial town along the Silk Road.

DAY 10: DANXIA SUNRISE (B, L, D)

Rise early to witness sunrise over the kaleidoscopic mountains in Danxia National Park. Return to Zhangye and explore the Giant Buddha Temple. Later, travel by bullet train to Jiayuguan, an ideal location to expand your knowledge of Silk Road history.

DAY 11: GREAT WALL AT JIAYUGUAN (B, L, D)

Visit the Jiayu Fortress and take a walk on the western extremes of the Great Wall for panoramic views over the beautiful landscape of the Gobi Desert.

DAY 12: CITY OF SANDS (B, L, D)

Located on a major trade and cultural crossroads, Dunhuang, known as the ‘City of the Sands’, sits in a verdant oasis on the edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Visit a silk carpet museum and the Shazhou Night Market.

DAY 13: MOGAO GROTTOES (B, L, D)

A system of temples and sanctuaries, the Mogao Grottoes exhibit Buddhist paintings and statues that span thousands of years.

DAY 14: SINGING SAND DUNES (B, L, D)

Visit Crescent Moon Spring, nestled amongst the famous Singing Sand Dunes, a phenomena produced by the wind blowing through the grains.

DAY 15: TURPAN (B, L, D)

Catch the bullet train to Turpan, a lush green oasis set in a barren landscape. An easy-going town, famed for its grapes, the pleasant streets are lined with lush vine trellises.

DAY 16: EXPLORE TURPAN (B, L, D)

Visit the ruins of ancient Jiaohe and the striking red sandstone Flaming Mountains. View the elegant Emin Minaret before visiting a typical family home in Grape Valley.

DAY 17: JOURNEY TO KURLA (B, L, D)

Learn about the fascinating Keraz irrigation canals. Travel to Kurla.

DAY 18: SUBASHI RUINS (B, L, D)

Continue along the Silk Road to the ruins of Subashi, before arriving in Kuqa for an overnight stay.

DAY 19: THOUSAND BUDDHA CAVES (B, L, D)

Discover the Kyzil Thousand Buddha Caves before travelling to Aksu in the early evening.

DAY 20: KASHGAR (B, L, D)

Continue the journey by road to Kashgar, a fabled Silk Road city, its skyline punctured by many towering minarets.

DAY 21: EXPLORE KASHGAR (B, L, D)

This morning, Old Street, Craftsmen Street and a local bazaar. Later, fly 1 hour and 40 minutes to Urumqi..

DAY 22: SUNDAY BAZAAR (B, L, D)

Dive headlong into Central Asia’s largest bazaar. Within a riot of textures and vivid colours, browse hundreds of stalls selling anything from spices and carpets to boots and blenders. Fly to Urumqi.

DAYS 23-24: DISCOVER URUMQI (B, L, D)

Escape to the tranquillity of Tian Chi (Heavenly Lake) formed in a crater. Pay a visit to a Kazak minority family in their yurt and spend some time with them. Tonight enjoy local Uyghur lamb skewers for dinner. The following day, pay a short visit to Xinjiang Museum before farewelling western China to fly back to Beijing.

DAY 25: THE GREAT WALL (B, L, D)

This morning is dedicated to China’s most iconic sight – the Great Wall. Taking a walk on this incredible structure is the best way to appreciate its sheer magnificence. Jade has been long cherished by the Chinese – at a jade factory you can understand and appreciate the delicate process of carving the stone and buy a piece if you wish. In the afternoon, savour the idyllic landscaped beauty of the Summer Palace.

DAY 26: IMPERIAL BEIJING (B, L, D)

Stroll across Tiananmen Square and into the sprawling magnificence of the Forbidden City where you’ll find a complex full of imperial treasures. Soak up the ambience of the Temple of Heaven before visiting Yandaixiejie, where you’ll have some free time to wander the hutongs. Sit down for lunch with one of the families who call the hutongs home. This evening dine on Peking Duck and enjoy a Chinese acrobatic show.

DAYS 27-28: BEIJING TO AUSTRALIA (B)

This morning is at your leisure before you are transferred to Beijing airport to board your flight to Australia, arriving home to same or following day.

Please note that prices are subject to availability at time of booking or until sold out and may change without notice.

• 04-29 May 2020 - was $8280 pp - NOW from $7380 pp twin share
• 18 May-12 Jun 2020 - was $8280 pp - NOW from $7380 pp twin share
• 07 Sep-02 Oct 2020 - was $7880 pp - NOW from $6980 pp twin share
• 05 -30 Oct 2020 - was $8280 pp - NOW from $7380 pp twin share

Travelling solo? Single supplements begin at $1780. (You can also choose to share accommodation with another solo traveller of the same gender and waive the supplement entirely.)

Please note: 7 September 2020 departure coincides with Golden Week celebrations and sightseeing may be affected.

Your accommodation is selected for convenience of location, comfort or character, and can range from a business hotel in one city to a family run guesthouse in a smaller town. In more remote areas, accommodation may be of a lower standard and may not have all western amenities. Hotels are generally rated as local three to four-star standard, but please note that there is no international classification system for hotels and differences in facilities and quality do exist between Australia and China.

All group tour hotels have private western bathroom facilities, air-conditioning, TV and telephone. Plumbing and electricity supplies can be erratic and quite often the power in hotel rooms is turned off while guests are out of the room.

Please note that double bed requests can be made at time of booking but can’t be guaranteed.

How fit do I need to be to join this tour?

This 28 day tour is rates as a physical level 2 tour. A reasonable level of fitness is required but it’s more about spending time on your feet rather than covering large distances. You’ll be getting on and off coaches and boats, walking around the sights and climbing some steps. There will be long periods of walking whilst sightseeing, often on steep or uneven ground. You will be at a higher altitude in Xiahe. All passengers should rest and stay well hydrated to acclimatise to the higher altitude. On some days you will be travelling all day - up to 9 hours, by coach or train.

Climbing Steps

Sightseeing at nearly all palaces, fortresses and some temples involves climbing quite a number of steps. These palaces were built to provide defence against potential invaders so nearly all of them stand on top of a hill, while the interiors have layers of narrow hallways and steps to slow down the advance of enemies once they were inside. The steps tend to be quite large, not level and sometimes without handrails. Buddhist temples or pagodas also tend to be built at an elevation, as this is the most auspicious position according to ancient beliefs. This means you sometimes need to walk from the bus park to the entrance, and/or need to climb some steps inside. People with knee or hip injuries, who have poor balance or are otherwise unable to complete these activities independently should consider the suitability of this itinerary carefully.

Luggage

All travellers are limited to two items of luggage each; a suitcase with a maximum weight of 20kg and one piece of hand luggage with a maximum weight of five kilograms. It is essential that your luggage is lockable. Please note thatauthorities will only allow bottles onto the aircraft if they have been checked in as main baggage. Bottles in hand luggage may be confiscated.

Do I need to tip on tour?

Local tipping is customary in Asia. However, this can often lead to awkwardness in knowing when it is appropriate to tip and how much. This tour operates a kitty system which your National Escort looks after. Customary tipping amount of approximately RMB600 (AU$125) is paid locally in China and will be collected by your National Escort on arrival and distributed throughout the tour on your behalf. Any additional tipping on any of our tours is welcomed at your discretion.

What type of food can I expect during this tour?

Chinese cuisine is one of the most influential, diverse and flavoursome culinary styles in the world with a legacy stretching back thousands of years. Often, you’ll find that the local Chinese style is very different from what you’re used to at home. We welcome people on our tours with a wide variety of tastes and as such try to present an array of food to suit everyone in the group. Our schedule of meals is designed so that you can experience the local dishes, their individual flavours as well as the different ways they are prepared and cooked throughout China.

How many people will on this tour?

Most China groups consist of 10 travellers or more and will be accompanied by a National escort and local guides. There will usually be no more than 18 travellers in each group . All departures are guaranteed to operate with a minimum of 8 travellers booked (unless cancelled due to factors beyond our control).