THE SILK ROAD OF CHINA
A Journey along the Legendary Trade Route
through China and Central Asia

July 25 - August 15, 2008
Includes a Total Solar Eclipse
on August 1, 2008

The name “Silk Road,” introduced to the intrepid traveler’s vocabulary over a century ago by the Swedish explorer Sven Hedin, conjures up images of desert caravans, lush oases, snow-capped mountains, and colorful markets where exotic goods change hands amid the cacophony of even more exotic languages. Where many destinations promise enchantment and adventure, travel on the Silk Road through China is one of the few that really delivers.

A total eclipse of the sun will take place on August 1, 2008, and will pass diagonally through Russia and western China along the border with Mongolia. Few phenomena have so inspired and humbled humans throughout the ages as a total solar eclipse. Standing under the shadow of the moon as it races across the face of our planet is a rare and breathtaking experience. With fewer than 70 total eclipses per century, the chance to see one is a memorable event.

Join us for an exciting 22-day tour along this most ancient of Eurasian trade routes that will include viewing the solar eclipse. Traveling by plane, train, bus, jeep, and camel, we will visit such legendary sites as the Thousand Buddha Caves of Dunhuang, where Chinese, Tibetan, Indian, and Mediterranean religion and art met and mixed in the first millennium AD; the oasis town of Turpan, with the ruined city of Gaochang and the spectacular murals at the Bezeklik caves nearby; Kashgar, home of Central Asia’s most fabulous bazaar; and archaeological ruins from 2,200 years ago at Kucha and Khotan, remote outposts of the Han dynasty keeping lonely vigil still on the rim of the formidable Taklamakan desert. The tour includes sightseeing in the old Tang capital of Xi’an and the old city of Shanghai. It’s sure to be the trip of a lifetime.

ITINERARY: (B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner

Day 1: Depart Los Angeles. (dinner/breakfast onboard) 

Day 2: Arrive Shanghai. Overnight in the Salvo Hotel. (lunch onboard)

Day 3 (Sunday): This morning’s flight takes us to the ancient city of Xi’an, the last stop on the famed trade route of the Silk Road, that ancient braid of caravan trails stretching for more than 2,500 miles from China through Central Asia to the Mediterranean. For 1,120 years, Xi’an served as the seat of twelve imperial dynasties, including the Tang dynasty (AD 618-907), a time when the Silk Road was at its height. Upon arrival, we will see Xi’an’s massive city wall, which still encircles the city center, and view the Bell and Drum Towers, which date from the 14th century. Time permitting, we will drive by the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, erected in the first decade of the 8th century. Gather this evening for our gala welcome dinner party. Overnight for two nights in the 5-star Hotel Grand Mercure, located within the Old City of Xi’an. (B/L/D) 

Day 4 (Monday): Today's visit will include several spectacular sites. The recently opened Hanyang Tomb is a monumental Han dynasty tomb spectacularly exhibited underground. The tomb and its buried army were featured in National Geographic Magazine; it opened to the public in 2001. The tomb of the first emperor of Qin (Qin Shihuangdi) contains one of the most astounding archaeological finds of the 20th century - the famous army of life-sized terracotta warriors and horses guarding the resting place of China’s first emperor who died in 210 BC. Ba Xian, the Temple of the Eight Immortals, was originally built in the Song Dynasty. The Shaanxi Provincial History Museum boasts thousands of splendid artifacts. Among all the cultural relics shown in the museum, over 400 pieces of murals from the tombs of nobles of Tang Dynasty are the most striking. Dinner is on our own this evening. In the evening we explore the night market in the old Muslim quarter of the city. (B/L)

Day 5 (Tuesday): Fly to Gansu Province in northwest China, and the town of Dunhuang, a crucial junction of the Silk Road located at the edge of the Gobi desert. This area was a center for East-West cultural and trade exchanges as early as the Han and Tang dynasties, and an astonishingly rich variety of cultural relics remains. By the 4th century AD, the Silk Road had brought Dunhuang both commercial prosperity and a growing Buddhist community. This evening we will take a short drive to the edge of the Dunhuang Oasis to view the Singing Sand Dunes at sunset. Overnight in the Hotel Silk Road Dunhuang for two nights. (B/L/D) 

Day 6 (Wednesday): Spend today at the Mogao Caves, one of the most perfectly preserved of the world's great religious sanctuaries and listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site. Here we are guests of the Dunhuang Academy (the recipient of our donations). The director of the Academy and her staff will host us for lunch and open caves that are closed to the public and allow us to examine up close the spectacular murals lovingly painted on the walls and ceilings, most of which date from the 7th to the 11th centuries. Filled with one of the most extensive and exquisite collections of Buddhist paintings and sculptures in the world, every surface of the walls and ceilings is covered with decorated stucco, meant to bless those departing on the next stage of their journey or to celebrate a successful return. (B/L/D) 

Day 7 (Thursday): As protection from ongoing invasions by Xiongnu forces in the western region, Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty (114 BC) had formidable walls and beacon towers built. Remnants still stand and we will travel to Yangguan Pass and Yumenguan Pass to see these military strongholds. Begin at Yumenguan, or Jade Gate Pass, where a new museum has been recently built that contains beautifully displayed artifacts of the era. Then it's on to Yumenguan Pass where a huge gate in the fortifications is still visible that was built when the emperor opened the areas west of the Yellow River in Gansu. This was a vital strategic point through which passed heavily-laden camel caravans transporting rich fabrics, aromatic spices, and prized jade when traveling westward from Dunhuang to follow the southern route of the Silk Road in Central Asia. Our afternoon drive then takes us near the city of Hami where we will overnight for two nights at the simple White Rock Resort. (B/L/D) 

Day 8 (Friday): This is the eclipse day! Today will be devoted to this solar event. Around midday we depart for our centerline viewing site for a late afternoon solar eclipse with nearly two minutes of totality. (B/L/D)

Day 9 (Saturday): Today's long drive shall take us first to see spectacular rock art in Liushu Valley. On the surface of the granite rock face are found incised sheep, goats, deer, hunters, and sun symbols. The Silk Route was dependent for its existence and survival upon a line of oases strategically sited along the edge of the forbidding Taklamakan Desert. We shall drive to one of these desert oases – Turpan, located almost 500 feet below sea level in the second lowest spot on earth. This sleepy desert town is shaded by poplar trees and grape arbors, populated by the Turkic-speaking Uighurs, and irrigated by a vast system of hand-dug underground channels (called karezes) that funnel the melting snow of the Heavenly Mountains into Turpan. It is this 2,000-year-old irrigation system that has kept the city alive while other desert boomtowns have withered and died. End the day at the Turpan Museum with its many artifacts from Gaochang, an ancient Uighur capital and a citadel on the Silk Road. Overnight for two nights in the simple Hotel Oasis in Turpan. (B/L/D) 

Day 10 (Sunday): Begin with a short tour of the Sugong Minaret, built in the mid-eighteenth century by the chief of Turpan Prefecture as a memorial to his father. Then it’s on to the Tuyuq Valley caves, at the far end of the Turpan Depression, with murals that have only recently been opened to the public. Continue to the natural fortress of Jiaohe, built with rammed earth and bricks 2300 years ago. Sited on top of a high plateau formed by two rivers, the beautiful city that existed here was destroyed by Genghis Khan. The size of the existing ruins indicates its great prosperity during the Tang dynasty and its significant role in the economic development of Western and Eastern countries. Tonight, with special permission, we will dine under the stars within Jiaohe, one of the largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen cities in the world. (B/L/D) 

Day 11 (Monday): Today’s all-day exploration takes us to several memorable sites. Begin the day in Gaochang, impressive ruins lying through a pass in the Flaming Mountains. Built in the first century B.C. and originally called Gaochangbi, it began as a garrison town and later became a key point along the ancient trade route. It was a large metropolis built of tamped earth and adobe and defended by nine city gates. The Astana Tombs is a Tang-era cemetary where the royalty of the old kingdom of Gaochang were interred. Of the more than 1000 tombs, only three are open. We will walk down a steep, narrow passage of one of them at the bottom of which lies a small chamber with perfectly preserved mummies still on display. The walls of one chamber display murals depicting Jade Man, Gold Man, Stone Man and Wooden Man, said to symbolize Confucian virtues. Our next stop is Bezeklik, one of the earliest points of arrival of Buddhism in China. The Bezeklik Thousand-Buddha Caves contain 67 caves, noted for their exquisite murals dating from the Northern and Southern dynasties (AD 317 - 589) to the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368). In the afternoon, drive to Urumqi and overnight for two nights. (B/L/D) 

Day 12 (Tuesday): Morning visit to Urumqi’s bazaar. Then it’s on to the Xinjiang Regional Museum to view the fine collection of relics from Astana. We'll also search for the famous Urumqi meteorite. We will experience a complete change of scenery as we ascend to Lake Tianchi (Heavenly Lake) in the foothills of the Tian shan. We’ll observe herds of sheep and horses pastured here by nomadic Kirghiz and Kazakh herdsmen and their families, who dwell in nearby yurts. A cruise on the sapphire-blue Heavenly Lake, rimmed by snow-capped mountains, will be followed by an al fresco dinner before we return to Urumqi. (B/L/D)  

Day 13 (Wednesday): Fly to Kucha, an oasis town lying at the foot of the Tian Shan (“Celestial Mountains”), and an important center on the northern branch of the Silk Road. Many of the monks who introduced Buddhist teachings into China from the 3rd to the 7th century AD were from Kucha. This afternoon we will explore the ruins of Subashi, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Guici, where we will see two Buddhist temples from the Sui and Tang dynasties. Overnight two nights in Hotel Kucha. (B/L/D) 

Day 14 (Thursday): During the 2nd century AD, Buddhism came to eastern Turkestan (present-day Xinjiang) via the Silk Road. Ancient Guici (Kucha) was a crossroads of the great cultures of India, Persia, Greece and China, and local painters selected elements of each and combined them to make a distinct Guici painting style. The area is full of Buddhist cave sites and ancient ruins. We will visit the huge Kizil Grotto Temples, containing 236 caves from the Wei and Jin Dynasties (4th-5th centuries AD), among some of the largest and the oldest in China. Kizil was actually a monastery made up of different kinds of caves, some for meditation and residence, others for religious teaching and worship, and yet others for the burial of the relics of eminent monks. Here, we have made special arrangements to open one of the caves that is closed to the public in order to see the spectacular murals. Driving back to Kucha, we will pass a beacon tower built during the Han dynasty. Our last visit for the day will be the Kucha Museum. (B/L/D)  

Day 15 (Friday): Today is a travel day as we journey by ‘soft berth’ train to Kashgar. Upon arrival, there will be time to walk around the street of arts and crafts, the Kashgar City Traditional Minority Handicraft and Souvenir Shop, and the old town, with its typical Uighur-styled homes. Overnight for three nights in the Hotel Quinibagh. (B/L/D) 

Day 16 (Saturday): Our all day drive through breathtaking scenery takes us to Karakul Lake, a glorious highland lake in the shadow of the Pamirs, the gateway to the Ferghana Valley (in modern Uzbekistan) and the rest of Central Asia. Here we are likely to observe nomadic Kirghiz families as well as a range of flora and fauna distinct from those of the oases towns far below. (B/L/D)  

Day 17 (Sunday): Kashgar’s Sunday bazaar is well known as one of the great markets of Central Asia. A cacophony of sounds, sights, and smells awaits us in this ancient marketplace. Here colorful Uighurs hawk their wares in an exotic scene of handicrafts, fabrics and rugs, and food and spices. Leaving the bazaar in the early afternoon, we will drive to Upal to see the tomb of Mahmud Kashgari. Born into an aristocratic family of the Karakhnid Dynasty in the eleventh century, and an outstanding Uighur scholar and linguist, Mahmud compiled the first Turkish dictionary. His tomb is highly respected by the Uighur people and the entire Turkish world. Over the centuries, Islamic scholars have contributed thousands of books and manuscripts, turning the site into a remarkable library. Three striking monuments still await us. First, the stunning Afaq Khoja Tomb, a complex of buildings covered with elegant glazed tiles in beautiful patterns built about 1640 by the descendants of a famous missionary of Islam. Their own heirs would one day become loyal subjects of the Manchu emperors of Qing China. Second, we visit the 15th century Id Kah Mosque, in typical Uighur architectural style, located in the center of Kashgar and considered the biggest mosque in China. Third, we will tour the Mol Pagoda, one of the earliest Buddhist religious buildings in China. Time permitting, we will also visit the Kashgar Silk Road Museum to view artifacts such as 4000 year-old bronzes and 3000 year-old wooden tomb figures. (B/L/D) 

Day 18 (Monday): Today’s long drive takes us to Khotan. Along the way, we will stop in the oasis town of Yarkand, once an important stop on the caravan route from India that rivaled Kashgar in importance. Here, we will visit the tomb of a Yarkand king and the old bazaar. We then continue on to Khotan. On the southern part of the Silk Road, Khotan was an early center 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 traveled the route between China and the West until conquered by Genghis Khan in the early 13th century. Overnight tonight in the Hotel Khotan. (B/L/D) 

Day 19 (Tuesday): Today's trip will be a highlight as we journey deep into the endless desert. First, travel by 4-wheel drive jeeps to the edge of the cultivated area, and then take a two-mile camel ride to Rawak, the ruins of the earliest pagoda of China. As we ride through the glorious silent desert on the back of our two-humped dromedary, we will gain a momentary glimpse of the ancient caravan journeys. Late this evening, fly back to Urumqi and overnight. (B/L/D) 

Day 20 (Wednesday): Fly to Shanghai. Our final memorable dinner party will be in a locally renowned seafood restaurant. Overnight for two nights in the historic Astor House Hotel established in 1846 and the first Western hotel in China. (B/L/D)

Day 21 (Thursday): Zhujiajiao, also known as "the Venice of Shanghai", is a well-preserved ancient town in water country with a history dating back 1700 years. The town features thirty-six ancient Ming and Qing Dynasty bridges that are still in use today. The old bridges across bubbling streams, tranquil rivers shaded by willow trees, and houses with courtyards create an aura of antiquity and beauty. Our final meal together will be in one of Shanghai's renowned restaurants. Dinner is on our own. (B/L)

Day 21 (Friday): Fly back to the USA. (B)

(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner

NOTE ABOUT ITINERARY CHANGES: Changes in our itinerary, accommodations, and transportation schedules may occur. A good book to read as well as a flexible attitude and a sense of humor are essential.

STUDY LEADER: Dr. E.C. Krupp is an astronomer and Director of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles. Recognized as an expert on ancient, prehistoric, and traditional astronomy, he has visited nearly 1800 ancient and prehistoric sites throughout the world. Dr. Krupp is a noted author who has written many books including Skywatchers, Shamans & Kings: Astronomy and the Archaeology of Power, Beyond the Blue Horizon: Myths and Legends of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Planets, and Echoes of the Ancient Skies. He is also editor and co-author of In Search of Ancient Astronomies and Archaeoastronomy and the Roots of Science. His books for children include The Comet and You, The Moon and You, The Big Dipper and You, and The Rainbow and You. Since 1993, as Contributing Editor for Sky and Telescope magazine, he has written a monthly column on astronomy and culture. A popular lecturer on archaeo-astronomy, Dr. Krupp has traveled to 11 total eclipses of the sun and has led five tours to China, including one to Xinjiang.

TRIP DATES: July 25 - August 15, 2008

TRIP COST: $7,695.00
(per person, double occupancy)
Includes five domestic flights in China; all hotels, meals as noted in the brochure, entry fees, and land transportation. 

THE COST DOES NOT INCLUDE: International flight from Los Angeles, the tax-deductible check for $150.00 written to the “British Library/International Dunhuang Project”; passport or visa fees; airport taxes; food, alcoholic beverages and other drinks not on the regular menu; laundry; excess baggage charges; personal tips; telephone, fax or email charges; or other items of a personal nature. 

SINGLE SUPPLEMENT: $1,395.00

INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS: The cost of the trip does not include the international flights to/from Shanghai from Los Angeles. A group contract will be made but can not be confirmed until 330 days prior to departure. When we confirm the group flight we will notify the registrants.

DONATION CHECKS: The cost of the trip does not include the separate donation check for $150.00 (per person) to the “British Library/International Dunhuang Project”. As a tour company that benefits from the historical, cultural and natural riches of our destinations, we have a policy of donating to scholars, archaeological and cultural projects, and museums in each of our destinations. This has created a bond with the academic community that allows you to gain an 'insider's view' of work being done in each country.

RESERVATION:  A deposit of $500.00 along with a separate check made out to the “British Library/International Dunhuang Project” is required along with your registration form. Final payment is due 75 days before departure. Cancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will result in an administrative fee of $250.00.

Upon receipt of your deposit, the donation check, and completed registration form, you will be sent a reading list and a clothing and equipment list. An information book designed for this trip, including maps of archaeological sites and articles of pertinent interest will be sent upon receipt of final payment.

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS: Cancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will result in an administrative fee of $250.00. Cancellations received less than 75 days before departure will not receive a refund. If for any reason you are unable to complete the trip, Far Horizons will not reimburse any fees. Registrants are strongly advised to buy travel insurance that includes trip cancellation.

THE INTERNATIONAL DUNHUANG PROJECT: is a ground-breaking international collaboration to make more than 100,000 manuscripts, paintings and artifacts from Dunhuang and other Silk Road sites freely available on the internet with top quality color images. Your donation check will go directly to the project's budget.

PRIVATE TOURS OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES: The private tours of archaeological sites and talks by specialists are scheduled in advance and include a donation to each. Specialists working at these sites are excited about showing their work to interested enthusiasts. However, please be aware that there may be times when the director or a member of the staff may not be onsite when our groups arrive due to other commitments.

NOTE: This trip is for the hardy! We will often travel through unpredictable territory with a will of its own. If its itinerary changes... so does ours! We will journey into the remote areas of western China where the hotels and transportation may not be up to our standards. Changes in both accommodations and flight times may occur, and there may be times when no bellhops are available. Meals will not be haut cuisine and several lunches will be picnics or box lunches. During several days we will be walking over uneven terrain for a mile or more. We will be traveling into the desert in the summer and there will be several days when temperatures may be high. A good book to read while riding the train and waiting in airports, a flexible attitude, team spirit and a good sense of humor are helpful! If you have any concerns about your ability, please feel free to call the Far Horizons staff with any questions you might have.

LIMITED TO 24 PARTICIPANTS

To register for this trip
Click the button above for a Printable Registration Form. Or click here.