Silk Road Odyssey

The adventure begins! Meet your Tour Leader and fellow travellers this morning for a welcome meeting and lunch before a stroll to St. Pancras to board the Eurostar to Paris.

Join your Tour Leader for a walking and metro city tour taking in some of the Parisian highlights:  From Notre Dame and via the Louvre, Tuileries gardens, Place de la Concorde, Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower. This afternoon we board the TGV to Stuttgart connecting with the overnight sleeper to Budapest, Hungary.

Morning arrival into the Hungarian capital, Budapest - our sightseeing includes the funicular rail up Castle Hill to Buda's Old Town and Trinity Square, home of the 13th-century Matthias Church and Fishermen’s Bastion, with sweeping views over the city.

Our sightseeing continues with a cruise on the Danube River which offers the very best vantage point for many of the city's landmarks. This evening we board the overnight sleeper service to Bucharest, Romania.

This afternoon we discover the wonderful and eclectic architectural mix of Bucharest's old town; the Stavropoleos Monastery and the imposing 1100 room Soviet-era Palace of the Parliament.

This morning we board the 'Bosfor' train for the very scenic journey through Romania and Bulgaria to Istanbul; gateway to Asia and our onward adventures through Turkey & the Caucasus.

Early check in at our hotel and time to refresh before an afternoon discovering the some of the most elegant buildings of the Ottoman period; the Spice Bazaar (1660), and the Yilidz Palace.

Today we discover the classic sites of Istanbul; Hagia Sophia, Basilica Cistern, Grand Bazaar and Rustem Pasha Mosque.

A free day to enjoy and explore the city at your own pace; perhaps take a Bosphorus cruise, discover the Topkapi Palace or explore the Grand Bazaar. 

Leaving continental Europe we commence our journey across Asia, first aboard the high speed rail service to Ankara. Declared Turkey’s new capital in 1923 by Kemal Ataturk, today this historic city is Turkey’s cosmopolitan centre for the performing arts.  This evening we connect with the  overnight 'Dogu Express' across the Anatolian plateau to the ancient eastern city of Kars.

Relax on board and enjoy the incredible scenery unfold as we travel across the Anatolian Plateau and through the gorges of the Euphrates River towards the mountains of the Caucasus.

Once the capital of Bagratid Armenia (928), Kars fell under the rule of the Georgians, Mongols, Persians, Ottomans and Russians during periods of its long history. In 968 the Armenian capital was moved to Ani, which grew to became one of the world's most significant cities, and is recognized today as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The recently opened (2017) rail line between Kars (Turkey) and Tbilisi (Georgia) is only presently only carrying freight traffic and our road 'detour' takes us across the Turkey border into Georgia then onto Armenia border and our hotel in Gyumri.

Today we explore Gyumri in the morning with a possiblility to visit a crafts workshop. We then drive to Yerevan and have time to explore Aruch Cathedral and Caravanserai as well as Zvartnots temple which is set against a mountain backdrop. 

Yerevan is a wonderful walking city and we take the time this morning to explore the wide tree-lined boulevards, pavement cafes, elegant boutiques and abundant public artworks; the open-air Cascade sculpture garden, art gallery and staircase leads us to Freedom Square, home of Yerevan's grand Opera Theatre. Northern Avenue, a new pedestrian thouroughfare leads to Republic Square with its imposing Soviet-era neoclassical buildings: Government House, the National History Museum and National Gallery.  You will have an afternoon at leisure. This evening we enjoy an introduction to the unique food & wine of Armenia.

One of Yerevan's highlights is the Matenadaran, home to over 17,000 ancient Armenian manuscripts. Beyond the city we will visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Geghard, a rock-hewn monastery dating from the 4thC and the pagan temple of Garni built in the 1stC in the Greco-Roman, pre-dating Armenia's adoption of Christianity as the state religion in 303. We enjoy a traditional Armenian lunch at the house of a local villager. 

Leaving Yerevan we visit the Areni wine region which produces some of Armenia's finest wines. Our sightseeing includes Khor Virap Monastery with its incredible vistas across the Aras river valley towards Mount Ararat; Noravank Monastery and Selim Caravanserai, built  to protect the Silk Road caravans that crossed the Selim Pass (2410m). We descend to Lake Sevan and the village of Noratus, one of the oldest settlements in Armenia and home to some ancient khachkars (headstones).  

Dilijan is set amongst cool, green hills and along the cobbled streets of the old town local craftsmen still employ traditional techniques to create local wares. We leave Dilijan towards the Georgian border, visiting the 10th century UNESCO World Heritage site of Haghpat Monastery enroute to Tbilisi. This evening we enjoy a stroll through this enchanting city before dinner - our introduction to the unique food and wines of Georgia.  

Beyond the city we discover Jvari Monastery. We continue along the Georgian Military highway deep into the Caucasus Mountains where we ascend to the Gergeti Trinity Church (2170m) enjoying spectacular views of the surrounding peaks of the high Caucasus. 

Today we have morning sightseeing of the Old Town in Tbilisi and in the afternoon we fly to Baku. 

Baku celebrates its historic and contemporary civic architecture and following a late breakfast we explore the medieval walled city which contains the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, and also the unique contemporary city landmarks of the Heydar Aliyev Centre and the  'three pronged' Flame Towers.

Beyond the city we will explore the Gobustan and Absheron peninsulas discovering 'mud volcanoes', Zoroastrian Fire Temples, ancient petroglyphs -  and Roman legionnaires graffiti! 

Today we cross the Caspian Sea on board a freighter ferry.  The world's largest inland body of water, the Caspian Sea is bounded by Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan. Europe's longest river, the Volga, is its primary water source, creating a vast sea/lake stretching 1,200 km from north to south and with an average width of 320 km and a surface area equal in size to Japan.

On arrival into Kazakhstan we spend the rest of the day at leisure. 

Aktau is our gateway to the unique geological formations of the Mangyshlak Peninsula with its multi coloured rock strata, canyons and strange geological formations such as the Valley of Balls and Sherkala Mountain. Here too the unique 10thC underground mosque of Shakpak-Ata.  

Today we further explore the unique geography & geology of the Mangystau region visiting the beautiful chalk-white formations of the Boszhira canyon, an ancient dried up seabed.

Leaving the Caspian Sea we board the train for Aralsk, crossing the vast Kazakh Steppe to the (former) shores of the Aral Sea.

The receding Aral Sea has left once thriving ports marooned in the steppe and Aralsk's Old Harbour, museum and surrounding lake-bed lay witness to the environmental tragedy. 

Today as we follow wheel tracks across the former seabed to the abandoned fishing village of Aqespe, where camels and livestock roam amongst the salt bush and sea shells, the environmental loss is starkly apparent.

Our train journey today follows the Syr-Darya river to the heart of Central Asia and one of the 'undiscovered' archaeological highlights of the Silk Road, Turkistan.

An ancient and holy city, Turkistan is known as the 'spiritual capital of the Turkic world' and home of the UNESCO World Heritage site commissioned by Tamerlane as a mausoleum for the 11thC Sufi Sheikh, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi. Soaring almost 40m and capped by the largest turquoise tiled dome in Central Asia it is one of the best-preserved buildings of the Timurid period. This evening we board the overnight train to Almaty.

We arrive in the late afternoon to the cheerful city of Almaty, scenically positioned in the shadow of the mighty Tien Shan mountains. This will be our home for the next couple of nights.

Kazakstan's largest city and former capital, Almaty is a surprisingly green and relaxed town. We explore the city; Panfilov Park, Zenkov Cathedral, State Museum - and ride the cable car to Kok Tobe for panoramic views of the city and surrounding Alatau mountains.

Beyond the city we travel to the Tien Shan mountains to explore Charyn Canyon, part of Charyn National Park the canyon stretches 154 kilometres and is upto 300m in depth. Its many weathered and colourful rock formations are said to be as impressive as those of the Grand Canyon.  We travel on to Zharkent, a town close to the Chinese border. 

We spend the morning in Zharkent exploring the pagoda style Mosque, Orthodox Church and local Market.
We then travel east through the Tien Shan mountains at the 'Dzungarian Gate' - through which Silk Road caravans and conquering armies traversed the mountains separating China & Central Asia. We take the overnight train from the border town of Khorgos to Urumqi. 

Bounded by the Tien Shan and Altai mountains to the north and the Taklamakan Desert to the south Urumqi is one of the most remote cities in the world and our gateway to China and Tibet. The Xinjiang Regional Museum houses one of the most extensive collections of Silk Road artefacts.

To Jiayuguan

The Great Wall extends 7300 km and we find ourselves at the western end. We take time to visit Jiayuguan Fort as well as the Great Wall Museum to uncover the secrets of this engineering feat. 

A final morning to explore before we board the train to Xining, and connect with the overnight train to Lhasa, Tibet.

Across the 'roof of the world' aboard the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. At an altitude of 4000m and 5072m at its highest point - this is the world's highest railway, this remarkable engineering feat links Tibet and the city of Lhasa to the world - by train.

While it is the Potala Palace that dominates the city skyline and our sightseeing, we also visit Norbulingka Palace, the summer residence of the successive Dalai Lamas and Drepang Monastery.

Considered the most sacred temple by Tibetans, the Jokhang was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status in 2000. Surrounding the temple, Barkhor Square allows us to see some of the daily life and rituals of the city.  This afternoon we will visit Sera Monastery, once home to over 6000 monks, while today just 600 monks remain in residence.

Founded in 1409, Ganden Monastery lies 40km north east of Lhasa and is one of the 'great three' monasteries (the others being Sera and Drepung). It lies in a natural amphitheatre with dramatic views of the surrounding valleys. Afternoon at leisure.

This morning we board the train for ourovernight journey from the Tibetan plateau to Xining.

Sichuan cuisine is renowned in China and internationally, we sample some of its classic dishes this evening. 

We spend time discovering the sights of Chengdu before venturing beyond the city to visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Leshan Giant Buddha, a 71m Tang dynasty statue which is the largest and tallest stone Buddha in the world.  

This morning we spend at leisure before we board our train south enjoying some stunning scenery as we travel to Yunnan Province and its capital, Kunming.

The climate and relaxed ambience of Kunming is perfectly suited to a leisurely walk, and our sightseeing today will take us through the old alleys to Cuihu Park, with its many bridges and pagodas, and nearby the Yuantong Buddhist Temple.   

Beyond the city we visit the enchanting 'Stone Forest' - these unusual and unique karst stone formations are a highlight of Yunnan Province.

This morning we board the train for the recently completed 750km rail link from Kunming to Luang Prabang, Laos. The journey takes us through the incredible scenery of southern Yunnan Province.

The former royal capital is located on the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers and known for is many Buddhist temples and monasteries. We discover the Royal Palace Museum, enjoy a Mekong River Cruise and the Pak Ou Caves and, weather permitting, see the sun set at Wat Prabath. 

Today we explore more of the city, as well as the Ok Pop Tok Living Crafts Centre. Set in lush gardens and located on the banks of the Mekong, the Living Crafts Centre is the perfect place to learn more about the fascinating world of Lao textiles. This afternoon we visit the Kuang Si waterfalls.

Enjoy a day to relax and enjoy this beautiful city at your own pace. Early birds will catch saffron-robed monks on their daily alms procession, explore the old town or climb the 300+ steps up Phousi Hill to Wat Chomsi with panoramic views across the city to the Mekong river. This evening we take the new high speed train to Vientiane

Tree-lined boulevards blend Buddhist temples with French colonial era architecture. Our sightseeing includes the 16th century Pha That Luang and Wat Si Saket.

A day to further explore Vientiane before we join the international 'shuttle' train across the Friendship Bridge into Thailand and then aboard the overnight sleeper train to Bangkok

With just 30 hours in Thailand's fun & flamboyant capital, our local guide will share some of the classic highlights as well as some less well known aspects of this amazing city. We start this morning outside of the city exploring the calm and cool gardens and private collections of the Prasart Museum.

A day in the city visiting Wat Arun, Wat Pho where you will also be treated to a massage, before joining our overnight train south to the Kra Isthmus and Malay Peninsula.

We awake to the scenery of southern Thailand arriving at the border for formalities before joining the Malaysian rail service to Butterworth and ferry to George Town, Penang.

The colourful and historic port of George Town was added to the UNESCO world heritage list in 2008, our city tour takes us through the old town unravelling its multicultural influences gained of 500 years as a key trading hub on the Straits of Malacca. The diverse cultures best experienced through its renowned street food. This evening we will celebrate the end of the tour with our group and marvel over all we have experienced along the way. 

A long, but perhaps fitting final day in our 60 day rail adventure from London To Singapore - aboard the train from Butterworth via Gemas and Johor Bahru Sentral to Singapore. Our incredible trans-continental rail adventure reaches its final destination. 
Note: Accommodation will be included for this final evening due to the late arrival into Singapore. 

Our tour ends this morning.