Silk Road Expedition West - 144 days China and Central Asia tours Flatdog Adventure Bus tours and travel, Expeditions, Overland Bus tours and Adventure holidays for Small groups to Africa | South America | Canada | New Zealand | Asia

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Silk Road Expedition West - 144 days

This overland trip to China departs from Tunis in early March '08, it is the first time overlanded this route, and as such is a trip of an exploratory nature. The Crew leading this trip are some of our most experienced and our expedition vehicle will be newly built and equipped especially for this trip. Please also be aware that as stated above this is an exploratory overland expedition and as such anyone booking on this trip should expect that there will be times that things do not go according to plan and there WILL BE hold-ups and some unexpected hassles along the way.
Over the 20 week duration of the trip we will be camping approximately 50% of the time, some of which will be in the extreme heat of deserts or the cold of mountainous regions. The hotels we use will be small locally owned pensions and bed and breakfasts and may often be of a very basic standard.
But this should be regarded as part and parcel of being among the first to partake in such a ground breaking expedition and this in turn is reflected in the discounted introductory cost of the first trip. Please also be aware that any and all information regarding this overland trip is only available from our website - there are no printed brochures - apart from our "detailed trip notes" which contain information about where to join this tour, a more in-depth itinerary, what to bring with you, visas and vaccinations, optional excursions etc and which can be ordered or viewed online as well.

Days 1 – 6 (Days 139 – 144) Tunis
Days 7 – 11 (Days 134 – 138) Libya,
Days 12 - 14 (Days 131 - 133) We now drive along the Afro-Mediterranean coast
Days 15 - 19 (Days 126 - 130) From Tobruk we cross into Egypt.
Days 23 - 25 (Days 120 - 122) Red Sea and the Suez Canal
Days 26 – 37 (Days 108 - 119) From Dahab we have a short drive to catch the ferry across the Red Sea to Jordan and Syria.
Days 38 – 47 (Days 98 - 107) From the Syria border we travel to Cappadocia Turkey and follow the coast to the border of Georgia.
Days 48 - 54 (Days 91 - 97) We drive through western Georgia & Caucasus Mountains to Georgia’s capital city of Tbilisi
Days 55 - 65 (Days 80 - 90) From Tbilsi and en route to Azerbaijan,
Days 66 – 73 (Days 72 - 79) It takes us roughly one to one half days to cross the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan.
Days 74 – 85 (Days 60 - 71) Uzbekistan
Days 86 - 94 (Days 51 - 59) Kyrgyzstan
Days 95 - 106 (Days 39 - 50)From Lake Issyk-Kul we head for the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.
Days 107 - 112 (Days 33 - 38) Bosten Lake, Gobi Desert.
Days 113 – 120 (Days 25 - 32) A couple of days drive takes us east to Jiayuguan which gives us our first glimpse of the Great Wall of China.
Days 121 - 125 (Days 20 - 24) Chengdu
Days 126 - 136 (Days 9 - 19) Chongqing, the capital of Sichuan Province is China’s largest city.
Days 137 - 144 (Days 1 - 8) From Luoyang we climb aboard the truck for our last days drive and head east to the city to Xi’an From Xi'an we begin our last journey - by train to Beijing.

Le Kef, Haidra Roman City, Various Kasbahs, Tobruk Battlefields and Cemeteries El Alamein, War Museum, Cemeteries and War Memorials, Egyptologist Guide entrance fees to Pyramids Sphinx Cairo Museum, Mt Sinai St. Catherine's Monastery, Ferry across Red Sea, Wadi Rum, Dead Sea, Mt Nebo in Jordan, Palmyra, Home stays in Georgia, Home stays in Turkmenistan, Home stays in Uzbekistan, Home stays in Kyrgyzstan, Qobustan Mud Volcanoes, Qobustan 12000 year old stone age dwellings, rock engravings, Ferry across Caspian Sea, Bakharden Salt Lakes, Hot Springs Lake Song-Kul, Lake Issyk-Kul, Mingsha, Shan Singing Dunes, Crescent Moon, Lake Labrang, Tibetan Monastery with Buddhist Monk guide, Huanglong National Park, Chengdu, Giant Panda Breeding and Research Base, Leshan Giant Buddha, 3 Day Yangtze River trip, Terracotta Army at Xian, First nights Hotel Accommodation in Beijing