Please note that our itineraries are not set in stone and can be subject to change. For those travelling from Beijing to Bishek please follow the itinerary in reverse ( bracketed )

1 - 7 (or 39 - 45) From Bishek we spend a few days driving south through the mountains again for a couple of days to reach the border with China. This is a difficult journey along rough roads and at high altitude so expect to be cold and a little uncomfortable. The border is crossed via the Torugat Pass in the Tien Shan Mountains which at 3,752 m is one of the highest passes in the world. On the way we cross vast high plains where Kyrgyz nomads, living in their traditional yurts, practice a lifestyle which has changed little over the centuries. Once on the other side of the pass we descend into China and eventually reach our first Chinese city, Kashgar which is an old city in the far western Chinese province of Xingjian. We take the opportunity to stock up with provisions and explore and if we are here on a Sunday visit the local market which attracts a rather staggering 60,000 shoppers. Also here is one of the few statues of Chairman Mao still standing which gazes across People's Square. From Kashgar we travel on through the string of oases which skirt the inhospitable Taklamakan Desert, also dubbed the desert of death or the place of no return.It takes several days to cross the desert which constitutes one of the largest moving bodies of sand in the world, stretching west from Kashgar to the mysterious desert of Lop in the east. extends for 960 kilometres from west to east, and is 272,000 sq km in size and its dunes conceal the ruins of numerous ancient civilizations. On the way we stop in Hotan which despite being in a remote location is home to 1.2 million people and we have our first experience of how populated China is. It’s a clean and modern city and is best known for its carpet making, silk production and jewellery made from the local jade. We will have the opportunity to visit a carpet shop and watch the weavers at work. On the eastern edge of the desert we stop at Korla which is situated at the foot of Mount Tianshan This is the centre of China’s oil and gas industries and the new petroleum economy has left its mark all over downtown Korla, from the smart department stores and shopping malls that line the broad streets of the central city to a large nightclub district that bathes in flashing neon after sunset. By night, flares from the new oil fields blaze on the horizon in every direction on the bleak roads that run along the edge of the desert. There is also presently much excavation going on in this region by archaeologists who have discovered relics from a 6th century dynasty.

8 - 13 (or 33 - 38) Bosten Lake which is 57 kilometres northeast of Korla, is the largest freshwater lake in Xinjiang, which serves as a natural reservoir. Covering over 1,000 sq km, the lake is surrounded by the beautiful scenery of the Gobi Desert. To accommodate developing tourism, recreational facilities have been gradually set up around the lake and here we have the opportunity to go on a boat ride or go water-skiing. We then drive north through the mountains to the city of Urumqi which has a population of 1.5 million and is surrounded by snowy peaks. Although the city is made up of a dense crop of skyscrapers, the region around Urumqi is been made up of lush pastures populated by many minorities who herd their sheep and cattle; Urumchi actually meaning ‘beautiful pastures’ in Mongolian. This is the first truly Chinese city on our route, and here we can witness the consumer boom that is sweeping the high streets of China in the many shopping malls.From here we head southeast to Turpan, which lies in a dust bowl at low attitude and is frequently dubbed one of the hottest places in the world. The town is picturesquely covered in vine trellises, shading the friendly locals from some of the fiercest heat in China. We visit the town’s old mosques and take a tour to the ruins of Goachang City which was founded in the 2nd century BC, which at its height had a multi-ethnic population of perhaps 30,000 and was doubtless an impressive sight to those arriving on caravans.  Its massive rammed earthen walls were 11.5 m high and about the same thickness. We also visit the Thousand Buddha Caves which were dug out and painted by monks from the 4th century. Many of the images have disappeared or been renovated, but the wall paintings, depicting religious scenes, are still in a wonderful state of preservation. We leave Turpan and start our long journey east to cross the Gobi Desert via the oasis towns of the Gansu Province. The first place of interest is Dunhuang and here we visit the famed Mogao Grottoes. This honeycomb of caves was constructed from the 4th to the 14th centuries, and is one of the world's richest treasure houses of Buddhist sutras, murals and sculptures. We also take a trip to the edge of the oasis to Min Sha Hill and the Crescent Moon Pool.

Spring water trickles up into a depression between huge sand dunes, forming a crescent-shaped pond. Here we will be able to scramble up and slide down one of the giant dunes and there is the opportunity to take camel ride on a Bactrian camel ( the two humped variety) over the sand dunes.

14 – 21 (or 25 - 32) A couple of days drive takes us east to Jiayuguan which gives us our first glimpse of the Great Wall of China as the city is at its most western end. This incredible feat of engineering was built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). This section of the wall has been upgraded and we can take a walk along it and visit the Jiayuguan Fort which was the last outpost of the Great Wall. We also visit the Wei Jin Tombs which date from somewhere between 220 – 420 AD which have early rock art on the walls and the mummies unearthed at the tombs can be seen in the adjacent museum.

Our next stop is the town of Wuwei, another centre for Buddhism. Places of interest include the Haizang Temple, Loshi Pagoda, Confucian Temple and the Leitai Taoist Temple. As well as the attractive temples, there's a pleasant new town and some quite substantial remains of the old settlement. The town's single most famous object, the Han-dynasty Flying Horse of Wuwei, dating from 206 BC - 220 AD was discovered here in 1969 in an ancient tomb. The original is now housed in the Lanzhou Museum but the symbol of the horse, depicted in full gallop and stepping on the back of a swallow, can be seen everywhere in town.

We then move on to Lanzhou, a city that has a 2,000-year history and is capital of Gansu Province. It spans the wide Yellow River, so named because of its sludgy colour. With a population of 2.83 million people, it is one of the largest cities in the northwest, and this concentration has done little to improve the pollution that thickens the air and that flows downriver. We have some time to explore and from the White Pagoda Temple Park on a mountain overlooking the city there are tremendous views of the skyline and river. If time allows we make two short excursions from Lanzhou. One is to the Maijishan Grottoes which is a steep rock face with 194 cave-shrines chiselled out of it that provide shelters to 7,200 stone and clay figurines and 1,300 square metres of murals. It’s a compelling sight and the clay figures are fastidiously crafted to the tiniest detail.  The second excursion is to the Bingling Grottoes, also known as the Bingling Temple, which are another intriguing series of Buddhist caves on a cliff face, some 80km from Lanzhou and accessed by boat across the Yellow River. At present, there are 183 caves housing hundreds of sculptures and 900 sq meters of murals. The largest statue is a giant 27 meter-high seated Maitreya, the future Buddha. The first cave was built here in 420 AD by daring Buddhists who descended from the cliff on ropes to carve their masterpieces. Today there are a series of winding walkways and stairs that lead you around the site. Note that this excursion is only available in summer months.

From Lanzhou we drive Xiahe to visit the Tibetan style Buddhist Labrang Monastery and see the grand halls, the white towers, and the tens of thousands of gold Buddha statues decorated with ivory and jade. Then continuing south, we head for Chengdu, stopping off at Huanglong National Park on the way to savour some of the spectacular scenery and hiking trails.

22 - 26 (or 20 - 24) Chengdu is another mega-city that is home to over 10 million people. In the downtown area, long and wide avenues are flanked by high rise buildings and there are a number of shops, bazaars, restaurants and traditional teahouses to visit. We have the opportunity to take a city tour to see the sights such as the Wuhou Memorial Temple and Wenshu Monastery and it’s also the best place in China to see giant pandas. We can visit the Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Centre, which is the world's only giant panda breeding and research base. This is a very informative excursion and the centre has been listed by the United Nations in the top 500 environmental programs in the world due to the fact that nearly 50 pandas have been born here.From Chengdu we head 160 km southwest to Emeishan which is part of one of the four mountain ranges in China that Buddhists consider sacred and there are a number of temples to explore. The mountains stretch more than 200 km from south to north. Its main peak, Wanfo Top, is 3,099 meters above sea level, and the high rising peaks are home to gurgling springs, towering ancient trees and fragrant flowers. From the mountains we now have a short drive to Leshan to visit the 71 metre high Leshan Giant Buddha, the largest stone sculpture of Buddha in the world which sits at the confluence of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers. He is depicted barefooted with drooping ears and has his hair arranged in a spiral topknot. His chest is exposed and his hands rest on his knees, and carved from the side of the Lingyun Hill, his head is level with the cliff top.

27 - 37 (or 9 - 19) Chongqing, the capital of Sichuan Province is China’s largest city which covers a rather staggering 82,000 sq km and is home to 31 million people and is our next stop. The vista of skyscrapers goes on forever. We have a day here to go sightseeing before we embark on our three day cruise on the Yangtze River. Dozens of luxury cruise ships operate on the river on the stretch between Chongqing and Yichang and pass through the impossibly scenic narrow and meandering gorges of Xiling, Wu and Qutang, This is a very relaxing excursion and the boats have a full range of modern facilities and onboard entertainment. We disembark at Yichang where there is a very impressive suspension bridge over the wide expanse of the Yangtze River and a tangle of aerial highways snaking through the city. Presently there is a large dam project going on 27km upstream from Yichang that is due to be completed in 2009 and will create a massive lake where the Yangtze will be damned. This will create the world’s largest hydro electric scheme. Yichang is also where we re-join our vehicle and we then drive due east, before arriving in Wuhan. In this city, the Hanjiang River joins China's great Yangtze River and Wuhan, capital city of Hubei Province, is the biggest hub city in Central China. It has a history going back 3,500 years and starting here, early merchants followed the great Yangtze River and lake network to expand trade throughout the entire country. These days it is another mecca for shopping and nightlife, though the Yellow Crane Tower is worth a look, which is a fine pagoda originally built in 223 AD before being destroyed by fire several times. The present one which is 51 meters high, with five storeys and red pillars was built in the 1980s.  Driving via Zhengzhou another commercial city and capital of the Henan Province, with a population of 2 million we soon reach Shaolin to visit the monastery which although destroyed on several occasions has been on this site since 495 AD. This is thought to be the birth place of Kung Fu and centuries ago it is believed the monks at the monastery to relieve themselves of the great monotony of daily life, imitated the movements of various different animals, which gradually developed into a unique martial art. Nowadays much of the spiritual side of Kung Fu has been lost, and today there is a Kung Fu Academy here. If we are lucky we may see some of the orange robed monks perform. Moving on we pass through Luoyang, a giant industrial city located on the southern banks of the Yellow River with a population of 5 million and reach the world-famous Longmen Grottoes. Here two hills confront each other with the Yi River running northward between them. Another World Heritage Site, the grottoes were first sculptured around 493 AD. Today, there are 2345 caves and niches, 100,000 Buddhist images ranging in size from 2 cm to 17m, more than 2800 inscribed tablets, and 43 Buddhist pagodas. The most extraordinary statue is in the Fengxian Temple and is the Grand Vairocana Buddha, which is 17.14 meters tall with his head 4 meters long and his ear 1.9 meters wide.

38 - 44  (or 1 - 8) From Luoyang we climb aboard the truck for our last days drive and head east to the city to Xi’an, which is well known for its cultural and historical importance. Its history goes back over 6000 years and over time 13 dynasties placed their capitals here, and today Xi’an enjoys equal importance with Athens, Cairo, and Rome as one of the world’s four major ancient civilisation capitals. There are an abundance of relics and sites to see and we spend a couple of days here to absorb everything.Of these the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses is probably the most famous. These are the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th century and work is ongoing at this site. Upon ascending the throne at the age of 13 in 246 BC, Qin Shi Huang, later the first Emperor of all China began work on his mausoleum. It took 11 years to finish and it is believed he built this army to accompany him into the afterlife. The museum covers over 16,000 sq metres and the armies of soldiers with their horses and chariots are arranged in lines under a giant aircraft hanger type roof. There are over 7,000 figures and it really is a remarkable sight and quite rightfully earns its title as a World Heritage Site. Other sites in Xi’an include the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang which is also on the World Heritage List, and the City Wall which dates back to the Ming Dynasty. Around Xi'an, the Famen Temple is a fine Buddhist pagoda. Xi’an is also well known for its food and nightlife and there are some attractive restaurant districts to wander around in the evening. From Xi'an we begin our last journey - by train to Beijing.

We arrive in Beijing after a 15 hr train journey ready to explore China's capital and soak up the atmosphere. Beijing is a heaving, thriving place, an economic power house of Asia, and the cultural centre of China. We include a guided city tour on our last day of the trip, before enjoying our last night party in some of the many bars and clubs in the city. There is so much to see in Beijing so we recommend staying on for a few days to see all the main sights and also to relax. Well known places to visit here include the largest central square in the world - Tian'anmen Square, the Forbidden City, a superbly preserved section of the Great Wall, as well as the largest sacrificial complex in the world, the Temple of Heaven. You will also see the towering skyscrapers and the endless stream of traffic. No where else on earth will you find such a variety of gourmet Chinese restaurants offering the very best of the eight different styles of Chinese cuisine as well as western style dishes. Then there is of course the shopping and there are countless shopping malls and markets all over the city to pick up cheap Chinese made products. The nightlife too is worth exploring and there are plenty of pubs and clubs to visit before flying out or continuing on with your travels.