Tien Shan & Taklamakan: Nomads
& Merchants of the
Silk Route
Explore one of the less-traveled routes along the ancient Silk Road - through
the peaks and meadows of mountainous Kyrgyzstan to Western China's forbidding
Taklamakan desert and exotic Kashgar bazaar.
We meet in Almaty, the business capital of Kazakhstan and gateway to our cross-country adventure.
Making our way through Charyn Canyon's desert rock formations, we cross the border
into Kyrgyzstan and arrive at Karakol, located on the shore of the beautiful high-altitude
Lake Issyk-Kul. Further along, we spend several days hiking the southern lakeshore
near "Quiet Bay."
Continuing to the ancient caravanserai at Tash Rabat, we hike to the Panorama
Pass to enjoy the rugged alpine scenery. We drive over the 12,000-foot Turogart
Pass, crossing the Sino-Kyrgyz frontier and entering Xinjiang Province. This desert
region is ethnically diverse, with Uighurs, Mongols, Manchus, Kazakhs, and dozens
of other minority groups making up its population.
Our first stop here is Kashgar. For 2000 years, Kashgar has been famous for
its huge and eclectic market. Even today its Sunday bazaar is frequently described
as the best market in Central Asia.
We fly over the arid, moon-like landscape to Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Province,
and take a side trip out to Turpan to inspect the ruins of ancient Karakoa, and
the "Thousand Buddha Caves", preserved for millennia by the desert climate.
Flying back towards Kazakhstan, we touch down at Yining, the "Garden of
Fruits", in an ethnically Kazakh area of Xinjiang. From here we drive to
alpine Sayram Lake. We spend time on the shores of the lake at 6800 feet above
sea level, before returning
to Almaty.
Trip Details
| Length of Trip: |
20 Days |
| Departures in 2009: |
Available as a private journey |
 |
| Land Tour Cost |
Call for pricing |
|
MIR Signature Features
- Breathe in Central Asia's most beautiful natural setting as we hike the shoreline
of alpine Lake Issyk-Kul
- Travel overland across the 12,000-foot Turogart Pass at the Sino-Kyrgyz frontier
- Spend time at Sayram Lake, a favorite summer base for Kazakh and Mongolian
herdsmen
- Roam the market towns that once dotted the southern route of the Silk Road
Map
| |
| Days 1-2: |
Almaty |
|
| Day 3: |
drive to Karakol |
|
| Day 4: |
drive to "Quiet Bay", explore Lake Issyk-Kul region
|
|
| Day 5: |
"Quiet Bay," day hike |
|
| Day 6: |
drive to Naryn |
|
| Day 7: |
drive to Tash Rabat |
|
| Day 8: |
Tash Rabat, day hike |
|
| Day 9: |
drive across Turogart Pass to Kashgar |
|
| Days 10-11: |
Kashgar |
|
|
| Day 12: |
fly to Urumqi |
|
| Day 13: |
drive to Turpan |
|
| Day 14: |
Turpan |
|
| Day 15: |
Nanshan Pastures |
|
| Day 16: |
drive to Urumqi, fly to Yining |
|
| Day 17: |
drive to Sayram Lake |
|
| Day 18: |
drive to Yining |
|
| Day 19: |
drive to Almaty |
|
| Day 20: |
Almaty |
|
|
|
