City tour to Red Square,
iconic of the military and
political might of the
Soviet Union, traversing
through the ornate St
Basil's Cathedral,
distinguished by its
onion-domed spires, The
Kremlin which has figured in
many a Cold War era movie
and the evocative tomb of
Lenin.
Day 3, On Board:
Journey begins
Day 4, Volgograd:
Stalingrad, on the banks of
the Volga, formed the
backdrop for some of the
more dramatic battles of the
second World War, where the
Russians, in a defining
moment, had turned back the
Nazi advance.
Visit the Mamayev Kurgan war
memorial, followed by the
informative diorama and
absorbing museum visit.
Dinner on board train.
Day 5, Kara Kum:
Today, we enjoy a relaxing
day onboard as we travel
across the vast expanses of
the Kara Kum desert.
Day 6, Khiva:
Crossing into Uzbekistan,
our train travels towards
Urgench, where we transfer
to the ancient city of Khiva,
founded 2,500 years ago. As
one of the Silk Road’s most
important trading posts and
now a World Heritage Site,
it lies at the crossroads of
the routes between Mongolia,
Russia, China and Persia. A
truly magnificent sight to
behold, it rises out of the
desert to reveal a wealth of
impressive architecture.
Stepping back in time, we
discover its impressive
mosques, bazaars and
minarets within Khiva’s
ancient walls. Lunch and
dinner are served onboard
our train.
Day 7, Ashgabat:
In dramatic contrast to
Khiva, we arrive in
Ashgabat, capital of
Turkmenistan- the ‘Las Vegas
of the Kara Kum’. Situated
between the Kara Kum Desert
and the Kopet Dag mountain
range, its golden domes and
towering modern buildings
appear strangely incongruous
in this almost biblical
setting.
Day 8, Merv:
Early morning sees us arrive
in Mary, where we transfer
to the ancient and mainly
unrestored city of Merv.
Once an important stopping
point on the Silk Road, it
claims to have briefly been
the largest city in the
world during the twelfth
century. 1794 saw the demise
of Merv, after the Emir of
Bukhara destroyed the dam
which the population
depended on for its water.
After our fascinating
exploration we return to our
train for dinner.
Day 9, Bukhara:
The highlight of this stop
is a visit to The Ark, a
fortified
residence of the Emirs of
Bukhara- the despotic and
ruthless leaders who ruled
until Soviet times. Lunch is
taken within an ornate
medresseh (beautifully tiled
Islamic school). We then
travel out of the city to
experience the Emir’s
enchantingly named, Place of
the Moon and Stars.
Day 10, Samarkand:
Founded in the 6th Century
BC, Samarkland’s stunning
architecture hints at its
former status as one of the
most important cities in
Asia. Today we will visit
some of its most significant
sites including the refined
elegance of the beautifully
proportioned Bibi Khanum
Mosque and the Ulag Beg
observatory, one of the
earliest Islamic
astronomical observatories
built in 1428. After dinner,
we will visit the
illuminated and
awe-inspiring Registan
Square before returning to
our train for a late evening
departure.
Day 11, Tashkent:
Today we arrive in the
capital city of Uzbekistan
and spend the morning
touring this modern
Soviet-style city which was
rebuilt following the
devastating earthquake of
1966. We re-board the train
for lunch as we heard
towards Kazakhstan and
Almaty. This afternoon gives
us the opportunity to relax
with friends or listen to
one of the informative
lectures designed to give us
a greater insight into this
fascinating region.
Day 12, Almaty:
Quite unlike the Almaty of
Borat's imagination, the
Almaty you'd be visiting
would more likely be
characterized by the majesty
of the Tien Shen Mountains.
Lunch is in a Kazakh yurt,
the dwelling place of the
nomadic peoples. Dinner will
be on the train. There will
be a change of train the
next day.
Day 13, Crossing into China:
Settling into the new
trains, guests will be
welcomed with traditional
Chinese cuisine.
Day 14, Urumchi&Turpan:
Urumchi is located in a
verdant oasis between the
lofty ice capped Bogda Peak,
the vast Salt Lake, the pine
covered Southern Hill and
the alternating fields and
sand dunes of the Zunggar
Basin. Urumchi boasts an
entry in the Guinness Book
of records for being the
city furthest from any sea
in the world- a staggering
1,400 miles (2500km) from
the nearest coastline. This
morning we visit the
renowned mummy exhibition at
the
Provincial Museum. After
lunch we travel to Turpan,
were the Flaming Mountains
create a magnificent
backdrop. We then take a
fascinating tour to the
ancient underground
irrigation system that has
successfully fed the rich
orchards and vineyards for
centuries. Our final
destination is the elegantly
decaying sand city of Jiaohe
that was founded in 108 BC.
Day 15, Dunhuang:
Before lunch we arrive in
the small oasis-city of
Dunhuang, where we will
visit the fascinating Magao
Thousand Buddha Cave
Complex. This impressive
site contains almost 500
grottoes, carved between 700
and 1,700 years ago.
Day 16, Jiayuguan:
This morning our private
train arrives in Jiayuguan.
Famous for being the first
pass at the most westerly
point of the Great Wall of
China, it was given the
rather poetic name: ‘The
first and greatest pass
under Heaven’.
Day 17, Xian- Terracota
Warriors:
6,000 terracotta warriors
and horses figuring as one
of the greatest
archaeological finds of the
20th century.
Day 18-21 Beijing:
You'd have travelled some
7,000 miles(11,250km) by
now. What follows is a three
night stay in Beijing
visiting its famous icons
such as the Great Wall and
Forbidden City.
.
Day 21, Beijing
Following breakfast, you
will be transferred to
Beijing airport for
international departures.
Breakfast overlooking
the Taj, witnessing an
aarti in Varanasi, tiger
safaris in Bandhavgarh,
wandering through the
erotic temples of
Khajuraho, before ending
the trip in Lucknow.
Contact us for tours
through Lutyen's
colonial Delhi or the
old Delhi of Mirza
Ghalib. Or end the
journey with a luxury
spa retreat in the
Himalayas.
