Silk Road China & Tibet View Basket

Great value, inclusive, quality small group tour with the experts

Departs from Australia 6 September 2018 | Including the Qinghai-Tibet Railway | Xian, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Turpan, Urumqi, Kashgar, Xining, Lhasa, Gyantse, Shigatse, Tsetang & Chengdu.

This Travel Masters Small Group Fully Escorted Tour departs from Brisbane and promises the finest and best located accommodation, all-inclusive sightseeing and exclusive, unique experiences – all at great value.

Silk was first cultivated in China around 2600BC, but it took 2.5 millennia for it to spread west. The journeys west by China's emissary Zhang Qiang, in the 2nd century BC, brought the Chinese Han Dynasty into political contact with many kingdoms of Central Asia, and hence opened up the great East-West trade route, now known as the Silk Road.

This trade route would eventually become a chain of camel caravan trails, a vast conduit for exchanging goods and information, stretching thousands of kilometres from Changan (Xian) in China, across the Gobi and Taklamakan deserts, through the rich oases of Turpan and Kashgar. From here the route continued into modern Afghanistan, Iran and Syria on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean, with further branches connecting to the Roman Empire at Constantinople (Istanbul) and beyond.

Today, oasis towns, tranquil lakes, snow capped mountains, Buddhist caves, and remnants of ancient cities add allure to the wilderness en route, maintaining the mystique and romance of the Silk Road. Large communities of Muslims continue to flourish, and vast Buddhist cave complexes mark the ancient frontier between old China and the deserts of Central Asia. Today it is not just the historic significance that makes the Silk Road intriguing, but the incredible scenery and ethnic diversity along the way.

Travel Masters offers a great small group tour with rewarding cultural experiences and friendly people in wonderful and intriguing country, with many highlights, as detailed below.

By Rail into Tibet

The Qinghai-Tibet Railroad, the highest in the world, connects Tibet with the rest of China. You can now see for yourself the spectacular scenery of the mysterious Qinghai Tibet Plateau from the relative comfort of a passenger tourist train, the 'Lhasa Express'. Departing from Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, the train travels 1956 kms to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet.

Tour Highlights

Why Travel Masters

With over 21 Years' Experience, Travel Masters boasts an award-winning team of highly qualified international consultants trained to assist you in all your travel needs.

Having travelled most continents of the world and experienced a number of the most diverse cultural backgrounds known to mankind, they offer clients a personalised approach to booking holidays, with extensive personal knowledge and understanding.

Managing directors Beth and Bob Malcolm are champions of the travel industry, with collectively more than 25 years' experience. Beth is well recognised in the travel and tourism sector as the past National Vice-President of the Australian Institute of Travel and Tourism, and as the two-time winner of the Australian Travel Management Award.

Bob and Beth personally escort small groups to unique and culturally diverse destinations throughout the world, ensuring that each person on the tour has the experience of a lifetime. Whether it's travelling to tourism meccas or exotic islands, you will be guaranteed a well organised, well paced and memorable holiday.

Awards

• Best Regional Travel Agency in Australia
• Australian Travel Centre of the Year
• State and National Awards for Excellence