Silk Road - Hunza Valley - Altai Itinerary

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We have now been given a detailed new itinerary for the Eclipse tour group. It eliminates Chengdu, of course -- that area is devastated by the Earthquake and has a lon road to recovery. It is still not possible for foreigners to plan travel to Tibet, and this trip goes through the magnificent scenery of the Silk Road area of Western China (Xinjiang) and the Hunza Valley in Pakistan. (See map with the previous entry). This means getting visas for both of China and Pakistan (!). The visa process in onerous -- it is based on the principle of not trusting outsiders to visit your country and overcoming the presumption that you are trying to do so for nefarious reasons. It is also based on tit-for-tat relations between countries; and U.S. paranoia about foreign visitors post 9-11 has made all visa processes worldwide much more difficult. But I dutifully filled out all the forms for both Pakistan and China for David and I, and will rush to get them next week. (Rush is necessary because I will be traveling to Russia during the week of June 16 and of course must have my passport then).

Told David about Pakistan and his eyes got pretty wide -- "isn't there a war going on there?," he asked. Good question.

The itinerary (Trip #1039 Revised) for CHINA’S SILK ROAD & HUNZA
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE EXPEDITION is
July 17 - August 3, 2008 DAILY ITINERARY DAYS 1/2 USA TO HONG KONG Thurs/Fri July 17/18
Expedition members on group flight check in at Los Angeles, San Francisco,
or JFK International Ariports for Cathay Pacific flight to Hong Kong.
11:45 pm Los Angeles passengers depart on CX#883 for Hong Kong.
(Meals aloft)
DAY 3 ARRIVE HONG KONG & FLY TO XI’AN Sat July 19
5:25 am Cathay Pacific Los Angeles flight arrives in Hong Kong.
Check in for flight Hong Kong to Xi’an.
Be at airline departure gate.
8:20 am Depart Hong Kong for Xi’an on KA#940.
11:10 Arrive Xi’an.
Meet your trip leader.
Transfer to the Bell Tower Hotel (2 nights).
Afternoon introduction to Xi’an.
6:00 Welcome dinner and and trip orientation. (D)
DAY 4 XI’AN - TERRA COTTA WARRIORS Sun July 20
Breakfast at hotel.
Today we will visit Xi’an’s Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warriors and
Horses, including a covered area where thousands of terra cotta warriors
are displayed in situ.
Lunch.
Afternoon to enjoy the ambiance of rural China, and a chance to meet
farm families and learn about their life.
Dinner and cultural performance. (B,L,D)
DAY 5 XI’AN TO URUMQI Mon July 21
Breakfast at hotel and luggage out.
Transfer to the airport.
Check in for MU flight #2769 to Urumqi
10:55 am Flight departs.
2:10 pm Flight arrives Urumqi.
Transfer to Hoi-Tak Hotel (1 night).
Lunch at a traditional Uyghur restaurant.
This afternoon we will visit the excellent Xinjiang Museum, for a glimpse of
the ancient cultures of Xinjiang, including mummies with Causasian features.
The beautifully preserved mummies are from vanished oasis cities of the Tarim
Basin. These are of special interest, not only because they are thousands of
years old but because they are racially Causasian and have been recovered with
textiles remarkably well preserved.
Enjoy a walk in one of the traditional Uyghur neighborhoods.
Dinner. (B,L,D)
DAY 6 TIAN CHI (HEAVEN LAKE) & KASHGAR Tues July 22
7:00 am Breakfast at hotel.
8:00 Depart Urumqi for Tian Chi (Heaven Lake).
9:45 Arrive Heaven Lake car park.
Transfer to gondola and shuttle tram to reach the upper valley and Heaven Lake.
Meadows and forests of "dragon spruce" at Heaven Lake are typical of the eastern
Tian Shan mountains.
11:00 Enjoy a boat ride up the lake
We’ll have an opportunity to walk along the lakeshore on a smooth wooden
boardwalk.
If the weather is clear, there are good views of Bogeda Feng, a 17,800 foot peak
and its encircling glaciers.
12 Noon Picnic lunch at the lakeshore.
2:30 Return by boat and then descend by tram.
3:00 Depart Heaven Lake for the return drive to Urumqi passing through the southern
margin of the vast Jungar Basin steppe.
4:30 Arrive Urumqi.
6:30 Dinner.
Transfer to airport.
8:45 pm Take HU#7747 flight Urumqi to Kashgar.
10:15 Arrive Kashgar
Transfer to Qinibagh Hotel (2 nights).
(B,L,D)
DAY 7 KASHGAR & PAHETAIL Wed July 23
Breakfast at hotel.
Today we will visit the small agricultural comunities of Pahetail and Pashkermu
where the Uyghur people retain their traditional way of life.
Meet villagers, and learn about their culture.
Lunch.
Afternoon return to Kashgar.
Enjoy a walk through the Old Town and introduction to Kashgar.
Dinner. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 LAKE KARAKUL & TASHKURGAN Thurs July 24
7:00 am Breakfast and luggage out.
7:30 Depart Kashgar on the “Friendship Highway” to Tashkurgan and Khunjerab Pass.
We will drive across dry plains, then ascend the Gez river valley with colorful rock
strata and enormous sand dunes. The valley opens to vistas of the highest peaks of
the Kunlun mountain range including Kongur and Muztagh, both more than 7,000
meters high.
12 Noon Picnic lunch in the meadows near Lake Karakul, a blue lake set among glaciers and
high peaks.
1:30 Depart for Tashkurgan
4:00 Arrive Tashkurgan and check in at the Crown Inn Hotel (1 night).
5:00 Optional walking excursion around Tashkurgan, perhaps including ruins of
the old fort and nearby meadows.
7:30 Dinner at hotel. (B,L,D)
DAY 9 KHUNJERAB PASS TO HUNZA VALLEY Fri July 25
7 am Breakfast at hotel.
8:00 Depart Tashkurgan, for the Customs & Immigration office.
11:00 Depart for Khunjerab Pass.
2:00 pm Xinjiang time (1:00 pm Pakistan time). Arrive at the China - Pakistan border at the
summit of Khunjerab Pass.
Cross the border into Hunza.
2:00 (Pakistan time). Enjoy a Picnic lunch in Khunjerab National Park on the Pakistan
side of the border.
3:30 Arrive Sust, pass Pakistan Immigration and Customs. Change buses.
4:30 Depart Sust, passing through Upper Hunza’s scenic valleys en route to
Gulmit.
7:00 Arrive Gulmit. Check into the Gulmit Silk Route Lodge (1 night).
8:00 Dinner. (B,L,D)
DAY 10 GILGIT Sat July 26
7:30 am Breakfast and luggage out.
8:30 Depart hotel for a scenic drive down the valley to the town of Gilgit.
11:00 Stop for green tea and spectacular views of Rakaposhi, a high glaciated peak that is
emblematic of the upper Hunza Valley.
En route to Gilgit, enjoy stops for photographs and a look at the approximate
location where the Indian and Asian continental plates join.
12 Noon Picnic lunch in a village along the way.
2:00 pm Arrive Gilgit and check into the Serena Hotel (1 night).
3:30 Climb aboard jeeps to visit the Buddha image at Kargah Nala, high on a cliff face at
the mouth of a steep canyon overlooking Gilgit.
Optional visit to the downtown Gilgit Bazaar before returning to Serena Hotel.
7:00 Dinner at hotel. (B,L,D)
DAY 11 GILGIT TO KARIMABAD Sun July 27
7:30 am Breakfast and luggage out.
8:30 Depart Gilgit for Gulmit in the upper Hunza Valley. Stop at points of interest
where a local artisan turns wooden bowls using a water-powered lathe, and where
rocks sport ancient petroglyphs with images of ibex and other animals, very similar
to those chiseled into cliff faces in the distant Altai Mountains.
2:00 pm Arrive in Gulmit for a late lunch.
Continue to Karimabad.
Arrive Baltit Inn (2 nights).
Dinner at hotel. (B,L,D)
DAY 12 EAGLE NEST & KARIMABAD Mon July 28
8:00 am Breakfast at hotel.
9:00 Depart by jeep for a morning visit to the magnificent Baltit Fort, ex-residence
of the Mir of Hunza. The Tibetan-style architecture reveals the early heritage of
the Hunza Valley.
Also visit a local rug-weaving factory that uses natural dyes. The owner, Mr.
Didar, is a wonderful source of information about the Hunza valley. We may also
have the opportunity to visit a local school.
12:30 pm Return to Karimabad for lunch.
At leisure to explore Karimabad’s small but interesting market street.
4:00 Take jeeps up to Duikar (Eagle’s Nest), a promontory that overlooks the whole
Hunza Valley, with lofty views of spectacular peaks like Rakaposhi, Diran,
Spantik, Lady Finger, and Ultar.
Optional walk amongst fields of potatoes and poppies with gorgeous mountain
views.
7:30 Dinner at Eagle’s Nest with a local musical performance.
(B,L,D)
DAY 13 KHUNJERAB PASS TO TASHKURGAN Tues July 29
7:00 am Breakfast and luggage out.
8:00 Depart Silk Route Lodge for Sust where we will pass through Pakistan
exit formalities.
10:00 Depart Sust for Khunjerab Pass, traversing upward through scenic Khunjerab
National Park.
11:30 Picnic alongside a clear stream.
1:30 pm Cross the Khunjerab Pass and clear Chinese customs at the top of the pass.
Lose 1 hr to Xinjiang local time.
5:30 Reach China customs and immigration at the outskirts of Tashkurgan.
7:30 Arrive Tashkurgan, Crown Inn Hotel (1 night).
8:00 Dinner (B,L,D)
DAY 14 TASHKURGAN TO KASHGAR & URUMQI Wed July 30
7:00 am Breakfast and luggage out.
8:00 Depart Tashkurgan for Kashgar.
12 Noon Picnic lunch along the banks of the wild Gez River.
Arrive Kashgar.
At leisure for shopping and time on your own in picturesque old-town Kashgar.
7:00 pm Dinner in Kashgar.
10:45 Take evening flight to Urumqi. CZ6802.
12:15 am Arrive Urumqi.
Transfer to Hoi Tak Hotel (1 night). B,L,D)
DAY 15 URUMQI TO ALTAI Thurs July 31
Breakfast at hotel & luggage out.
8:05am CZ#6849 flight departs for Altai.
9:00 Flight arrives Altai
Transfer to Jinquao Hotel in Altai (2 nights).
Morning introduction to the markets and parks of this interesting city.
Lunch.
Afternoon excursion westward from Altai to visit the Ertish River (the only river in
China that drains to the Arctic Ocean).
Also see the local kazakh cemetery.
Briefing to prepare for tomorrow’s Total Solar Eclipse.
Dinner at a local restaurant.
(B,L,D)
DAY 16 ALTAI & TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE Fri Aug 1
Breakfast.
At leisure to explore the morning markets.
Optional nature walk in a birch forest reserve at the efge of Altai.
Lunch.
See the Total Solar Eclipse (.... UT); .... local time
Assuming it is not cloudy!
Return to our hotel
Dinner.
(B,L,D)
DAY 17 ALTAI - URUMQI - CHONGQING Sat Aug 2
Breakfast and luggage out.
Depart hotel for Altai Airport
9:45 Depart on CZ#6850 flight to Urumqi.
10:40 Arrive Urumqi.
Lunch.
2:10 pm Depart on CA flight #4156 to Chongqing.
3:20 Arrive Chongqing.
Transfer to Harbour Plaza Hotel (1 night).
8:00 Farewell dinner in celebration of our journey. (B,L,D)
DAY 18 CHONGQING TO USA Sun Aug 3
Breakfast at hotel.
Morning at leisure in Chongqing.
Hotel/airport transfer.
Flight departs for Hong Kong.
Flight arrives Hong Kong.
11:40 pm ?? Cathay Pacific flight #880 departs for Los Angeles.
9:55 Flight arrives LAX.
(B, meals aloft)
Please Note: This Daily Itinerary is a guide only and is subject to change in the best interests of all group members should circumstances dictate. Your leaders will brief you on the schedule each day and will keep you fully informed.

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Comments

[Planet]

Visas
We obtained visas for both China and Pakistan, in a pretty smoot process. It required a personal trip to the Pakistan consulate (thank you, LInda) and a little extra money at the China travel service in Pasadena to handle it as a rush (so that I could have my passport back in time to go to Russia today. I will be in Russia June 16-20.