Day 1: Shanghai
Arrival transfer from airport to hotel. Overnight - Shanghai

Day 2: Shanghai - breakfast
Just the mere mention of Shanghai conjures up mystery. romance and general decadence. Pre 1949, cosmopolitan Shanghai was a magnet for seekers of wealth, idle colonialists, explorers and the dispossessed. Until 1949 foreigners dominated commerce, banking and industry, amassing huge fortunes and tarnsforming the landcsape of foreign concessionary sections of Shanghai. Everything went belly up in 1949, when Mao and the communists took to power and swept the good times and rock and roll away rather swiftly. A legacy of these heady times is Shanghai's Bund, where on and around this waterfront promenade are a vast series of grandiose pre 1949 buildings. Today, thanks to economic reforms, Shanghai is one of the fatest growing cities on earth. Just across the Huangpu River is the new Shanghai, a high-tech development of sky scrapers, the centre piece of which is the rocket-shaped Oriental Pearl TV tower. Sightseeing in Shanghai takes int he Oriental Pearl TV tower, Jade Buddha Temple, charming Yuyuan Gradens, the Bund and Old City. This evening enjoy a cruise on the Huangpu River. Overnight - Shanghai

Day 3: Shanghai - Urumqi - breakfast
A free day to enjoy Shanghai your way. Later, transfer to the airport for onward flight to Urumqi in Xinjiang, a massive province which shares borders with eight countries. Overnight - Urumqi

Day 4: Urumqi - Kashi (Kashgar) - breakfast
Capital of Xinjiang, a largely desert and grassland province fringed by some of the highest mountains in the world, Urumqi sits amidst beautiful scenery, with the snow-clad Tian Shan range to the city's east. Two thousand years ago a sting of oasis towns were developed along the Silk Roads that skirted the surrounding deserts. Trade attracted merchants from Europe and India and xinjiang became a meeting point between east and west. Christianity and Buddhism existed side by side until the steady rise of Islam int he 15th century. By the time of the Ming Dynasty, Muslims had flourished and integrated into Han society without loss of customs or dress. Today, there is a significant Muslim population. Enjoy an excursion to Tian Chi (Heavenly Lake), located at an altitude of 2,000m among the Tian Shan Mountains, which rise to nearly 6,000m. Also visit the local Xinjiang Museum. Later we fly west to Kashgar. Lunch, dinner and overnight - Kashi (Kashgar)

Days 5 - 6: Kashgar - Urumqi - breakfast
Lying at the foot of the Pamir mountains in the far west of Xinjiang, Kashgar’s importance grew from it’s location as an oasis at the point where the northern and southern routes of the ancient Silk Road converged, forming a gateway to the mountains leading to India and Russia. From the 10th - 18th centuries Kashgar was part of the Islamic world until the Chinese reconquered the region. On day 6 , a visit is made to Kashgar’s local market with free time to explore. Later, a flight to Urumqi. Lunch, dinner and overnight (1) - Kashgar, (1) - Urumqi

Days 7 - 8: Urumqi - Turpan - breakfast
Enjoy an excursion to the southern mountain pastures before continuing by road to Turpan. Located on the northern Silk Road, Turpan is a rural Uighur settlement. The Uighur descended from nomadic Siberian and Central Asian tribes who settled the region in the 9th century. Renowned for its grape production, you’ll visit Putao Gou (Grape Valley), heart of the region’s massive grape production. On day 8, enjoy some sightseeing beyond Turpan. Driving to Bezeklik past the Flaming Mountains which due to sun and shadow at certain times of the day seem to flicker as though glowing poker-hot, you’ll visit the Bezeklik Caves which are situated in a desert gorge high above the Sengim River and once formed part of a Buddhist monastery between the 6th and 14th centuries. Beyond here are the Astana tombs and the impressive ruins of Gaochang city, founded as a garrison city in the 1st century AD. Tonight, enjoy a traditional show of song and dance. Lunch, dinner and overnight (2) - Turpan

Days 9 - 11: Turpan - Dunhuang via Liuyuan - breakfast
Visit Imin Ta (Imin Minaret) constructed in 1778, before heading beyond Turpan to the Jiaohe Ruins. Occupying a spectacular position on a steep plateau, the ancient street plan, thanks to the many ruins of this former garrison town is still evident. A stop is also made at some 2,000-year-old Karez water channels, an irrigation system that many Silk Road cities and towns relied upon, the idea for which came from ancient Persia. Tonight, travel by overnight train to Liuyuan. We arrive into Liuyuan on day 10 and continue to remote Dunhuang, a small and strategically important desert oasis town on the Silk Road, a stone’s throw from the end of the Great Wall. Visit Yueya Quan (Crescent Moon Lake), a small spring-fed lake surrounded by gigantic sand dunes, that has been a vital source of water here for millennia. If feeling energetic, the giant dunes can be climbed if inclined! On day 11 we visit perhaps Dunhuang’s most famous attraction, the UNESCO-listed Mogao Caves. The colourful cave paintings which were the legacy of travelling pilgrim monks, merchants and nobles form the most fascinating repository of Buddhist art in China. Lunch, dinner and overnight - (1) - train, (2) - Dunhuang.

Days 12 - 15: Dunhuang - Jiayuguan - Lanzhou - Xi’an
On day 12, enjoy a visit to the awesome Jiayuguan Fort at Jiayuguan Pass - the farthest outpost of the Great Wall which was built here by the Ming in 1372, over 5,000km from the wall’s easternmost point at Shanhaiguan. This was literally the final defence of the Chinese empire, the spot where China ended and beyond which lay an uncharted, terrifying wilderness. Situated between awesome mountain ranges, everything that travelled between the deserts of central Asia and the fertile lands of China, be it goods traders or armies had to file through the Jiayuguan Pass. On day 13, a flight from Jiayuguan to Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu Province and a former staging post on the Silk Road. Enjoy a boat ride on the 5,487 km long Yellow River (2nd longest in China after the Yangtze) and a visit to Bingling Temple. Day 14 - flight from Lanzhou to Xi’an. City touring, including the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and medieval City Wall. On day 15 we visit Banpo Village, Huaqing Hot Springs and the UNESCO-listed Emperor Qin’s world famous Terracotta Warriors. Lunch, dinner and overnight - (1) - Jiayuguan, (1) - Lanzhou, (1) - Xi’an

Day 16: Xi’an - Beijing
Flight from Xi’an to Beijing. Enjoy an excursion beyond Beijing to the legendary UNESCO-listed Great Wall at Badaling. Walking on the Great Wall is an incredible feeling, up high on the rough, uneven steps that wind upwards and onwards, with stunning views. Originally comprised of separate walls, it remained that way until Emperor Qin Shihuang of the Qin Dynasty managed to have the walls joined together after the unification of China - for protection against the Huns. Overnight - Beijing. Overnight - Beijing

Day 17: Beijing
Hotel check-out and included onward transfer to airport.