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Past ExpeditionsApril 20-May 4, 2010
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In Xi’an, meet fellow travelers and the expedition staff at a welcome dinner accompanied by a gravity-defying Shaolin monk kung fu performance. Please note that most travelers from the U.S. will need to take an overnight flight departing April 19 in order to arrive in time for the dinner on Tuesday. Begin your exploration of this ancient city with a visit to one of the most significant archaeological finds of the last century—the life-sized funerary army of Emperor Qin’s tomb, meant to accompany and protect the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty into the afterlife. Incredibly, each warrior and horse is unique, totaling over 7,000 in number, and representing a variety of squadrons in full uniform, ready for battle.
Sofitel on Renmin Square, Xi’an
Our expedition will donate supplies to Xi’an’s Yanta Road Primary School, and will support the work of the Jingrui Jade Carving factory that provides meaningful employment and fair wages to disabled employees.
Board our jet for China’s most westerly province, Gansu, once a key gateway to the west. Stop at Dunhuang, ancient Silk Road oasis, and follow in the footsteps of early pilgrim Fa Hsien here as we explore the treasures of the Mogao Caves, set into a cliff wall of the Echoing Sand Mountains. For more than 1,500 years, this extensive network of cave monasteries has been an important site of pilgrimage for traveling monks and houses countless carvings, murals, paintings, and other priceless Buddhist artifacts. Take a camel ride along the Mingsha Sand Dunes to Crescent Moon Lake, a rare and paradoxical spring deep in an arid landscape.
Dunhuang Hotel
Our expedition will support the disabled artisans of Guojiapu Village who create detailed paper cuttings, also known as “Window Flowers”—an art form that began in the Han Dynasty.
Continue by private jet, briefly stopping in Urumchi for departure clearance, to Mongolia—the legendary land of Genghis Khan. Experience the vast expanse of the beautiful steppe that is inextricably intertwined with the nomadic lifestyle of its people. Visit the renowned Gandan Monastery, one of only a few monasteries to survive the political upheaval of the 1930’s. Then visit the Museum of Natural History, featuring a dinosaur skeleton and eggs recovered from the Gobi Desert.
The next day, fly by private local aircraft deep into southern Mongolia and spend two nights at a traditional ger-style encampment in the Gobi Desert. Explore the foothills of the Gobi-Atlai Mountains, one of the best-protected ecosystems in the Asian continent. This area is home to an incredible array of wildlife, including the Gobi bear, ibex, blacktailed gazelle, and more than 250 species of birds. At the Flaming Cliffs, search for dinosaur fossils with an expert guide. During the 1920s, adventurer and paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews was the first to find dinosaur eggs, jaws, and skulls here, which we can see at the Museum of Natural History in Ulaanbaatar. Marvel at the ancient petroglyphs by our camp, ride Bactrian camels into the sand dunes, and watch the sun set over the desert’s golden expanse.
Kempinski Hotel, Ulaanbaatar and Three Camel Lodge, Gobi Desert
Our expedition will provide funding to purchase traditional Mongolian instruments for the Hanhongor Sum School Children’s Music Club.
A U.S. travel warning is still in effect for Uzbekistan, so we will instead visit Almaty, Kazakhstan, a remote outpost of the Mongol empire in the thirteenth century and a stop along the Silk Road.
Visit the unique Kazakh Musical Instruments Museum, and the National Museum to view realistic displays of traditional nomadic life and a superb collection of Kazakh carpets and quilts. Then go to the stately Paniflov Park, where we will see the charming Zankov Cathedral, which was, amazingly, built entirely of wood and without nails. It is one of the few tsarist-era buildings to have survived the great 1911 earthquake. Just outside of town, in the country’s beautiful steppeland, explore the Sunkar Falcon Center and gain a rare glimpse into Kazakhstan’s age-old tradition of hunting with golden eagles and falcons.
Accommodations TBA
Fly to Armenia, the world’s first Christian nation.Step into the Matenadaran Museum, an important repository of medieval writtenliterature, including exquisite illuminated manuscripts. The next day, go to Vagharshapatto explore one of the world’s first churches, the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, founded by St. Gregory the Illuminator. Then visit Armenia’s only Greco-Roman structure, Garni Temple, with views of the wildly scenic Garni Gorge, and join Armenian villagers for apicnic lunch. Travelers may then venture to the spectacular Khor Virap Monastery nearthe beloved Mount Ararat, where St. Gregory the Illuminator was imprisoned for 13 years before he converted King Trdat III to Christianity and helped found the ArmenianChurch. Or instead of the monastery, visit the Armenian History Museum and theNational Art Gallery to peruse marvelous collections of Armenian paintings, miniatures,and frescoes.
Marriott Yerevan
Our expedition will support the Pyunic Association for the Disabled in Yerevan, devoted to helping Armenians with disabilities including those who were injured in the devastating earthquake of 1988. We will donate art supplies to the association’s school, and purchase traditional wooden crafts made by its students.
Fly by private jet to Izmir and transfer to Ephesus, a former trading port connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa. Gaze up at the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Peek into a small chapel believed to be the Virgin Mary’s last home, and go on a special excursion to see the ‘palaces on the slope,’ inhabited by the wealthiest social class of the ancient city. Enjoy a festive dinner at the Celsus Library, a rare example of a public library of the Roman Empire.
The next day, land amidst Istanbul’s exotic skyline of graceful domes and soaring minarets, an iconic scene that has captured the imagination of countless travelers and conquerors for centuries. Visit the colossal Hagia Sophia, a sixth-century Byzantine jewel, whose dome influenced architecture around the world for 1,500 years. Discover some of Istanbul’s finest Byzantine art at the Chora Church. Explore the Topkapi Palace, housing the opulent jewels, furnishings, and other treasures of Ottoman sultans. Enter the 17th-century mosque of Sultan Ahmet I, known as the Blue Mosque, due to its vivid azure iznik tile decor. Cruise the Bosphorus Strait that winds its way through the city. Stroll the Grand Bazaar brimming with jewelry, pottery, spices, and carpets. And in the evening, enjoy a gala farewell dinner.
Kismet Hotel, Kusadasi and Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
After breakfast, depart Istanbul on an independent commercial flight to your home city, or reboard our private jet to London and depart in the early evening. Or, if you wish to extend your stay in Turkey, please call to make further arrangements.
Please note: This expedition has been rerouted and will now visit Kazakhstan, instead of Uzbekistan. See below for details.
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Limited to 78 Travelers
Main Itinerary
Cost Per Person:
$29,950 (double occupancy)
$3,990 (single supplement)
China & Tibet Pre-Tour
Cost Per Person:
$5,900 (double occupancy)
$900 (single supplement)
For your protection and peace of mind, all payments are secured in a bank escrow account that is fully insured by the U.S. Federal Government.
Featured Accommodations
Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Turkey
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet, Turkey
