HELLO, MIAO

A 16-day tour, South China Tribal Encounters, with Silk Road and Beyond, first explore Guizhou province in the southwest, which is largely untouched by tourism, visiting Tainlong, where women still wear Ming dynasty costumes and houses remain faithful to Ming architectural styles.

Travelling through the countryside to Kaili, holiday makers will meet the Miao people, whose work is making papaer, batiks, brocades and embroidery.

At Zhaoxing, home of China's largest Dong community, stay in wooden family houses, visit the markets, walk along the rice terraces and drive through to countryside that has inspired poets and painters through the ages.

The trip costs £2150 for flights, B&B in hotels and home stays, sightseeing and a night each in Shanghai and Hong Kong at either end of the tour.

PAN FOR GOLD AND SOURCE TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL PLANTS FROM NEW MEKONG ECO LODGE

The chance to pan for gold in the mighty Mekong River, source traditional medicinal plants on forest treks and try the hand at a bit of rice planting are all on offer to visitors stopping off at south east Asia’s newest eco lodge.

In a wilderness location surrounded only be a local village and boasting a simple setting described as an “exclusive ecological experience”, Kamu Lodge in Laos recently opened its doors to travellers looking for something just a little more unusual in one of south east Asia’s most secluded corners.

Situated two and a half hours upriver from the World Heritage Site city of Luang Prabang, the lodge features 20 twin bedded, solar-powered canvas tents covered by thatched roofs designed to blend with local character. Decorated in bamboo with locally made furnishings, each tent has a private solid bathroom with shower and toilet.

The traditional and simple setting is primarily designed as a base from which to re-engage with nature in an outpost of rest and relaxation, but there is also plenty for travellers to enjoy and explore. In addition to the many agricultural, social and domestic traditions unchanged for centuries, visitors can savour the atmosphere of surrounding villages and enjoy encounters with a people whose way of life is a lesson in simple and engaging resourcefulness.

Kamu Lodge can be experienced for a couple of days as part of Silk Road and Beyond’s 12 or 17 day Laos itineraries and can also be added to other tours in its Indochina programme. Prices start from £1750 and include return flights with Thai International, accommodation based on twin share on a bed and breakfast basis, all transfers and a full sightseeing programme.

CAMBODIA’S BIGGEST ANNUAL FESTIVAL WELCOMES AUTUMN VISITORS

Visitors to Cambodia this November can experience the country’s biggest festival and the Khmer’s most significant annual celebration in the form of Bon Om Tuk.

Every year Cambodians descend on the capital Phnom Penh as villages from across the country – and teams from all over south east Asia - enter up to 350 boats in a colourful three-day competition held during full moon to mark the end of the rainy season.

Watched by spectators, boats race between the Japanese Friendship Bridge to the finish line outside the Royal Palace from noon until sunset. Visitors gather and drums sound from the river banks to herald in the highlight of the three days – 30 or more long boats with brightly coloured rowers at the helm in an impressive procession around Tonle Sap (Great Lake), often described as “a unique geographical wonder” and an expanse of water that offers visitors an insight into both Cambodian traditions and modern lifestyles.

To coincide with Bon Om Tuk, Phnom Penh is transformed by vast expanses of bright decorations, traditional Khmer games are played and music resounds from street corners and parks. After dark, impressive firework displays accompany more neon-illuminated vessels as they take to the lake, providing plenty to entertain visitors as they wander around the lake and city centre.

Growing in standing as one of South East Asia’s most colourful festivals, Bon Om Tuk now attracts travellers from all the world.

Bon Om Tuk can be experienced as part of Silk Road and Beyond’s 15-day Classic Cambodia. The trip, which has daily departures on a private tour basis, costs £1960 based on two people sharing twin room accommodation. The price includes flights with Thai Airways via Bangkok, four star hotels throughout, breakfasts with some lunches and dinners and a full sightseeing programme with an English speaking local guide.

CRUISE HALONG BAY IN STYLE ON THE NEW GRAND EMERAUDE

A new cruise around the 3,000 limestone islands of Vietnam’s mysterious Halong Bay is providing an upmarket alternative for travellers looking for a few more creature comforts than those offered by traditional small private fishing boats and junks.

The Grand Emeraude is a newly built 55-metre replica of the traditional steamships from the French colonial era and offers the chance to stay aboard overnight in considerable style. Modelled on a 1910 steam cruiser that took visitors to French Indochina into Halong Bay, the original boat was part of a flotilla owned by the Roque family who left Bordeaux in 1858 in search of fame and fortune.

Today’s vessel features 39 meticulously designed air-conditioned cabins typified by polished wooden floors with plenty of brass and other original fittings. Spread across three decks, the facilities also include a restaurant, two bars, massage rooms, beauty salon and sundeck. Designed in the tradition of Le Tonkin, it sails through Halong Bay while at the same time aiming to evoke the charm, luxury and elegance of colonial Indochina.

Visitors will spend the day cruising among the network of islands with stops to explore the many caves and grottos of the region. Vietnamese cuisine is served at lunchtime, while dinner is enjoyed after taking cocktails and watching the sun set over one of south east Asia’s most spectacular landscapes.

Silk Road and Beyond offers a range of tours to Vietnam, all of which can be tailor-made to include time on the Grand Emeraude. Prices are from £1860 per person based on itineraries of 14 and 16 days duration. The cost includes return flights via Bangkok with Thai International, four-star hotels throughout, private sightseeing programme and all transfers.

JAPAN A WORLD OF UNQIUE GARDENS

Japanese gardens are famous thoughout the world for their elegance and simplicity, avoiding military precision and geometric perfection in favour of an altogether more natural outline. The Japanese landscape gardner aspires to work with nature , extending and enhancing natural beauty and the Japanese style of gardening has in recent years become fashionable and sought after in the West.

There are three main types of garden in Japan: the Hill Garden which is a sort of miniturisation of the natural landscape, complete with hills, ponds, streams, stepping stones and incorporating views that lie outside the garden. The second is the Tea Garden, designed to enhance the peaceful, spiritual nature of the tea ceremony and are often attached to a temple. The main elements of the Tea Garden are ferns, moss, evergreen trees and shrubs set against bamboo fences and stone lanterns. The third and maybe most famous type is the Zen Garden whose most common elements are stones, sand and gravel. Very few shrubs are used and the gardens are designed like a painting, for contemplation. Most of the temples in Japan also incorporate a garden..

The best time to visit Japan is in the spring when the cherry blossom bursts into bloom at the end of March and April. At this time, the Japanese go on “cherry blossom viewing” excursions and the gardens are at their prettiest. Silk Road and Beyond has tours of Japan that includes the main cultural sights and some of the most famous gardens while special garden tours can be tailor-made for keen horticulturalists.

TAKE THE SILK ROAD TO THE MOUNTAINS AND MINARETS OF SOUTHERN KAZAKHSTAN

Silk Road and Beyond has become the first UK tour operator to offer a trip along the lost Silk Road cities of Southern Kazakhstan.

Closed for many decades under the Soviet Union, the area is one rarely visited by tourists.  The
13-day Mountains & Minarets itinerary takes in an undiscovered corner of the famous route and includes the desert towns of Chimkent and Turkistan as well as the alpine mountains and areas of eastern Kyrgyzstan.  

Visitors reach Southern Kazakhstan via the overnight train from Almaty to Chimkent. Once the most powerful economic centre in Kazakhstan, it remains an important trading point and is home to a booming bazaar.

The city is used as a base to visit the isolated town of Turkistan with its beautiful blue domed architecture.  An important place of pilgrimage for Moslems with three visits said to be the equivalent of making the Hajj to Mecca, the city is noted for the mausoleum of Hodja Ahmed Yassaui, an outstanding poet and humanitarian scholar who died in 1166.  At the end of the 14th century a mausoleum was built over the site of the grave displaying the wonderful Timurid style of architecture.

On route to Turkistan visits are made to Sayram (a once mighty desert fortress) and the ruined city of Otrar which was razed by the Mongols in retaliation for the beheading by the city governor of their ambassador.

In the foothills of the Tien Shan Mountains is the Aksu Djabagly Nature Reserve, where enjoyable walks take place among totally unspoilt nature and where there is the chance to spot bears, ibexes and rare birds of prey.  

As a contrast to the desert landscapes, travellers can then relax on the banks of Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan, surrounded by snow capped mountains, or visit the 19th Century wood built Holy Trinity Cathedral in Karakol, close to the Chinese boarder.

The best time to take the Mountains & Minarets tour is between September and March and the trip departs weekly (Saturdays). The cost is £1850 per person based on two people travelling and includes flights, transfers and all transportation, accommodation and private sightseeing tours.

DESTINATION SPECIALIST MAKES THE MIGHTY SILK ROAD MORE ACCESSIBLE WITH SEGMENTED ITINERARIES

From Ottoman Empire treasures to pure images of Shangri-La, and from the magic of Samarkand to the mighty Great Wall of China, the Silk Road has long attracted the adventurous and inspired the armchair traveller.

But negotiating this mammoth journey has always presented challenges. Now - as part of its new brochure - destination specialist Silk Road and Beyond has created four innovative tours showcasing different facets of the 8,000 km route and which can be experienced as individual trips or combined to unlock more of the geography, history and cultures of these contrasting countries.

Beginning in Istanbul, the first leg of tour takes 14 days to reach Damascus and covers the Black Sea, Cappadocia and Syria, while the second stage (17 days) links Yerervan with Tehran and combines remote areas unexposed to tourism with the scenery and hospitality of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

Travelling from Tehran to Tashkent over 18 days travellers will follow in the footsteps of Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great in a journey embracing remoter areas, long overland drives and some more basic standard accommodation.

The fourth and final part of the Great Silk Road takes 23 days, covers Tashkent to Beijing and combines mountain scenery and wonderful Islamic architecture with the awe-inspiring sight of the Great Wall of China.

Prices start from £2090 for the 16-day Yerevan to Tehran leg and go up to £3350 for the final part of the Silk Road route into China. Prices are per person based on two people travelling and include international flights, accommodation on a bed and breakfast basis, transfers and all sightseeing with a guide and driver on a private tour basis.

The unexplored and remoter parts of Iran are now accessible to tourists following the introduction of an exclusive new itinerary through destination specialist Silk Road and Beyond.

Travelling to the southern and western provinces of the country is a rare experience for foreigners, but an imaginatively constructed 14-day journey will provide a rare opportunity to explore areas of significant Kurdish minority and, on route, learn about indigenous groups such as the Elamites, Parthians and Sassanians who are all part of Persia’s rich and complex history.

The tour also features Mashad. Site of the Imam Reza shrine, it attracts large numbers of pilgrims from throughout the Shi’ite world and provides an insight into this branch of Islam and the influences that have shaped modern Iran.

The country’s holiest city, Mashad sees very few tourists but those who do visit are welcomed by a warm and hospitable people.

Travellers to Japan often opt for the country’s popular Golden Route and the sights of Tokyo, Fuji, Hakone and Kyoto.

But there is now an equally inviting and less well-trodden alternative following the introduction of a second “golden route” from destination specialist Silk Road and Beyond.

The Complete Japan 16-day trip takes in Kanazawa, Takayama and Matsumoto – destinations that typify the charm of ancient Japan with their combination of natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. The aim is to allow travellers to slip back in time and experience a Japan sometimes overlooked by visitors.

Located in the western part of Chubu region, Kanazawa sits on the shores on the Japan Sea and once flourished as the richest of the regions dominated by the country’s feudal lords. It features Kenrokuen – one of the three great gardens of Japan, the wonderful Higashi Chaya tea district with its low wooden houses, and is also noted for its traditional masked dance-drama (the Noh), the beating of gold into paper-like sheets and for its art of dyeing various local crafts.

The carefully preserved city of Takayama is know as “little Kyoto” and retains an atmosphere of a bygone Japan with a collection of old wooden houses now given over to a range of merchants, sake breweries and coffee shops. Takayama also hosts a festival each spring and autumn that is generally regarded as one of Japan’s most beautiful.

The third stop on the itinerary is Matsumoto. Home of the 1998 Winter Olympics and nestled among the Japanese alps, the city’s main attraction is its castle. One of the country’s most significant national treasures, it was completed in 1594 and is known locally as Crow Castle because of its black walls and sprawling wings.

Silk Road and Beyond’s Second Golden Route of Japan costs from £2290 per person based on two people travelling. The price includes flights with Japan Airlines, transfers, accommodation in four-star hotels and all sightseeing with the services of local English-speak guides and drivers on a private tour basis.

It is the highest paved international road in the world and over 20 years of construction some 900 workers lost their lives.

But the Karakoram Highway which connects China and Pakistan across a mountain range reaching an altitude of 4,693 metres has become an iconic experience for both the adventure traveller and anyone wanting to savour rugged natural settings untouched by tourism.

The journey also represents a further branch of the fabled Silk Road. Linking Islamabad to Kashgar, it is the route through which cloth, spices and precious metals passed and it encompasses some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the world.

Known as the Friendship Highway to the Chinese, the trip combines natural beauty with rich cultural diversity. It brings together mountains with some of the world’s largest glaciers, a collection of lakes with the Indus River dividing the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges, and more than 20,000 examples of rock art and petroglyphs with one of the highest national parks on earth.

Destination specialist Silk Road and Beyond has a 14-night itinerary including the Karakoram Highway journey and then moving on to the classical Chinese Silk Route from Kashgar to Dunhuang and Lanzhou before ending in Beijing.

The trip costs from £1790 per person based on two people sharing a twin room. It includes flights with British Airways, internal flights, accommodation in a mix of traditional guest houses, standard, three and four star hotels, two overnight train journeys and a full programme with a driver and local, English speaking guide on a private tour basis. There is also a longer 21-day option available from £2690 per person.

The best time to take the Karakoram Highway is during the spring or early autumn.

Largely because it is a celebratory event for local people, few tourists get to experience Kyrgyzstan’s annual Sarlya-Saz Horse Festival.

Held each July, it is an occasion steeped in tradition and custom and celebrates the role the animal plays in the daily life of the Kyrgyz.

Destination specialist Silk Road and Beyond has now become one of the first UK tour operator to give visitors the chance to include the Sarlya-Saz Festival as part of its central Asia programme.

Taking place over one day, the event features a range of traditional horse games: Ulak Tartysh, in which two teams of riders “battle” it out over the carcass of a goat; Kyz Kuumai, where a horseman pursues a horsewoman in order to claim his prize of a kiss, and Kurosh – a skilled discipline featuring wrestling on horseback.

Each of these events – and many of the other festival activities - derive from centuries-old traditions and reflect the vitally important role riding has played in the country’s history.

This year’s Sarlya-Saz Horse Festival takes place on July 28 and Silk Road and Beyond can incorporate it into its nine-day Kyrgyzstan Adventure.

The trip costs £1390 per person based on two people travelling. The price includes flights with British Airways, transfers, accommodation in three-star hotels, guesthouse and a yurt camp on a mixed board arrangement, and a full sightseeing programme with a guide and driver on private tour basis.

For many visitors Jordan means a few days spent exploring the sights of Petra. But there is much more to discover in a country as famous for its rich history and culture as its archaeological legacy.

A 13-day trip from destination specialist Silk Road and Beyond demonstrates the great diversity of Jordan, blending Roman cities with nature reserves, crusader castles with biblical locations and the waters of the Red and Dead seas with the sandstone and granite rock valley of Wadi Rum.

One of the most comprehensive tours available, Land of the Nabateans begins with three days in the Jordanian capital Amman with a programme that includes visits to the Cidatel and Roman Theatre, exploration of the Temple of Hercules and Ummayad Palace, and a drive out of the city to the desert palaces and castles of Azraq.

The trip continues to Makawir (noted for its tradition of handicrafts) and on to the beautiful and unspoilt region around the Dana Nature Reserve and the ancient village of Dana, Wadi Dana and Wadi Feinan with the remains of old copper mines and a rich diversity of birdlife that is said to number over 200 species.

Three days to explore the “Red Rose City” of Petra - currently staking a claim to a place on a list of the new seven wonders of the world – is then followed by a four wheel drive into the desert and through the sand dunes of Jebel Karazah to Wadi Rum with its old graffiti, inscriptions and drawings from the second millennium.

The crystal-clear shores of Aqaba on the Red Sea provides some R&R and paves the way for an internal flight to Amman where the programme includes a full-day exploring Mount Nebo, (from where Moses saw the Promised Land), Madaba (with its important orthodox Christian church) and the lowest point on earth at the Dead Sea.

Silk Road and Beyond’s Land of the Nabateans costs from £1735 per person based on two people sharing on a bed and breakfast basis. The price includes flights with British Airways, accommodation in four-star hotels and at a desert camp and a full programme with local English-speaking guides and a driver on a private tour basis.