Audley in China, Russia and Central Asia - Audley Travel

C HINA, RUSSIA
& CENTRAL A SIA
CHINA
HONG KONG
TIBET
TAIWAN
SILK ROUTE
IRAN
UKRAINE
RUSSIA
MONGOLIA
TAILOR- MADE J OURNEYS FOR THE D ISCERNING T RAVELLER

Dear Traveller
In a region as culturally diverse and
geographically vast as China, Russia and
Central Asia, where experiences range from
strolling around the booming city of
Shanghai right the way through to camping
beneath the stars on the Mongolian steppe,
it can be difficult to know where to start.
Distances are huge and infrastructure can
be poor, making careful planning absolutely
crucial – these are for the most part not places
where you can just turn up. Thankfully,
our knowledgeable specialists, with their
first-hand experience, are able to guide you
through the highlights and potential pitfalls,
and help you plan your perfect trip. Many
of the team have studied, lived and worked
in the region. Their deep cultural
appreciation combined with a genuine
enthusiasm to share their knowledge is
what makes us different.
Whether you are travelling here for the first
time, or returning to explore in more depth,
I hope our passion for this region shines
through on the pages of this brochure,
inspiring you to visit this fascinating and
beautiful part of the world.
Craig Burkinshaw
Managing Director

Introducing Audley
After developing a real passion for travel in the early 1990s Craig Burkinshaw founded
Audley, or Asian Journeys as we were then called. Craig wanted to make it possible for
others to share the same experiences and, from these small beginnings, the company was born.
Audley offered a new type of travel – individual journeys, designed to match the traveller’s
interests, tastes and budget, created with an absolute commitment to quality, authenticity
and a passion for travel. Today Audley is one of the UK’s most highly regarded specialist tour
operators, providing tailor-made trips throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin
America, Australasia, Antarctica and the Arctic, Canada and Alaska.
Tailor-made journeys
The beauty of tailor-made travel is that every trip
is unique. Whether you want to stay in simple or
luxurious accommodation, have great guides on
hand or explore under your own steam, travel for
one week or five, we can create a trip to match
your tastes and budget. We can also design trips
for a special occasion, where added touches can
change an adventurous journey into a spectacular
honeymoon, anniversary or birthday celebration.
Your trip can be tailored to suit your particular
interests, such as wildlife, photography or diving,
and we have the specialist knowledge to match.
Throughout the brochure you will find suggested
itineraries and some of our favourite places to
stay. These are included purely to offer inspiration
and give you a flavour of what is possible, as each
journey is created individually to give you the
opportunity to experience a destination in
exactly the way you choose.
Specialist knowledge
Our China, Russia and Central Asia specialists
have all travelled extensively throughout the
region and in many cases lived there, so you can
rely on their extensive first-hand knowledge. They
regularly return to see the accommodation, meet
our guides – many of whom are firm friends –
experience all the excursions and activities, and
keep up-to-date with local developments. They
pride themselves on having an honest ‘tell it how
it is’ approach to planning your trip and, as well as
their own extensive knowledge, are able to draw
on the considerable collective experience of their
colleagues. We believe this approach is unique to
Audley and the only way we can genuinely offer
you a tailor-made service.
Financial security
All travel arrangements in this brochure that
include a flight are ATOL protected by the Civil
Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 4817.
Please see our booking conditions for more
information. If your arrangements do not include
any flights they are protected by a separate
financial scheme, for further details please visit
www.audleytravel.com/protect
Planning your trip
Once you have some ideas for your trip, or if
you just want some general guidance, call one
of our China, Russia, and Central Asia specialists
on 01993 838 200. They can offer advice and
discuss your plans with you, before creating a
detailed itinerary, which will be forwarded to you
together with maps, accommodation information,
colour photographs and a price. Your specialist
can then continue to refine the plans until you are
completely satisfied. They will be on hand from
the start of the planning process to your return
and are always available to answer questions
and offer sound advice.
Ceramics on sale, Uzbekistan
Contents
Introduction 2-7
China 8-41
Classic China 10-27
Yunnan 28-37
Hong Kong 38-41
Tibet 42-49
Taiwan 50-51
Silk Route 52-61
Iran 62-67
Ukraine 68-69
Russia 70-81
The Trans-Siberian Railway 80-81
Mongolia 82-86
Useful Information 87

Audley in China,
Russia and Central Asia
The countries in our China, Russia and Central Asia brochure are a diverse range of
destinations, encompassing many different peoples and cultures. Perhaps what they
all have in common though is just how ancient they all are. These are cultural giants and
places that, at various points in their history, have ruled over vast swathes of the known
world. Exploring the monuments, temples, monasteries, mosques and palaces that they’ve
left behind as their power waxed and waned is what makes a visit to these parts of the
world so interesting.
A history of empires
Kremlin domes, Moscow
Chairman Mao badge
Persepolis, Iran
‘With Heaven’s aid I have conquered for you a
huge empire. But my life was too short to achieve
the conquest of the world. That task is left for
you’. Genghis Khan to his successor.
The history of these countries is one of empires
rising and falling, jostling for supremacy with one
another. The world’s oldest continuous one, the
Chinese empire, has been about in one form or
another since 221 BC, when the emperor Qin
united various warring tribes and imposed a
unified system of measurements as well as a
standardised language.
Lasting from 550 to 330 BC, the ancient Persian
empire was the largest of its time, spanning
present day Iran, large parts of Central Asia, as
well as northern India, and most of the Middle
East. Known for their tolerance of other cultures
and enlightened statesmanship, the Persians
eventually succumbed to Alexander the Great,
leaving behind the mighty city of Persepolis, as
well as an enormous sense of pride and a
distinctive national identity in modern day Iran.
Roaring out of Mongolia in the 13th century,
Genghis Khan and his warriors ruled over most
of present-day Asia and Eastern Europe, for a
short time, before the vast empire disintegrated
because of infighting. Today there is little evidence
of the Mongols in the countries they conquered –
but large numbers of Genghis Khan’s successors
live a similar nomadic lifestyle to the one he
would have lived.
Picking up some of the pieces from the collapse
of the Mongol empire, the Timurid dynasty
reached its peak in the 15th century. Centred on
Samarkand in present-day Uzbekistan, it was
established by Tamerlane, a controversial ruler
whose legacy is bittersweet. As well as wreaking
great destruction – some estimate that he was
responsible for the deaths of 17 million people –
he also bequeathed some of the world’s most
beautiful monuments and buildings, many of them
in Samarkand.
Several hundred years later, it was the turn of the
Russians who, having subdued the vastness of
Siberia in the 16th century, turned their attention
to Central Asia in the late 18th and 19th
centuries, pushing right up to the Iranian and
Chinese borders. With the coming of communism
the Russian empire was substituted for the Soviet
empire, orthodox churches for Soviet tower
blocks. These days Russian remains the lingua
franca of the Central Asian region, and significant
proportions of the population are ethnically
Russian.
In the 21st century it is once again the turn of the
Chinese to be dominant as the Middle Kingdom
rises, with huge changes in people’s way of life
within the space of a generation. Witnessing a
society in flux, with the tensions between ancient
and modern ways of life is one of the reasons for
visiting. Inevitably there are controversies too –
between the expansionist demands of an empire
and the right to self-determination of indigenous
peoples, and between traditional ideas and
modern technology.
Seeing the historical and cultural remnants of
all these empires dotted throughout the region
is what makes a trip to this part of the world
truly fascinating – with mosques in China and
orthodox churches in Central Asia marking the
high points of each wave of empire across the
region. It remains to be seen where the high
point of the current Chinese ascension will be,
there being no signs of Chinese dominance in
the region receding.
4

Contrasting landscapes
Spanning a quarter of the earth’s surface China,
Russia and Central Asia contain many differing
landscapes. From vast deserts in Mongolia and
the north of China to lush forests in the south of
China; from never-ending grass steppe in Siberia
to awe inspiring mountain peaks in Tibet; from
mighty rivers spanning the whole of China to
ancient rice terraces built countless generations
ago, there really is a landscape for every taste
in these lands.
Diverse cultures and peoples
With a quarter of the world’s population,
there is a huge variety of peoples and cultures.
Hip urbanites in Beijing’s 798 art district,
nomadic herders in Mongolia, devout Ayatollahs
in Iran, wealthy Oligarchs in Russia – there is an
endless variety of peoples, personalities, cultures
and traditions to experience. Seeing the changes
in the faces as you travel from east to west
(or vice versa) is one of the most interesting
facets of the many great journeys you can make
in the region.
Trans-Siberian train, Mongolia
Great Journeys
With such contrasting landscapes and
cultures, there are a number of
inspirational journeys that can be
undertaken. Take the Trans-Siberian
railway for a journey from European
Moscow to Asian Beijing. Retrace the
steps of the ancient Silk Road, crossing
deserts and mountain passes. Take the
highest railway in the world from
Beijing to Lhasa. Travel overland from
Lhasa to Kathmandu to experience the
roof of the world. Follow in the
footsteps of ancient tea traders in
Yunnan. There are endless permutations
and possibilities – the only limit is your
imagination (and the number of pages
left in your passport!).
Mongolian nomads
01993 838 200 ● Introduction 5

Audley in China,
Russia and Central Asia
Babushka selling cakes, Trans-Siberian Railway
Accommodation
With most of China, Russia and Central Asia
having been staunch communist countries until
relatively recently, there is sadly not much of a
tradition of small, locally owned hotels and
guesthouses. This is changing slowly though, and
there are some genuine gems that we’ve
discovered on our research trips. Some of the
more popular destinations such as Beijing,
Shanghai and St Petersburg have some smaller,
more characterful options. For a truly unique
experience, we can even arrange a stay in a ger
tent in Central Asia or Mongolia. Elsewhere
business orientated hotels tend to dominate.
While these may be a little uninspiring, they are
generally of a good standard.
Responsible travel
We're passionate about travel but also deeply
aware of the responsibility we have to the people
and places we visit. We believe that a visit from
an Audley traveller should have a positive impact
on the destination and, wherever possible, bring
real benefits. We always endeavour to use locally
owned hotels, work with local guides and
operators, and promote community and wildlife
projects. Our Traveller's Code offers tips and
advice you can use to ensure your trip does not
threaten the sustainability of the places you visit.
We carbon offset all our staff flights and you can
choose to do the same, please speak to your
specialist about this or follow the link on our
website www.audleytravel.com/offset. Our
commitment to responsible travel has been
audited by AITO (Association of Independent
Tour Operators) and we have been awarded five
stars, the maximum achievable. We also support
a variety of social and environmental charities and
projects around the world.
In the past the team have raised money to
purchase ger tents and support projects that help
orphans and street children in Ulaan Baatar,
Mongolia. We continue to organise fund-raising
events to support similar projects.
Travelling around
Within China, Russia and Central Asia we will
always recommend the most convenient and
appropriate means of transport for the region in
which you are travelling. Given the vast distances
in these parts of the world, this often means
flying. For those with a little more time, rail
journeys can be a great way of enjoying the
scenery of the region, though standards can vary
from country to country and from route to route.
When a road journey is necessary or worthwhile
we use well maintained, air-conditioned vehicles,
you are accompanied by a local driver, and in
most case an English-speaking guide to illuminate
your journey.
St Isaac's Cathedral, Russia
6
Rice terraces, China

Yi minority women, China
Cuisine
The food in China, Russia and Central Asia is as
diverse as the culture. Chinese food is famous
throughout the world, of course. What is not so
well known is how much it varies from region to
region. With most Chinese food in the UK
originating from Hong Kong and the south of
China, it can be very different to what you may
have had at home. Russian and Central Asian
cuisine has a poor reputation but has improved
markedly since the fall of communism, especially
in Moscow and St Petersburg in Russia where
there are many excellent restaurants (both
Russian and European).
Off the beaten track
For those that are looking for something a little
different, the region offers a plethora of
opportunities to really get out there and
experience something truly different. Each country
has its ‘must-see’ sites but beyond these there are
often many interesting places which receive very
few visitors. Whether you’re looking to have
fantastic scenery all to yourself, take an epic
overland journey or experience rural life in the
country you’re visiting, our specialists will be able
to put together a unique trip tailored to your
interests and requirements.
Mosque decoration, Iran
Catching up at the market, Yunnan
Ulughbek Medressa, Uzbekistan
01993 838 200 ● Introduction 7