ALTERNATIVE ROUTE FOR IRAN/PAKISTAN
Leaving Turkey in the north east of the country we enter the ancient land of Georgia. Nestled between Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, Georgia has one of the world’s oldest and richest cultures stretching back to prehistoric times. At Gori, the place of Stalin’s birth, we visit the Stalin museum.
Leaving Georgia we enter Azerbaijan, once a major stopover on the Great Silk Route. This oil rich country has a predominately Muslim population and the change of culture is obvious. From bustling capital city Baku we board ship across the landlocked Caspian Sea to the weird and wonderful Turkmenistan.
Travelling across this barren sun-scorched land, we cross the lunar landscape that is the Karakum (Black Sands) Desert, home to the semi nomadic Turkmen, before reaching the border of Uzbekistan. It's here we visit the amazing city of Khiva whose stunning turquoise tiled mosaics are simply awe-inspiring. Next we arrive at what many consider to be the holiest of cities in Central Asia, the historic City of Bukhara.
Our next stop is Kyrgyzstan. Through mountainous passes and ancient settlements Kyrgyzstan is the last former Soviet nation we visit before arriving at China.
Traversing China we again keep to the Old Silk Road. Skirting the Himalayas; we then strike south through the Tarim Basin and across the surreal Taklamakan Desert where camel caravans are still the preferred mode of transport. (Taklamakan translated simply means "go in and you won’t come out"!) Through the Torugat Pass and into the Xinjiang province of China we finally arrive at Lhasa where we carry on with the rest of the itinerary.