Central and East Asia - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 281

Travel The Silk road

The stories associated with the Silk Road (or rather roads, for it was never a single route but
a network of interconnecting ones stretching from southern Europe to Java) have captivated
travellers for centuries. Silk was the main commodity behind the foundation of the highway
- made famous by Marco Polo - but porcelain, gunpowder and spices were also traded along it.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union the iconic part of this journey through Central Asia has
become much easier to negotiate, but tackling bureaucracy and border controls can still be taxing,
and using an experienced operator will make life easier. Below we detail the three main options
for traversing the Silk Route: by horse, truck and train.

374 By horse
Over the course of two weeks on a horse-riding
trek with Wild Frontiers you'll ride more than
250km through Kyrgyzstan, crossing mountain
passes and narrow, densely forested canyons.
One night you'll be staying with an eagle hunter
on the shores of Lake Izzyk Kul, another bathing
in hot water springs or staying in camps high in

the mighty Tien Shan mountain range.
Wild Frontiers was founded by Jonny Bealby,
a travel writer whose knowledge of the area and
the relationship Wild Frontiers has developed
with local hosts ensure an opportunity to discover
more about Kyrgyz culture than would normally
be possible. Wherever you stay, whether in a yurt
or a family-run guesthouse, and wherever you
go - normally far off the beaten track - this will
never feel like a package tour.

(Clockwise from top left) Son
Kul, a 3000m glacial lake in
central Kyrgyzstan; Horse-
trekking through Kyrgyzstan; A
truck on the road

Need to know The fourteen-day Nomads Trail
horse trek takes place in June and July; maximum
group size is twelve. W www.wildfrontiers.co.uk;
T [phone].

375 By truck
Following roads that have developed out of
the original caravan routes, an overland trip
with Dragoman Adventures opens the way to
the legendary Karakoram Highway that runs
through China and Pakistan and a crossing
of China's mighty Taklamakan desert, whose
name means “go in and you'll never come out”.
Carrying everything on board a 4WD truck,
you've the flexibility to visit whichever sites you
most want to see along the way.
It's also possible to stop and volunteer on
projects in the communities you pass through, for
periods of up to six weeks. Participants can join
the trips at various points along the way, staying
for a few weeks or months. It may not suit the
loner keen to set out in the footsteps of Marco