China's Sacred Landscapes

This very special tour brings us into the China of "past ages," its walled cities, vibrant temples and mountain scenery. We will visit three regions, each distinct in character and landscape. In Shanxi province we will visit the ancient temples of Wutaishan and Datong as well as the grottos at Yungang and Tianlongshan, while Mount Tai in Shandong offers China's most sacred peaks and the enduring shrines to Confucius. We will visit Pingyao, an intact Ming-period walled city, its old narrow streets lined with elegant Ming and Qing shops and houses. Lastly, Hangzhou, long a premier spot of beauty, offers us rolling hills and waterways and peaceful temples and pagodas. There will be time to wander in smaller towns where life goes on oblivious to the pressures of our modern age.The tour ends in Shanghai with a visit to its exceptional museum.

This exotic tour traces the fabled Silk Road from Xian to Kashgar and includes remote Hotan, famed in antiquity for its silk and jade production, Ürümqi, and the fascinating Sunday bazaar at Kashgar. We will explore the caravan oasis of Turfan, Dunhuang’s spectacular Mogao grottoes of sculpture and murals, Buddhist caves at Binglingsi, the extraordinary archaeological sites around Xian and Lanzhou’s excellent museum, and end in Beijing.

Khmer Kingdoms
(Myanmar, Thailand, Laos & Cambodia)
This popular tour focuses on the historical, religious and aesthetic aspects of these four countries. Beginning in Myanmar visits include the ancient royal cities, pagodas and golden temples in Yangon, Mandalay and Bagan. We continue to Laos’s magnificent 7th-century Khmer temples at Wat Phu and to remote northeastern Thailand to visit Wat Prasat Phanam Rung and Phimai. In The tour ends in Cambodia with five days at Angkor Wat. These exciting days will be enhanced by colorful markets and traditional music and dance performances.