Arrive at Beijing airport where you will transferred to the centrally located five-star Regent Hotel, or similar, for a three-night stay. We will enjoy a welcome reception dinner at a local restaurant, giving you the opportunity to meet your fellow travellers and look ahead to your 21 day voyage of a lifetime.

Today we visit Tiananmen Square, the largest open square in the world, and then explore the magnificently restored Forbidden City. Our cultural exploration continues at the Temple of Heaven, the grandest of the four great temples situated in Beijing.

We devote our final full day in Beijing to the most awe-inspiring site in the whole of China - The Great Wall. This amazing edifice is one of the few manmade structures visible from outer space and perhaps the most evocative symbol of Chinese skill and precision. At Badaling we have the privilege of walking along a portion of the wall. Dinner is hosted in an authentic Peking Duck restaurant.

Our morning arrival in Luoyang, situated in the middle reaches of the Yellow River Valley, gives us a full day to explore this former ancient capital. We visit the local museum which contains many relics from Luoyang's glory days, including sculpted horses and camels recovered from its ancient tombs. We travel out to Longmen Caves, one of China's most significant artistic sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This amazing network of 1,350 caves contains over 110,000 Buddhist statues.

Today, our fascinating journey of discovery takes us to Xian. Here we will explore the ancient city walls and the Great Mosque, one of the oldest and largest Islamic mosques in China. This afternoon we dedicate several hours to visiting the world famous Terracotta Warriors, discovered by peasants only 30 years ago. The 6,000 terracotta figures and their horses are one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th Century. This evening we enjoy the Tang Dynasty Dinner, Music and Dance Show, a wonderful performance of ancient entertainment.

Our morning arrival in Lanzhou, a vital city on the Silk Route, gives us ample time to explore this ancient city. Our main stop is at the Gansu Provincial museum where we can examine the types of goods transported along the Silk Route. The world famous bronze galloping horse, unearthed from a nearby tomb, is also on display inside the museum and is a stunning example of ancient sculpture from the Eastern Han period.

Before lunch we arrive in the small oasis-city of Dunhuang, where we will visit the fascinating Magoa Thousand Buddha Cave Complex. This impressive site contains almost 500 grottoes, carved between 700 and 1,700 years ago. Inside we will see an amazing collection of beautiful sculptures and murals depicting the evolution of Buddhist religious art. In the afternoon we explore the vast natural beauty of the Gobi Desert by camel. Hidden amongst towering sand dunes, it has sustained life in this region for millennia. Tonight we experience dinner and a local folk performance in this magical setting.

This morning we visit Turpan, where the Flaming Mountains create a magnificent backdrop. We then take a fascinating tour to the ancient underground irrigation system that has successfully fed the rich orchards and vineyards for centuries. Our next destination is the elegantly decaying sand city of Jiaohe that was founded in 108 BC.

This afternoon we drive to Urumchi, located in a verdant oasis between the lofty ice capped Bogda Peak, the vast Salt Lake, the pine covered Southern Hill and the alternating fields and sand dunes of the Zunggar Basin where we visit the renowned mummy exhibition in the Provincial Museum. Urumchi boasts an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for being the city furthest from any sea in the world - a staggering 1,400 miles (2,500km) from the nearest coastline.

After a final breakfast onboard the Shangri-La Express, we pass through dramatic mountain scenery before arriving in the Chinese border station of Alashankou. The border crossing takes five hours, however our patience is rewarded as our private train, the Golden Eagle, awaits us in Druzhba, the Kazak border station.

Just after breakfast we arrive in Almaty - the largest city in Kazakhstan. Surrounded by the majesty of the Tien Shen Mountains, we will enjoy a traditional lunch in a Kazak 'yurt', a dwelling place of this region's nomadic people. After dinner this evening, we can soak up the relaxing atmosphere as we listen to our resident pianist and chat to friends in the Golden Eagle Bar Car.

This morning gives us the opportunity to relax or listen to one of the informative lectures designed to give us a greater insight into this fascinating region. After lunch we arrive in the capital city of Uzbekistan and spend the morning touring this modern Soviet-style city which was rebuilt following the devastating earthquake of 1966. After visiting the Museum of Fine Arts we re-board the train for dinner.

Founded in the 6th Century BC, Samarkand's stunning architecture hints at its former status as one of the most important cities in Asia. Today we will visit some of its most significant sites including the refined elegance of the beautifully proportioned Bibi Khanum Mosque and the Ulag Beg observatory, one of the earliest Islamic astronomical observatories built in 1428. After dinner we will visit the illuminated awe-inspiring Registan Square, before returning to our train for a late evening departure.

Bukhara is quite simply outstanding. Like Khiva, UNESCO helped fund the renovation of much of the city for its 2,500th anniversary in 1999. The highlight of this wonderful tour is a visit to The Ark, a fortified residence of the Emirs of Bukhara - the despotic and ruthless leaders who ruled until Soviet times. Lunch is taken within a stunningly ornate medresseh (beautifully tiled Islamic school). We then travel out of the city to experience the Emir's enchantingly named, Palace of the Moon and Stars.