Pre-climb tour

Some members wish to arrive in Kashgar early to explore this ancient city and the world famous Shipton Arch. We have arranged a two-day program for those who are interested.

Dates: June 30th & July 1st, 2008
If you wish to join you must arrive in Kashgar no later than Friday, June 29th. This means you must arrive in Beijing not later than Thursday, June 28th.

Cost: $180
Cost includes transportation, meals, hotel (29th-1st), local guide, and entrance fees.

Cost for July 1st only: $55 USD
Cost includes transportation, meals, hotel for July 1st, local guide, and entrance fees

Itinerary
June 30: Apaq Hoja Mausoleum / Shipton’s Arch
July 01: Old town / Eidgah Mosque / Handicrafts factory

June 30th
After breakfast in our hotel’s outdoor café we make our way to the Apag Hoja mausoleum. Built in the 17th-century, 72 members of the Abakh Hoja family are interred here. Their ancestor is an Islamic saint of the 17th century. Abakh Hoja is an elegant example of Muslim architecture.

We’ll pack a lunch and make the drive to the base of Shipton’s Arch. This gigantic arch is known to the local people as Tushuk Tash (“Hole Rock”) and is possibly the largest natural arch in the world. To reach the arch our jeeps ramble up dry streambeds to the base of Kara Tagh, a small rocky range near Kashgar. We then venture on foot through slot canyons before getting our first view of the Arch. We make one final climb up to a small col where you can view the entire arch up close. From here you can see through the arch into another valley and off in the distance you can see the great snow peaks of the Pamirs, including Mt. Gonggar, which is near Mustagata.

Eric Shipton, a British diplomat who was also an inveterate explorer and mountaineer, became British consul in Kashgar in 1940. He roamed the narrow maze-like slot canyons of the Kara Tagh on three separate occasions before finally finding a route to the massive arch. Hence the name, Shipton's Arch.

July 1st
This morning we’ll meander through the labyrinth of Kashgar’s old town and step back into time. We’ll explore narrow alleyways lined with ancient mud packed houses, woodworking shops, noodle shops, pottery shops, bakeries, and much more. We’ll see traditional craftsman making copper pots by hand and visit the markets where people come from miles around. This exotic outdoor emporium teems with vibrancy beyond comparison. We stop for lunch at a local Uygur restaurant that has some of the best lamb pull-noodles, shish kabob and yogurt in Kashgar.

After lunch we explore the Id Kah Mosque, Kashgar’s main religious center and architectural monument. Built in 1422, the Id Kah Mosque is in the center of town and surrounded by lively open-air markets. We then continue our walk to a handi-crafts factory where they produce wool, silk, and camel hair rugs, musical instruments, Uygur style hats, amongst other handi-crafts. Although a few of the processes have been mechanized, most is still done the traditional way, by hand.

For dinner we meet up with the rest of the team for our welcome dinner.