| D.1 | ARRIVE AT BEIJING. |
| | Arrive at Beijing and transfer to hotel. |
| D.2 | BEIJING SIGHTSEEING TOUR. |
| Full day sightseeing tour in Beijing to see the world heritages including Forbidden city, Temple of Heaven, Tian`anmen Square. | |
| D.3 | BEIJING-URUMQI-KASHGAR. |
| Fly to Urumqi in the afternoon flight then fly to Kashgar with a night flight. | |
| D.4 | KASHGAR. |
| Free day at Kashgar for getting things prepared and optional city sightseeing tour. | |
| D.5 | KASHGAR TO LAKE KARAKOL |
| The drive to Lake Karakol takes 5-6 hours goes through a breathtaking scenery of high mountain pastures and snow-capped peaks. On the way, we will stop at a village for lunch. The sight and sounds of local vendors selling juicy fruits by the road side and small donkey carts driven by singing cart masters add vibrancy to this village. At the foot of Muztagh Ata (7,545 m/24,754 ft), sits Karakol (3,770 m/12,369 ft), a majestic blue glacial lake that is fed by the mammoth, century-old glaciers above it. We will spend the night in yurts by the lake. | |
| D.6 | TREK TO THE BASE CAMP. |
| A short drive takes us to Subash Village where we meet our camels and start walking to the base camp with the camels carrying the team's equipment, we trek over a level plane and then climb steadily through barren hills to base camp, which is approximately a 4-hour walk. Drifts of alpine flowers clothe the slopes as base camp is approached and screeching marmots call a welcome! | |
| D.7-9 | PREPARATION AT BASE CAMP |
| Base camp is at an altitude of approximately 4,350m (14,500ft) so time is needed for adaptation to the altitude. This grassy site is tucked in between a moraine and the foot of the steeper slopes of the mountain - a great place to relax now, and recover later. This is the time to enjoy some excellent fresh food from the flaming woks of the base camp staff. The team splits up into two groups; skiers and those on foot. All equipment and food receives final checks and each group prepares loads for carrying up the mountain. | |
| DAY 10-23 | ASCENT OF MUZTAGH ATA. |
| We use three camps above base camp. The first camp is likely to be close to the snow line. In this case we will use pack animals to transport all expedition supplies to Camp 1. Above this point all team members will need to participate in load carrying between camps. In addition to putting the necessary supplies in place, this also provides essential acclimatization and fitness for the summit attempt. Camp 1 is at about 5,350m: a steep, stony ascent from BC and right on the edge of the glaciers that blanket the upper 2,000m of the mountain. From camp 1, the route is a steady ascent up a snowy and sometimes icy slope, through an area of crevasses and then negotiating a small 'valley' in the glacier; this is the steepest part of the whole route. . Above the 'valley', a long and unrelenting ascent leads up to the site of camp 2, a small shelf in the glacier at about 6,100m. There will probably be 2 or 3 ascents to camp 2, carrying loads for this camp and the one above. This is great for acclimatization and great for the skiers as there is an 800m run back to camp 1 with an empty sac. It is possible to fix a camp virtually anywhere on the upper part of the mountain. The choice of where to site camps will be made by the leaders taking into account prevailing conditions and the activities of other parties on the mountain. In recent years, the next camp has been placed at 6,450m, Camp 2 and a half. Alternatively, teams may use a camp 3 at 6,800m. Issues such as; acclimatization, load carrying, snow conditions, sleeping comfort and average group speed will be taken into consideration when deciding what approach to use. The route to the summit is straightforward; from 6,800m-7,400m a long, gradual slope slowly eases becoming gentler and gentler. Finally, with the ground appearing almost level, the small rise to the summit rocks appears. | |
| D.24 | BASE CAMP. |
| Return to Base camp and back to Karakul Lake. | |
| D.25 | KARAKUL LAKE -KASHGAR - URUMQI. |
| Return to Kashgar, take half da for rest evening fly to Urumqi. | |
| D.26 | URUMQI -BEIJING. |
| Fly to beijing by morning flight , on arrival transfer to hotel. rest o fthe day at free at laisure. | |
| D.27 | DEPARTURE |
| Departure from Beijing. |
2008/09/07
Selected China Adventure Tours
Muztagh Ata Expedition
The Muztag Ata Expedition is a rare opportunity for both experienced mountaineers and ski-tourers to meet a high altitude Himalayan challenge. Standing at 7,546 meters (24,750 ft), Muztag Ata lies 160 km (102 mi) south of the fabled city of Kashgar and off the Karakoram Highway in the heart of the great mountain ranges of Asia. A round-topped mountain wrapped in snow all year round, it has more than ten glaciers lying in its canyons.
