Planning your trip to China’s Silk Road

THE BEST WAY

From LAX, it takes three flights and two changes of plane to reach Kashgar. China Southern and Air China offer the connecting flights. The return leg of the trip leaves from Urumqi. China Southern and Air China offer connecting flights. Restricted round-trip fares begin at $1,072.

BOOKING

The tours are not for casual or beginning riders. They require seven to nine hours of riding per day for eight days; daily rides are 80 to 330 miles, mostly on blacktop with some gravel and dirt roads.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Three-, four- and five-star hotels. All were comfortable, though some offered an authentic local experience, and others were more high-end and Western.

HIGHLIGHTS

Include Kashgar, Tashkurgan, Karakorum Highway, Lake Karakul, Tianshan Mountains

ROUTE

Kashgar to Urumqi or Urumqi to Kashgar, depending on dates of travel.

2008 DATES Four trips: May 11 to 21 and 21

to 31, Sept. 14 to 24, Sept. 24 to Oct. 4.

TO LEARN MORE

Edelweiss Bike Travel offers bike tours from California to New Zealand, with routes ranging from easy to off-road. The Silk Road tour is $3,790 to $7,080 depending on motorcycle type, whether you are doubling up on a bike or sharing a room. Info: (800) 582-2263, or www.edelweissbike.com. Trans-Atlantic BikeShare, a less expensive, members-supported tour group, also arranges motorcycle tours worldwide. (513) 398-9424, www.bikeshareworld.com.