Welcome to Silk Road Adventures

Thank you for your interest in our trips. We are a small, highly experienced “boutique” travel company designing and operating primarily our own unique tours to a few select destinations.
Our specialty is arranging small-group tours throughout Central Asia (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan), China, Tibet, Pakistan, Nepal, India and Bhutan along the ancient trail.
If you are looking for a well-organized yet unregimented adventure we are the company for you! We offer exceptional tours at reasonable prices and our reputation for quality, safety, leadership and environmental responsibility is second to none. Join us for the best travel experience of your life.

Who Joins Our Trips?

Our treks and other adventures are comprised of small and friendly groups made up of a variety of interesting and adventurous individuals from all walks of life. A typical group has about 2 to 18 people, mostly between the ages of 18 and 65, with approximately equal numbers of men and women, half singles and half couples.

Most people who join our trips are easy-going, open-minded individuals, with a positive mental attitude, enjoying new experiences and the occasional challenge to their expectations. They don’t want everything to be exactly as it is at home, otherwise they wouldn’t travel! No matter what your travel experience or fitness level is, we are bound to have a trip that suits you if you have the desire to go.

Our Philosophy

Our trips are designed to be genuine explorations for travelers (not just “tourists”!) who are interested in understanding something about the country they are visiting, and not just “seeing it” through a bus window. Our philosophy is “organized but flexible” in that we provide the advantages of lower cost group travel, yet encourage and assist people to do any side trips or exploring they wish to do on their own.

We are an authentic “Eco-Tourism” company. All of our trips are operated with the utmost in environmental responsibility and cultural sensitivity. Garbage is burned, buried or carried out and all cooking is done on kerosene stoves in areas where there is a deforestation problem, as in many of our destinations.

Our Style

Our style of adventure traveling is an active, participatory type of experience usually involving Culture, Trekking, Hiking, Safaris or some other kind of physical activity on many of the days. You do not have to be a marathon runner or a mountaineer to participate, except for high trekking - you simply have to be the kind of person who enjoys walking, the outdoors and the opportunity of cross-cultural contact in exotic lands. You never have to carry heavy loads on your back, as we have a full staff of porters, cooks and guides to take care of the more mundane tasks associated with camping and help you make the most of your trip. We also provide almost all the major equipment you need (when camping), such as tents, mattresses, dishes and cutlery. All you have to do is bring your personal gear.

We have designed our trips to include a variety of activities and excursions, with enough time in most places. Our adventures are special in that we always do something “off the beaten track”, such as taking a little-trekked route, visiting a villager’s home or participating in a local festival. We encourage cross-cultural contact so that participants can better understand the area being visited and its people.

MEET THE TEAM

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IMAN RAHIM, FOUNDER

Iman was born in the beautiful Hunza Valley . He speaks fluent Urdu, English, Japanese, Chinese and several local Chinese dialects. Iman loves traveling; he has trekked through the great Karakorum and Himalaya ranges and traveled extensively in Central Asia , China , Tibet , Inner Mongolia , Europe and Oceana. He has a special passion for both mountains and cultural sites and finds great enjoyment in sharing his knowledge of these countries and local cultures to his guests. Iman has considerable experience in tourism marketing and has attended many international tourism events. He has also worked for Japanese TV as a TV coordinator and has made many documentaries on the lifestyles of people in rural Pakistan . Since 1999, Iman has been leading tours for Imaginative Traveller (UK) in China , Pakistan and Tibet . He has since moved to Australia and has settled down there with his family. He runs Silk Road Adventure's marketing and operational work from downunder.

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FIONA CHAN

Fiona is from Melbourne , Australia . For the past 13 years, Fiona has worked and lived in Asia , Europe and North America as an IT consultant. In her spare time, Fiona is an avid traveler; visiting to China 3 times in the past 2 years. She has also spent 4 months traveling Africa and the Middle East . Her plans for the near future is to travel to Central Asia , Bhutan and the beautiful Hunza Valley . Fiona works with Iman on sales and marketing in Australia .

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ARTHUR GAO

We are very lucky to have Arthur Gao in our team. Arthur comes from the North West province of China , Xinjiang, and has been in tourism for more than 20 years. He started his carrier as a tour guide and was later promoted to manager in one of China 's top 100 tour companies.

Arthur has built up good relations with local agents throughout China and Tibet . He ensures that all your China and Tibetan arrangements are made with care and that your tour runs smoothly.

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KARIM ULLAH BAIG

A quietly spoken man with a deep passion for his homeland of Pakistan . Karim has traveled extensively in Pakistan and through Europe and Asia . Born in the beautiful valley of Hunza , he started his career in the field of tourism as a tour guide and became a lifelong lover of the mountains and adventure. He speaks Urdu, Wakhi, Pushtu, Shina and Burushaski as well as English and German. Karim enjoys working in a business that can both support his family and enable him to do something he loves - traveling and introducing visitors to Pakistan . He also has an interest in history and philosophy as well as in the traditional music of the Subcontinent

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LAZIZ OTAYAROV

Laziz comes from Uzbekistan and has been in tourism for 15 years. He started his career as a local guide and later joined Imaginative Travelers (UK) as a tour leader.

He has traveled throughout Central Asia , Russia , China , Eastern Europe and Mongolia .

He is our Central Asian partner and is there to ensure that you are well looked after in Central Asia .

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MANUCHEHR QADAMSHOEV & MUNIRA

Manuchehr was born in Tajikistan. He has been working for Tajikistan tourism for many years, Manuchehr and Munira are looking after our operation throughout Tajikistan and Afghan Pamir area.

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MUHAMMAD WAFI

Wafi joined the tourism business 15 years ago as a trekking guide and has been working hard to promote tourism in Pakistan ever since. Wafi has visited the remotest valleys and loves showing visitors his beautiful homeland. He has a perfect command of the local languages and is also fluent in English and Persian

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JESSIE LU

Jessie Lu comes from a beautiful small town of Yangshuo , in the magical Guangxi ( Guilin ) province. She is responsible for our operations in southern China and works as a part time tour leader.

 

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WILLIAM AND LINDA

When you are in Yangshuo , China , William and Linda are there to extend their hospitality and ensure that you have a memorable time.
Linda and William operate a new countryside hotel called Snow Lion Resort and have a great Chinese restaurant in downtown Yangshuo called Cloud 9 where try some delicious local cuisine or attend some cooking classes. William works for Silk Road Adventures as a part time tour leader.

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TENZIN NAMGYAL

Tenzin was born in Tibet. Tenzin has been working in tourism for more than 20 years, running many cultural and adventure tours in Tibet and China. Tenzin speaks fluent Tibetan, Chinese and English. In Tibet, he will show you the authentic way of life and culture

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ABID ALI KHAN