Grand Silk Explorer

Travel insurance is compulsory for all our trips. We require that, at a minimum, you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment and loss of luggage and personal effects. When travelling on a group trip, you won't be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance and the insurance company's 24 hour emergency contact number has been seen by your leader. If you have credit card insurance your group leader will require details of the participating insurer/underwriter, the level of coverage, policy number and emergency contact number rather than the bank's name and credit card details. Please contact your bank for these details prior to arriving in-country.

Visas are the responsibility of the individual traveller. The visa requirements for your trip vary depending on where you are from and where you are going. As a general rule most countries expect that you will have at least 6 months' validity on your passport. On arrival visitors may be asked to present return tickets and evidence of means to cover your intended stay. We keep the following information up to date as much as possible, but rules do change - it's important that you check for yourself. Residents from other countries must consult the relevant embassies or your travel agent. China Visa Most nationalities require a visa for mainland China. You must obtain your Chinese visa in advance. It is not possible to get a visa on arrival and Chinese visas can be difficult to obtain outside your country of residence. You may be able to apply for your visa in Hong Kong If you have time here before your trip departs. You will need a Single Entry Tourist for your trip valid for 30 days. Hong Kong is not considered part of mainland China for immigration purposes and most nationalities do not require a visa for Hong Kong. Please check with an embassy for specific requirements. INFORMATION & DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR CHINESE VISA APPLICATION: * Hotel List - this will be sent to you by your booking agent. If you do not receive this please email us with your booking number and trip details. Please tick the hotels in all destinations that your trip visits. * Official invitation from licensed Chinese tourism company - this will be provided together with the Hotel List to all travellers regardless of whether it is required by the embassy or not. * Itinerary – please print off a copy of your specific trip itinerary from our website and include it with your application, listing the dates you will visit each destination. * Photocopy of your passport. * Passport size photo (up to 4 may be required). * Please check with the embassy for any other specific requirements. *Name of Host/Inviting Organisation: Intrepid Travel Beijing Co. Ltd. 606 InterChina Commercial Building 33 Dengshikou Street Dongcheng District Beijing 100006 +86 10 6406 7328 DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR TRAIN & FLIGHT TICKET BOOKINGS: We require you to send the following at the time of booking, or no later than 60 days prior to travel: - Clear, colour copy of the personal details page of your passport Please make sure that this copy is for the passport that you will be travelling on. If you have to renew your passport after booking please notify us as soon as you have a new passport number and bring your old passport with you on your trip as well. Kyrgyzstan Visa Many nationalities no longer require a visa to travel to Kyrgyzstan for up to 60 days, including Australia, Belgium, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, USA and Switzerland. Other nationalities should check with their nearest embassy. If you do require a visa we strongly advise that you obtain it in advance. Peregrine Adventures have partnered with The Visa Machine in order to provide the supporting documents (Letters of Invitation, Hotel Confirmations etc.) required for visas in this region to our travellers. Nationals of other countries not listed above should check their requirements at their nearest embassy. A LOI is rarely needed, but should it be required by your embassy please get in touch with The Visa Machine by going online at: http://intrepid-visa-support.thevisamachine.com/ If you have any trouble with the online form or want to chase up the status of your application for Visa Support Documents please contact The Visa Machine on visasupport@thevisamachine.com or during UK working hours on +44(0) 207 148 6402. Please note the Australian office cannot assist with Visa Supporting Documents and or chasers. These must be directed to the UK office. Uzbekistan Visa **All visitors to Uzbekistan require a visa, in order to obtain this visa a Letter of Invitation is required. Letters of Invitation will state the place where you will apply for your visa. This cannot be changed.** We keep the following information up to date as much as possible, but rules do change - it's important that you check for yourself. Residents from other countries must consult the relevant embassies or your travel agent. VISA ON ARRIVAL (TASHKENT AIRPORT ONLY) An Uzbekistan visa on arrival is only available at the Airport, with a Letter of Invitation stating Tashkent International Airport as your place of application. If you have a Uzbekistan Consulate in your home country must get the visa before arrival. If you don’t have a Consulate in your home country you can get a visa on arrival at the Airport. Visa on arrival can cost anywhere from 80USD to 150USD. You will need to have USD cash to pay for this. VISA IN ADVANCE If you are crossing into Uzbekistan overland at a border crossing, you will need to get your Uzbekistan visa in advance. Please ensure you allow enough processing time to get your LOI and send away your passport, especially if this will involve sending your passport overseas. You may be able to obtain an Uzbekistan visa in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan if travelling there before entering Uzbekistan. You would need to be in Bishkek for a minimum of 1 week to allow for processing. Opening times will vary and you will need to check in advance what the current situation is. THE VISA MACHINE: Peregrine Adventures have partnered with The Visa Machine in order to provide the supporting documents (Letters of Invitation, Hotel Confirmations etc.) required for visas in this region to our travellers. LETTERS OF INVITATION Your Uzbekistan Letter of Invitation (LOI) will be provided by The Visa Machine and can take up to 4-6 weeks to process by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Visa Machine have no control over these processing times and are unable to fast track applications, nor can Peregrine Adventures. Therefore the sooner you start this process the better, especially if you are travelling to multiple countries in this region and need to send away your passport once you receive your LOI. Please note if you are a US or UK citizen you can obtain a Uzbekistan Visa without an LOI in London, New York, and Washington DC. By logging onto The Visa Machine website via the links below you will be able to access checklists of what information and documents you will need to prepare as well as apply for the LOI.. More specific information is provided below for your trip, however for all countries we advise that you start your visa support application with The Visa Machine no later than 3 months before your trip is scheduled to enter each country in order to allow for the lengthy process, and where applicable, to apply for your visa in advance. If you are visiting multiple countries, we recommend submitting a single application to The Visa Machine which contains all the information necessary for visiting each country. This will allow The Visa Machine to provide you with the most efficient customer service. Please remember that applying for the necessary supporting documents as well as the visas is the responsibility of the traveller. Once you have submitted your application to The Visa Machine you will be contacted by their customer service team along with any further instructions. Please be aware that LOIs take an average of 20 working days/4 weeks to be processed however in peak season the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Uzbekistan have been known to take up to 6 weeks to process LOIs. This does not include the time it will take to apply for and receive your Uzbekistan visa which will vary depending on place of application. Both LOI and visa processing times are out of our control and can be unpredictable. Once the LOI has been processed a copy will be sent back to you. You can then begin the process of applying for your visa. LOIs are valid for a 3 months period so you must apply for your visa within 3 months of the LOI being issued. ** INSTRUCTIONS ** To obtain your LOI for Uzbekistan, please follow the below link to get the process started in obtaining your supporting documents with the Visa Machine. Remember this is not your visa, this is the documentation you need in order to apply for your visa. http://intrepid-visa-support.thevisamachine.com/visa-support CHECK LIST: Firstly please look at the Central Asia ‘CHECK LIST’ and make sure you have everything you need with you so you can start the process. The system doesn’t let you save your progress for later, so you must finish the entire application at the one time. If you are visiting multiple countries on your trip, the same information and documents may be required for different visas. Please make sure you carefully read the check list in order to eliminate any double up. The Visa Machine will apply for the letter of invitation on your behalf. Once you are satisfied you have all information with you to apply for you visa support, click on the ‘Apply Now’ link and follow the instructions. http://intrepid-visa-support.thevisamachine.com/visa-support If you have any trouble with the online form or want to chase up the status of your application for Visa Support Documents please contact The Visa Machine on visasupport@thevisamachine.com or during UK working hours on +44(0) 207 148 6402. The Australian Visa Machine office can be contacted about actual Visa Applications (not Visa supporting documents) on gday@thevisamachine.com or on +61 (2) 61 452 265. Please note the Australian office cannot assist with Visa Supporting Documents and or chasers. These must be directed to the UK office. WARNING – REGISTRATION IN UZBEKISTAN: All visitors to Uzbekistan must register with the local department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs within 3 working days after arrival. When staying at a hotel, you will be registered automatically. Please ensure you keep any registration documents issued by the hotel until you exit the country. LAWS & HEALTH: Some medications available over the counter or by prescription in Australia, such as sleeping tablets, may be illegal or restricted in Uzbekistan. You should declare all prescription medications and other restricted items on arrival in Uzbekistan, and carry a copy of the prescription with you.

Finish point

• Hotel Uzbekistan
• 45 Мusakhanov street
• Amir Timur Square
• Tashkent
• 700047
• UZBEKISTAN
• Phone: +998 (71)1131111