Tour Duration: 11 days
Group Size: 2 - 5 people
Specialty Categories: Sightseeing, Railway Trips, Excursion Tours
Season: May - October
Price Per Person: USD 2,445 and above
This is a popular program that covers a part of Trans-Siberian track from Moscow to Ulan-Bator with two en-route stopovers at the west and east coasts of Lake Baikal. Like most of our cultural trips with sightseeing, history and ethnographic program it enables you to explore our culturally diverse region. You will admire the views of the most traditional golden onion-bulb-shaped domes of Russian Orthodox churches in Moscow and Irkutsk. Then the tour proceeds to Buryatia which is being the center of Buddhist religion in Russia and at the same time a home for the Old Believers’ Christians who were exiled to the remote wilds of TransBaikalia back in XVII-th century. Finally reaching Mongolia you will find old Buddhist monasteries, the monolithic architecture of the Soviet era and the immense number of traditional nomad gers all mixed up in one place.
Tour Itinerary:
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Arrive Moscow. 3,5 hour panoramic sightseeing tour to see all major historical sights of Moscow. Lunch in a Russian cuisine restaurant. Transfer to the railway station for Trans-Siberian train departure. "Rossiya" Express train No. 002 departs at 11:45 pm. Trans-Mongolian train 004/006 departs at 9:35 pm. Includes: (L).
You will spend over 3 full days on board of a train running along the famous Trans-Siberian Railway which connects European part of Russia with Siberia and Russia's Far East at the Pacific coast. There is a la carte restaurant car on a train or you may choose to order tickets with meals already included into the ticket fare.
Arrive Irkutsk. Your guide will meet you at the railway station. Breakfast in a cafe. City tour around all of Irkutsk major historical sights. Departure to Listvyanka settlement at Lake Baikal waterside. Lunch. Stop for a two-hour excursion to Taltsy open-air museum of wooden architecture where one can discover the culture and the lifestyle of native Siberians and Russians. Continue to Listvyanka. When approaching Lake Baikal you will observe the headwaters of the Angara River with the famous Shaman rock right in the middle of it. Here we make a short stop to walk around local crafts market and enjoy beautiful local legend about old mighty Baikal and his only daughter Angara told by your guide. Arriving Listvyanka. Check in to your hotel. Includes: (B), (L).
Free time in the morning to relax and wonder around. Meet your guide in the afternoon. Visit to Baikal Museum with the diverse collection of Baikal flora and fauna. You will also see aquaria with some of Baikal endemic species including Baikal nerpa, the only fresh water seal in the world. Then take a chairlift to the top of Chersky peak from where one can enjoy breathtaking views on Lake Baikal and Angara River. Attend a show of Baikal nerpa in Listvyanka nerpinarium next to the main pier. Depart back to Irkutsk. Dinner en-route. Transfer to the railway station for overnight train to the city of Ulan-Ude east of Lake Baikal. Includes: (B), (D).
Early arrival to Ulan-Ude. Breakfast in a café. Short city-tour of Ulan-Ude with its merchants' houses of the XVII-XIX centuries, churches and the biggest Lenin's monument in the world. Depart for a tour to Ivolginsky Datsan (Buddhist Monastery) located 25 km (16 mi) from Ulan-Ude. Ivolginsky Datsan is the center of Buddhist religion in Russia. Nowadays it is a school where the Buddhist monks, Buddhist scholars, specialists in Old Mongolian languages are being trained. Lunch in a restaurant
Proceed for a tour to the village of Old Believers. The Old Believers of Buryatia are a colorful branch of Orthodox Russians exiled to Siberia in the XVII century after the church reforms carried out by Patriarch Nikon. They managed to preserve their culture, way of singing, and religious ceremonies as it used to be over three centuries ago. Home-made dinner will be served at a host family followed by ritual funny games and Old Believers’ polyphonic songs. Transfer to Ulan-Ude. Check in to your hotel. Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Early departure on train No. 362 to Ulan-Bator (Ulaanbaatar), Mongolia. There is no dining car on this train, so we advise you to carry your own provision into train cabin. Most Russians would take sandwiches with salami, dried soups and instant noodles, nuts, dried and fresh fruites and chocolates.
Arrive Ulan Bator railway station in the morning. Meet your guide. Sightseeing tour of Ulan Bator (or Ulaanbaatar as it is pronounced in Mongolian). The tour starts with the visit the Gandan Monastery where you can observe the 26 m (85 ft) tall gilded Buddha statue and take part in the morning chants. Welcome lunch is served for you at a restaurant of traditional Mongolian cuisine.
After lunch continue to the Genghis Khan monument on the Sukhbaatar square - the main square of Mongolian capital. Then to the Museum of National History which has a great number of fascinating exhibits of traditional Mongolian clothing and weaponry as well as the historical evidences and artifacts of the great Genghis Khan's empire. Visit to the Zaisan Memorial for the great panoramic view of the city. Transfer to a hotel for check in.
Meet in the lobby in the evening for transfer to Tumen Ekh Ensemble Theater where you can enjoy traditional Mongolian folk concert. Return to your hotel for overnight. Includes: (L), (D).
After the breakfast visit the Bogd Khan’s Palace Museum. The winter palace of Bogd Khan located at the south of the city is the residence of the last Mongolian emperor and the direct descendant of Genghis Khan. The complex includes six temples with the large collection of Bogd Khan’s period exhibits. Then, proceed to the Gobi Factory Store and Goyo Factory Store for the fine cashmere wool shopping. Includes: (B).
Meet in the hotel lobby and transfer to the airport/train station. Depart Mongolia back home or continue your way to Beijing. Includes: (B).
Prices (per person)
Tour program:
- Deluxe accommodation (4-5* hotels):
* 2 pax: $1,875 p/p
* 3 pax: $1,585 p/p
* 4-6 pax: $1,475 p/p
* Single supplement: $255
- Standard accommodation (3* hotels):
* 2 pax: $1,740 p/p
* 3 pax: $1,465 p/p
* 4-6 pax: $1,335 p/p
* Single supplement: $200
Train ticket Moscow-Irkutsk:
- Option 1. Top-quality Train 002 "Rossiya". Days of running: Odd dates
* 1-st class (2-berth): No meals - $1,250, Meals included - $1,370
* 2-nd class (4-berth): No meals - $730, Meals included - $795
- Option 2 Express train 004/006. Days of running: Tue, Wed, Thu
* 2-nd class (4-berth): No meals - $495
- Option 3. Regular Train 340/350. Days of running: Daily
* 2-nd class (4-berth): No meals - $460, Meals included - $530
Train ticket Irkutsk-Ulan-Ude:
- Train 362
* 2-nd class (4-berth), no meals: $85
Train ticket Ulan-Ude - Ulan-Bator (Ulaanbaatar):
- Train 362
* 2-nd class (4-berth), no meals: $160
Price Includes:
- Accommodation as stated in the itinerary on ½ DBL sharing basis
- Meals as stated in the itinerary
- All individual transfers by car or tourist coach
- English-speaking guide during transfers and excursions
- Entry and admission fees to all museums and sites listed
- Russian visa support
Price Excludes:
- Air tickets or train tickets to Moscow/ from Ulan-Bator
- Health insurance.
Notes:
- Train trip can be substituted for airflights: Moscow-Irkutsk flight takes approximately 6 hours. Airfare starts from USD 350. Irkutsk-Ulan-Ude flight (Tue, Thu, Sat) takes 40 mins. Airfare starts from USD 100. Ulan-Ude - Ulaanbaatar flight (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun) takes 1,5 hrs. Airfare starts from USD 230.
