TMR05 - Individual Tour on Trans-Siberian/Mongolian Express

Essentials  

Countries: Russia, Mongolia MOSCOW [2] - TRAIN [4] - IRKUTSK [1] - LAKE BAIKAL [1] - TRAIN [1] - ULAN-UDE [1] - TRAIN [1] - ULAANBAATAR [2]
Duration: 14 days/13 nights	7 nts hotel/apt, 6 nts train
Departs on: Fridays, Wednesdays	Visas required: Russia, Mongolia
Low Season: $2699* pp	High Season: $2899* pp
Download Travel Program (PDF)	Book now!
*4-berth train tickets, dbl/twn accommodation. Single supplement $799. What else is included? *Low Season: 1 Oct - 28 Feb; High Season: 1 Mar - 30 Sep *Discounts: 7% (5+ travelers); 5% (4 travelers); 3% (3 travelers)

Early planning - big savings! Book 90 days in advance and get 5% off!
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The program may include St Petersburg and run eastbound or westbound. A wide range of excursions and activities is available at each destination. Use the Online Trans-Siberian Planner to plan a tailor-made adventure or contact our expert at +1-877-RUSSIA-9 or info@traveltorussia.ru.

Day 1. Moscow.

Arrival to Moscow. Transfer from the airport to the place of accommodation. For this tour we recommend a centrally located serviced apartment to feel the life of the city to the full. Balance of the day free to unpack your things and explore the surroundings.

Day 2. Moscow.

After breakfast at your hotel enjoy the sightseeing program of your choice! The excursions are using public transport to get acquainted with the city veins and feel like a Moskovian. One choice is included into your tour, no extra payments needed!

(A) THE GOLDEN DOMES - (B) MOSCOW KREMLIN - (C) MOSCOW ART GALLERIES
For more information please download full version of the tour or see our section Moscow Highlights.

This afternoon is your own to explore Moscow further - enjoy your lunch in one of the cafes in the Old Arbat, the souvenir Mecca of Moscow. This is the must-to-see place, where artizans explore their works in the street and lanterns remember the artistic Bohemia of the gone days.
In the evening a couple of steps take you to the New Arbat, with its night life, casinos and featured restaurants. Moscow is probably most beautiful at night - check out Tverskaya street attractions, or go to the Bolshoy theatre.

Day 3. Departure from Moscow.

Your train departs late in the evening, so let's go to see the New Maiden Monastery. Don't miss it!
There's still plenty of time for shopping and souvenir hunt. Your apartment is reserved for you till the late evening, no need to hurry!
In the evening our driver takes you to the Yaroslavsky railway station and our journey begins. Private high-class-service train opens its comfortable compartments to lucky travelers. It will take us through the whole Russia to the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar.

Day 7. Irkutsk.

Arrival to Irkutsk. Our guide meets us at the railway station to show us "Paris of Siberia". One of the oldest and most charming cities in the country, today this city is a reflection of mixed cultures - traders from the east and exiles from the west. Check-in to the hotel and balance of the day free.

Day 8. Lake Baikal.

Transfer to Listvyanka village from the Lake Baikal - the deepest and the largest lake in the world, sized appr. as Belgium, Netherlands or Denmark. You feel a special bond between nature and humans here. The emerald forests hang like necklaces around the surrounding mountains. Bird songs hang over the water. Wild flowers and grasses fill the air with fragrances. The mighty barguzine, a wind that comes from the estuaries, and the shelonnik, the peaceful southern wind, ripple the water’s surface. Shall we go to the Chersky peak, or go diving at the Lake Baikal, or trekking in taiga, or will simply wander along the shore? One of the choices is included into your tour:

(A) TALTSY, BAIKAL MUSEUM AND CHERSKY PEAK - (B) TREKKING THROUGH SIBERIAN TAIGA - (C) PADI DISCOVER SCUBA DIVING IN BAIKAL LAKE - (D) WALK IN THE ICE WONDERLAND - (E) SKIING AND TROIKA RIDING
For more information please download full version of the tour or see our section Irkutsk Highlights.

Day 9. Departure from Irkutsk.

We transfer you from Listvyanka village to Irkutsk to your train for Ulan-Ude.

Day 10. Arrival to Ulan-Ude in the morning.

You must see it! Experience the largest Buddhist community in Russia. The Buryats, numbering approximately 350,000, are the largest ethnic minority group in Siberia. Buryats are of Mongolian descent and share many customs with their neighboring cousins including nomadic herding and setting up yurts for shelter.
Ivolginsky Datsan was the only Buddhist temple re-opened in 1945 on the territory of the former USSR. One of the monastery's treasures is a rare collection of old Buddhist manuscripts written in Tibet language on natural silk and a greenhouse with a holly Bodskhva tree. Everyone is welcome here to consult Emchi-Lama or local astrologists. After sightseeing and souvenir shopping we shall stop at the Ethnographic Museum of Transbaikalian (Lake Baikal area) People, one of the largest open air exhibitions in Russia made of individual sections representing the Evenks, Western Buryats, Eastern Buryats, Cossacks, Old Believers life styles.
Then - transfer to your hotel and rest.

Day 11. Departure from Ulan-Ude.

In the morning the Trans-Mongolian Express carries you on to Ulaanbaatar. Time for blogging, sharing impressions and photos, chats with traditionally hospitable neighbors in your compartment and trying all sorts of local food at the stops.

Day 12. Arrival to Ulaanbaatar.

In the morning we arrive to Ulaanbaatar. Our guide meets you at the railway station. After a short journey via Ulaanbaatar to your hotel and assistance with check-in you are entitled to some rest after such a long train journey. In the evening explore Ulaanbaatar on your own. The Soviet look of the city might not be worthy of a travel destination, but we can assure you that the spirit and the energy of the city is very different today. Together with a rapid return to religious and historical roots, the city and people of modern Ulaanbaatar have a lot to offer, particularly to those who are interested in art, anthropology, religion and history. Those who enjoy the social aspect of travel will have a great time at the summer gatherings outside of the city, which often include jazz concerts, dancing, and conversation around the bonfire.

Day 13. Ulaanbaatar - Nomad Adventure.

Today we spend the whole day in the true Mongolia. Choose among the activities included into your tour plan:

(A) TUUL RIVERSIDE LODGE - (B) TERELJ NATIONAL PARK - (C) MANZHIR MONASTERY.
For more information please download full version of the tour or see our section Ulaanbaatar Highlights.

Day 14. Departure from Ulaanbaatar.

Check-out from the hotel in the morning and transfer to the airport.

This tour may be extended to China. The services below are not included into the tour price but can be easily added.

Day 15. Beijing.

After noon we arrive to Beijing. Our driver takes you to your hotel and the rest of the day is free.
Beijing became China’s capital in 1421, but the earliest records of settlements in Beijing are from 1000 BC. The Chinese history has enrichen the land of Beijing with sites of cultural and historical interests. Some of them, such as the Great Wall, Former Imperial Palace, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace are world cultural heritage sites and are endorsed by UNESCO.

Day 16. Beijing.

Today a full day tour with lunch is planned to see the best Beijing can offer. You may choose between two options:

(A) FORBIDDEN CITY, SUMMER PALACE & TEMPLE OF HEAVEN - (B) GREAT WALL AND MING TOMBS.
For more information please download full version of the tour or see our section Beijing Highlights.

Day 17. Departure from Beijing.

Transfer to the airport. End of program.

Included:

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Accommodation in a 3 star hotel or apartment in Moscow for 2 nights, in Irkutsk for 1 night, in Listvyanka for 1 night, in Ulan-Ude for 1 night, in Ulaanbaatar for 2 nights. Breakfasts (6) All transfers 2nd class 4-berth train ticket from Moscow to Irkutsk, from Irkutsk to Ulaanbaatar and from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing. Walking excursion in Moscow to (A) major tourist highlights, (B) the Moscow Kremlin and Kremlin Cathedrals, (C) Tretyakovskaya Gallery, (D) Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, entrance fees and guide service included. City tour of Irkutsk, transportation, guide service and entrance fees included. Sightseeing program at the Lake Baikal (A) Taltsy, Baikal Museum and Chersky Peak, (B) Trekking through Siberian Taiga, (C) Padi Discover Scuba Diving in Baikal Lake, (D) Walk in the Ice Wonderland - (E) Skiing and Troika Riding, guide service and entrance fees included. Guided excursion to Ivolginsky Datsan and Transbaikalian Ethnographical museum in Ulan-Ude, transportation and entrance fees included. Full-day tour with lunch to (A) Tuul Riverside Lodge, (B) Terelj National Park or (C) Manzhir Monastery in Ulaanbaatar transportation, guide service and entrance fees included. Russian and Mongolian visa support.

NOT included:

International airfare Insurance Processing fees for Russian and Mongolian visa