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Trans Mongolian Railway
Local Payment: USD 300
Tour Code: GTTM
Tour Duration: 21 days
Countries Visited: China, Mongolia, Russia
Along the way we traverse through vast countryside of exceptional beauty, which at times almost epitomises solitude. This epic tour also introduces to you some of the world’s greatest civilisations, as well as showcasing the broad ethnic diversity of these ancient lands.
Your trip starts today with your arrival in Beijing. No activities are planned, so arrive early if you can, as there is plenty to see. There will be a pre-departure briefing with your local tour leader late this afternoon. Please note that your Tour Leader will collect the Local Payment during your group meeting so be sure to take the $300 US dollars to the meeting along with you travel insurance details.
With the exception of the day at the Great Wall, there is no sightseeing time in Beijing included in this itinerary. First time visitors should allow at least one night prior to the tour in Beijing, as there is so much to see and do in this great city.
A visit to China is not complete without taking a walk along the Great Wall. We head out of Beijing and climb the wall at Simatai, approximately a two-and-a-half hour drive northwest of the capital. This section of the wall is in reasonable condition, but the climb itself is still quite steep and it is fairly broken away at the top. Hence, good walking shoes are a must. For those not wishing to climb, there is a cable car that will take you up the mountainside. From here you can make your way down the wall at your own pace - the surrounding views are amazing.
Days 3-4: Beijing - UlaanbaatarAn early morning start as we catch our train bound for Mongolia! You will be transferred to the rail station, and assisted with check-in. During this train journey your group is unescorted, but you will be met by a local leader on arrival at Ulaanbaatar station. The one and a half day journey takes us over mountains, past the Great Wall and into arid deserts. It is a great chance to settle into life on the train and get to know your fellow travellers. We formally leave China in the evening, at Erlan, and move on to the Mongolian border post, at Dzamyn Ude. Patience is required whilst the border procedures are completed. This may take a fair bit of time and may not be completed until the early hours of the morning. We arrive in Ulaanbaatar in the afternoon and are met by our Mongolian local leader. After the long rail journey we relax in Ulaanbaatar this evening.
Days 5-6: Countryside - Ger Camp
A few hours drive south across the Tuul River and the vast steppe takes us to the northern border with the Dundgobi (Middle Gobi) province. Here we meet our friends, the camel herdsmen, and spend two nights in a traditional-style ger camp. This area is in the northernmost reaches of the Gobi Desert, where the green grassy steppe gives way to the desert-steppe. The Gobi for the most part is really a ‘semi-desert’ with only three percent actually being sand. There is sandy sub-soil with several dunes dotting the landscape. Many of these dunes are hideouts for wolves - seldomly sighted, but more often heard howling at nights. We enjoy the night in a ger (also known as ‘yurt’), the nomadic Mongolian home on the steppe, yet it is as portable as any tent. Our gers are furnished, each with three to four beds, complete with linen, blankets and pillows. There are small stools, a table and a fire stove. Three quarters of the Mongolian population still live in gers throughout the year, despite sub-zero temperatures for many months.
Meals included: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners
Leaving our friends at the gers, we drive approx 4hrs to Bogd Uul (Mountain) - a sacred mountain south of Ulaanbaatar, once as significant to Mongolians as Mt Kailash is to Tibetans. The area is thick with Siberian larch and we take a short hike through the forest and around the Manzhir Monastery, before a picnic lunch.
In the afternoon we return to Ulaanbaatar - the capital of Mongolia and also its largest city, with over one-quarter of its population in residence. The name means ‘Red Hero’ and it is indeed shaped by the influences of the former Soviet Union in that most of the city is full of Russian-style apartment buildings. Sukhbaatar Square is the central point in town and is dominated by the Parliament building and a statue of Damdin Sukhbaatar (on horseback), the man who confirmed Mongolian independence from China.
Meals included: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch
We pack our luggage for our next train trip before enjoying a city tour, which takes in the magnificent Gandan Monastery - the largest and most important in the country (please note that no photography is permitted inside the temples). After lunch we farewell our Mongolian leader and board the train for the journey to Siberia. Crossing the Mongolian border point at the town of Sukhbaatar and changing to a Russian locomotive, we continue by rail, via Ulan Ude, to the Lake Baikal region.
Meals included: 1 breakfast
We arrive in the morning in Irkutsk, a former Cossack garrison town founded over 300 years ago that has since become a major commercial centre in Siberia. After being met by our Russian tour leader, we travel by mini-bus down to Lake Baikal, which contains the greatest volume of fresh water in the world. En route, we visit the picturesque village of Listvyanka, famous for its historic wooden church, and appreciate the splendour of the lake. There are many small wooden cottages, some inscribed with beautiful wooden carvings, that give the town much of its character. We return to Irkutsk on the afternoon of Day 12.
Meals included: 2 breakfasts
We have a free morning to look around historic Irkutsk, before catching an afternoon train and settling in for our long journey ahead. There is plenty of time to relax, read or play cards, as we traverse across this vast land. We pass by the taiga forests, which consist of many types of trees, including birch, pine and cedar. We also travel through the cities of Novosibirsk, Omsk and Ekaterinburg. The latter was named after Catherine the Great, who established this outpost town as Russia’s ‘Window to the East’. Later, it achieved notoriety as the place where Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II, and his family were murdered. We also cross the Ural Mountains, which divides Asia from Europe.
Day 16: MoscowWe cross the Volga River, the longest in Europe, before pulling into Moscow’s Yaroslavskiy Station in the early evening. We are transferred to our hotel and have the evening free to rest and relax.
Days 17-18: Moscow
Founded as a wooden fortress by Yuri Dolgoruky in 1156, Moscow has grown to become the spiritual and political capital of the Russian people and is now one of the largest cities in the world. We enjoy a half-day city tour that takes us to Red Square, which is flanked by St Basil’s Cathedral (with its famous multi-coloured onion domes), Lenin’s Mausoleum, the tombs of famous Soviet figures along the Kremlin walls, the History Museum and the massive GUM Department Store. We have the option of going inside the grounds of the Kremlin, the country’s famous bastion of power and site of several beautiful cathedrals. Please note that not all entrance fees are included – there are many different levels of tickets, our give us entry to the Kremlin grounds and two cathedrals. Another area within the Kremlin is the Armoury, a magnificent collection of the treasures of the tsars that include the exquisite Faberge Eggs, made by the renowned St Petersburg jeweller for the Tsar’s family. The city’s foremost art collections are at the Pushkin Fine Arts Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery, whilst the Moscow Metro (underground railway) contains ornate and elaborate stations and are virtually museums of sorts. The Arbat pedestrian mall and Gorky Park are great places for people watching, and the massive Weekend Market in Izmaylovsky Park is one of the best places to shop for souvenirs and artefacts. Up on Sparrow Hill (formerly known as Lenin Hill), in front of Moscow State University, you enjoy a panoramic view over the city with the 1980 Olympic complex in the foreground. Optional activities in the evenings may include the famous circus, or a ballet or opera performance at the Bolshoi Theatre. Your tour leader can advise what performances are on and where we can get tickets. An overnight train takes you on to St Petersburg.
Meals included: 2 breakfasts
St Petersburg is one of Europe’s most beautiful cities and was established in 1703 by Peter the Great as his capital and, ultimately, Russia’s ‘window to the west’. Known in the Soviet era as Leningrad, its elegant buildings and intricate canal system have also seen it nicknamed the ‘Venice of the North’. Our morning arrival gives us nearly two days in this wonderful city. A major highlight is the Peter and Paul Fortress, whose cathedral is the final resting place of the Romanovs, Russia’s last royal family. There are many impressive views across the wide Neva River and the Hermitage Museum contains one of the world’s greatest collections of art, housed in the former Winter Palace. We also have time to enjoy the city’s many other attractions including St Isaac’s Cathedral and walk down the heart of the city, Nevsky Prospekt, a bustling street with many interesting shops and historic buildings. Another interesting optional side-trip is to catch a hydrofoil out onto the Baltic Sea (Gulf of Finland) and visit the Summer Palaces at Petrodvorets.
Meals included: 1 breakfast
Our tour ends in St Petersburg after breakfast.
Meals included: 1 breakfast
Due to possible changes in train schedules, we may need to run the above itinerary slightly differently from that in our printed brochure. In the unlikely event of this happening, you will still get to see everything on your original itinerary.
Tour Grade: Moderate
A moderate level of fitness is required. These trips generally involve some physical activities and occasional long travelling days. Accommodation and travel conditions may be more basic.
Valid until 30 September 2008
Local Payment: USD 300
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