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Grand Trans Siberian Railway
RUSSIA + MONGOLIA + JAPAN
- 30 days
The original and classic Great Rail Journey. From the Pacific Coast to the nations capital you cross the world's biggest country and largest landmass aboard the world's longest railway, spanning 7 time zones & almost 10,000 kilometres, from the Far East to Europe. From Japans temples and the Great Buddha at Nara, across the Sea of Japan to the once top-secret port of Vladivostok. Through the spectacular scenery of eastern Siberia, to magnificent Lake Baikal and the historic Siberian town of Irkutsk. Crossing massive bridges over huge rivers, through forests and across plains, aboard the train you experience Russia as few travellers ever can.
Itinerary - St.Petersburg to Tokyo Days 1-4. St.Petersburg It is the city on the water, the "Venice of the North", standing resplendent on the delta of the Neva River. St Isaac's Cathedral, richly filled palaces and museums, wide boulevards and canals. The gilded halls of the Hermitage Museum hung with the works of Da Vinci, Rembrandt and many other great masters, and beyond the city lie the incomparable summer palaces of the Tsars at Petrodvorets. Yet for all this, St.Petersburg remains one of Europe's best kept secrets. We join the overnight express to Moscow - our epic journey is underway! Days 5-7. Moscow Moscow will amaze you, its palaces and public buildings restored to their former glory. The echoing vastness of Red Square, the splendid twirled cupolas of St. Basil's across the cobblestones, and the Kremlin itself - that fabled palace-fort. We ride the palatial underground rail system, adorned with chandeliers, mosaics and baroque bas-relief and perhaps a river cruise or a magical evening at one of Moscow's great theatres or State Circus. Day 8-10. Aboard the Trans Siberian Railway We join the Trans Siberian Railway booming over the steel bridges spanning Siberia's nerve system of 5,000 rivers. We pass over the Ural Mountains which divide Europe and Asia, and we cross the Irtysh and Ob rivers. We travel through Ekaterinburg, well known for the execution of the Romanov family in 1918 and the industrial cities of Omsk and Novosibirsk. Day 11-13. Irkutsk and Lake Baikal (Siberia) Almost in the centre of Asia, Irkutsk - 18th century churches, bright painted shutters and log houses decorated with wooden lacework. Modern administrative blocks and soaring bridges reach out across the Angara River in this beautiful town known as the "Paris of Siberia". On our walking tour you will discover the citys wonderful historic sights. We also enjoy a full day at Lake Baikal and time to visit the village of Listvyanka with its traditional houses and beautiful wooden church and nearby Limnological Museum. To gain an insight into the traditional lives of Siberian people we also visit the Museum of Wooden Architecture.
Day 14. Aboard the Trans Mongolian Railway We settle into life on board, enjoying the company of our fellow passengers and a picnic in our cabin. The train arrives at Naushki, the Russian border town where formalities are completed and then continue across no-man's land to Sukhbaatar where Mongolian officials board the train for visa formalities before we continue on to Ulaanbaatar. Day 15. Ulaanbaatar Bounded by Lake Baikal to the north and the Great Wall to the south is the Mongolian Plateau and Gobi Desert. This was the homeland of the brilliant, tough, well-drilled horsemen who, for over 500 years from the 13th century, plundered and occupied lands and cities from the Yellow River to the Danube. At daybreak, classic scenes of traditional nomadic life greet us as the train winds impressively across the Mongolian Steppe and into the capital. Ulaanbaatar is a contradiction - a metropolis amid endless grass steppes, with donkeys and motorbikes, concrete apartment blocks and traditional gers. Days 16-17. Ulaanbaatar & the Mongolian Steppe After breakfast we visit the Zaisan Memorial from which the entire city is visible. Also to the countrys largest remaining monastery, Gandan Hiid where you can mingle with Buddhist monks. In the afternoon we travel out across the grasslands through the countryside where we spend a night in a traditional Mongolian nomad tent or ger set amongst spectacular rock formations and wild rolling hills. Among nomadic families and their grazing livestock we can explore nearby valleys or just relax and enjoy the area. We return to Ulaanbaatar to catch our train north to Buyatia and Ulan Ude. Day 18. Arrive Ulan Ude Welcome to Buryatiya, centre of Russias Buddhist community. Reminiscent of old Siberia, Ulan Ude is located in the middle of the vast Siberian steppes, on the 5640th kilometer of the Trans-Siberian railway. It is a very unusual and charming city. The local open air ethnographic museum tells and interesting story about the life and traditions of the native Siberians (Buryats and Evenks) as well as the colonisers (Cossacks and Old-believers). Days 19-21. Trans Siberian Railway We settle into life on board, getting to know our travelling companions. Relax in the comfortable four-berth compartment that is home for the three days and nights it takes to cross eastern Siberia to the to the once-secret Pacific port of Vladivostok.
S m a l l G ro u p J o u r n ey s
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This page 1. Japan Housing Japans largest Buddha statue Todaiji ("Great Eastern Temple") is one of Japan's most famous and historically significant temples and a landmark of Nara. 2. Trans Siberian Express The worlds longest and most spectacular rail journey 3 & 4. Japan Traditional dress and city lights of Tokyo5. 5. Small Group On board the train towards Mocow. 6. Mongolian Local faces and a welcome smile. 7. Ulaanbaatar Th largest monastery in the capital is Gangan Hiid. 8. Relaxing on the train 9 & 10. Siberia Relaxing in Siberia 11. Moscow St.Basils Catherdral set amidst Moscows infamous Red Square
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