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The Essentials
Group Size
15 maximum, plus Group Leader.
Prices
GBP EUR AUD NZD USD CAD £2,240 ¬3,290 $5,590 $6,380 $4,480 $4,690
Accommodation
Hotels - 12 nights (twin share) Mongolian Ger - 2 nights (shared) Siberian Guesthouse - 2 night (shared) Trains - 7 nights (4 berth)
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Meals
18 in total. Breakfast (17), Dinner (1).
Local Payment
(See Essentials)
Travel by Days 16-17. Naadam Festival 10th - 12th July We make our way with the crowds to the Naadam stadium for the spectacular event and demonstrations of the 'three manly sports' - wrestling, archery and horseracing.. Taking our place in the stadium, we see not only the athletes, but monks, officials and local celebrities. The first rounds of wrestling and archery begin shortly afterwards, with horseracing the focus on the second day. These races are the domain of younger children, who compete for the title 'tumnii ekh' ('Leader of Ten Thousand'). Traditions abound, and we join the crowds in cheering the winners, and singing songs to the losers. We mingle with the locals - often taking as much pleasure from watching the audience as observing the competitors! Days 18-20. Kharkhorin & Erdene Zuu Hiid The site of Kharkhorin was the capital of Mongolia in the 13th century during the rule of Genghis Khan. The main attraction is Erdene Zuu Hiid Monastery, built in 1586, once the largest monastery and first Buddhist centre in Mongolia. Day 21. Arrive Beijing We catch a morning flight to Beijing and begin to let ourselves to be drawn to the sights and sounds of Chinas capital. Days 22-23. Beijing Stretching 5,000 kilometres across the distant hills in defence of the civilised world , our visit to the Great Wall will be impressive as we travel to a more remote section for a challenging walk. Further time in the city will be filled by the magnificent Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven or perhaps the Lama Temple and a wander through the hutongs. Day 24 Depart Beijing The last day has arrived too soon. The adventure is complete and we have witnessed one of the great cultural celebrations of the region.
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USD - $300
Train: Comfortable 4 berth sleepers. There are 4 rail sectors on this journey St.Petersburg to Moscow (1 night), Moscow to Irkutsk (4 nights), Irkutsk to Ulaanbataar (2 nights), Ulaanbataar to Beijing (1 night).
2 Berth Rail
(Optional - See Essentials)
Sightseeing
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Scheduled Sightseeing is part of the itinerary and includes all transport, entrance fees and English speaking local guide. St.Petersburg: City tour, Palace Square, Hermitage museum. Moscow: City tour, St.Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Kremlin and Armoury Chamber. Irkutsk (Siberia): Walking tour of city, Museum of wooden architecture, Lake Baikal. Ulaanbaatar: Kharkhorin, Erdene Zuu, Zaisan Memorial, Natural History Museum, Gandan Hiid Monastery. Naadam Festival: Additional sightseeing for this journey will be the spectacular Naadam Festival. Beijing: Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven, Great Wall. City Exploring is further sightseeing outside the itinerary guideline but with the Group Leader.
GBP EUR AUD NZD USD CAD
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£665 ¬985 $1,665 $1,895 $1,335 $1,395
Dates
St.Petersburg to Beijing
(code TMNS) 2008 Start 28 Jun 2009 Start 27 Jun Finish - 21 July
Finish - 20 July
Beijing to St.Petersburg
(code TMNB) 2008 Start Finish 05 July - 28 July 2009 Start Finish 02 July - 25 July
Local Payment
Your Local Payment is the final balance payment of your tour price and is to be paid directly to your Group Leader at the Pre Departure Meeting on day 1 of your tour. The Local Payment is utilised by your Group Leader to pay for various locally provided services.
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St. Petersburg Moscow
RUSSIA Lake Baikal Irkutsk Kharkhorin Ulaanbaatar (ErdeneZuu) G O L I A MON Beijing CHINA
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Experience in the region
Sundowners ran its first journey in 1973 and every Sundowners staff member has travelled this route either from personal experience, staff training or as a group leader. Our Trans Siberian / Mongolian experience is unquestioned and 2007 marks our 34th anniversary of this epic journey.
Visas
Required for Mongolia. Sundowners will provide a full visa support system including visa guidelines.
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Reverse Itinerary Beijing to St.Petersburg
Day 1 - Beijing Day 2 - Beijing Day 3 - Beijing Day 4 - Trans Mongolian Railway Day 5 - Arrive Ulaanbaatar Day 6 - To Kharkhorin Day 7 - Kharkhorin Day 8 - Return to Ulaanbaatar Day 9 - Ulaanbaatar and Naadam Day 10 - Naadam Events Day 11 - Naadam and Terelj Day 12 - Ulaanbaatar Day 13 - Trans Mongolian Railway Day 14 - Arrival Irkutsk Day 15 - Lake Baikal and Irkutsk Day 16 - Trans Siberian Railway Day 17 - Trans Siberian Railway Day 18 - Trans Siberian Railway Day 19 - Arrive Moscow Day 20 - Moscow Day 21 - Moscow Day 22 - St.Petersburg Day 23 - St.Petersburg Day 24 - St.Petersburg
Trip Dossier
Our dossier provides further information about this journey and is available on request: Call Sundowners or your agent, or visit www.sundownersoverland.com
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