Big Rail Tripper - 18 days
FROM USD $3,929
The big ticket, an epic journey from Beijing to Moscow, offering exciting stopovers at all of our en route destinations including Ulaan Baatar, Buddhist Ulan Ude, Irkutsk, breathtaking Lake Baikal and Yekaterinburg, in the shadow of the Ural Mountains.
Days 1 - 2: Beijing
Welcome to Beijing and the start of your epic adventure. Arrival transfer from Beijing airport to hotel. The remains of days 1 and 2 are free for you to explore the sights of Beijing. On day 2 there is the option to embark on a Beijing sighseeing tour. On the tour walk a section of the behemouth Great Wall at Badaling and back in Beijing, visit the vast Tiananmen Square and take the Forbidden City, a centre of power for five centuries and seat of the emperors. Overnight - Beijing (B:1)
Day 3: Mongolia
Early this morning, an included transfer to Beijing rail station for the train to Ulaan Baatar - capital of Mongolia. Overnight - Train (B)
Big Rail Tripper - 18 days Go Guide : :Check out the go guide for details of the tour, info on visas, climate, money, what to bring and more!
Days 4 - 5: Ulaan Baatar
Ulaan Baatar. Morning arrival (subject to border formalities and inevitable delays) into Outer Mongolia after crossing the border in the very early hours, transfer to your hotel in Ulaan Baatar. Mongolia is a country of unspoilt natural beauty, with endless steppe, nomadic tribes people, stunning Terelj National Park, double-humped (Bactrian) camels and wild Przewalski horses. Due to its high elevation, located 1350 metres above sea level Ulaan Baatar is the coldest national capital in the world, so make sure you wrap up warm! Enjoy free time exploring the National History Museum, Bogd Khan’s winter palace, the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet and Sukhbataar Square.
Or book an optional two night excursion to Terelj National Park:
Optional Terelj National Park & ger camp: Upon arrival on day 4, enjoy lunch before travellling to nearby Terelj National Park, stopping for to visit Turtle Rock and a nomadic family en route. With scenic alpine surrounds this protected area is host to diverse flora and fauna and famous for its unique granite rock formations. Spend two nights camping out in a Mongolian ger on the steppe. Overnight - Ulaan Baatar (B:1)
Or book an optional two night excursion to Terelj National Park:
Optional Terelj National Park & ger camp: Upon arrival on day 4, enjoy lunch before travellling to nearby Terelj National Park, stopping for to visit Turtle Rock and a nomadic family en route. With scenic alpine surrounds this protected area is host to diverse flora and fauna and famous for its unique granite rock formations. Spend two nights camping out in a Mongolian ger on the steppe. Overnight - Ulaan Baatar (B:1)
Day 6: Train to Ulan Ude
Ulaan Baatar - Ulan Ude. Transfer to the station for the afternoon departure of your train to Ulan Ude in Russia. During the journey, the train will cross the border into Russia, bringing with it inevitable customs and immigration formalities and delays.
Overnight - Train (B)
Days 7 - 8: Ulan Ude
Ulan Ude - Irkutsk. Early morning arrival and transfer to your homestay for breakfast. Days 7 and 8 are free for you to independently explore the city or take an optional Ulan Ude city tour. Thanks to its proximity to Mongolia and China, the indigenous people of the region, the Buryats, clung on to their Tibetan-Buddhist faith through the Communist era. The guided city tour visits Ivolginsky Datsan - a centre of Buddhist culture and the following morning you will visit the open air Ethnographic Museum dedicated to the lives of local people and architecture through the ages. After dinner on day 8, late evening transfer to rail station for your train to Irkutsk. Overnight - Overnight (1) - Ulan Ude, (1) - train (B:2, D:2)
Days 9 - 11: Irkutsk & Optional Lake Baikal
Irkutsk. Morning arrival into Irkutsk, a town with the Asiatic influences of nearby Mongolia and China, and curious architecture - a legacy of Siberia’s aristocratic exiles. Spend the next three days at leisure exploring the town. Or choose one of the following optional excursions:
Listvyanka and Lake Baikal: Spend two relaxing days in the village of Listvyanka by beautiful Lake Baikal and perhaps choose one of the optional activities.
Irkutsk Summer Trek & Camp: Enjoy an overnight trekking excursion through the scenic taiga of the Primorsky Mountain to Lake Baikal, camping overnight in a picturesque bay. Overnight - Ulan Ude homestay (1) train (1) (B:2, D:3)
Listvyanka and Lake Baikal: Spend two relaxing days in the village of Listvyanka by beautiful Lake Baikal and perhaps choose one of the optional activities.
Irkutsk Summer Trek & Camp: Enjoy an overnight trekking excursion through the scenic taiga of the Primorsky Mountain to Lake Baikal, camping overnight in a picturesque bay. Overnight - Ulan Ude homestay (1) train (1) (B:2, D:3)
Days 12 - 13: Journey to Siberia
Irkutsk - Yekaterinburg. Spend day 12 at leisure in Irkutsk before your late afternoon transfer to the train station for your onward journey to Yekaterinburg across the tracts of Siberia.
Overnight - Irkutsk (B:1)
Days 14 - 16: Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg. Late afternoon of day 14 the train pulls into Yekaterinburg. Transfer to your accommodation and spend the next two days at leisure exploring the city. On day 15 there is an optional city tour, which takes in the new monastery that marks the site of the Romanov family’s execution in 1918 and Ganina Yama - a beautiful monastic complex built on the site where their bodies were discarded and later found. The tour also takes you to the Europe/Asia border where you can stand with a foot in each continent!
On day 16 there is the option to test your dog sledding skills in the winter or enjoy a summertime visit to Peschanoe Lake and a traditional village in the Ural Mountains. Overnight - Yekaterinburg (B:2, D:3)
On day 16 there is the option to test your dog sledding skills in the winter or enjoy a summertime visit to Peschanoe Lake and a traditional village in the Ural Mountains. Overnight - Yekaterinburg (B:2, D:3)
Day 17: Journey to Moscow
Yekaterinburg. Early morning transfer to the train station for your overnight journey to Moscow. Overnight - train (B)
Day 18: Moscow
Moscow - This morning, the train reaches Moscow.
Choose your own Adventure
Make the most of your time in Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, by choosing one of our optional excursions that most appeals to you. Please specify your preference at time of booking.
Tour Details
- Starts in: Beijing / Ends in: Moscow
- Departs: Sundays/Thursdays - year round
- No local payment required
- Breakfast:12, Lunch: 0, Dinner: 8
- Hotel Rating: 3 star
- Tour Guide: Yes - for stopover arrangements
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