Trans-Sib Hotels, Homestays & Gers

Homestays

All our Trans-Siberian programs, be they classic or costsaver adventures, include a homestay element for those stopping in Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Listvyanka and Ulan Ude. Homestay accommodation has a number of advantages. The location is usually close to the centre or near public transport links and offers the chance to meet real Russian people in a real setting. You may even get the chance to sample homemade Russian foods at breakfast or other meals, such as piroshki and borscht - a very tasty soup. Please advise well in advance of your trip, if you are vegetarian.

Your host may speak some English, although we recommend that you pack a phrasebook! Homestay accommodation is simple in terms of amenities and certainly not luxurious. Most homestay accommodation is located in large apartment blocks (where many Russians live), so there'll usually be entry into what looks like a less than salubrious building and a couple of flights of stairs. The apartment itself,  will be clean, tidy, secure and warm. Your room will either be a bedroom or a general living room which the host allocates for guest use. You'll have a bed (this could be twin beds, a queen size bed or a fold out/sofa bed), use of the homestay's shared bathroom facilities, kitchen facilities and a communal area to sit and have your meals.  Your host may not always be in at all times, but they will be there to cook your meals and you will be able to come and go as you please.

Homestays do vary, in that you may be staying with a local family, couple or a single person. In some cases the home owner may actually move out so that you have the house to yourself. Please note that if you are travelling in a larger group it may be necessary for you to stay in separate houses because most homes are small and only have room for one or two guests.

Hotels

Upgrade from homestay to hotel

We understand that some people may prefer their own space and privacy, so we do provide alternatives to homestays where available, allowing an upgrade to economy  hotel accommodation (at additional cost) on our Classic Adventure tours in Yekaterinburg, Listvyanka, Irkutsk and Ulan Ude.

On our costsaver adventure we offer travellers the option to switch from homestay

accommodation to a hostel in Yekaterinburg and upgrade to budget hotels in Irkutsk and Ulan Ude (at an additional cost). Perhaps consider a combination of homestay and hotel accommodation, that way you'll still have the chance to meet a host family or individual.

Upgrades are subject to availability.

PLEASE NOTE: Hotel stays include breakfast only, so if upgrading you will not receive the other meals stated in your itinerary on those given days.

Journeys departing from Moscow

Russia suffers from a severe shortage of quality 3 star hotels. Tourism is relatively new and the demand for accommodation is often far higher than the supply. With demand being as high as it is, hoteliers have unified with massive price increases, so much so that Moscow is now regarded to have the most expensive hotel accommodation in the world.  In Moscow, both Classic and Costsaver passengers stay at a purpose-built 3 star hotel which  formed part of the athletes village at the 1980 Summer Olympic games. Tall and distinctively Russian, the hotel blocks are appropriately named alpha, beta, delta and gamma, following the Greek Olympic tradition. The hotel has a range of good range of guest facilities, with close proximity to amenities and public transport, allowing easy access to the city centre.

Journeys departing from Beijing

Our Classic passengers stay at a 4 star hotel in Beijing which is close to the Heaven Temple and with easy access to the cities main sites including Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the National Museum which are less than 3km away (a 5-10 minute drive). Whilst our Costsaver passengers will stay at the interconnected 3 star hotel next door.

The Mongolian ger

Meaning 'home', Mongolia is the home to the 'ger' or 'yurta' as it is known in Russia. More than 70% of Mongolia's population, many of whom are nomadic, live in gers, and have done since the time of Marco Polo. The Mongolian ger is built to withstand some of the harshest climate extremes, from the freezing gale force winds that blow from Siberia and winter temperatures which regularly fall to minus 40 degrees to the summer heat of the Gobi desert.

Easily assembled and disassembled, it's components can be loaded on a couple of camels or horses. It is made of a wooden framework covered by large pieces of felt. A decorative cloth covering may be laid over the felt. The ropes which go around the ger, called bus (belts), are usually made of braided horse mane and tail hair. The wooden framework consists of collapsible walls, topped by poles radiating from a central smokehole ring.

Inside, gers are deceivingly spacious. Entering from the southern side, in the centre is a stove, with a pipe emerging from the roof. This provides the ger's occupants with warmth and hot food. The internal layout always follows the same traditional pattern, in that to the west is the men's side and to the east, the women's side. On the men's side, saddles, weaponry and the airag (mare's milk) bag is kept. Cooking implements are generally stored on the women's side. The most revered part of the ger is the northern part, where today families keep heirlooms, keepsakes and important ornamentals. If undertaking one of our classic adventures, you'll get the chance to stay in a real Mongolian ger at Terelj National Park!

NOTE: During the winter months (usually October to April, although dependant upon the weather), due to the harsh weather conditions, clients undertaking the classic adventure can decide upon arrival, whether to stay in permanent accommodation in Terelj National Park or a Mongolian ger.