Journey in 2000 |
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Moscow-Beijing along the Trans-Siberian railroadGuided small group journey from August 5 to August 26, 2001 |
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Chinese proverb In Mai of 1891, the construction of the World's longest and most difficult to build railway was started after years of controversy amongst the Czars: the Trans-Siberian railroad. The link between Moscow and Vladivostok, some 6000 miles apart, was completed 14 years later employing a labour force of over 90000. Ever since the rail service linking Europe with the Far East was established at the turn of last century, foreign travellers and adventurers have been fascinated by this great journey and crossed Siberia to reach the Pacific or China. Across the Ural mountains to Siberia, through towns that were built along the rails into the Mongolian steps and Gobi desert, the Trans-Siberian journey offers a great opportunity to experience an unforgettable journey. The Russian tourist office describes the Trans-Siberian journey as a mythic experience. The guided tour on the train (a regular working service, not some 'tourist special' train) and many visits to our friends at each stop guarantees this journey to be unique. We will meet local people and learn about their culture and way of life, yet be part of it. You may find yourself draining a bottle of vodka with a Russian soldier in exchange to a piece of chocolate, or discussing business and politics with Mongolian traders on the train. Meeting point on the train is the dining car where borscht and fish with lots of potatoes and cabbage is served. On each station where the train stops, local peasants and traders offer their products for sale. We invite you to join our small group: First station is Moscow, where we will stay for a few days at the famous Moscow State University, then we will board the Trans-Siberian train and pass by the Ural, Novosibirsk, to reach Irkutsk, the capital of Siberia, where we will spend a few days on the world's largest and cleanest lake ('Baikal'). Then we will continue to Ulan Bator, where we will experience the Nomadic life and sleep in gers, and finally the train will take us to Beijing, the capital of the Chinese empire, where our journey ends.
Information Farid Valitov will be guiding this tour. Farid has been managing our business in Moscow since 1993 and has great experience in the travel sector. He is a native Tatar, has studied at Moscow State University and is father of 2 children. Farid has travelled extensively throughout Russia and knows his home from scratch. He speaks English very well, which is why we have entrusted him to guide this edition of our Trans-Siberian journey. In Moscow, Irkoutsk, Ulan Bator and Beijing, we will have local guides and friends to ensure that everything works out - even if it should seem impossible.
If you wish to join our adventure, we would be happy to welcome you on board. You may also contact the guides of our past journeys for more information or some personal experience:
Details of our Journey(as always in Russia subject to minor modifications)
Sun 5. AugustAfter arriving in Moscow, Farid takes us to the Hotel 'Universitetskaya', located near the campus of the famous Lomonosov-University, where a chilled welcome vodka awaits us. The University campus is a spectacular building in the typical Stalinian architecture and is located about 10 miles from the centre on the former Lenin hills. In the following four days, we will travel on the Moscow metro (some metro station themselves are worth a visit) to explore the city (Kremlin, Red Square, Pushkin house, Tretjakov Gallery, Lenin Library, Arbat Street, former KGB museum, Kolomenskoe and ... cloisters.) An excursion to Sergiev Posad (formerly Zagorsk, 50 miles from Moscow), the capital of the Russian orthodox church with an impressive array of churches and a still working abbey, is planned for those who are interested. Upon request, we will reserve tickets for the famous Russian ballet, the opera or the circus. For the rest, we will just enjoy the city of Moscow, which has undergone an incredible transformation from a grey and dark city to a modern metropolitan capital with bars, illuminated streets and luxurious supermarkets everywhere.
 Circus in Moscow
Thu 9. August
Before leaving to Siberia, we will have time to make a few provisions on the Arbat street and the large shopping mall (GUM) next to the Red Square. In the afternoon, we will leave Moscow and board train No 10, the Trans-Siberian express that leaves Moscow every day and runs to Irkutsk. While we settle into our comfortable compartment and enjoy a cup of hot tea from the samovar, the first hours on the train take us past Vladimir, Nishni Novgorod, (previously called Gorki), and Perm, old Russian towns of which we will catch a glimps from the train station, where the train is stopping for a while. We will cross the boarder of Europe and enter Asia to arrive in Ekatarinburg (city of 1 million, renamed Sverdlovsk from 1924 to 1992) on the second day, where we will stay for a few hours. This city is rich of historic events: founded in the 17th century, the city was transformed to serve as exile for many prisoners, amongst them the last Czar and his family. Ekaterinburg is also the hometown of Boris Yeltsin, who served as mayor to the city.
Mon 13. AugustAfter a total of five days on the train past the Ural Mountains through forests, beside lakes and rushing rivers, swamps and remote villages of painted wooden houses, we will arrive at Irkutsk early in the morning. Irkutsk is also called 'Paris' of Siberia for its pulsing street life and people's elegant clothes. Still a major trade center for furs, Irkutsk enjoys today a certain economic wealth. Short but hot summers and very cold winters, however, make life here a real challenge. In the afternoon, we will depart for Listwjanka, on the shore of lake Baikal. On a hydrofoil we reach the shore of lake Baikal from the port of Irkutsk in about 90 min. Lake Baikal is a unique biosphere, the World's deepest, largest (in terms of volume) and presumably oldest (25 million years) lake containing more than 20% of all running fresh-water on this earth. The threat of pollution by unregulated economic exploitation has led to the creation of the largest protected area to keep the cleaness of its water and uniqueness of its inhabitat for future generations. Lake Baikal is home to a fresh water seal (the Nerpa), and an incredibly rich flora and fauna. An other specimen found nowhere else in the world is a transparent fish called Golomyanka that lives in the lake's deepest waters. The lake is 400 miles long, 40 miles wide and about 1 mile deep. Unlike other deep lakes whose bottom waters are poisoned by hydrogen sulphide and other gases, Lake Baikal's water is saturated with oxygen from its surface to the deepest point and therefore, living organisms can be found at all levels. We will enjoy a bath in the 'Old Man', as local people call the lake. Its water is amazingly transparent: Stones and fish can be seen to a depth of about 50 m and they seem so close that a first-time visitor may be tempted to reach out and pick one up. One of the secrets is that there are millions of microorganisms living in the lake whose main purpose is to clean the water of all pollutants. We will learn about the lake from one of its true experts and 'native of the lake', Prof. Maximov (called Max), the director of the local limnological institute (a water watch institute) near Listwyanka. Our home is a wooden house near the lake where local food will be prepared by our host. We will have time to hike along the lake, explore small valleys where relicts of old (as rumors go still secretely working) gold-mines can be found, and enjoy relaxing on the shore and swimming in the lake. Those who are interested are also invited to join Max for a tour through the limnological museum. A Russian steam bath right on the shore of the lake invites to experience a typical Russian sauna. 
lake Baikal
Listwjanka
House in Listwjanka
Our Home
Fri 17. AugustIn the evening we will return to Irkutsk to visit its old churches, shaman houses, and markets, where we hopefully find some good buys. Sat 18. AugustWe board the Trans-Monoglian train to Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. The landscape gradually changes from wide forests and rivers to a uniform steppe, where the great Khans have been riding their heroe horses.Sun 19. AugustIn Ulan Bator we are going to visit the palace of Bogdo Khan, the Gandan abbey, and the natural history museum with the remains of the biggest dinosaurs ever found on earth in the Mongolian desert. Our local guide will introduce us to the Nomadic way of life of still many mongolians today. On a jeep, we will travel to a Mountain Camp, where we will sleep in gers and enjoy a hike on the hills by foot or on the back of a horse. On our way back we will visit a Mongolian family living at their Summer place. We will taste mare's milk and eat delicious kebabs. Wed 22. AugustEarly in the morning, after staying overnight in Ulan Bator we are heading towards the Chinese border through the Gobi Desert. Erlyan, the border town is nothing more than a military post. Since the Chinese railway operates on Standard Gauge and Russia/Mongolia on a narrower Five Foot Gauge, the boogies of all wagons are changed while hydraulic lifts raise the carriages. After a night in the train, we will find ourselves climbing on narrow serpentines into the Chinese mountains. The Great Wall is visible from many locations and frequent stops of the train. Beijing, the capital of China, is the final destination of our railway journey, that has led us across two continents. With our local guide, we will visit the Forbidden City, the Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace of the Imperial family. Beijing is home to millions of small shops and street traders, the place to shop for souvenirs and bargains, and the last opportunity to taste the delicious Chinese food in all its variations. For those interested in the old-style culture, Opera, Theater or Comedy tickets are available from our local guide. In Peking, we will have ample time for our own exploration of the old and new town.
Ulan Bator
Mongolian mountain region
Family living in Gers (Yurts) outside Ulan Bator
Mongolian horses
Temple of Heaven
Tiananmen Square - entrance into the Forbidden City
business street in BeijingSun 26. AugustIndividual return flights back home or to whereever your journey takes you ... PreparationA Trans-Siberian journey needs a lot of preparation, both physically and mentally. We are going to send you more details about what to pack and take with you. Backpacking is required, however, we will never need to walk more than one mile with all our luggage. Good and comfortable walking shoes are essential. Good general physical health is required. However, the most important part is to be prepared mentally and culturally for the many different people and cultures we are going to meet. For that reason, we suggest reading about Russia, Mongolia or China in advance. As an affiliate of amazon.com, we have a collection of titles in our bookstore that we can highly recommend. A must for all Trans-Siberian travellers is the Trans-Siberian Handbook.
GeneralThe size of our group is limited to 12 persons including the guide who will be with the group all the time in addition with the local guides. Participants must be physically fit (we will walk a lot), and have a strong sense for team-work and communication. Travelling on the non-tourist routes requires patience and a sense for adventure. We have encountered many anectodal problems during the journeys in the past 5 years. Two example may serve to illustrate that the unexpectable happens in Russia/Mongolia/China everyday. In one case, the the train compartment was loaded with Mongolian rugs that made any access to our beds impossible. Talking to the Mongolian traders who owned the rugs finally helped to clear our well deserved beds. In another instant, a participant who was refused entry to Mongolia at the Russian/Mongolian border because of an outdated and unrecognizable picture in the passport. Talking to the military officers at 4 a.m. at night for about one hour finally helped us to continue the journey. The group however had decided that none was going to be left behind and that we would all get out of the train at the border. Eventhough the situation was bizarre and painful, only these experiences make such a journey truly unforgettable. More than 100 people have been with us on our tours so far, from 20 year old students to senior managing directors or a retired 71 year-old lady, and everybody made the journey safely. So, why don't you join us for this life-long experience?
through Gobi desertWe have an online application form or a printable form that you can also order by mail. Application deadline is Mai, 20, 2001. After your application, we will send you a confirmation and further information. The number of applications is limited to 11 and places reserved on a 'first come, first served' basis.
Prices
Included are all train tickets (2nd class, 4-berth compartment), transportation in Irkutsk, Lake Baikal and Mongolia, accommodation (double room occupation, single room upon special request),
and full board at lake Baikal and during our excursion in Mongolia. We will stay in the following hotels:
Included in the program are city tours in Moscow, Irkoutsk, Ulan Bator and Beijing, and all visits to sights and landmarks mentioned in the program. Included are all transfers from the airport/train station to the place of accommodation. Not included in our prices are all personal meals (except at lake Baikal and in Mongolia where there are no restaurants or food shops available), all extra cultural programs (museums, theaters, cinema) and evening programs, where you are on your own. Our prices exclude airline tickets, which you need to book individually. We can offer a ticket with Lufthansa to/from Zurich or Frankfurt (exact departure and arrival times will be posted later). Please check for cheap international airfares on our airline ticket page. Not included is appropriate health and travel insurance, and all costs for visas (Russia, Mongolia, China). Our booking conditions (PDF) apply. Costs for the journey (in US Dollar, per person):
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Ziegler & Partner GmbH, MGU, Vorob'evy gory, Moscow, Tel./Fax 007 / 095 939 09 80
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