TRANSSIB, SILK ROAD, TIBET, CHINA

Winter Wonderland (15 days)

Eastbound

Moscow-VladivostokTour
by the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express 
 
 

Duration: 15 days.

Day 1. Moscow
Passangers are met at Vladivostok airport and transferred to the four-star Hyundai hotel for a one-night stay. Welcome dinner in the hotel restaurant.

Day 2.  Moscow
City tour includes the major military attractions of this once ‘closed-to-foreigners’ city. Afternoon departure of our Trans-Siberian Express private train. Accommodation in the compartments. 

Day 3. Kazan
During the night we cross the Amur River in Khabarovsk and reach the most easterly point of the journey. After visiting Komsomolsk we join the BAM (Baikal-Amur Mainline), the new line that runs north of and parallel to the original Trans-Siberian and head westwards through some of the regions most beautiful scenery.   

Day 4. Yekaterinburg
A day on the train as we pass through untouched tundra - Siberia at its most remote, beauty unfolds before us as we enter the region of permafrost. Here the vast distances and forbidding geographic and climate conditions render the entire region a difficult environment for human existence. Enjoy the comfort and service available on board. 

Day 5. Novosibirsk
Heading west there will be a visit to the only city on the BAM route, Tynda, including a visit to the local BAM museum which commemorates the building of the line. Tynda was the headquaters during the construction of the line.

Day 6 . Onboard
We spend the whole day in this small place lost in Siberia. Charoite is a semi-precious lilac coloured gemstone found in Chara area only and it's likely that traders will be at the station. We will visit an interesting small museum that  covers history of the area including the Marble Canyon Gulag. We will stop at the unique 6-km long Sand Dunes. It's a mystery how they came to be here but they have long been an important site for the indigenous people as artifacts from thousands of years ago have been found buried here. 

Day 7. Irkutsk
Early morning we may take the breath-taking 54 km spiral by pass constructed as a temporary line for trains until the 15-km Severomuysk tunnel became fully operational in 2003. We are not sure whether this line will remain open, if not we will pass through the newly opened 15.7 km long tunnel. After lunch we arrive in remote Severobaikalsk (North Baikal), where the road network is completely cut-off from the rest of the country. The BAM is a vital lifeline to this beautiful area at the northern point of the Lake and we have a half day to explore the unique culture of life here, and meet some of the local inhabitants. 

Day 8. Lake Baikal
We spend several hours in city of Bratsk visiting one of the biggest hydroelectric power stations in the world before continuing on to Taishet,  where the BAM ends and we cross over the Trans-Siberian main line. 

Day 9. Ulan Ude
As we head east you can relax, as the Trans-Siberian Express climbs through the spectacular Sayan Mountains and, if time permits pauses for a short visit in Abakan. 

Day 10. Ulaan Baatar
At breakfast time we stop at Seyatel to visit the West Siberian Railway's museum before continuing into Novosibirsk where we  stop in this modern "Soviet" city to see  the famous Opera House, Lenin Square and River Ob, which flows 3,500 miles from its source to the Arctic.

Day 11. Naadam Festival
Yekaterinburg, last city in Asia and capital of the Urals. Our city tour includes the Romanov execution site and the Urals Mineralogical Museum. We cross the Europe/Asia divide shortly after departure.

Day 12. Naadam Festival
We spend the day in Kazan, the beautiful capital of Tatarstan on the Volga River. Farewell dinner on the train as we depart overnight for Moscow. 

Day 13. Ulaan Baatar
Mid-morning arrival in Moscow. We spend the full day touring the amazing sites of this vibrant city, including Red Square and the Kremlin. We transfer to a five-star hotel for a one-night stay. We have a reception in St Basil’s Cathedral followed by the farewell dinner.

After a sumptuous breakfast in the hotel, free time in the rapidly-changing Russian capital brings our tour to an end (note that it is possible that the Kremlin visit could be this morning). Airport transfers provided for passengers connecting to international flights.

 
Included: accommodation on board the train; hotel accommodation as per itinerary; all meals starting with dinner on the first day, arrival/ departure transfers, all guided off train programmes; services of experienced tour leaders; complimentary tea, coffee, mineral water 24 hours a day; a doctor. The tour language is English. French, German, Spanish, Italian and Japanese speaking guides are available on request and at a supplement. 

Not included: airfares; charges of a personal nature; any optional excursions; drinks in the bar car; visa and excess luggage charges; insurance and laundry services.

You are welcome to travel by the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express to the BAM & along the Great Transsiberian Way!