Monkeyshrine Trans-Mongolian Railway: Beijing to Moscow including Mongolia, Lake Baikal, Ekaterinburg Osnova BM5 (UIE) 15 days

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1 Trans-Siberian Train Journeys Monkeyshrine Trans-Siberian Adventures 2018 Trans-Mongolian Railway: Beijing to Moscow including Mongolia, Lake Baikal, Ekaterinburg Osnova BM5 (UIE) 15 days

2 Trans-Mongolian Railway: Beijing to Moscow 15 day itinerary with tours in Mongolia, Irkutsk / Lake Baikal, Ekaterinburg and Moscow Code: OS-BM5 (UIE) from 1,595 Tour Introduction One of our most popular tours when restricted on time. Well balanced stopovers at the highlights along the Trans-Siberian route. On this 15 day trip you will sleep in a ger in Mongolia, explore the nature around Lake Baikal and tour the country side in the Ural Mountains! You will stay in comfortable guest houses, and finish up with a night in a hotel in Moscow. Route Beijing Ulaanbaatar & Mongolia s Open Steppe Irkutsk & Lake Baikal in Siberia Ekaterinburg & the Ural Mountains Moscow. Optional extension to St Petersburg. Dates All year round with departure dates from Beijing depending on a seasonal timetable. The best time to travel is from mid May to early October to enjoy the warmest weather. Train #23 departures from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar: -From June 2017 onwards, the Mongolian train leaves on Mondays. -From October 2017 until June 2018, the Chinese train leaves on Tuesdays. -From June 2018 onwards, we expect the Mongolian train to leave on Saturdays and the Chinese train on Tuesdays. It is also possible to depart on the weekly Wednesday train #3; this train runs between Beijing and Moscow and is generally available for shorter routes. Tours Hotels Trains Start the journey travelling past the Great Wall of China on the International Trans- Mongolian train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar (1 night) where you will head out Terelj National park and stay with a local family (1 night). Train from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk (1 night on board), excursion to the shore of Lake Baikal (2 nights). Russian train from Irkutsk to Ekaterinburg (2 nights on board), with central hostel (2 nights), before train journey (1 night) to Moscow. Arrival transfer, city tour and centrally located hotel (1 night) in Moscow. Tour Style Osnova [основа] is a Russian word meaning basis, base, framework, foundation, ground, or backbone. Osnova tours are budget friendly but combined with all the essentials for a comfortable trip. English speaking guides, local accommodation and most transfers included. Tour Includes Monkey info pack, local support, visa invitation documents Train tickets in standard second class four berth cabins, with option to upgrade to first class Mongolia: transfer to Terelj National Park, 2 nights at ger camp and local meals Lake Baikal: transfer to Listvyanka village, 2 nights guest house Ekaterinburg: transfer for 2 nights at central hostel Tour to country side and trip to Romanov Monastery Moscow: arrival transfer, 1 night hotel, guided city walking tour Cover Photo by ADS, June 2014

3 Trip Highlights» Trans-Mongolian train journey, travelling 7,621 km from Beijing to Moscow across two continents.» Remarkable scenery including the Great Wall, Gobi, Mongolian Open Steppe, the wide expanse of Siberia, countless rural villages and, of course, magical Lake Baikal.» Stay 2 nights in a traditional Mongolian ger in Terelj National Park. Hike or ride a horse in the national park.» Stay in a traditional wooden home on the shore of Lake Baikal with local food.» Visit the Ural Mountains and learn about the history of Tsars at the Romanov Monastery.» Comfortable and centrally located hotel in Moscow, with orientation city tour of this fascinating capital. Turtle Rock in Terelj. ADS, March 2015 Mongolia, Terelj. ADS, August 2009

4 Day to Day Itinerary Day 0 Arrival to Beijing We can book accommodation and tours in Beijing, as well as domestic train tickets around China in advance of your Trans-Mongolian train journey. Day 1 Beijing Train Meet at Beijing main station early morning for the start of your Trans-Mongolian train journey. The train meanders through the mountains north of Beijing and past the Great Wall, before arriving at the Chinese border town of Erlian. Day 2 Train to Ulaanbaatar UB Wake up to the sunrise of the Gobi and across the central Mongolian steppe. Visit the Mongolian dining car for a hearty breakfast. Border control. Stickman, August 1998 Terelj, Mongolia. Longe Anie, July 2010 Arrive to Ulaanbaatar (locally called UB) around 2:35pm and meet your driver on the station platform for the transfer to your guest house. You have time to explore Ulaanbaatar, e.g. visiting the Gandan Monastery, Sukhebaatar Square and Zaisan Memorial hill. Day 3 National Park After breakfast, meet your guide and drive out of UB to Terelj National Park (2 hrs). Settle in to your typical ger for 2 nights. During your time on the steppe you can visit the Genghis Khan monument or hike to nearby hills. Horse-riding can be arranged and paid for locally. (B) Day 5 Ulaanbaatar Train to Irkutsk Return to Ulaanbaatar. Transfer and departure at 3:22pm on train #305 to Irkutsk. The northern plains of Mongolia are very flat and the train travels along the meandering Orkhon river up to the border. Custom and immigration procedures are carried out on board the train before you head into Siberian Russia. (B) Day 6 Train to Irkutsk Listvyanka Afternoon arrival around 2:37pm and meet your local guide/driver on station platform for a transfer to Listvyanka, around one hour journey. Stay in a local wooden guesthouse for 2 nights. Omul fish, Listvyanka. ADS, June 2015 Day 7 Listvyanka Lake Baikal Free day to explore the town, the nature around

5 the lake, and the interesting local Lymnological museum. (B) Day 8 Listvyanka Irkutsk Return to Irkutsk by bus at your leisure. In Irkutsk you stay at the centrally located Angara hotel. (B) Lake Baikal, ADS with DJI drone, July 2015 Day 9 Irkutsk Train You should give Irkutsk at least a few hours to explore the wooden architecture. Irkutsk is an important staging post on the Trans-Siberian Railway, with an old centre which is very easy to navigate on foot with lovely Siberian wooden architecture and an amazing history of fires and rebuilding. Afternoon transfer to the station for onward departure on train #69 at 5pm to Ekaterinburg. (B) Day 10 On board train Spend the day relaxing in your comfortable cabin, enjoying the view of the Siberian taiga forest. Outside of Irkutsk the train winds around the Sayan mountains with some lovely views. Day 11 On board train Ekaterinburg The train stops around ten times per day, at cities such as Krasnoyarsk and Novosibirsk This is the mid Siberian railway, which was built between 1893 and 1898 crossing the great rivers Ob and Yenisei. Late arrival to Ekaterinburg around 10pm and transfer to central accommodation for 2 nights. Irkutsk. ADS July 2015 Ekaterinburg. ADS, August 2009 Day 12 Ekaterinburg Excursion Excursion to the Ural countryside, driving northwest of Ekaterinburg to the Monastery dedicated to the Romanov Tsar s family, now a well-known Russian Orthodox pilgrimage site. Learn about the fate of the last Tsar and how the Bolsheviks tried to hide the corpses in a secret grave. (B) Day 13 Ekaterinburg Train Free morning in Ekaterinburg. Visit the 1905 Revolution Square, Church of Spilled and the Chapel of St. Elizabeth, the Hill of Ascension, the Ural Museum of Minerals, statues of Ekaterinburg founders and communist leaders. Own transfer to the train station for departure on train either #67 at 1:36pm to Moscow, or #15/59 at 10:12am, or #37/29 at 2:18pm. (B)

6 Kremlin, Moscow. ADS, September 2009 State History Museum and Red Square, Nov Chris Ley Day 14 Train Moscow Watch from the windows as the views become more developed as you head towards the sprawling capital of Russia. Your overnight train journey terminates at Yaroslavsky station late afternoon around 5pm for #67, 4pm for #29/37, or 9:23am for #15/59. You will be met and transferred to your central hotel. Day 15 Moscow Meet your guide after breakfast and enjoy a great 3 hour orientation tour of Moscow city center. All our guides have their own personal itineraries and will visit many of the main sites, including: Tverskaya street and it s important buildings, Manezhnaya square, Marshal Zhukov monument, Lubyanka (former KGB building), Aleksandrovsky Gardens and of course the Red Square, St. Basil Cathedral and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. (B) Moscow Tour extension Moscow is world class in terms of attractions and we recommend to spend at least 3 days in Moscow and we have a number of city tours and tour extensions in the city, before moving on to St Petersburg or onward connections to Europe. Church of Spilled Blood, St Petersburg. ADS,

7 Moscow Spires

8 Monkeyshrine Trans-Siberian Tours Monkeyshrine is a registered trading name of The Russia Experience Ltd 1d, The Court Lanwades Business Park Kennett, Suffolk CB8 7PN, UK Fully bonded tour operator Member of the TTA #U3665 Skype: monkeyshrine Hong Kong: Beijing: UK: +44 (0)