The Trans Siberian Railway & Naadam Festival Moscow to UlaanBaatar ( Eastbound )
A cultural tour of Russia & Mongolia

The longest and most famous railway journey in the world, the Trans Siberian traverses Russia from Europe to the Orient. Changing time zones and the urgency to arrive are lost in the soothing gait of the rails and the comfort of our cars. Eric Newby summed it best in his book, The Big Red Train Ride, "There is no railway journey of comparable length anywhere in the world.The Trans Siberian is the big train ride. All the rest are peanuts." We culminate this journey viewing the many Mongolian cultural activities at the world famous Naadam festival.

Day 01: Arrive Moscow
Dobro pozhalovat'! (Welcome in Russian) As we arrive at Moscow airport, we are welcomed and transferred to our hotel. Reception & welcome dinner.
Overnight: Hotel Metropol, Moscow (1 night) (D)

Day 02: Moscow
A full day touring Moscow including Red Square and the Kremlin. We board our awaiting Trans- Siberian Express private train for an evening departure.
Overnight: On Board (08 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 03: On Board
A full day on our train, allowing you time to settle in and enjoy the relaxed pace on board our moving ‘hotel on wheels’. (B, L, D)

Day 04: Yekaterinburg
We cross from Europe into Asia prior to our arrival in Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Urals. Home of the exiled Romanovs, today’s tour includes a visit to the execution site and a tour of the Urals Mineralogical Museum. (B, L, D)

Day 05: Novosibirsk
We stopover in Novosibirsk where we visit the Opera House, Lenin Square and the Ob River, which flows 3,500 miles from its source to the Arctic. (B, L, D)

Day 06: On Board
Enjoy the relaxed pace on board the train as we head east through the Sayan Mountains, passing Novokuznetsk and Abakan. Time permitting we stop in Abakan. (B, L, D)

Day 07: Irkutsk
Morning arrival in Irkutsk, known as the ‘Paris of Siberia,’and for its wooden architecture. Our city tour takes in the major attractions. Free time in the afternoon to explore the local market. (B, L, D)

Day 08: Lake Baikal
A spectacular part of the journey, today is spent winding our way through tunnels and cliffs along the edge of the world’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Baikal. We stop enroute for a barbeque at the lake’s edge and continue on to the village of Listvyanka, where our tour includes the Limnological Institute. (B, L, D)

Day 09: Ulan Ude
Morning arrival in Ulan Ude, capital of the Buryat Republic. Our tour includes the colourful Buddhist Temple in nearby Ivolginsk and a trip to the Village of Old Believers. (B, L, D)

Day 10: Ulaanbaatar
Morning arrival in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaan Baatar. We visit the Gandam Monastery before we transfer to our hotel for a three-night stay. Free time to explore this bustling centre of activity, as the Mongols prepare for their country’s big day. The option of a trip to the nearby Gorkhi-Terelj National Park is available.
Overnight: Hotel, Ulaanbaatar (3 nights) (B, L, D)

Day 11: Ulaanbaatar
Full day in Ulaan Baatar for the celebrated Naadam Festival. An important event for the Mongolians, this day is the major holiday in their annual calendar. A festive atmosphere pervades the capital as wishes of ‘Happy Naadam’ are exchanged amongst friends. Events featured today include the Opening Ceremony, archery and the 33-km horse race. (B, L, D)

Day 12: Ulaanbaatar
A half day at the Naadam Festival which includes wrestling and the Closing Ceremony. Options include a city tour, which features the various Monasteries and the National Museum or Natural History Museum.
(B, L, D)

Day 13: Depart Ulaanbaatar
Breakfast in the hotel with transfers to Ulaan Baatar airport for flight departures. (B)

We offer two classes of sleeping car accommodation on our trains. First class and Deluxe class.

First class offers comfortable accommodation in air-conditioned cars with nine twin-berth compartments, all fitted with lower berths on the Trans Siberian Express, and eight twin-berth compartments, upper / lower, on the China Orient Express. The beds convert into comfortable sofas for daytime travel and there is ample space for luggage storage under the beds and in a recess above the corridor. Clothes hangers are provided and the cars are well appointed with mirrors, bedside table, reading lamps and space for the storage of small items. On the China Orient Express a washbasin and shower is shared between adjacent compartments. On the Trans Siberian Express there is a completely separate shower car. A washroom / toilet is located at each end of every sleeping car, one of which contains a chemical WC for the convenience of passengers' use during station stops.

Deluxe class on the Trans Siberian Express offers luxurious accommodation that equals or surpasses the best luxury trains in the world today. Each car provides four compartments, each of which can be configured for double, twin or single occupancy. Every cabin has its own en-suite shower and WC, together with audio system and DVD / VCR with latest flat screen plasma television, air-conditioning with individual climate control, a wardrobe for clothes, and space for luggage storage. There is also a small bar / lounge for the exclusive use of the passengers in each car. In China there are no fully en-suite cars available, but the China Orient Express offers the best accommodation available. The cars are the same as the first class sleeping cars, with eight compartments sharing a washroom and shower between adjacent compartments. A washroom / toilet is located at each end of every sleeping car. In deluxe class couples will be allocated two compartments with a washroom between, singles will share the washroom with another single.

The restaurant car(s) will serve three meals per day (except where meals are taken off the train) and each sleeping car will have two attendants who provide tea and coffee throughout the tour and make up the beds each night during dinner. A Bar Car will also be included in the formation of both trains.

We do not operate a 'fixed formation' train, we vary the composition to suit the number of passengers. Maximum capacity is 96 passengers and we generally expect to run each departure with a minimum of 64 passengers. A typical train formation for 64 passengers is 13 cars, comprising First class sleeping cars, Deluxe class sleeping cars, Restaurant and Bar cars, Shower car (Trans Siberian Express only), Staff, Generator and Office cars, with a total staff complements of around 40-60. These are comfortable, well appointed modern trains, ideal for your long journey through China and Russia.

For more information/pictures of the train (Russian portion) please feel free to download/view the following images:
Train Facilities 1, Train Facilities 2, Restaurant & Bar Car Facilities, Sleeping Car Facilities

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Departure Dates

2008 English Speaking Departures Jul 01, 2008

Inclusions

Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Hotel/Train Accommodation as mentioned International Airfare Meal Plan as mentioned with Drinks/Beverages during meals Airport/Departure Taxes Regional/Domestic Air/Trainfare as required Travel Insurances All Sightseeing and Transfers Visa Fees Entrance Fees to Museums and Sites Bar Drinks/Beverages Local Guides Tips/Gratuities to Drivers & Guides Porterage   Visa Support as required

Tour Price

We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.

Departure (2008) Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement Silver Class US $ 10305 • CA $ 10305 US $ 4125 • CA $ 4125 Gold Class US $ 12365 • CA $ 12365 US $ 5155 • CA $ 5155 Special Note: Silver Class (Twin share): Deposit for this particular tour will be $ 2060.00 per person. Gold Class   (Twin share): Deposit for this particular tour will be $ 2580.00 per person. Final tour payment is due no later than 90 days prior.

Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour

Canada - West Coast CA $ 1800 USA - West Coast US $ 1600 Canada - East Coast CA $ 2000 USA - East Coast US $ 1800

Participants

This tour operates on a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 116 participants.

Notes

Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.