trip details for russia & mongolia overland (XPB)

*view movie
Click here to see a video of life on the road.

We hope you enjoy this video of life on the road. This video may not be of this trip you are looking at but should give you an idea of what life is like on a Dragoman Overland journeys in this region of the world.

This film requires a Macromedia Flash 8 Player.

is this trip for me?

Route: Helsinki to Beijing or v.v.

Length of Section: 11 Weeks

Profile: Commencing our trip in the historic city of Helsinki, we travel overland across the giant landmass of Asia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China. We travel south across Russia, bound for the steppes of Kazakhstan and the shrinking Aral Sea before entering the wild Tian Shan range - the 'Mountains of Heaven'. We camp in Siberia's Altai before crossing into Mongolia to stay in a traditional yurt (or 'ger') with nomadic reindeer herders. From here it's a stunning overland trip across the forbidding Gobi Desert to China, visiting the Great Wall at Mutianyu before heading to Beijng and journey's end.

Comfort Zone: 5 out of 5 [explain comfort zone rating]

Physical Rating: 5 out of 6 [explain physical rating]

Crew: 2 Dragoman crew and 1 local crew.

Vehicle: Classic Dragoman truck.

Accommodation: Good quality 3 star through to small guesthouses with some Yurt/Ger tent homestays. Plenty of wild camping. (50% camping, 50% hotels)

what's included?

Week 1: The European Capitals:

2 nights to explore ambient city of Helsinki
2 or 3 night stay in St Petersburg incl. city tour
2 nights in the ancient Russian city of Novgorod

Week 2: The Golden Ring & Volga:

Visit to the majestic town of Vladimir, capital of the Rus kingdom
2 nights in and around the fairytale town of Suzdal
2 nights in Russia�s 'third capital', Nizhny Novgorod
3 nights in the capital Moscow incl. city tour

Week 3: Russian & Kazakh Steppe:

2 night stay in Kazan, the capital of Tartarstan
Overland journey across the Russian and Kazakh steppe
2 nights on the banks of the Volga in Samara

Week 4: Kazakh Steppe & southern Kazakhstan :

Visit to the ancient 10th Century ruined city of Sauren
Visit Aral and if possible see the eerie discarded ships left from the retreated Aral Sea
Overland into southern Kazakhstan
2 nights to explore the Islamic blue-domed Khanate of Turkestan
Travel through the stunning Tian Shan of the Aksu-Dzhabagly NP

Week 5: Southern Kazakhstan:

3 nights for culture, clubs and R&R in the big smoke of Almaty
Overland through the Tian Shan and Altai Shan Mountains

Week 6: Tian Shan & Altai Shan Mts:

Wild camping in remote mountain scenery
Explore the stunning Siberian Altai Mountains

Week 7: Southern Siberia & Mongolia:

Cross the border into the remote lands of Mongolia's Altai Mountains
Journey through the lake district of northern Mongolia, wild camping at night
Wild camping in remote areas, often beside stunning lakes

Week 8: Northern Mongolian Lakes:

3 nights at stunning Huvsgul Lake
Journey through Mongolia�s most stunning wilderness
2 night ger (yurt) homestay with the Tsaatan nomads and their reindeer herds

Week 9: Ghenghis Khan Country:

Visit to the Khorgo-Terkhiin Tsagaan Lake and Volcano NP
Hiking at the Tsenher hot springs

Week 10: Gobi Desert:

Mongolian ger (yurt) homestay and explore the Yolin Am Iced Valley
Overland across the vast Gobi Desert
Mongolian ger (yurt) homestay and camel trekking at Khongorin Els
Journey along the Orhon River

Week 11: Gobi Desert & Inner Mongolian Grasslands:

Enter China in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia
Explore the Ming Tombs
Overland across the grasslands and plains of the southern Gobi
Time to visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu

what can I do on the way?

(Activities available at extra costs)

Hermitage entrance and tour
Visit the ballet in St Petersburg or Moscow (if tickets available)
Kremlin entrance
Tour around Russian Cosmodrome at Baikonur if time and permits allow
Ride horses with Kazakh or Mongol nomads
Ride camels in the Gobi Desert
Explore the Ming Tombs
Guided visits to the Summer Palace & Forbidden City in Beijing

notes:

General notes: Kitty does not cover food while staying in hotels or hostels. Because of its nature, this itinerary may vary.

We strongly recommend that you contact Real Russia (our Russian agent) with regard to obtaining visas for this trip. Please click the relevant link below which will take you to Real Russia's own website and information.

EASTBOUND TRIPS VISA NOTES:
Please click here to go to the Real Russia website for all the visa notes for this trip.

WESTBOUND TRIPS VISA NOTES:
Please click here to go to the Real Russia website for all the visa notes for this trip.

This is another Dragoman Overland first, a Silk Road adventure with a difference; it's overland adventure travel at its most pioneering. If you are after an adventure holiday and you are one of the lucky few who can get 11 weeks off from work, then sign up now for this great adventure. We will travel Central Asia and the northern Silk Road from Helsinki through to Beijing. Russia adventure travel is only just in it's infancy and so you will have to take the rough with the smooth especially when we explore the Altai Shan Mountains in Kazakhstan, Siberia and Mongolia. If you are into walking holidays, you should be aware that this is primarily an overland journey, but there will be time for trekking in both the Altai and the Tian Shan mountains. Homestay holidays are becoming very popular and this trip is a series of homestay adventures. We will stay with Kazakhs, Mongols, reindeer herders and traditional hunters. A Yurt homestay is a great way to experience the lifestyles of the semi nomadic and nomadic peoples whose land we will travel through. For those unsure of what a yurt is, it is a traditional Central Asian circular tent built on a semi permanent wooden frame. As we travel across the region it's name will change from yurt, yurta, gert and finally to the Mongolian Ger, but what's in a name. For us the joy is meeting the people and our style of adventure tour must have this community involvement. This is part of our ethos and understanding of responsible tourism. This is an exploratory journey with a flexible itinerary, which will vary. We will travel through a range of temperatures from European Russia, Siberia and hot deserts of Central Asia.