Russia
| country: | Russia |
| departures: | This trip is no longer running |
| price: | From £3351 (17 days) including flights from the UK, from £2401 excluding flights. Single supplement £415 |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
An offbeat journey into a rarely visited part of Russia; average fitness is required you should be prepared for a limited tourist infrastructure and surprised locals! Expect some lengthy train journeys which are an integral part of this fascinating journey.
Lake Baikal & the 'BAM':
From the 'Paris of Siberia', Irkutsk, we traverse the length of blue Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake (1637m), by hydrofoil. On the northern shore we visit picturesque Baikalskoe, an ancient fishing village with shamanic roots, it was home to the indigenous Evenki people long before the arrival of the Russians. It is from nearby Severobaikalsk that our journey of discovery through the BAM zone commences.
Siberian Heartlands:
We journey across a vast wilderness of taiga forest and mountain ranges, past remote settlements, through tunnels and across permafrost to Tynda; headquarters of the BAM, a branch line south from here joins the better known Trans-Siberian. A giant sculpture, 'Worker with the Sledge Hammer' stands testament to the thousands; idealistic communists, conscripted troops, opportunists and prisoners, who toiled on the railways epic construction.
Russia's Far East:
We stop at Komsomolsk on the banks of the River Amur. A former industrial showcase it harbours dark secrets from the Stalin era; we discover deserted gulags, a sombre memorial to the victims of political repression. Not far from the border with China, the booming town of Khabarovsk comes as a something of a culture shock. We take a boat on the Amur and hope to spend time with some Russian families. Finally we reach our journey's end at the cosmopolitan port of Vladivostok. Set amongst a series of peaks on Golden Horn Bay, it is home to ice-breakers and the Russian Fleet.
Lake Baikal & the 'BAM':
From the 'Paris of Siberia', Irkutsk, we traverse the length of blue Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake (1637m), by hydrofoil. On the northern shore we visit picturesque Baikalskoe, an ancient fishing village with shamanic roots, it was home to the indigenous Evenki people long before the arrival of the Russians. It is from nearby Severobaikalsk that our journey of discovery through the BAM zone commences.
Siberian Heartlands:
We journey across a vast wilderness of taiga forest and mountain ranges, past remote settlements, through tunnels and across permafrost to Tynda; headquarters of the BAM, a branch line south from here joins the better known Trans-Siberian. A giant sculpture, 'Worker with the Sledge Hammer' stands testament to the thousands; idealistic communists, conscripted troops, opportunists and prisoners, who toiled on the railways epic construction.
Russia's Far East:
We stop at Komsomolsk on the banks of the River Amur. A former industrial showcase it harbours dark secrets from the Stalin era; we discover deserted gulags, a sombre memorial to the victims of political repression. Not far from the border with China, the booming town of Khabarovsk comes as a something of a culture shock. We take a boat on the Amur and hope to spend time with some Russian families. Finally we reach our journey's end at the cosmopolitan port of Vladivostok. Set amongst a series of peaks on Golden Horn Bay, it is home to ice-breakers and the Russian Fleet.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Irkutsk. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Irkutsk. |
| Day 3: | City tour; drive Listvyanka, visit ecology museum and village. |
| Day 4: | Hydrofoil to Severobaikalsk; drive Gelendzhekit. |
| Day 5: | Visit hot springs and Baikalskoe village. |
| Day 6-7: | Train across Siberian heartlands to Tynda. |
| Day 8: | Visit BAM museum and Evenki village. |
| Day 9-10: | Free day in Tynda; train to Komsomolsk. |
| Day 11: | Arrive Komsomolsk, tour city, visit gulags. |
| Day 12: | Drive Khabarovsk via Nanay settlement. |
| Day 13: | AM tour town; PM cruise on Amur River, dinner with Russian families. |
| Day 14: | In Khabarovsk; overnight train to Vladivostok. |
| Day 15: | Arrive Vladivostok; tour including arboretum and harbour. |
| Day 16: | Free day. |
| Day 17: | Fly London. |
small group cultural tours
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends it's good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as experiencing new cultures.award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society and BBC World News.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Community:
This part of Russia is little visited by western tourists so the small tourism businesses we use really benefit from our visit; be they locally owned restaurants, hotels and guesthouses, boat operators, local transport providers or simply the vendors who ply their goods at the rail stops. All get our support. You’ll get a real and authentic insight into Siberian culture on this tour. Travel by train is, of course a great way to get a feel for a country and meet local people but there are many more opportunities on this trip as we have included visits to Russian family homes which is a rare privilege and gives you the chance to sample hearty home cooking! Naturally we only want to visit where we are welcome so such visits are planned with the consent of local people who wish to share some of their life with others, for everyone’s benefit. We use local guides, generating employment and giving you information not just on the local history but a perspective on life in modern day Russia too. Environment: Through all the debate over the relative environmental merits of different forms of transport, it is generally accepted that rail travel is a lower carbon option than flying. Conscious of our impact on the environment, many of our rail tours eliminate flights completely from the itinerary, whilst others minimise flying by choose to travelling one-way by rail. Furthermore, by opting to travel on public trains we are drastically reducing the reliance on privately chartered transport within our tours. All travel has impacts. We are confident this tour keeps those to a minimum. As well as the above, we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |