Journey Itinerary Trans Mongolian Express Days Eastbound Countries Distance Activity level 21 St. Petersburg to Beijing Russia + Mongolia + China 8,514 km This is an amazing adventure for aspiring travellers seeking a great experience in a short time. Take in the highlights: Russia s greatest cities, remote Siberia, Mongolia and the Gobi Desert; and Beijing. Travel the rails with the Trans Siberian and Trans Mongolian railways. "A well planned, trip. Excellent guide with good communication skills. Sights seen, all as imagined and more. From Bolshi Ballet in Moscow, Trans Siberian Express walking through carriages to the dinning car. Walking in snow flakes in Irkutsk, eating smoked fish on beach at Lake Baikal, to Peking Duck in Beijing. All to be remembered" - Lynette Clayton, Australia Sundowners Overland - Trans Mongolian Express Page 1 of 5
Itinerary Days 1-3: St. Petersburg Your adventure begins in St. Petersburg where you will be amazed how well the city fathers have preserved the 18th century architecture. It s a city of canals, standing resplendent on the Neva River. The gilded halls of the Hermitage Museum are hung with the works of Da Vinci, Rembrandt and many others of the great masters, during our stay we see these magnificent treasures with our own eyes!. Join your Tour Leader and fellow travellers on Day 1 at 5:00pm for your pre-departure meeting as detailed on your joining instructions. Sightseeing - Day 2 Half Day City Tour, City Exploring and free time. Optional activity: Evening performance, Day 3 Hermitage Museum and Palace Square, City Exploring and free time Meals - Day 2 Breakfast, Day 3 - Breakfast Day 4: St. Petersburg and to Moscow Further explore this luxurious city with richly filled palaces and museums, wide boulevards and Venice-like canals before joining the overnight express to Moscow Your epic journey is underway! Sightseeing - City Exploring and free time. Days 5-6: Welcome to the Capital Moscow We arrive into the capital mid-morning allowing us ample time to discover the wonderfully diverse monuments and spectacles on offer. These days the national capital is fairly buzzing with activity, but Red Square is much more sedate, with the colourful onion shaped domes of St. Basil s Cathedral, and the Kremlin watching over it. In the 1970 s a wooden spiral staircase was discovered within the walls of St. Basil s, you can now take this route into the central church, with its extraordinary, soaring tented roof and a fine 16th Century iconostasis. Getting around this city is easy and an experience in itself as you discover the amazingly palatial metro rail system draped in chandeliers, mosaics and baroque bas-reliefs, as we ride the metro together. Perhaps you ll use this vast underground rail network to see other parts of the city in your free time. Sightseeing - Day 5 City Tour including Red Square and St. Basil s Cathedral, City Exploring and free time. Day 6 Excursion to Kremlin including Armoury Chambers and entrance to 2 cathedrals, City Exploring and free time. Optional activity: Evening performance Meals - Day 6 Breakfast Days 7-10: Aboard the Trans Siberian Railway Late this evening we board the Trans Siberian Railway in Moscow and travel east via the Ural Mountains, which divide Europe from Asia, and cross the Irtysh and Ob rivers en route to Irkutsk and Lake Baikal deep in Siberia. During your time on board there s a great opportunity to pass the time getting to know some of the Russian passengers. Meals - Day 7 Breakfast Sundowners Overland - Trans Mongolian Express Page 2 of 5
Itinerary (cont.) Days 11-12: Arrive Irkutsk and to Lake Baikal After our evening arrival into Irkutsk we transfer to Lake Baikal, the world s largest freshwater lake, where we will enjoy a two-night interlude at nearby Listvyanka on the shores of the lake. A perfect picturesque location to relax and take in the area s beautiful wooden church and nearby Limnological Museum. Sightseeing - Day 12 Excursion to Limnological Museum, City Exploring and free time. Meals - Day 12 Breakfast & Lunch Day 13: Return to Irkutsk Irkutsk made its fame as a stopping place on the caravan route from China and for many years was home to exiled aristocracy from Russia s west. On a walking tour this afternoon you will visit the homes of the Decembrists, the St. Petersburg radicals dispatched here in 1825, before settling in for our final night in Siberia. Sightseeing - Day 13 - Museum of Wooden Architecture, Walking City Tour including Local History Museum, City Exploring and free time Meals - Day 13 - Breakfast Day 14: Aboard the Trans Mongolian Railway Early this morning we climb back aboard our train bound for Mongolia! Settle into life on board with your fellow travelling companions. As the train leaves Irkutsk you will skirt the shores of the magnificent Lake Baikal, before entering the mountains that border Mongolia to our next stop, Ulaanbaatar. Meals - Day 14 - Breakfast Day 15: Hello Mongolia! As day breaks you will be greeted with classic scenes of ger-dotted steppe and the occasional yak before we arrive into Ulaanbaatar early in the morning. The capital displays ancient Buddhist origins, echoes of its days as a Soviet satellite nation, and modern development with shiny new apartment blocks where the more affluent citizens live. Recent arrivals from the countryside opt for the cheaper and traditional gers which abound in some areas. After breakfast we visit Zaisan Memorial where Soviet soldiers are honoured and from which the entire city can be seen. Another highlight today is witnessing Gandan Khiid Monastery where you can mingle with Buddhist monks and view the massive 25 metre statue of Megid Janraisig - the lord who looks in every direction. In the afternoon, we ll travel out across the grasslands to Terelj National Park where we will spend the night in a traditional ger and get a taste of the life of Mongolia s nomads. Sightseeing - Gandaan Khiid Monastery, Zaisan Memorial, Excursion to Turtle Rock and Monastery, visit a nomadic family. & dinner Sundowners Overland - Trans Mongolian Express Page 3 of 5
Itinerary (cont.) Day 16: Terelj National Park and Ulaanbaatar After a morning in the Mongolian wilderness, we return to Ulaanbaatar for our final night in the capital. We ll spend the most part of the afternoon exploring this fascinating capital, visiting the National History Museum for an interesting insight into Mongolian history and culture including real examples of 12th century Mongol armour. In the evening, we have the opportunity to listen to unique Mongolian throat singing at an evening cultural performance (optional) - it truly is amazing! Sightseeing - Genghis Khan Statue, Ulaanbaatar City Tour including National History Museum and Sukhbaatar Square, City Exploring and free time,optional activity: Evening Performance Day 17: Across the Gobi Desert To Beijing All aboard for our final train journey on the Trans Mongolian Railway! Early this morning we return to the railway station to meet the Beijing express train that will take us across the Mongolian steppe and Gobi Desert into China. At the Mongolian border town of Dzamin Ude we pause for border formalities and the train s bogies are changed, quite a sight to behold, before we continue towards Beijing. Days 18-21: Beijing Around midday your journey will bring you to China s bustling Imperial City, where there are copious amounts of sights to see and thing to do. Over the next three days we have ample time to explore famous Tiananmen Square and Temple of Heaven, feast on many tasty morsels at the local markets and of course take an excursion out into the countryside to walk the Great Wall of China that stretches 10,000 li (around 5000 km) across the distant hills. Sightseeing - Day 18 City Exploring and free time. Day 19 Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven and the Forbidden City, Day 20 Exploring and free time, Excursion to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, OPTIONAL: evening performance. Meals - Day 19 Breakfast, Day 20 Breakfast, Day 21 - Breakfast. Sundowners Overland - Trans Mongolian Express Page 4 of 5
What's included Group size 15 maximum Meals 13 breakfasts 1 dinner Transfers All transfers including to and from the airport. Accommodation 10 hotels (twin share) 2 nights Siberian Guesthouse (twin share) 1 night Mongolian Ger (shared) 7 nights train (shared 4-berth) Sightseeing Comprehensive schedule of sightseeing with certified Local Guides. You ll have a generous sprinkling of free time to relax or explore on your own. Expertise An experienced Tour Leader accompanies the whole journey to keep your adventure on track. Local Guides are native to each destination and as certified professionals will share their immense knowledge with you. 24/7 support is available in the office and on the ground. Contact Us Client enquiries and reservations Australia: 1300 559 860 New Zealand: 0800 770 156 UK: 0208 877 7657 Europe: +44 208 877 7657 Worldwide: +61 3 9672 5386 travel@sundownersoverland.com Travel agent enquiries and reservations Australia: 1300 559 860 New Zealand: 0800 770 156 UK: 0208 877 7657 Europe: +44 208 877 7657 Worldwide: +61 3 9672 5386 agentsales@sundownersoverland.com Client enquiries and reservations Level 1, 51 Queen Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 Australia T: +61 3 9672 5300 www.sundownersoverland.com Sundowners Overland - Trans Mongolian Express Page 5 of 5