Trans-Mongolian Journey Russian - Mongolia - China (13 days)

Arrive in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China. You'll be greeted at the airport and escorted to 4* hotel.

We will visit the Summer Palace located on the western outskirts of Haidian District. The palace dates back to the 1150s when Chinese fourth ruler ordered the construction.

On the way to the Summer Palace, you will have an opportunity to photograph the spectacular Bird's Nest Stadium. The stadium is full of hidden symbolism and it is hailed as the finest arena in the world.

Overnight at Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing Hotel. (L)

Today, we will visit Tiananmen Square, located at the center of Beijing City, where you can visit Mao Zedong Memorial Hall and other interesting sights.

Then we will visit Forbidden City which is full of complex of immovable palace buildings. The Palace Museum houses over 1.5 million items or sets of relics such as paintings, calligraphy, weapons carried by guards of honor.

The Temple of Heaven is our next destination for today. The temple in the southern part of Beijing is China's largest existing complex of ancient sacrificial buildings. It was built in 1420 for emperors to worship the Heaven.

Overnight at Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing Hotel. (B+L)

After breakfast, we will visit the Great Wall at Mutianyu section which is one of the best-preserved and best-known Great Wall sections. Compared with the top-notch Badaling, Great Wall at Mutianyu is less crowded, thus a good destination on hot holidays for a Great Wall tour at ease.

Then we will visit Ming Tombs scenic area, where the mausoleums of thirteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) lie. This is the best-preserved mausoleum area with the most emperors buried.

Overnight at Park Plaza Beijing Wangfujing Hotel. (B+L)

After breakfast, you will be transferred to the railway station for your train to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Overnight on the train. (B)

Arrive in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. We will pick you up from the train station.

After checking in to your hotel, take a city sightseeing tour including a visit the Gandan Monastery and National Museum of Mongolia, where you will see artifacts from Mongolia and Central Asia from the Stone Age to the present.

Walk through the Sukhbaatar Square and photograph the surroundings.

Overnight at Bayangol Hotel. (L+D)  

In the morning, meet with your guide at the hotel lobby and drive to Mongol Nomadic Show. It demonstrates the traditional living way of real Mongolian nomads and their culture.

After lunch, drive to Khustai National Park to see Takhi, the Asian wild horse. If you have a chance, see a wolf, argali sheep, and deer. Visit Takhi's information center and enjoy small hiking and photographing the charming landscape and wildlife.

Overnight at the Hustai ger camp. (B+L+D) 

After breakfast, drive to Giant Chinggis Khaan statue. The total height of the statue is 40m and as farsighted Chinggis Khaan holds a golden whip in his right hand.

Then drive to Terelj National Park which incorporates parts of Khentii Mountain Range. You'll explore the extraordinary formation of rocks and stones; some of them look quite similar to turtles.

Lunch is a real authentic Mongolian barbecue, prepared in the traditional style with hot stones. Horseback riding trail for an hour in the park.

Overnight at Terelj Lodge ger camp. (B+L+D)  

Today, you will be taken to souvenir and cashmere stores before enjoying a National Folklore concert.

Then you will be transferred to the railway station for your evening train to Irkutsk, Russia.

Overnight on the train. (B+L)

Stay on the train for the whole day. Meet others, make friends and share memories. This is one of the reasons why a lot of people dream of and take the Trans-Siberian trains. 

Overnight on the train. (No Meals)

After breakfast, enjoy a car trip to Listvyanka, where you will visit a local Baikal museum that has a set of aquariums which include the Baikal Nerpa seal! Your guide will then show you the famous Shaman Rock and retell the legend of the unpredictable Angara River.

Then, you will take a chairlift up to a nearby viewpoint. Enjoy an afternoon walk around Listvyanka and lunch with Baikal cuisine, and visit the local 19th century wooden St. Nicolas church and the local fish market where you’ll see a great variety of local fish. Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight at Mayak Hotel. (B+L+D)

Today, we will visit the wooden architecture museum “Taltsy”. In this museum, you will see the settlements of indigenous Siberian people of the 17th-20th centuries.

Some of the buildings presented in the museum were brought there from the villages flooded after the building of the Irkutsk dam. Lunch at a local restaurant with Baikal cuisine. Transfer to Irkutsk and have dinner at the hotel.

Overnight at the Marriott Hotel. (B+L+D)

After breakfast, you will be driven to Ust-Orda village to meet the Buryat Shaman. The Buryats are native Siberians who closely resemble Mongolians; in terms of religion, the Buryats are divided into shamanists and Buddhists.

The Shaman will show you rituals and for a moment will also let you take part. Then, you will visit the museum of the Buryat nation. After that, enjoy lunch with traditional Buryat cuisine. Then, return to Irkutsk.

Overnight at the Marriott Hotel. (B+L+D)

Enjoy a 2-hour city tour by car, starting at the historical part of the city: Epiphany Cathedral, the oldest stone-structure Church of our Savior and the only Catholic Cathedral in Irkutsk, the Polish Roman Catholic Church.

The tour leads you to go through Kirov Square and Angara river embankment, where stands the monument to Alexander III. This is the place where young people of the city hang out, and you will have a chance to see “the youth culture” of Irkutsk.

Transfer from the hotel to the railway station or airport for your departure from Irkutsk/Russia. (B)