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Enthralling travel into the conservation area corners of the Western Sayan (Southern Siberia), in the country of severe mountains, blue lakes, roaring rivers with hyaline water, the kingdom of animals and birds, in the country where the ways of ancient peoples and religious cults crossed.
• You’ ll visit the Sayan & Shushensky biosphere conservation area where the powerful Yenisei breaks through the mountains with a deep valley. The conservation area is unique because the flora and fauna of Altay, Sayan Mountains and Mongolia are closely interconnected. It’s one of the few regions in Russia where a snow leopard, an Altay snowcock, a Siberian ibex, a red dog, a manul cat (all those species are listed in the Red Book), as well the most southern specie of northern deer can be still found. The main value of the conservation area includes the unlimited forests of Siberian cedar.
• Then the travel across the picturesque vast of the ancient Tuva expects you. It’s the geographic center of Asia, the junction of the largest caravan roads from China and India to Europe including tea and silk ones. You will get acquainted with the life of Tuvinians, saint springs and worship places, listen to unique guttural singing. At the conservation area “Ubsunurskaya pan” declared to be the World Heritage Area, you will find yourself at the intersection of the most different landscapes of the Earth – from sand steppes up to mountainous taiga, see camels and yaks.
• You will get acquainted with the life of the Russian village at the end of XIX century (settlement of Shushenskoe), listen to ancient chants of old believers,,see the famous archaeological monuments of Khakassia, contemporaries of the ancient Egyptian pyramids.
Type: recreation & cognitive
Region: Western Sayan Mountains (Western Siberia)
Service: Full complex including accommodation, three meals (by cooker), transport service, services of guides and cicerones, attendance of conservations areas etc.
Tour Difficulty Level: Accessible to any adult without serious physical limitations. Children from 10 years shall be admitted. Pedestrian excursions of different difficulty levels depending on your wishes.
Accommodation: Hotel with conveniences – 1 days, cordons of conservation area – 5 days, Tuvinian yurts on the lake shore – 4 days, “exotic hotel” (guest yurts under Khakassia style, biotoilets, warm water) - 3 days
Tour Program:
Day 1: Arrival in Abakan by air. Transfer to the settlement of Shushenskoe (1 hour). Hotel accommodation. Meeting with the employees of Sayan & Shushensky biosphere conservation area, attendance of its visit-center and nature museum. Attendance of theatricalized performance at the Shushenskoe-based historical & ethnographic museum where the Siberian village of the end of the past century – peasants’ farmsteads, cantonal executive, trade establishments – is kept practically unchanged. Acquaintance with the conditions of life and household activities of Siberians, their traditions, folk crafts, art. Hotel sleeping accommodation (rooms with conveniences for two persons).
Day 2: Excursion along the picturesque ecological path of the national park “Shushensky Pinery” through alpine meadows and mountainous taiga. Bass jig fishing. Dinner and sleeping accommodation at the cordon of Sayan & Shushensky conservation area. A mini water power plant is installed at the cordon and after dinner you will be able to listen to music, to go fishing, to attend the Russian bash combined with reservoir bathing.
Day 3-4: Travel by a motor ship along the eastern coast of Sayan & Shushensky biosphere conservation area combined with mountain walks. Depending on the weather and luck one can see a bear, a red deer, a roe from the ship board. The Sayan & Shushensky conservation area is the only place where Siberian mountainous goats Capricorn may be always practically seen. One can look-see and video shoot the bunches of those rare animals for hours. You will get acquainted with the work of conservation area employees, go on excursion “Curative plants of Sayan Mountains”. Having descended the mountain it’s good to attend the Russian bash and wash oneself in cold water, and then to drink sweet herb drawn tea. Fishing, recreation near the fire. Sleeping accommodation at the cordons of the conservation area.
Day 5: Continuance of travel by a motor ship with radial visits to the mountains. Walk to the curative spring “Arzhaan”. Unshipping the shore within the territory of Tuva. Attendance of nomads tent (yurt), acquaintance with the life of Tuvinians, dinner. Entertainment program, famous Tuvinian guttural singing.
Day 6: Bus transfer to the capital of the Republic of Tuva, city of Kizyl (3 hours). Review of obelisk “Asia’s center”. Transfer to the conservation area "Ubsunurskaya pan” following the picturesque road along the river Yenisey (250 km). Dinner –acquaintance with national cuisine. Sleeping accommodation at the specially prepared yurts near the lake of Tore-Kholj.
Day 7: Conservation area "Ubsunurskaya pan”. Excursion to the sands of Tsugeer-Els. You will admire the prospect of sand steppes, will get acquainted with their dwellers. Excursion to the mountainous part of the conservation area. You will see the colony of mountainous goose, a lot of swimming birds, as well harpies – steppe eagles, falcons etc. More than 100 ancient barrows, rocks with petroglyphs are located there. Yurt-based sleeping accommodation.
Day 8: Excursion to the saint mountain Ak-Khayirakan, then to taiga and tundra zone of the conservation area (93 km). Yurt-based dinner and sleeping accommodation.
Day 9: Lake-based recreation, birds watching closely at the yurts. You will visit the family of conservation area employees, will listen to amateur concert with guttural singing, national costumes. Yurt-based dinner and sleeping accommodation.
Day 10: Transfer to the settlement of Erzin. Attendance of buddhistic temple, stone carving shop, conservation area office. Transfer to Kizyl. Attendance of regional museum named after 60 heroes, concert of children’s folk ensemble. Theatricalized shaman’s quacking. Hotel-based dinner and sleeping accommodation at yurts on shore of the river Yenisey
Day 11: Transfer to Oisky pass (ridge of Ergaky). These places are properly called the “Heart of Sayan Mountains", because it’s just here the main sights are concentrated: magnificent mountain heads, quaint passes, picturesque waterfalls and mountainous lakes. Tracking. Tent-based sleeping accommodation
Day 12: Tracking in Ergaky. Tent camp-based sleeping accommodation
Note. Depending on your wish the sleeping accommodation may be arranged at comfortable yurts at the natural & archaeological conservation area Kazanovka (additional payment).
Day 13: Transfer to Khakassky conservation area, excursion across the lakes and prairie areas thereof (motor-based transfers combined with walks). You’ll visit the most remarkable archaeological monuments of Khakassiya – royal barrows of Scythian age (1 thousand B.C.), Uibatsky chaatas (I-II thousand B.C.), ruins of ancient fortresses etc. A professional archaeologist will be your guide. Transfer to Khakassky National Natural & Archaeological Park “Kazanovka”. Dinner and bed night in so called “exotic hotel”, special guest yurts made under the traditional Khakassky style (comfortable two-person accommodation, bed clothes, warm water, biotoilets).
Day 14: Excursions with professional archaeologist across the natural & archaeological park “Kazanovka”. It is a very picturesque and extraordinary landscape. Excavations of the largest burial-mound of bronze age (XIV – XIII centuries B.C.). Most beautiful megalithic barrows of early Scythian age, ancient mountainous fortress, chaatas (barrow-mausoleum) related to the age of Kirghiz chaganship (VII – VIII centuries). Yurt-based sleeping accommodation in Kazanovka.
Day 15: Transfer to Abakan airport, departure for Moscow
The value includes the air tickets Moscow-Abakan-Moscow, transport service under the program, services of accompanying person, excursion program, cutter travels, accommodation under the program, conservation area attendance, guides’ services, medical insurance and accident insurance, boarding under the program.
Dates period June-September
The group shall include at least 14 persons.
The program for Moscow shall be additionally paid ( transfer airport-hotel- airport, hotel accommodation 3*** DBL-standard with breakfast, excursion program throughout Moscow with guide – visiting the Red Square, the Kremlin with cathedrals, panoramic review excursion across the city). |
