UNIqUE JOURNEYS ON RAILS AND RIVERSTrans-Siberian RailwayLegendary Silk RoadArabian NightsAfrican ExplorerMekong Cruises

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OUR JOURNEYSAND THE IDEA

BEHIND

As Europe’s most creative organiser of train journeys and

charter cruises, we are your specialist for extraordinary trips

to fascinating places.

Relying on the experience of almost 30 years, we have made

unusual travel itineraries an art form. All our travel arrangements allow discovering unknown corners or

rediscovering classic destinations around the entire globe.

Our trains and cruises offer the most comfortable way to

travel through distant countries. Exciting excursions guarantee

authentic encounters, entertaining talks enhance your travel

experience, culinary specialties whet your appetite for the distinctive

flavours of exotic cultures.

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Our selection of some of the finest trains, most extraordinary rail routes and unique cruises on the upper Mekong:

DISCOVER THE WORLD’S ADVENTURES

TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY 6From Beijing to Moscow 8

From Moscow to Beijing 12 Varieties 16 The Tsar’s Gold Private Train 18

THE LEGENDARY SILK ROAD (CENTRAL ASIA) 22Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan 24

Uzbekistan 28

The Orient Silk Road Express Private Train 30

FURTHER UNIQUE RAIL JOURNEYS 32Arabian Nights — The Historical Baghdad Railway 34

Jewel of the Desert — South Africa and Namibia aboard the African Explorer 38

CRUISES ON THE MEKONG RIVER 44Laos Revealed (Golden Triangle — Vientiane) 46

South-East Asian Odyssey (Angkor Wat — Luang Prabang) 48

The fleet: Mekong Sun/ Mekong Explorer 50

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TRAVEL THE TRANS- SIBERIAN WAY

Moscow

Kazan Yekaterinburg

Novosibirsk Irkutsk Ulan Ude

Ulan Bator Erlian

Beijing

Lake Baikal

Gobi Desert

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The Tsar’s Gold Private Train is the safest and most comfortable

way to travel the world’s most famous rail route with its 100-year history. Benefit from our extensive experience of having served more than 30,000 guests on the Trans-

Siberian Railway. The journey provides the opportunity of

travelling all the way from Moscow to Beijing — through Siberia, to Lake Baikal and from Mongolia to China — with a choice of six

compartment categories!

Our threefold guide system along with a guest relations manager and a doctor on the train guarantees a

once in a lifetime travel experience. Welcome aboard!

DAY 1. WELCOME TO BEIJING You are greeted at the airport by your friendly tour director and accompanied to your centrally located 4★ hotel (guests in the Bolshoi categories stay in a 5★ hotel or similar quality accomodations), where you have a pause to relax. The tour through Beijing shows you many of the colourful facets of this large metropolitan city. The highlights are certainly the Temple of Heaven and history-laden Tiananmen Square, two of the city’s most famous sights, but it also includes recent achievements in the area of contem-porary architecture, such as the new “Bird’s

Nest” Olympic stadium, and several of Beijing’s futuris-tic sky scrapers. Afterwards you enjoy a mutual dinner to welcome you to the tour. You spend the night in a hotel in Beijing. Dinner (D) is included.

DAY 2. THE GREAT WALL AND PEKING DUCK Today you visit the Great Wall, the eighth wonder of the world. On the way you visit the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Ming Tombs and the Spirit Way. In the evening you dine on the well-known delicacy of Peking Duck. You spend the night in your Beijing hotel. Breakfast (B), lunch (L), and dinner (D) are included.

Experience one of the last great adventures. Your journey along the Trans-Siberian Railway, one of the world’s most fascinating and safest train routes, is even more interesting, comfortable, and entertaining with this private train. This grand private train journey from Beijing to Moscow via Mongolia and Lake Baikal is the chance to fulfil the dream of a lifetime.

The trip is accompanied by an experienced multi-lingual tour director and a physician. A sophisticated on-board program complements a comprehensive excursion and sightseeing package to make your journey truly memorable. Take advantage of the extensive array of services offered by Europe’s most experienced travel organiser on this route.

15 DAY RAILWAY JOURNEY FROM BEIJING THROUGH MONGOLIA TO LAKE BAIKAL AND ON TO MOSCOW

THE TSAR’S GOLD TRAIN FROM BEIJING TO MOSCOW

ROUTING

→ Beijing

→ Ulan Bator

→ Ulan Ude

→ Lake Baikal

→ Irkutsk

→ Novosibirsk

→ Yekaterinburg

→ Kazan

→ Moscow

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Gigantic: The Great Wall in China extends for more

than 6000 km through the countryside.

The Great Wall of China

DAY 3. THE FORBIDDEN CITY AND DEPARTURE FOR MONGOLIA For centuries, the gates to the Forbidden City were closed to the public. Today you have the morn-ing to view its awe-inspiring halls and mysterious tem-ples. In the evening your rail journey begins, as you transfer to the train station and depart for Mongolia aboard a chartered Chinese train. You reach the border city of Erlian in approximately 16 hours, on the following day. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 4. CROSSING THE GOBI DESERT Around noon you reach the Chinese-Mongolian border, where you board to the Tsar’s Gold private train. The change of trains is necessary because of the different track gauges in the two countries. In the growing city of Erlian, you have some time to explore the colourful local market, before your train sets off towards Mongolia. After crossing sections of the legendary Gobi Desert, the train travels through the vast green steppes of Mongolia. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 5. ULAN BATOR: A LAMA TEMPLE AND THE BUDDHIST REALMS OF HELL Early-risers are treated to central Mongolia’s spectacular scenery. In the morning you arrive in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. You can leave your large luggage securely in your compartment. During your city tour you see the odd Choijin Lama Temple, among other things. In the evening you have

the unique chance to attend a performance of traditional Mongolian folk arts, including throat singing, horse-headed fiddle playing, national costumes, and dances. You spend the night in a 4★ Hotel in Ulan Bator. (BLD)

On request, we can organise alternative lodg-ing in a yurt in the beautiful landscape of the Mongolian Alps. This is a rare experience and a dream come true for nature lovers.

DAY 6. THE GANDAN MONASTERY AND MONGOLIAN ALPS After breakfast you visit the Gandan Monastery, where it is possible

to observe a Buddhist religious ceremony. Your bus then takes you to the Mongolian Alps, located some 90 minutes east of Ulan Bator, with their majestic scenery and bizarre rock forma-tions. After a picnic lunch in a yurt camp, you watch a small Mongolian horse-riding demonstration and a traditional wrestling match. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 7. ULAN UDE You take your leave of the Mongolian steppes today and travel through the valley of Mongolia’s largest River, the Selenga. You are on the way to Ulan Ude, where your train reaches the main route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Here you take an informative city tour. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

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Unique: Mongolian horse riding

and folklore show – experience culture

up close.

UNBELIEVABLE

The difference between the calm atmosphere in the Gandan monastery and the vitality of the city centre in Ulan Bator.

National Park Terelj, Mongolia

The Forbidden City, Beijing

DAY 8. LAKE BAIKAL Today is spent exploring the remarkable natural phenomenon of Lake Baikal, the largest reservoir of freshwater in the world. In the morn-ing your train travels directly alongside Lake Baikal, on the old route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. During two extended photo-stops, you have a chance to explore and enjoy the scenic beauty of the lake and its setting.

A short boat excursion from Port Baikal takes you out onto the lake. Take a swim in the lake, if you wish, and visit a pictur-esque Baikal village. Dinner is a Baikal-style picnic on the lakeshore with a view of the incredible natural surroundings (weather permitting).You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 9. IRKUTSK In the morning, you arrive in Irkutsk, the capital of Eastern Siberia in tsarist times. Here you move into your hotel, which is simple, but central and nicely located. You can safely leave your large baggage on the private train. During your city tour you see the Okhlopkov Drama Theatre, the new memorial to Tsar Alexander III, and the pho-togenic market hall. Around noon you pay a worthwhile visit to an open-air museum with a focus on life and work in historical Siberia. You spend the night in a nicely located hotel in Irkutsk. Guests in the Bolshoi categories stay in a 4★ hotel (BLD)

DAY 10. TRANS-SIBERIA After breakfast you re-board the train and pass through the diverse landscapes of eastern Siberia. Talks on board inform you about the region and a vodka tasting with typical Russian snacks is an opportunity to experience firsthand the Russian fes-tive customs of hospitality and clever toasts.You spend the night aboard the train (BLD)

DAY 11. NOVOSIBIRSK Around noon, your train arrives in Novosibirsk, the largest city in Siberia. You are greeted with bread and salt in the customary Russian manner and taken on a tour of this most Soviet of cities along your entire route, including the chance to see the mighty Ob River. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 12. YEKATERINBURGIn the afternoon, your train stops in Yekaterinburg, the capital of the Ural Federal District. The city is known as

the place where the Russian tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered in 1918. During a tour you see the Cathedral of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood, which was built in 2003 to commemorate that tragic historic event, and the city centre attractively restored in 2009. Back on board, you enjoy views of the Urals landscape and indulge

yourself in the restaurant car. Your private train is already rolling across the European continent. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 13. KAZAN After breakfast you reach Kazan, the Tartar capital on the banks of the Volga. On your city

Fascination Lake Baikal: Take a swim and have a barbecue on the banks

of the lake.

DELICIOUS

Lunch with a local family in Irkutsk: Experience authentic Siberian cuisine.

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Lake Baikal, Siberia

tour you see Tartar mosques and the most famous Rus-sian Orthodox cathedral. You also take a tour of Kazan’s Kremlin, where you learn about the turbulent history of the relationship between the Tartars, the Cossacks, and the Russians. Afterwards you enjoy lunch in a city restau-rant. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 14. WELCOME TO MOSCOW Around noon, you arrive in the Russian capital of Moscow, now a thriving, prosperous city, and are accompanied to your 4★ hotel (guests in the Bolshoi categories stay in a 5★ hotel or similar qual-ity accomodations). At noon you visit the Kremlin grounds with its magnificent cathedral. Several of the building interiors can also be viewed. After dinner, discover the city’s magic during an hour-long “City of Lights” tour, including a stop at Red Square, and a ride on the under-ground to view two of Moscow’s particularly beautiful metro stations. You spend the night in a hotel in Moscow. (BLD)

DAY 15. TOUR OF MOSCOW AND FLIGHT HOME After an ample breakfast at your hotel, your tour of the city takes you to the reconstructed Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Lomonossov University, the New Maidens’ Con-vent (Novodevichy Monastery), and Red Square with its colourful St. Basil’s Cathedral, as well as to the notorious former KGB headquarters and the White House. This then marks the end of your memorable journey and the time has come to head to the airport. We accompany you to the airport and bid you bon voyage. (B)

CULINARY HIGHLIGHTSTaste the diversity of regional delicacies, all freshly prepared by our chefs on board.

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ONE NIGHT IN MONGOLIAFor all nature enthusiasts we will organize a night in a typical Mon-golian Yurt. Sleep well under the clear starry sky.

VODKA TASTINGEnjoy Russian hospitality during a vodka tasting with Russian snacks while passing by impressive landscapes.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOUR

→ Train ride on the ancient route of the Trans- Siberian Railway along Lake Baikal with 2 extensive photo stops

→ Entire day at Lake Baikal → Your Private Train: safe, clean and comfortable → Beijing’s Forbidden City → Modern History: Tiananmen Square → Authentic: Mongolian horse show → Boat ride on Lake Baikal → Pristine: typical Siberian villages → Ulan Bator, Ulan Ude, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterin-

burg and Kazan → Moscow, Russia’s proud new capital → Glorious: Icons and Cathedrals → Entertaining and informative: Daily lectures about

countries, people and cultures → Local market in Novosibirsk→ Open air museum Irkutsk→ The Great Wall of China → Vodka tasting with typical Russian snacks

YOUR GUIDESOur threefold guide system — local guides, group guide and tour director — guarantees a comfortable and secured journey.

View over the Kremlin in Moscow

Viaduct over Lake Baikal

DAY 1. WELCOME TO MOSCOW You are greeted at the airport by your friendly tour director and accompanied to your hotel. Our “City of Lights” tour shows you around the exquisitely illuminated Russian capital. You stroll across the famous Red Square with your travel director and take a short trip on the underground to view several of Moscow’s particularly beautiful metro stations. Afterwards, you retire to the comfort of your 4★ hotel (guests in the Bolshoi categories stay in a 5★ hotel or similar quality accomodations). You spend the night in a Moscow hotel. Dinner is included. (D)

DAY 2. MOSCOW FROM ITS MOST BEAUTI-FUL SIDE In the morning you take a guided tour of Moscow, including the imposing grounds of the Kremlin and its magnificent cathedral from tsarist times. Toward even-ing, you are greeted aboard your private train prior to departure. A relaxed get-together

in the dinning car offers the chance to meet your fellow travellers and learn more details about your private train. You spend the night aboard the train. Breakfast (B), lunch (L), and dinner (D) are included.

A journey on the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway is one of the last great travel adventures in our world. Set this dream of a lifetime on the tracks with our Private Train and experience Russia, Mongolia and China in the safest, most comfortable and fascinating manner.

The historic route between Moscow, Lake Baikal and Beijing is the heart of all travel variants: The exciting days of your journey are delivering three of the world’s largest countries directly to your com-partment. Lean back to enjoy the dramatic changes of scenery and savour a choice of Europe’s and Asia’s most superb and splendid landscapes!

ROUTING

→ Moscow

→ Kazan

→ Yekaterinburg

→ Novosibirsk

→ Irkutsk

→ Lake Baikal

→ Ulan Ude

→ Ulan Bator

→ Beijing

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Today, Moscow is clearly on a par with Europe’s other great

metropolitan cities such as Madrid and Paris.

16 DAY RAILWAY JOURNEY FROM MOSCOW THROUGH MONGOLIA TO BEIJING

THE TSAR’S GOLD TRAIN FROM MOSCOW TO BEIJING

Moscow by night

DAY 3. KAZAN In the morning you arrive in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. You take a tour of the Kazan Krem-lin (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) with its won-derful panoramic view over the Volga, where you learn about the turbulent history of the relationship between the Tartars, the Cossacks, and the Russians. Your train resumes its journey eastwards in the evening.You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 4. YEKATERINBURG Around noon, your train stops in Yekaterinburg, the histori-cal capital of the Urals. The city is remem-bered as the place where the Russian tsar Nicholas II and his family were murdered in 1918. During a brief tour you see the Ca-thedral of the Saviour on the Spilled Blood, which was built in 2003 in commemoration of that tragic historic event, and the city centre so attrac-tively restored in 2009. Back on board, you continue on your journey through the vast steppes of western Siberia. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 5. NOVOSIBIRSK You arrive in Novosibirsk, the heart of Siberia, where you are welcomed in the tradi-tional Russian fashion with bread and salt. During a short city tour, you experience the most Soviet of all cities during your journey. You see the enormous Trans-Siberian Monument and the mighty Ob River. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 6. TRANS-SIBERIA Your train crosses the wide Yenisei River and rolls on through Siberia. The train’s chefs once again demonstrate their skills as they serve the guests Russian specialties in a “tsar’s feast”. A tasting of Russian snacks accompanied by clever toasts offers you a very enjoyable opportunity to combine pleasure and Russian hospitality. Your train passes by villages with their typical

wooden houses and through birch forests set against a background of impressive mountainscapes and, hope-fully, ample sunshine. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 7. IRKUTSK Today your train reaches Irkutsk, the capital of East-ern Siberia in tsarist times. During your city tour you see, among other things, the picturesque Siberian wooden houses and a memorial to Tsar Alexander III (the initia-tor of the Tran-Siberian Railway), which was erected in 2003 where the Trans-Sib Obelisk previously stood. After lunch you take an excursion to an informative open-air museum with a focus on life and work in historical Sibe-ria. You spend the night in a 4★ hotel in Irkutsk. (BLD)

DAY 8. LAKE BAIKAL In the morning a boat brings you across the lake’s deep waters to Port Baikal, where your private train is waiting. Afterwards, you travel directly alongside Lake Baikal, for several hours on the original

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Novosibirsk – Experience the most Soviet of all cities

during your journey.

SPECTACULAR

Train ride on the ancient tracks running parallel to the shore of Lake Baikal.

Your train alongside Lake Baikal

Vodka Tasting on board

Mosque Kul Charif, Kazan

route of the Trans-Siberian Railway. For several hours, your train stops at a particularly scenic spot, for you to truly enjoy the majestic calm of this unique natural wonder. Dinner is served as a picnic on the shores of Lake Baikal. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 9. FROM LAKE BAIKAL TO ULAN UDE AND ON TO MONGOLIA The journey con-tinues along the banks of the seemingly end-less Lake Baikal and then through the splendid Selenga Valley and the wild solitude of eastern Siberia’s moun-tainous steppes. You take a tour of Ulan Ude during a stop there. Border formalities at the Russian-Mongolian border are an easy matter carried out on board. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 10. ULAN BATOR Today, early-risers are treated to central Mongolia’s spectacular scenery, set in a mountain landscape dotted with colourful yurt camps and inhabited by solitary riders on horseback. In the morning you arrive in Ulan Bator, the capital of Mongolia. As always, you can leave your large luggage safely in your compartment. During your city tour you see the impressive Gandan

Buddhist Monastery and the odd Choijin Lama Temple, among other things. Beer gardens are very popular in Mongolia, and your evening includes a visit to the city’s best. Afterwards, you have the unique chance to attend a performance of traditional Mongolian folk arts, includ-

ing throat singing, horse-headed fiddle playing, national costumes, and dances. You spend the night in a 4★ hotel in

Ulan Bator. (BLD)

On request, we can organise alternative lodg-ing in a yurt in the beautiful landscape of the Mongolian Alps.

DAY 11. ULAN BATOR AND THE MONGO-LIAN ALPS After breakfast a bus takes you

to Terelj National Park, east of Ulan Bator. Here you get to see the nomadic herdsmen’s exotic settlements of tradition tents, horse herds, and scraggly yaks, a type of wild Tibetan cattle. A small Mongolian horse-riding demonstration is put on especially for you and you enjoy a picnic lunch served in these splendid surroundings. In the evening you continue on aboard your train towards China. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 12. CROSSING THE GOBI DESERT Around noon, you arrive at the Mongolian-Chinese border, where your chartered Chinese train is waiting. The Russian private train cannot continue towards Beijing because of the different track gauge in China. Your train reaches the Chinese capital in approximately 16 hours. You spend the night aboard the train. (BLD)

DAY 13. BEIJING You arrive in the hustle and bustle of Beijing in the morning. After transferring to your hotel, the rest of the day is yours to do with as you please.You spend the night in a hotel in Beijing (guests in the Bolshoi categories stay in a 5★ hotel or similar quality accomoda-tions). (BL)

Spending a night in a yurt is a rare experience and a dream come true

for nature lovers.

MONGOLIAN ALPS

The vast landscape offers a beautiful scenery, not only for photo enthusiasts.

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The Temple of Heaven in Beijing

DAY 14. TEMPLE OF HEAVEN AND TIANANMEN SQUARE A tour lasting several hours takes you to Bei-jing’s most beautiful and important sights, including the photogenic Temple of Heaven with its park, the huge Tiananmen Square, and some of the city’s contempo-rary architectural achievements, such as the new “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium and several futuristic sky scrap-ers. In the afternoon, you are able to enter the Forbidden City, the former imperial palace, and view its numerous temples and halls. You spend the night in your Beijing hotel. (BL)

DAY 15. THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA AND PEKING DUCK Your tour today takes you to the Great Wall, the eighth wonder of the world. The giant wall extends for more than 6000 km through the countryside. On the way you visit the Ming Tombs, the burial site of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors, with its impressive Spirit Way. In the evening you enjoy a farewell dinner of world-renowned Peking Duck. You spend the night in your Beijing hotel. (BLD)

DAY 16. DEPARTURE FROM BEIJING FOR HOME After breakfast, you transfer to the airport. (B)

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TOUR

→ Train ride on the ancient tracks running parallel to the shore of Lake Baikal

→ Entire day at Lake Baikal → Your Private Train: safe, clean and comfortable → Beijing’s Forbidden City → Modern History: Tiananmen Square → Authentic: Mongolian horse show → Boat ride on Lake Baikal → Pristine: typical Siberian villages → Ulan Bator, Ulan Ude, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk,

Yekaterinburg and Kazan → Moscow, Russia’s proud new capital → Glorious: Icons and Cathedrals → Entertaining and informative: Daily lectures

about countries, people and cultures → Local market in Novosibirsk→ Open air museum Irkutsk→ The Great Wall of China → Vodka tasting with typical Russian snacks

CULINARY HIGHLIGHTSTaste the diversity of regional delicacies, all freshly prepared by our chefs on board.

ONE NIGHT IN MONGOLIAFor all nature enthusiasts we will organize a night in a typical Mongi-lan ger. Sleep well under the clear starry sky.

RELAX ON BOARDEnjoy Russian hospitality during the vodka tasting while passing by impressive landscapes.

YOUR GUIDESOur threefold guide system — local guides, group guide and tour director — guarantees a comfortable and secured journey.

Open air museum Talzy, Irkutsk

Archery in Mongolia Your restaurant car

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A broad range of routes as well as flexible options and destinations allow you to tailor your own journey through China and Mongolia to your particular interests and to explore the regions along the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway. You can travel the route from Beijing to Moscow as well as in the reverse direction, with both tours having their own particular allure.

THE WIDEST SELECTION OF TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY TOURS AVAILABLE ANYWHERE

ALTERNATIVE ROUTE THROUGH MONGOLIA AND THEN ON TO MOSCOW

Precede your journey on the Tsar’s Gold Private Train with a trip around Mongolia. Before boarding the Tsar’s Gold train in Ulan Bator you can enjoy the highlights of a Mongolian tour: Genghis Khan’s former capital of Kara-korum, the Mongolian Alps, and yurt settlements.

DAY 1. Arrival in Ulan Bator, with a sightseeing tour of the city, including visits to the historical museum and the Lama Temple.DAY 2. The Gandan Monastery and the Mongolian Alps.DAY 3. Hiking in the Mongolian Alps and a visit to a herder’s family.DAY 4. Terelj and Hustai National ParksDAY 5. Karakorum, with sightseeing to the ruins of the 13th century Mongolian capitalDAY 6. The Erdene Zuu and Bayan Gobi MonasteriesDAY 7. You return to Ulan Bator, with sightseeing at the Uvgun Monastery. Your further itinerary begins with 8th day of our main Trans-Siberian Railway tour from Beijing to Moscow.

BOAT CRUISE ON LAKE BAIKAL FOLLOWED BY THE TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY TO MOSCOW

You begin your private train journey from Irkutsk to Moscow with an exciting excursion on Lake Baikal, the largest fresh water reservoir in the world.

DAY 1. After your arrival in Irkutsk you take a boat trip to Cape Kadilny. You enjoy a visit with a local family.DAY 2. A boat takes you to Olkhon Island, where you are served a picnic on the shore of Lake Baikal.DAY 3. You visit the Sennaya Nature Preserve.DAY 4. Take a walk through the forest along Baikal Bay, visit a Russian bathhouse, and spend the night in a tradi-tional Siberian wooden house. DAY 5. You take an excursion to Listvyanka, visit a dacha settlement, have a traditional tea with a local family, and go for a walk along one of the lakes behind the dams on the Angara River.DAY 6. Cross Lake Baikal and board your Tsar’s Gold Private Train. Your further itinerary begins with 10th day of our main Trans-Siberian Railway tour from Beijing to Moscow.

National park Terelj, Mongolia Olkhon Island

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FROM MONGOLIA TO MOSCOW

This alternative route is optimal for those who have already visited Beijing and would like to experience the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.

Your journey begins in the Mongolian capital of Ulan Bator. An excursion there takes you into the beautiful Mongolian Alps, after which you board the Tsar’s Gold Private Train to travel via the Russian city of Ulan Ude to Lake Baikal, the largest reservoir of fresh water in the world. Here you have truly arrived in Siberia. After you have explored this natural gem your comfortable private train sets off across tsardom’s vast Mongolian reaches towards Moscow, to Russia’s majestic seat of power.

DAY 1. Arrival in Ulan Bator. You take a tour of the city and have the option of attending a performance of local traditional folk arts in the evening.

Your further itinerary begins with 7th day of our main Trans-Siberian Railway tour from Beijing to Moscow.

FROM MOSCOW TO VLADIVOSTOK VIA LAKE BAIKAL AND ULAN UDE

After travelling with your private train to Lake Baikal and on to Ulan Ude, you continue with this alternative route to Vladivostok and cover the entire length of this legend-ary railway. Following your stop in Ulan Ude you travel for three days in the regularly scheduled train, with visits to a family, to the largest Buddhist monastery in Russia, and to the city of Khabarovsk on the Amur River forming this section’s highlights.

DAYS 1 – 8. According to the standard itinerary from Moscow.DAY 9. You travel from Lake Baikal to Ulan Ude, where you visit an Old Believers colony.DAY 10. An excursion takes you to the Dazan Monastery with a meal in a yurt.DAYS 11 AND 12. Transfer to the railway station to begin your eastward journey through Chita, Svobodny, and Birobidzhan, among other locations.DAY 13. Your day includes a tour of Khabarovsk and a boat excursion on the Amur River.DAY 14. An excursion takes you to the Khechzyr natural preserve where you go for a hike in the taiga, after which your journey continues towards VladivostokDAY 15. You take a city tour Vladivostok and a boat ex-cursion through Russia’s largest Pacific portDAY 16. You fly to Moscow.DAY 17 You take a tour of the former royal estate Kolo-menskoye and transfer later to the airport.

Gandan Monastery, Ulan Bator Station of Vladivostok

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With your Tsar’s Gold Private Train it is possible to travel safely and comfort-ably along this fascinating railway built

more than one hundred years ago. Benefit from our almost 30 years of

experience on the Trans-Siberian Railway, with over 600 sucessful tours.

Culinary enjoyment is provided for by the train’s own, much-praised

restaurants, offering local specialties. After dining, the restaurant car with its

bar service is an ideal place to enjoy a drink while marvelling at the vast Russian and Mongolian scenery or

socialising with your fellow passengers.

YOUR TRAIN

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YOUR COMFORT-ABLE HOME DURING AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY

The original Trans-Siberian Private Train travels between Moscow and the Chinese border (Erlian) with variously con-figured compartments in the sleeping cars, ranging from the Standard Category and the popular Standard Plus Categories to the stylish Nostalgic Comfort Category and the premium Bolshoi and Bolshoi Platinum Categories with private lavatories with WCs and showers.

STANDARD

These compartments offer space for four passengers. On both sides of the compartment there are upper and lower berths measuring ca. 70 x 190 cm (27.5 x 74.8 in.), with a table in the middle below the window. (In this category it is possible for 3 persons to book a 4-person compartment for a surcharge.) Each railway car has nine compartments, with combined wash-ing and toilet facilities at both ends.

CLASSIC

Compartments in Category Classic offer considerably more space. The compartment is shared by two guests, with two lower beds (ca. 70 x 190 cm, 27.5 x 74.8 in.), one on each side of the compartment. In this category there are also nine compartments per car, with combined toilet and washing facilities at both ends. Depending on the train configuration, a shower facil-ity is shared by guests from two to four sleeping cars.

SUPERIOR

This newly refurbished Category now presents interiors in a nostalgic look. The compartments have two lower beds, one on each side of the compart-ment and measuring 67 cm x 187 cm / 26.5 x 73.6 in.

The nine compartments in a wagon share two combined washing and toilet facilities located at its ends. Depending on the train configuration, a shower facility is shared by guests from one to three sleeping cars.

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THE PRIVATE TRAIN COMPARTMENTS

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NOSTALGIC COMFORT

This category of compartment offers the opportunity to truly travel in the style of the red tsars. You travel in a nostalgic ambience that would even make past Soviet leaders feel at home – but with all of the 21st century’s modern amenities. Each of these roll-ing hotel rooms offers not only two comfortable beds (ca. 80 x 185 cm / 31.5 x 72.8 in.) placed one above the other, but also an armchair from which to en-joy the passing landscape. Each of two neighbouring compartments shares a semi-private lavatory with wash basin and simple shower located between them. Combined washing and toilet facilities are located at both ends of the wagons.

BOLSHOI

This category of compartment, with its illustrious name, offers 5.57 m2 (almost 60 sq. ft.) of space. It has two beds, with the upper measuring 80 x 176 / 31.5 x 69.3 in. and the lower 110 x 187 cm / 43.3 x 73.6 in. This compartment also offers comfortable seating, a generous-sized table, and a small clothes closet. The Bolshoi category has its own lavatory equipped with a toilet, wash basin, and integrated shower with a full shower curtain. This configuration of wagon has only six compartments. The 12 or fewer guests travelling in a Bolshoi wagon reside in 5★ hotels in Moscow and Beijing. As a guest in this category you are attended to by an individual travel guide in groups of no more than 12 travellers.

BOLSHOI PLATINUM

The Bolshoi Platinum compartment provides 7.15 m2 (almost 77 sq. ft.) of space, even more than the Bolshoi compartment. The lower bed measures 120 x 184 cm / ca. 47.2 x 72.4 in., the up-per 82 x 174 cm / ca. 32.3 x 68.5 in. Each compartment has a spacious clothes closet and its own lavatory outfitted with a separate shower cabin. This category of wagon offering the highest level of comfort available on the Trans-Siberian Railway contains only five compartments and offers space for a maximum of just 10 guests. In Moscow and Beijing guests in this category reside in 5★ hotels and are attended to in groups of no more than 12 travellers by an individual tour guide.