Great Sayan Ring Ethnographical Bus tour

Day

Itinerary

Day 1

Krasnoyarsk

Meeting Siberia  

Arrival to Krasnoyarsk, check-in in the hotel.

10:30 meeting the guide and starting the sightseeing tour, which covers  all significant sights, incl. Paraskeva Pyatnitsa chapel + Trip to Stolby Natural  reserve

Day 2

Krasnoyarsk /Khakassia

Departure from Krasnoyarsk by a comfortable tourist bus. (620 km by bus).The road goes along the river Yenisei. Mixed forest gradually gives place to fields and boundless steppes.Stops and excursions during the day: observation place Tsar-Fish with the view on the Yenisei, Krasnoyarsk dam, border between Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Khakassia Republic, Abakan city, Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station.Arrival to Shushenskoye village. Getting to know the rural life of the 19th century.

Day 3

Khakassia /Tuva 

Mysteries of Nature

Impressive excursion in the ethnographical museum Shushenskoye. Workshop of local craftsmen. Departure from Shushenskoye to Tuva through the passes of the Western Sayan Mountains. You will pass the national park Ergaki. Photo spot against the background of Sleeping Sayan mount. Stop at the border between Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Tuva Republic. Arrival to the bank of the river Biy-Khem, overnight in traditional felt yurts. After dinner you'll be invited to Tuvan tea ceremony. Total 350 km by bus.

Day 4

Tuva

Between 2 Cultures

Kyzyl city tour, capital city of the Tuva Republic.Visit the Geographical Center of Asia. Walking along the Yenisei quay. Visit the Buddhist temple and Drum of wishes.Excursion about the Scythian gold in the National museum of Tuva. Treasures, found in the burial mound Arzhaan-2, became a sensation in the archaeological world! Meeting a real Tuvan shaman. Visit a workroom of local craftsmen. Free time in Kyzyl, visit a market. Trip to a healing mineral spring. Upon return to the yurt camp dinner with traditional dishes of Tuvan cuisine (meat and dairy products) and a traditional throat singing concert. (Total 70 km by bus).

Day 5

Tuva

Following nomads' paths

Today tourists will cross Tuva from the east to the west, following the old nomads' paths (440 km). From the bus window you will see the stunning scenery. Here you can meet places which are considered to be energetically powerful.Stop near the saint mount Khairykan. - one of the most respected places in Tuva. In 1992 it was chosen by the 14th Dalai Lama to be an energetically powerful place. Once a year local shamans come here to get energy, strengthen and purify their spirits. Excursion to Buddhist temple Ustuu-Khuree. Stop at the Sayan Pass, starting point of the Khakassia Republic  at a height of 2214 meters. Arrival to the campsite in the taiga, in the Western Sayan Mountains. Overnight in wooden lodges. After dinner meeting near the bonfire, singing to a guitar, talking heart to heart.

Day 6

Tuva

Day in Taiga

Free day in the taiga. Hiking in the surroundings, accompanied by an instructor. You will go to the Bridge of Love (2 km from the camp). You can gather mushrooms, berries, cedar nuts or herbs (depending on the season).In the  evening, a real Siberian banya is waiting for you.

Day 7

Khakassia

Farewell to Snow Leopard camp and taiga, continuation of your bus tour to Khakassia. (242 km). Visit the saint stone Khurtuyakh Tas (Mother of Mothers). By lunch arrival to the Kyug valley. Overnight in traditional wooden yurts. The excursion in Kazanovka, the National museum of Khakassia. Today you will see petroglyphs that are 3-5 thousand years old. You will see how to copy the petroglyphs on paper. After dinner with traditional Khakassian dishes a performance of a national folklore group.

Day 8

Khakassia

Ancient heritage

The excursion to the National museum of Khakassia Kazanovka. You will see saint stones of Khakassian people and real archeological excavations. Visit to an ethnographical village Khakassian aal. After lunch group departs to Abakan.Upo n arrival short Abakan city tour and then you will be able to see the exposition of stone monuments in the National museum of Khakassia.

Day 9

Khakassia

Valley of Kings

After breakfast departure to the Valley of Kings. The highlight of all tour will be the Great Salbyk burial mound. Its size is impressive: the circumference is 500 m, its height is more than 11 meters, the total weight of vertical stones is approximately 60 tons. Many think that this is a place where shamans enrich their power. By late afternoon return to Krasnoyarsk(450 km  by bus).

Day 10

Krasnoyarsk-MOW

The tour ends. Transfer from the hotel to Krasnoyarsk airport or railway station.

Arrival in Moscow.

Additional services:

transfer to the hotel or to another airport - 45 EUR car, no guide (supplement);

hotel booking - 3-4-5* (price - on request)