The Jade Express

The Jade Express Escape from Siberia Part 1 of 3.

The Jade Express

Escape from Siberia Part 1 of 3


Moscow: We have a chance to visit the Kremlin, and free time to see Red Square and the onion-domed St. Basil’s Cathedral, the ornate subway system, Gorky Park, or the Arbat

Siberian Express: Hang out with fellow passengers and sample the Russian culture of ‘tea-ing’ and toasting, pirogis and providnitzas, as we venture deep into the Russian hinterland into Siberia.

Lake Baikal: Take a small ship to a serene shore, camp out and eat omul, Baikal’s indigenous fish. Stay at a homestay with a Russian banya by the lake and take a lakeside train with spectacular views.

Mongolia: Take a 4WD out to Kharkhorin, the center of Mongolian Buddhism built from the ruins of Genghis Khan’s capital city; Orkhon waterfall in Khangai Nuruu National Park; and Lake Ogii, amid the grassland plains with abundant animal and bird-life.

Beijing: Walk along a lesser visited section of the Great Wall and visit Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. We have the opportunity to have a Beijing duck dinner and watch acrobats.


  • Moscow
  • Lake Baikal ship and shore camping
  • Hike along Jinshanlin to Simatai portion of the Great Wall
  • Circum-Baikal Railway
  • Ancient Mongolian city of Kharkhorin (Karakorum)
  • Beijing
  • Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square
  • Ride from Europe to Asia on the Siberian Express
  • Russian homestay and banya
  • Stay with Mongolian families in gers (yurts)
  • Mongolian Orkhon waterfall and Lake Ogii
  • Great Wall hike between Jinshanling and Simatai
Transport Siberian Express train, minibus, Baikal small ship, Circum Baikal Railway, Trans Mongolian train, 4WD
Flights none
Fully Escorted By tour leader
Activities camping by Baikal, hike on Great Wall, optional hikes around Baikal, Mongolia
Accomodation 8 nights hotels, 7 nights train, 1 night camping, 3 nights Mongolian gers, 1 night homestay
Meals as mentioned in itinerary: B-breakfast, L-lunch, D-dinner; allow $50/(non-train) day for Russia, $10/day for Mongolia and China
Entrance Fees not included
Physical Rating basic to moderate activity
Visa Russian, Chinese, not needed for Mongolia (dependent on citizenship)
Temperature September: 5°C (40°F) to 25°C (77°F)
Not Included Entrance fees, airfare to Moscow and from Beijing
Day 1 Moscow Arrival day.
Day 2 Moscow We have a free day to explore Russia’s capital and its array of cultural relics from the czars, the Soviet period and today’s Russia. In the evening we board the Siberian Express.
Day 3-5 Siberian Express Hang out with fellow passengers and sample the Russian culture of ‘tea-ing’ and toasting, pirogis and providnitzas, as we venture deep into the Russian hinterland into Siberia.
Day 6 Irkutsk (There is an option to join the tour on this day) A free day to explore the wooden buildings and onion-domed cathedrals in this former Cossack outpost on the Angara River. (B)
Day 7 Lake Baikal On the way to Baikal we stop at an open-air museum before embarking from the port of Lisvyanka on a small ship.  Our destination: a serene beach where we camp next to the world’s most pristine waters and eat omul, the lake’s indigenous fresh fish. (B,D)
Day 8 Lake Baikal The ship takes us to the tiny village of Port Baikal where we will stay in a small cottage homestay. This is authentic Russian hospitality where we will have the opportunity to go out in the yard and take a Russian banya (sauna). (B,L,D)
Day 9 Lake Baikal We board the CircumBaikal railroad for great views and several stops along the shores of Lake Baikal.  This evening we board the Trans-Mongolian Express at Slyudyanka. (B,L,D)
Day 10 Trans-Mongolian Cross the Russian border into Mongolia and see the transition from taiga forest to the steppe and grasslands of central Mongolia
Day 11 Ulan Bator Arrive in the morning with a free day to explore Mongolia’s rapidly transforming capital city.
Day 12 Ulan Bator to central Mongolian steppe We drive by 4WD from Ulan Bator to a region where we will stay with nomads in traditional gers. We will help them make a traditional Horhog Barbeque, and can ride horses and learn fishing from the locals. (L,D)
Day 13 Lake Ogii We will drive to serene Lake Ogii amid the grassland plains where we can observe the abundant animal and bird-life. (Note: during April instead we visit Khustain National Park where we observe the recently endangered Takhi wild horses, among other abundant wildlife) (B,L,D)
Day 14 Lake Ogii to Karakorum Driving from Lake Ogii, we will stop at ancient pre-Mongol citadel and stupa ruins. This is before we arrive at Karakorum, the center of Mongolian Buddhism built from the ruins of Genghis Khan’s capital city. We will stay next to the Mt. Khogno Khan Nature Reserve among Buddhist monastery ruins and sand dunes. (B,L,D)
Day 15 Mt. Khogno Khan to Ulan Bator Today we drive back to Ulan Bator. (B,L)
Day 16 Trans-Mongolian We board the train and spend the day crossing the arid southern plains toward the Chinese border from where we descend into the ‘Middle Kingdom’.
Day 17 Beijing The rest of the day is free to explore this fascinating city.  In the evening we have the opportunity to have a Beijing duck dinner and see the acrobats.
Day 18 The Great Wall We take an excursion from Beijing out to a less frequented portion of the wall and take a 10km (6 mile) hike between two of the most picturesque regions (optional).
Day 19 Beijing We visit the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.  There is a little more free time before those of us continuing on board the train for Xian.
Day 20 Beijing The tour ends for those only doing the Moscow to Beijing segment.
The end of the tour or continue to Beijing to Kathmandu

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