Compare Moscow Ulan-Bator and Beijing Trans-Siberian Railway Tour by Bravo Asia Tours vs Mongolia Golden Eagle Festival by Exodus Travels

Day 1: Moscow
Zdrastvutye! Welcome to Russia. Meet your tour guide at Moscow International Airport then transfer to hotel. Take a good rest after long flight. If you are still energetic, you may take a self-guided walk in this capital city. Overnight in Moscow

Day 2: Moscow
After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at your hotel. You will start the tour of Moscow on foot and try the underground metro stations in Moscow, known as the ‘Palaces of the People’ when they were first built. You will be amazed at the beautiful sculptures, bronzes, mosaics and crystal chandeliers. Later, by your private transfer, you will see some of the famous landmarks and places to which you may return at your leisure. The tour sights include Red Square, the Kremlin, Sparrow Hills, Bolshoi Theatre, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Victory Park, Novodevichy Convent, the White House and the famous Moscow streets. Overnight in Moscow

Day 3: Moscow
Today, you will go inside the most famous landmark of the city, the magnificent Kremlin. Within the territory is the fascinating Armoury Museum which you will visit, to see the spectacular collection of costumes, silver and arms amongst a vast treasure trove of exhibits. Return to the hotel at around 13.00 hrs or you may stay in the city for further exploration and make your own way back to the hotel. Overnight in Moscow

Day 4: Moscow - Yekaterinburg
You will be free at your leisure until your driver and guide come to pick you up to the railway station in the afternoon. Take your Trans-Siberian train towards Yekaterinburg. Overnight onboard

Day 5:Yekaterinburg
You will arrival in Yekaterinburg in the evening. Meet your guide and then transfer to the hotel. Overnight in Yekaterinburg

Day 6: Yekaterinburg
Today you'll have a sightseeing tour around Yekaterinburg and to the Romanov's monastery. Visit through central streets and city center to understand the old machinery on the Historical Square. Then continue on to visit splendid Church of Spilled Blood at the Romanovs’ Death Site and the Chapel of St. Elizabeth. You will observe beautiful views of Yekaterinburg and the City Pond from an embankment and from the Hill of Ascension. The Afghanistan memorial at the Square of Red Army, gorgeous villas of Urals “gold merchants” of 19th century and monumental buildings in “Stalin’s neoclassicism” style are to survey, too. The tour also includes a visit to one of the local museums. Excursion out of the city (15 km.) to The Monastery dedicated to the Romanov’s Tsar Family. On the way to the border-line you will see “The Memorial of Victims of GULAG”. Keep driving to The Main Obelisk “Between Europe & Asia”. You cross the borderline and get a Special Certificate. Overnight in Yekaterinburg

Day 7: Yekaterinburg - Irkutsk
Free at leisure until your guide come to escort you to the railway station at 3 o'clock in the morning to catch the train and head towards Irkutsk. Overnight onboard

Day 8: Irkutsk
You will spend a whole day on the train. Overnight onboard

Day 9: Irkutsk - Listvyanka
The train will arrival in Irkutsk in the morning. Meet your tour guide and drive at the railway station. You will be transferred to the village situated only 60km away from Irkutsk - Listvyanka. Check-in to the hotel. After your breakfast and freshen-up, you will be guided to visit to a local biological museum that has a set of aquariums. There is one with the only mammal representative, the Baikal Seal, in it. Walk up to a nearby view point. There you’ll get a chance to take panoramic pictures of Baikal from above. Enjoy your visit to a local 19th century wooden St.Nicolas church and a local fish market where you’ll see a great variety of fish and different ways of cooking it. Free time. Overnight in Listvyanka

Day 10: Listvyanka
Today, you will have a trip to an open-air wooden architecture museum “Taltsy” passing one of the highlights of Listvyanka, Shaman Rock. In the museum you’ll see the settlements of indigenous Siberian people. Most of the buildings presented in the museum were built in the 17th-20th centuries and were brought there from the villages that were flooded after building hydro-electric dams in Irkutsk region. Lunch at the local Siberian restaurant. Enjoy your banya (Russian sauna) in the evening. Overnight in Listvyanka

Day 11: Listvyanka - Irkutsk
You will travel back to Irkutsk this morning. Have a short city tour of Irkutsk, visit Epiphany Cathedral, the oldest stone-structure Church of our Saviour and the only Catholic Cathedral in Irkutsk, Polish Roman Catholic Church. The tour leads you through the Kirov Square and circus, taking you to the main street of Irkutsk, the Karl Marks Street. You’ll walk along the street to get to the Angara river embankment. Right there, where the monument to Alexander III is, all young people gather, so you’ll have a chance to see “the youth culture” of Irkutsk. Check-in to the hotel. You will take the train to Ulaan Baator in mid-night so early bed time is advised. Overnight in Irkutsk

Day 12: Irkutsk - Ulaanbaatar
Your guide will meet you at hotel at around 3:30 AM. Then transfer to the train station at about 4 o'clock in the morning. The following time of the day is on the train. Have a good sleep and enjoy the scenery along the railroad to Ulaan Baatord. Overnight onboard

Day 13: Ulaanbaatar
Arrival at Ulan-Bator in the morning. Transfer to hotel for the short refreshment break, shower and breakfast. Start the Ulaan Baator city tour at the Gandan monastery - the center of Mongolian Buddhism, and join the monks for the morning prayer. Visit the National History Museum, which holds a permanent exhibition on the different civilizations that have inhabited the territory of Mongolia from prehistoric times to the present. You will walk a little in the center of the city to get to know the life of this capital city of Mongolia. Explore the Black Market, a huge market containing everything in Mongolian daily life, for both nomads and urban apartment dwellers. Goods brought from all corners of Mongolia are here for sale. In the evening you will enjoy dinner, followed by a night visit to the Zaisan hill, where you will enjoy the view of the entire city at night. Overnight in Ulaan Baator

Day 14: Ulaanbaatar - Gorki-Terelj National Park
Breakfast. Free time until check-out. Departure to Gorki-Terelj National Park. The park features unique rock formations, scenic valleys, a winding river, and restful groves of trees. Many nomads live in the park where they find good grazing for their animals. We will have a little tour in the park and visit such rocks as “The Turtle rock" and “Monk reading a book“. We will visit the “Aryabal” meditation center located in the mountains to learn about Mongolian Buddhism. Overnight at the ger(a portable felt dwelling in Mongolian)

Day 15: Ulaanbaatar
Free time relaxing in the morning. After breakfast we will visit nomadic families and take the opportunity to learn about their unique way of life. Return to the ger camp. After lunch at the ger you'll be transferred back to Ulan-Bator. Overnight in Ulaan Baator

Day 16: Ulaanbaatar
In the afternoon we will see the 40 meters Chinggis Khan statue that has been completed in 2008 on the bank of the Tuul River. We will climb to the top of the statue, and will enjoy the marvelous landscape of the wide steppes surrounding it. Evening arrival to Ulaanbaatar and transfer to the hotel. Farewell dinner. Overnight in Ulaan Baator

Day 17: Ulaanbaatar - Beijing
In the morning, your guide and driver will escort you to the railway station of Ulaan Baator for your train to Beijing. Overnight onboard

Day 18: Beijing
Arrive in Beijing in the afternoon, your Beijing guide and driver will meet you at the railway station then transfer to hotel. Have a good rest after long train journey. Overnight in Beijing

Day 19: Beijing
Today, you will start your journey in Beijing. Visit the Tian’anmen Square. If you are interested in the daily flag-raising ceremony at sunrise, you can ask your guide to escort you. But you need prepare for early rising and possible crowded camera-toting tourists. Then visit the Forbidden City. You will have your lunch at a restaurant restored from a traditional quadrangle courtyard. In the afternoon, you will hop on a rickshaw to ride through the hutongs, the narrow alleys between rows of quadrangle dwellings. There you might come across children playing football or seniors playing Chinese chess by the sides. It is a nice way to get a snapshot of traditional Beijing people’s life. Pay a visit to a local family who is living in a traditional and original quadrangle welling. There you also can try your hand on painting operatic masks in a pattern of your choosing and learn the meaning of deferent masks. Have dinner before head back to hotel. Overnight in Beijing

Day 20: Beijing
In the morning you will visit the Temple of Heaven, the royal altar where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven. Before you enter the Temple of Heaven, you will come across lots of local people doing their morning exercises, including playing tai chi, singing cage birds, writing calligraphies on the ground, and kicking shuttlecocks. You can join them to share the happiness with the local people. After that you will move on to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which is about a 2-hour drive from the Temple of Heaven. The Great Wall at Mutianyu is a restored Great Wall section with fewer crowds, the most impressive scenery, and convenient cable car service. This section is about 2.2 kilometers long, with the steepest section part (at nearly 70 degrees) close to the end. Overnight in Beijing

Day 21: Beijing
In the morning after breakfast, your tour guide and driver will escort you to visit the exterior Bird Nest and Water Cube, the amazing architectures that built for Beijing Olympic Games. After that you will visit CCTV Headquarter (outside), outstanding for its brand-new appearance. After lunch, you will be taken to the wholesale market of Beijing Silk Street Market. This market is a five-storey building with an area of 30,000 square meters targeting the shopping groups including foreign visitors and local white-collar people. Overnight in Beijing

Day 22: Beijing
Today, you will fully explore Beijing by visiting the famous imperial garden — the Summer Palace. After having a Beijing-style lunch, you will have a bird’s-eye view of Beijing and the Forbidden City when you visit Jingshan Park. Later on you'll be transfer back to hotel. The rest time of today will be free at leisure. Overnight in Beijing

Day 23: Beijing
This is the last day of your Trans-Siberian Railway Tour. You will be escorted to Beijing international airport, from where you will take your flight onward. The whole team of Bravo Asia Tours welcomes your next trip to Asia with us again.

Day 1 Arrive in Ulaanbaatar

The adventure begins in Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia. We have a trip briefing with our tour leader this evening followed by a welcome dinner. But if you arrive early and wish to explore, perhaps visit some of the city landmarks, including Sukhbaatar Square (the main square), the National Museum and the State Department Store. Accommodation: Bayangol Hotel (or similar)

Day 2 Drive to Terelj National Park via the Genghis Khan statue

After breakfast, we transfer to Terelj National Park (approximately a two-hour drive), home to fascinating rock formations and green meadows carpeted with wildflowers. On the way, we visit the Genghis Khan statue. Standing 130ft (40m) tall and made of stainless steel, it’s the tallest equestrian statue in the world and quite a sight. We spend the day exploring these and visit the Aryabal Meditation Temple, which offers great views over the park. After lunch at our camp, we make a short trip to visit a local nomadic family to see how they live and hear about the nomadic way of life. Here, we also enjoy a tasting experience of homemade dairy products, such as yoghurt, cheese, curds and traditional salty milk tea. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 3 Fly to Dalanzadgad; travel through rocky plains of Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park

We have an early morning flight to Dalanzadgad, the capital of the South Gobi province, then proceed to the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. Gobi Gurvansaikhan means ‘Three Beauties of the Gobi’ and this range marks the eastern end of the Gobi Altai mountain range. The park landscape is extremely varied, with rocky and sandy desert plains, precipitous cliffs, ravines, saltpans and oases. We visit a spectacular natural sight of this region: Yolyn Am, which is approximately 31mi (50km) or 1hr 30min drive each way. Yolyn Am means Vulture’s Mouth and is a canyon so deep and narrow that winter ice can remain on the valley floor even in the height of summer. This region is also renowned for the diversity of its wildlife and many endangered species roam here, including Mongolian wild asses, ibex, argali sheep and snow leopards. We explore the canyon before transferring to a nearby ger camp for dinner and our overnight stay. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 4 Hiking around the Flaming Cliffs of Bayanzag

Today we drive 45mi (70km) to Bayanzag, popularly known as the Flaming Cliffs, and hike among colourful sands of red, yellow and orange. Bayanzag is a renowned dinosaur fossil exploration site, discovered in the 1920s by Mongolian and American palaeontologists. We are free to explore the region and may even be lucky enough to spot dinosaur fossils. After a picnic lunch, we head to our camp for the afternoon. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 5 Visit the Singing Dunes, the largest dunes in Mongolia

We have a five-hour drive (125mi/200km) to the Khongoryn Els dunes, which stretch for 125mi (200km) and are as high as 985ft (300m) in places. They are known as the Singing Dunes, because of the beautiful sound that resonates through them on a windy day. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 6 Explore the Singing Dunes and visit a nomadic camel-breeding family

We have a full day to explore the dunes and surrounding area. We have the opportunity to visit a camel-breeding family and learn about the life of the local nomadic herders. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 7 Explore the region of Bayan Gobi and the Bichigt Khad petroglyphs

Our journey continues through classic Gobi Desert scenery of flat stony plains with small rocky outcrops and patches of sand across the Khatan Suudal Steppe. We stop for a picnic lunch and then continue our drive to the Bayan mountains to view the Bichigt Khad petroglyphs. The rock inscriptions and pictures here date to 3000 BCE; we see paintings including depictions of ibex, argali and men riding horses. It is possible to see some of these from the vehicles (better with binoculars) but, for those who wish, it is also possible to hike up to the cliffs for a closer inspection of these Bronze Age works of art (the main cliff is a steep climb for 195ft/60m and walking poles are required so we usually visit the smaller cliff, which is more accessible). We are in the vehicles almost all day today and cover approximately 240mi (385km). Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 8 Transfer to Arvaikheer via Ikh Bogd mountain

First, we drive to Tsagaan Agui (White Cave), then pass over Taats River, from where the majestic Ikh Bogd mountain (the highest mountain in the Gobi Altai range) should be visible in the distance. We stop for a picnic lunch and then skirt the eastern edge of Ikh Bogd. We then drive to Arvaikheer, the capital of Ovorkhangai Aimag, on the northern edge of the Gobi. We cover around 260mi (415km) today – expect to be on the go for approximately 11 hours. Accommodation: Standard hotel

Day 9 Visit Arvaikheer Museum; to Kharkhorin via Shankh Monastery

This morning, we visit Arvaikheer local market and the museum, which contains nature collections, stone figures and Turkic scripts. After lunch, we set off for Kharkhorin, stopping en route to visit Shankh Monastery, once the home of the great Mongolian theorist Zanabazar. We arrive to camp in the evening in time for dinner. Total driving: approximately 93mi (150km), four hours Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 10 Visit Karakorum and Erdene Zuu Monastery; drive to the Little Gobi Desert

This morning, we visit the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire. It was established by Ogedei Khan and remained the Mongol power base until Kublai Khan established Beijing as the capital. Erdene Zuu (Hundred Treasures) Monastery was the largest monastery in Mongolia, built in 1586 under the direction of Abtai Khan on the ruins of the ancient capital. Much of the monastery was destroyed during Stalin’s purges of the 1930s, but an impressive wall with 108 stupas and several temples remain. After lunch, we drive (for about two hours) to the Mongol Els, or Little Gobi Desert as it is known, a unique belt of dunes in the steppe. We check into a nearby ger camp and head out to explore the region. It is an incredible sight to witness the bactrian camels wandering the desert dunes while horses graze on the green steppe nearby. We also visit Khogno Khan mountain, a small temple at its base. This region is also renowned for its birdlife, including steppe eagles. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 11 Transfer to Khustain Nuruu National Park trek to see wild horses

In the morning, we drive for three hours (125mi/200km) to Khustain Nuruu National Park, famous for the re-introduction of Mongolia’s wild horse. The Przewalski’s horse (or takhi horse) almost became extinct, but thanks to the efforts of several Mongolian and international organisations, these magnificent wild horses now roam the steppes of the park. We visit the Project Information Centre and take a guided hike to see the wild horses. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 12 Drive to Ulaanbaatar

After breakfast, we drive back to Ulaanbaatar city. You have the afternoon free to relax or explore the city. In the evening, we have the option to see a live performance of traditional Mongolian song and dance. Performed by the Tumen Ekh dance troupe, we see throat singers, contortionists and Tsam dancers. Total driving: Approximately 130mi (210km), four hours Accommodation: Bayangol Hotel (or similar)

Day 13 Fly to Olgii; visit a nomadic Kazakh village

In the morning, we fly to Olgii in western Mongolia, from where we drive offroad for about an hour to Sagsai village. Here, we visit a Kazakh family home. We spend the day seeing how they go about daily life, taking care of and milking the cows, goats and sheep. We can also sample their traditional food and taste homemade yak cheese and yogurt. This is a great opportunity to understand the life of a nomadic family and to experience their friendliness and hospitality. In the afternoon, we return to Olgii and stay overnight at a ger camp. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 14 Eagle Festival

Today we attend the Eagle Festival. For the first day of the festival, we see the competition for the best Kazakh costume, horse racing and archery. In the evening, we enjoy a cultural performance in the local theatre. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 15 Another day at the Eagle Festival

Today we have another chance to witness the competitions and events of the Eagle Festival. We can see a demonstration from the eagles and their hunters, a camel race and the lively sport of kukhbar (in which two horseback riders wrestle over the possession of a goat skin). After enjoying the festivities, we return to camp for dinner. Accommodation: Ger camp

Day 16 Fly to Ulaanbaatar; free time in the city

After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for a mid-morning flight to Ulaanbaatar, arriving midday. We transfer to the hotel and freshen up before a light lunch. This afternoon is free for last-minute sightseeing or souvenir shopping around UB – cashmere, leather goods and traditional handicrafts are all good options and the guide can recommend the best places to go for these. Night owls may want to sample the Ulaanbaatar nightlife! Accommodation: Bayangol Hotel (or similar)

Day 17 End in Ulaanbaatar

The tour ends after breakfast today and we begin our return journeys home, full of tales and magnificent photos to share.