Entry dates

Tour program

"Tuva? A bird has to cover many thousands of miles in the direction of the rising sun before it has overcome the Altai Mountains. There, in the geographical heart of Asia Tuva lies, in the north it borders with up to 4000m high mountain ranges of Altai and Sayan, in the south it changes over to prairies and semiprairies, up to the border with Mongolia. Politically, the Tuva Republic now belongs to the Russian Federation. Autonomous Republic as a part of the Russian Federation is after all, bigger than Greece and Belgium together. Siberian taiga, high-mountain tundra, bogs and
branches of the Gobi Desert border here with each other. Reindeer, willow grouses, bears, wolves
and frozen mammoth bones from river banks are found side by side with yaks, camels and bustards.
Just over 300,000 people live in this rich nature, it is a folk with an ancient history and culture. Originally and even to the present time they have been nomads.
We get to know their traditions and their ideas, their art and culture, the hardness of their daily life and their skills.
Tuva is a country in an ancient crossroads of cultures: Skyphen, Huns, Chinese, Mongolians, Russians and others have left their mark - monuments, inscriptions, rock carvings, fairy tales, buildings from the past, prince graves ... "

From the German book „Mysterious Tuva. Expeditions to the heart of Asia” of Sew’jan I. Weinstein

(“Geheimnissvolles Tuwa. Expeditionen in das Herz Asiens“)

Alouette Publishing House

www.alouette-verlag.de

Route in brief: 

Duration: 8 days/ 7 nights

Season: from June to September

Kind of transport: minibus and short hiking

Bus traveling:1180 km

Hiking part:15 km

Group: Min – 6

Tour doesn’t require any special physical training 

• View the booking-list
• Program in German
• Program in Russian

Day 1

Yurts of the nomads

The tourists’ arrival, meeting at the airport of Kyzyl, transfer to the yurt’s complex “Biy-Khem” (25 km). Free time, rest, those who wish can walk through the outskirts and go up the nearest hill to watch the whole Biy-Khem valley. Evening bonfire.

*Accommodation in the yurt complex “Biy-Khem”. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Day 2

Mineral springs

Breakfast. The group goes to the west to the mineral spring (in tuvian – arjaan) called Shivilig (420km.). In translation Arjaan means “saint water, mineral water, healing spring”.

Before lunch there is a stop near the breathtaking mountain Khajyrakan – one of the most respected places in Tuva. In 1992 it was chosen like energetically powerful place and consecrated by Dalay Lama XIV. At least once a year local shamans come here to get energy, strengthen and purify their souls.

Lunch is held on the grass, with the company of "Seven Sisters" – hundred years old larch trees, growing from one root. Arrival to the place Chindozyn, camping building, dinner and a rest at the evening bonfire.

*Accommodation in the tents’ camp. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Day 3

Mongulek

Breakfast. Departure (6 km) to the mineral spring "Shivilig", then with the guide the group goes for a walk (4-5 km) to the next mineral spring Churek-Arzhan. It is weakly radioactive spring, where the water temperature varies from 3 to 9 °C, radon content corresponds to the lower limit for that kind of healing waters. Tourists will learn about healing properties of springs and about methods of treatment.

Returning to the camp, lunch. After lunch at the request of the tourists a walk to the foot of the mountain Mongulek will be organized (up to 10 km one way and back). After returning to the camp the group is going to visit the nomads, who stay nearby. Understanding the way of traditional Tuvan nomadic family makes a strong impression. During the visit, you can see way of nomadic life. Return to the camp, sitting at the campfire and dinner.

*Accommodation at tent camp. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Day 4

The temple Ustuu-khuree

Breakfast. Departure to Kyzyl (130 km). On the way there will be a stop at nomad’s yurt and you will learn about their unique lifestyle and traditions. It will leave an unforgettable impression. The next stop is near Ustuu-Huree, the Buddhist temple, a unique building having no analogies within former USSR. In 1930 it was closed, and in 1937 completely destroyed. In 1999 according to the decree of local authorities it was decided to restore the building. This idea was widely supported by ethno- and rock-musicians, who organized annual festival in Chadan town. All the gatherings from the festival go for charity on the resurrection of the temple and lama (Buddhist monks) training. Lunch during the way. Departure to Sayano-Shushenskoe reservoir (100 km). Tent camp installation. Dinner, evening bonfire.

*Accommodation at tent camp. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Day 5

The heart of a Siberian deer

After the breakfast departure to Kyzyl (180km). Stop at Syyn-Churek (Maral’s heart). Tourist will be shown how archeologists work at excavations, copy ancient rock paintings on paper. You will be presented a copy of them as a souvenir.

A trip to the top of Syyn-Churek. Journey to Kyzyl, lunch in a restaurant. Arrival to “Biy-Khem” yurt-complex. Dinner, evening bonfire.

After the dinner you will attend a real Tuvinian tea ceremony**. During the ceremony you will hear legends and parables about tea, a story about methods of making and brewing Tuvinian national tea with milk and salt, you will learn the history of tea in Tuva. To make the lives of our guests as bright as white milk, to make the spirits of skies and ground assist you every day, we invite you to attend Tuvinian tea ceremony. Along with this tea you will taste the rich culture of Tuvinian people, you will see amazing land of steppes of Tuva. After that you will have dinner with Tuvinian national cuisine.

*Accommodation at “Biy-Khem” yurt-comlex. Breakfast, lunch, dinner.

**Extra fee

Day 6

A free day

Breakfast, walking around the yurt complex. Free day. You can have a rest at the yurt-complex, you can go for a walk around the top of the hill or you can visit Kyzyl by yourself and have a nice walk there. In the evening shaman’s kamlaniye** mystic performance. It is a talk with spirits in the light of a bonfire. It’s the most pare thing when a whole company of shamans act together! For one it would be a rite of clearing and meditation, or you can just make a wish that will come true for sure!

For the other tourists there’s an option just to visit banya** in Kyzyl (extra fee).

 *Accommodation is in the yurts’ camp “Biy-Khem”. Breakfast, lunch, dinner

**Extra fee

Day 7

National traditions

Excursion to Kyzyl, the capital of Tuva (50 km), visiting the Geographical Centre of Asia. Then a visit to the Buddhist temple where the tourists will hear sermon of a lama. Visit of local craftsmen, who will tell the secrets of making traditional national Tuvinian musical instruments, shaman’s drums and traditional jewellery. Lunch in a restaurant.  Then visit to the National Museum of Tuva (“The Scythian gold” exhibition), the souvenir shop, post office and Kyzyl suburbs and even a mineral spring.

Dinner, where the traditional dishes of Tuvan cuisine are cooked specially for the guests After dinner – the performance of traditional throat singing – “khoomei” - a fantastical capability of the Tuva people (and some other Siberian nationalities) to emit simultaneously two or three sounds of different tone and to sustain the same sound for 25-30 seconds without taking a breath. If you close your eyes it is hard to believe that the sounds are emitted by a person and not by a musical instrument.

* Accommodation in the yurts’ complex “Biy-Khem”. Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8

Breakfast. Departure to Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk by flight or to Abakan by bus.

*Breakfast

Tuva is of another kind. Being in Tuva means to forget everything, about speed highways and soot, to forget traffic jams and crowds of people, to forget about cafes and restaurants, forget the last news, forge about frequency modulation and matrix. May be in this case the doors will open a little and you will get a piece of this mysterious world- Tuva.

• Tour details can be inquired from the manager of the company: Contacts: Olga, info@sayanring.com; ICQ: 633-060-400, skype olgafedoseev
  
  or from the representatives of "Sayan Ring" in your country: Germany, France, Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands.
• Special offer:
• In case of full payment of the tour till 01 March 2012 г - discount 10% !
• In case of full payment of the tour till 01 May 2012 г - discount 8% !

transportation (minibus, UAZs, PAZ);  twin accommodation in the yurt complex and tents; full board; group transfers; excursions; luggage transportation; entrance tickets to museums, parks, nature reserves; folk-art programs; Russian, English or German speaking guide service; visa support; accident insurance

air tickets to Krasnoyarsk, Kyzyl; transfers in Krasnoyarsk; alcohol drinks; extra service, banya, folklore programs

Extra pay for a single accommodation during the whole tour – 100 Euro