Tour Yenisei is the heart of Siberia (8 days/7 nights, period June-September) runs along territories of Khakassia, Tuva and Krasnoyarsk region.

Regions

Krasnoyarsk region is located in the eastern part of Siberia along the basin of the Yenisei river. It covers 3000 km from the South to the North, where it is washed  by Kara sea and Laptevs’ sea. The population of the region is about 3 million people.

The region is subdivided into three climate zones: arctic, subarctic and mild.

Krasnoyarsk region territory is the domain for 450 species of plants, 340 species of birds and 90 species of animals including snow leopard, Putorana bighorn sheep, snow fox, stoat and musk-ox. In region there are 6 nature reserves under state protection: Great Arctic, Central-Siberian, Putorana, Stolby (Rock pillars), Sayano-Shushensky and Taimyr reserves.

The main religion here is Orthodox Church, but other confessions are also spread: Catholicism, Islam, Judaism etc.

The capital of the region is Krasnoyarsk – megapolis situated on the both sides of the Yenisei river. It was founded by Russian military man Andrey Dubensky in 1628. The population of Krasnoyarsk is about 1 million people. Time difference with Moscow is +4 hours, distance to Moscow is 3995 km. There are many old buildings and places of interest here. Krasnoyarsk is the motherland of painter Surikov, geographist and scientist Potanin, singer Khvorostovsky, violinist Tretyakov, Olympic champion Yarygin, writer Astafiev.

The symbol of Krasnoyarsk is Paraskeva Pyatnitsa chapel built in 1805 on Karaulnaya hill. It is printed on the 10-roubles banknote.

Yeniseysk is one of the most ancient Siberian towns. The town's past is closely connected to the history of Eastern Siberia's and Russia's uniting. Yeniseysk was founded in 1619 by Cossacks as a military fortress on the left bank of the river Yenisei. During 150 years this town was the main gates to the Eastern Siberia and "the father" of all Siberian towns. In 2019 Yeniseysk will celebrate its 400 anniversary. But the town still impresses everyone with its old architectural look. There are more than 110 objects of cultural inheritance on the territory of Yeniseysk. Approximately 30 of them are Russian inheritance.

Tuva is situated on the South of Eastern Siberia in the geographical center of Asia. It borders Krasnoyarsk region, Khakassia republic, Mongolia, Altai republic. Tuva is very rich in natural resources: besides huge geological deposits, there are about 8000 rivers, including famous Khemchik and Yenisei, about 20 big fresh and salt water lakes, lots of healing mineral springs. Fauna of Tuva is very unique and diverse: here one can meet a camel, a desert dweller, and a reindeer, inhabitant of northern territories, Tuvan mountains Tannu-Ola are the realm of snow leopard. Also bear, wolf, squirrel, moose, sable, roebuck, lynx, glutton and birds like hazel-hen, blackcock, goose, duck, eagles and even swans are often met here. From fish such species can be mentioned: Siberian and Mongolian grayling, salmon, bass, pike and many others.

The population of Tuva is about 315 thousand people. The capital of the republic is Kyzyl, the place having been calculated and depicted to be the geographical center of Asia. Distance from Abakan – 400 km, from Krasnoyarsk –1000 km. Time difference with Moscow is +4 hours.

Main confessions: Orthodox Church, Buddhism, Shamanism.

Places of interest in Kyzyl are: free Arat square, The Geographical center of  Asia obelisk, National Tuvan museum, Tuvan national theatre, Shaman clinic.

How to get

The tour starts in Krasnoyarsk

One of the main transport hubs in Siberia is Krasnoyarsk. It is passed through by Trans-Siberian railway, so it provides tourists with possibilities to travel actively. Krasnoyarsk posses the airport both of local and international level, river port and well-developed road vehicle infrastructure.

Information about railways to Krasnoyarsk can be inquired at managers of Sayan Ring Co.

Airport in Krasnoyarsk Yemelianovo accepts planes from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Norilsk, Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Vladivostok, Kamchatka and many other cities in Russia, also from international flights from Beijing and Bangkok. You can reach Krasnoyarsk by flights of following  airlines Aeroflot, S7, UTair, NordStar etc.

The tour ends in Abakan.

There are direct flights Abakan-Moscow: Aeroflot air company, dep. 09.30, arr. 10.20, everyday, S7 flight dep. 07.40, arr. 08.40, everyday.

Besides, to Abakan you can get to Moscow by Trans-Siberian railway by train #067 via Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, to Krasnoyarsk by train #124.

Meeting and seeing off

Group transfers from/to airport (railway station) are organized at fixed time. Tourists are met with a board, where tourist’s name or a name of a company is printed. At the day of the beginning of the tour the bus at the airport will wait for arriving tourists from 05:00 to 07:30 (local time). Railway station-hotel transfer is between 06:00 and 08:00. You will be met by the representative of the company, who will help you with everything you have problems with.

Return transfer to Abakan hotel will be made 2.5-3 hrs before departure, 60 min - to the railway station.

If it's more comfortable for you to drice back to Krasnoyarsk, we can bring you to Krasnoyarsk by bus.

Weather

The climate in Tuva is sharply continental. Summer there is dry, temperature up to 40 C.

The climate in Khakassia is also continental: cold winter, hot summer, with significant variation of temperature and precipitation level. Summer duration in steppes is from the middle of May till the middle of September, in highlands – from the middle of June till the end of August. The hottest month is July (average temperature is 20 C). Sometimes there is “Indian summer” in the end of September.

Each season in Krasnoyarsk region has its advantages; therefore the choice depends only on what month seems to be the best in your opinion.

• It's very beautiful in May, as the greenery is still fresh, everything is in blossom, at the same time you can see snow high up in the mountains. It's warm during the day, but rather cool in the evening.

• In June everything is in blossom as well, and every week you can various colors of nature. Stable weather is characteristic of this period of time.

• July is the hottest month, but sometimes there might rain for a week. The weather is stable and it's warm in the day time and at night. At the end of the month the steppe starts getting dry.

• The first half of August is warm, but later it starts getting colder. Nights get colder. At the end of the month there is a change of colors in nature surroundings: leaves get red and yellow. At this time of the year there is a great many of mushrooms and berries.

• September is rich with a diversity of nature colors, red, yellow, and green colors prevail. Usually, the first half of the month is warm but nights are cold. During the second half of September it can be rainy, the temperature can drop to +5C.

• In early October, it is already getting colder, the temperature can drop to 0 ^◦ C, sub-zero- temperatures at night, but winter is still far, there will be rather even no rains. If you're lucky, nature will give you an opportunity to see the golden autumn in Siberia. But in late October at most parts of the route there is snow.

Useful tips

Travelling clothes must be comfortable. Please, take clothes you put on for walking and outdoor activities with you.

• Light-toned T-shirts with long sleeves and light pants to protect your skin from spiny plants in Tuvan steppes

• Shorts, T-shirts in light colors

• In May and in September warm sweater or fleece jacket, thermal underwear, gloves, hat

• Cotton socks 2-3 pairs; wool socks in May, late August and September

• Windproof and waterproof jacket / raincoat

• 2 pairs of shoes: a pair of sport shoes (preferably closed) and a pair of waterproof shoes

• Hat or cap to protect your head from the sun

• Sunglasses

• Sunscreen

• Swimsuit (you might need you in the banya)

• Flashlight, you will need it in the evening at the yurt camp

• Personal hygiene items

• Insurance, incl. against tick-borne encephalitis, if available

• Individual medicines in the presence of chronic diseases

• Cash (for souvenirs, sweets, alcohol drinks, other personal expenses).

You can choose from a travel bag, backpack or suitcase, all options are ok. You do not have to carry your luggage over long distances.

You do not need to take with you:

• tents, sleeping bags and other camping equipment

• soap

• toilet paper

• towels (all hotels and camps providetowels, but you can take your own from personal hygiene reasons)

Accommodation

Amaks City Hotel

AMAKS HOTELS & RESORTS is one the best Russian chains of the hospitality industry. Hotel is located on the right bank of the Yenisei River, offers beautiful views. Not far from here Sports Palace, which includes sports fields, tennis courts, stadium. In the immediate vicinity of the hotel there are museums, theaters, exhibition and concert halls, shopping and office centers. Twenty kilometers from the hotel there are ski slopes and cable car, which offers magnificent views of the National Park Stolby. Our guests will overnight in twin or single (for extra fee) standard rooms (shower, WC). For guests a buffet breakfast will be served on the ground floor.
Address: Krasnoyarsk, Matrossova str, 2

Yurt camp Biy-Khem (2 nights)

The yurt camp is located 22 km from Kyzyl, on the bank of Yenisei river, and is specially designed for tourists’ accommodation. These are yurts with low door facing the East. They are furnished for 1 or 2 people. There are 2 beds, a cupboard, bedside tables in yurts. At the door you can find a washstand. Electrical heating, electrical outlets. Toilet and shower are in a special big yurt. Also canteen and bar are situated in a separate yurt.
Extra service: banya.
Address: Tuva Republic, Piy-Khem kozhuun, Kara-Khaak settlement

Ship Kuprian (3 nights)

The passenger ship Kuprian was constructed by the project 623/025, class “O” (Russian River Register) in 2009. The Kuprian is the only VIP-class ship on the Yenisei river. The capacity of the ship is 4 twin cabins (bunk-beds, private WC) and 2 double cabins (big-sized bed, private WC). The ship has all modern conveniences like a large restaurant, the bar, sauna, walk-around deck and high-speed powerboat. The staff of the ship is very professional under the head of the experienced captain.

Asia business hotel (2 nights)

Meals

During all the tour you will be offered three meals a day. Weather it is a hotel, yurt complex or picnic in the open air, you will be served with hot food, mineral water, coffee or tea  – they are included in tour price. Alcohol beverages are not included in the price. We can also take into consideration the tourists' preferences in dietary or vegitarian food as far as possible. In order to have it during the tour, you should fill in the questionnarie about pecularities in food and send it to us in advance. In case you don’t complete it, you will be provided with standard European food with elements of national cuisine. Changing of menu during the tour is possible only for extra pay.

The national dishes of Russian, Tuvan, and Khakassian cuisine are essential parts of the program. The traditional dishes of Russian cuisine are thought to be pancakes, rosted and backed pies, meat dumplings, salty cucumbers, beetroot salad, cabbage soup, fruit drinks and many others. Speaking about Tuvan people, they also can’t do without meat and diary products. In fact, they eat mostly meat and all other food is just an addition to it. Various dishes made of meat and flour are quite popular with local people, these are soup with meat and noodles (uzken bydaa), meat dumplings prepared on steam (boozy) and traditional ones (manchy), round fried meat pie (khuzhuury), minced meat with pastry (tyrtykan) and many others.

Moreover, you can find on the table of Tuvan people vodka made of milk (araga), which is made of sour milk, boorzaki – pieces of pastry fried in boiled oil, cakes, which are eaten not with prepared food, but as “individual dish” and soktaan dolgan – ground barley. Also Tuvinian people like blood pudding, green tea with milk (it is drunk with butter or salt). The importance of diary products as well as meat product is very high for these people. They developed different ways of cooking products made of  milk such as – cheese (bashtyk), butter (sarzhag), cream (oreme), koumiss (khymys), kefir (tarak), sour clotted milk (khoitpak), dried cottage cheese – of hard  and crumbly consistence (kurut and aarzhy respectively).

In case the meal preferences were not specified, one will be provided with standard menu. Any altering in meal during the tour is possible only for additional fee.

Security

All vehicles along the route are equipped with first-aid kit and all our guides have been specially trained to do primary medical assistance. Also all our tourists are insured (medical insurance). Insurance company is Nadezhda, phone of 24-hour customer service center +7 (812) 325 72 92, +7 800 333 72 92

Mobile phones

On the most part of the tour the cellular network coverage is available. Mobile phones operated by local operators (MTS, Beeline, Megafon, Tele2) are working alright.

Transportation

Our tour is organized by comfortable minivans, minibuses (Ford Transit, Mercedes Sprinter) or large buses depending on the number of people in the group. Each day we cover the distance of approximately 400-450 km. Every 1,5-2 hours we make stops, that's why the journey does not seem very tiresome. There are days included into the program when tourists stay in cities and do not travel by bus. It is forbidden to smoke in buses, stops in some places, preserves. Driving during the night is also forbidden because of the seasonal pasture.

Guide services

We have highly qualified guides working in our company, due to this fact the tours of the company Sayan Ring have become so interesting and fascinating. They say, without a guide any journey, even a short one is nothing more than going some distance, but with a guide it is already travelling. Our guides speak Russian, English or German language. Other languages on request. Tipps to our guides and drivers are not included in the tour price.

Ticks and mosquitoes

Along the Yenissei there are many mosquitoes, so please take repellents, mosquito headnets and closed clothes.
Ticks are active in Krasnoyarsk and to the south in Tuva until mid-July, you should be attentive and regularly checked.
In Tuva there are not many mosquitoes, but there can be a lot of mosquitoes because of continuous rains, which is a rare phenomenon for Tuva. Anyway each tourist is given the individual means of protection, also we recommend tourists to make sure their arms and legs are covered in twilight because mosquitoes are enlivened in the evening time. The tour price does not include the tick-borne encephalitis insurance.

Water

Water provided during the tour is clear and doesn’t need any additional purification. You will be given water for drinking (still or carbonated) in any amounts you like, that’s why there will be no need in taking water with you.

Other information

Information with number of telephone of meeting guide and a detailed program of a tour can be provided 7 days before the beginning of a tour. Your insurance policy and booked railway and air tickets you can get from your guide on the first day of the tour.

Guarantees

Sayan Ring is the incoming tour operator in Krasnoyarsk regional, Khakassia and Tuva. The company is in the Federal Register of Tour Operators, according to it our Certificate Number is # PTO 015694, given by Federal Tourist Agency. We are the member of Association of Russian Tourism Companies.

Financial insurance guarantee #194732061 for 1 000 000 rubles is valid from the 20.12.2019 to 19.12.2020.

Enjoy your trip!