Legends of Siberia: From Yakutia
to Tuva
From mountains to taiga and from tundra to steppe, this in-depth cultural
tour roams Siberia, visiting five different ethnic groups - the Yakut, the Buryat,
the Tuvan, the Khakass, and the obscure Russian sect of the Old Believers. Their
homelands are
four distinctly different regions of Siberia - untamed Yakutia, Buddhist Buryatia,
mountainous Khakassia and remote Tuva.
We begin in Yakutia, an area half as large as Europe in northeastern Siberia,
where the world's record cold temperature, -96 degrees Fahrenheit, was recorded.
Yakutia is named after its most prevalent indigenous group, the Yakut, semi-nomadic
horse herders. In the capital, Yakutsk, we visit the Museum of History and Culture
of the Northern Peoples and descend into the icy tunnels of the Permafrost Museum.
Outside the city we pay a visit to a group of Evenk reindeer herders to learn
about their daily lives.
Flying to Irkutsk, near deep Lake Baikal, we take time to admire the Russian-Siberian
gingerbread carving on the older log homes in this cultured little city.
Next we venture by hydrofoil across the lake to Severobaikalsk at its northern
tip. Here we skirt the shore on a scenic boat ride, visit the village of Baikalsk,
enjoy a folk concert, and soak in nearby hot springs.
Our next stop is Ulan Ude, capital of the Buryat republic and home to the modern
Buryat people, who are ethnically Mongolian. Many Buryats are Buddhist, but traces
of shamanism still survive. From here we pay a visit to a village of Old Believers,
a sect of Russian Orthodox people who fled to Siberia long ago to escape persecution,
and who maintain their old-style language, customs and dress.
We spend several days in remote Tuva, where the Tuvan people will entertain
us with throat singing, in which one person is able to produce two or three sounds
simultaneously. Visiting the Valley of the Czars, we find an ancient burial mound,
or kurgan, that yielded the richest discovery of Scythian gold in the
world.
From Tuva's capital, Kyzyl, we drive to Khakassia, home of the Khakass people,
relatives of the Kyrgyz. Here we explore a recreated 19th century Siberian village
at the Shushenkoe Ethnographical Museum. From nearby Abakan, capital of the region,
we fly back to Moscow and the conclusion of our journey.
Trip Details
| Length of Trip: |
21 Days |
| Departures in 2005: |
1 |
| Dates: |
July 23-August 12 |
 |
| Land Tour Cost |
|
| 5-16 travelers |
$6,695 |
| Single Supplement |
$725 |
|
Special Features
- Shiver in the chilly tunnels of the Permafrost Museum, where scientists study
the frozen past
- Sail the length of the "Holy Sea," Lake Baikal
- Visit a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ulan Ude, and leave an offering as
many Buryats do
- Hear the powerful harmonies of the Old Believers and the otherworldly strains
of Tuvan throat singing
- Walk the grassy kurgans and reflect on the ancient Scythian horsemen buried
here
Map
| |
| Day 1: |
Moscow |
|
| Day 2: |
fly to Yakutsk |
|
| Days 3-5: |
Yakutsk |
|
| Day 6: |
fly to Irkutsk |
|
| Day 7: |
hydrofoil across Lake Baikal |
|
| Days 8-9: |
Severobaikalsk |
|
| Day 10: |
fly to Ulan Ude |
|
| Days 11-12: |
Ulan Ude |
|
|
| Day 13: |
day train to Irkutsk |
|
| Day 14: |
Irkutsk, Listvyanka |
|
| Day 15: |
fly to Kyzyl |
|
| Days 16-17: |
Kyzyl |
|
| Day 18: |
drive to Shushenskoe |
|
| Day 19: |
drive to Abakan |
|
| Day 20: |
fly to Moscow |
|
| Day 21: |
Moscow |
|
|
|
