About Siberia

What is Siberia?

Does the phrase "tourism in Siberia" have any sense or is it perceived as an absolute nonsense?

When a Westerner hears "Siberia", the image that may come to mind first is that of frozen tundra, unbearable cold, and labor camps. But Siberia is one of the few parts of this world that is yet to be fully discovered, and is unknown to the experience of most. Siberian nature, severe yet beautiful, draws the hearts of many enthusiasts aspiring to see with their own eyes a land that for centuries has been wrapped in mystery; and hasn't lost any of its fabulous beauty and grandeur...

The name of Siberia comes from "sibir", a Mongolian word for "sleeping land". Siberia makes up more than 75% of Russia's land mass and occupies a territory of more than 10 million square km. The vast Siberian land stretches from the Ural Mountains in the west, to the Pacific Ocean in the east; from the polar coasts of the Arctic Ocean to the burning steppes of Kazakhstan and Mongolia.

Siberia is marvelous at any time of the year; whether covered with white glittering snow in winter, or carpeted with wild flowers of all shapes and colors in summer.

Are you fascinated at the idea of visiting a special, a unique place to experience it yourself? An immense and breathtaking land invites you to discover its magical physical beauty, which has developed a specific Siberian character, and to dive into a majestic world of boundless space...Welcome to Siberia!

Where to go in Siberia:

Trans-Siberian Railway trip

The Trans-Siberian Railroad, built within only 25 years, is the longest railroad on the planet! It  stretches from Moscow to Vladivostok and covers more than 9000 km. Modern trains cross this distance within a week, traveling through eight time zones!
Try one of the following trips: From Moscow to Vladivostok or from Moscow to Beijing via Mongolia. On the way, you may choose the cities at which to stop over: Ekaterinburg, connected with Russia´s last imperial Family or vivid Novosibirsk with possible visits to the astounding Altai Mountains, Krasnoyarsk with its enigmatic Stolby Natural Reserve or old Irkutsk, combined with an exploration of the legendary lake Baikal!

Expeditions by 4WD LAND ROVER DEFENDER CARS in Siberia and Asia

Possessing 5 Land Rover Defender Cars, we annually organize several 4WD tours, events and expeditions, both driven by professional drivers and by clients. These tours are especially interesting for adventure, active and ethnography-oriented travellers (they allow to see the traditions of local people: the Altaian, the Kazakh, the Mongols, the Jungarians, the Chinese, the Tibetan and the Nepalese), as well as for those travellers who are fond of driving through the rocky deserts, challenging hard roads, and are able to feel the unique local flavor of Asia beyond the simple map names and route key points! Travelers cross the high mountains of Russian and Mongolian Altai, Jungaria and the legendary Gobi Desert, before entering deeply into difficult-to-acess regions. You can take a part in the following expeditional trips: Altai Mountains tours with visits of rarely visited and difficult to access zones, Novosibirsk-Altai Mountains - Mongolia with accent on Western Mongolian territory, Novosibirsk-Mongolia-China (Urumqi city), Novosibirsk - Katmandu (via Mongolia, China & Tibet), Novosibirsk - Mongolia - China (Eastern Tibet) - Bhutan - India - Myanmar.

The Altai Mountains

Altai is second to none when it comes to the beauty of its landscapes and the diversity of its attractions and is one of the least known, yet most curious corners of Russia. Located at an equal distance away from four oceans, it lies at the crossroads of Mongolian and Turkic worlds, and keeps all the traces of the centuries-old history: overgrown enclosures, nomadic stone idols and burial-mounds, pictures and characters on the weathered rocks, ancient stone statues, the settlements of the "old believers", and the Siberian shamans...
The Altai has escaped urbanization, remaining unchanged in the diversity of its landscape - limpid rivers, dense taiga, high-mountain meadows, the icy mountain streams and sparkling glaciers! Isn't it curious that the Altai has the landscapes of almost all the geographical zones of the world?
The Altai is one of the few places where all levels of different types of active tourism are available. You will certainly enjoy mountain-climbing, white water rafting, horseback riding, as well as trekking, hiking and speleo-explorations. 4WD trips from Novosibirsk to China through the Altai Mountains and Mongolia are among the most exciting trips in this region.

Lake Baikal

The Baikal is one of the biggest and most ancient lakes on our planet, and a miracle of siberian nature. It is not a place for hustle and bustle. Here you feel like thinking about eternity and the world's harmony. Today, as in the past, Baikal remains at the crossroads of cultures, where native Sayats still herd reindeers and Buryat people keep many of their old traditions. Baikal is beautiful especially during the summer: clear limpid waters, plenty of marvelous bays, picturesque landscape, boundless expanse of forest and mountains.
The Baikal contains more than 1/5 of the world's reserves of fresh water. It is the world's deepest lake, with unbelievably clear water. In fact, some visitors feel uncomfortable when they peer over the side of the boat and are able to see 50 meters downward!
Come to the Baikal for active, cultural or contemplative and meditative tours all around the lake!


 

Sayan Mountains, Khakassia and Tyva

This magic land is famous for its ancient civilization´s monuments, unique nature reserves, traditional festivals and customs (wrestling, guttural singing, etc.) and a mixture of Buddhism and shamanism beliefs of its people, still preserved and maintained among the Tuvans.
Tyva is an area of great variety, with almost every type of landscape: luxuriant meadows, boundless steppe, medicinal springs, beautiful lakes, rushing mountain rivers fed in spring by melting snows, dusty semi-deserts and snowy chains of mountains.
Participate in the excellent unique excursion tour "The Great Sayan Ring" to see by your own eyes natural and historical treasures of the Sayan Mountains!

Yakoutia

Yakutia, or Sakha Republic, is a vast unexplored region of Siberia in the northeast of Russia. The territory of Yakutia is one fifth of Russia´s, while the population (about 1 million) can easily be be placed in one district of Tokyo city. In brief, tourism in Yakutia can be described by four «E»: Eco. Any trip to Yakutia, whatever tour you choose, will be ecologically-oriented. Ethno. Sakha-people are the most northern and probably the most ancient of all in the large family of Turk cattle breedings peoples. Extreme. Out of Yakutsk city civilization ends, so prepare to pass the night in tents or farmhouses, to drive on difficult roads, fly by helicopter, sail by canoes and small boats, ride horses or reindeer. Be ready to eat canned food, packed lunch, fresh fish soup boiled on fire. Most of the tours are planned for strong, young-spirited people not afraid of difficulties while discovering Yakutia. Exotic. The total area of Yakutia is located in the permafrost zone, which is almost unnoticeable in summer. It is Yakutia where there is the Cold Pole, the coldest place in the northern hemisphere, where in 1924 Academician Sergei Obruchev fixed the lowest temperature for our hemisphere — minus 71.2 degrees Centigrade. Here one can see such unique natural phenomena as Aurora Borealis, norhern lights. Here, beyond the Polar Circle, night lasts all winter and day lasts all summer and in the tundra local mushrooms can grow higher than local trees.


Plateau Putorana Polar Region

Putorana is a very special place at the very north of Siberia. Surrounded by thousands of kilometers of arctic plains, these fortress-like mountains amaze everyone's mind when approaching them in a helicopter. By the way, a helicopter in the only option for the put-in and take-out.

The plateau itself is quite low (just 1000-1500m above sea level) and flat, valleys are often filled with long narrow fjord-type lakes and rivers typically have only one sort of white water interest - waterfalls. These falls can be huge and almost none of them have ever been tried out.

There is no local population in the area, except for casual hunters or fishermen. The nearest settlements are a few hundred kilometers away from the plateau, separated by impassable swamp, taiga and tundra.
What to do in Putorana? Fishing (not-to-be-missed experience for fishing fans!), filming gorgeous canyons and waterfalls from the birds-eye view and rafting (while paddling there, you're really on your own!)

Kamchatka Peninsula

Kamchatka is without exaggeration one of the most spectacular regions in Russia, a land where fire meets ice. It occupies an area of 470,000 sq. km, which equals the size of France, Belgium and Luxembourg combined. There are more than 160 volcanoes on the peninsula (29 of them are active), due to the fact that it lies on the Great Pacific “ring of fire”. Volcanoes and volcanic peaks, cyclones and underground heat created here a mixture of twenty climate zones and a great variety of flora and fauna. But the main attractions of Kamchatka are volcanic calderas, stone sculpture “parks” and lakes in craters, geysers and mineral springs, all in pristine condition. Despite its great size, the peninsula is home to just 400,000 people, half of which live in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky city. As such, the peninsula is a vast, uninhabited wilderness, where one can climb volcanoes, sport hunt for bears, visit geysers, spend hours in natural hot springs, or go fishing in wild rivers or off the coast.