Olympia-Reisen-Sibir tour operator 630102, Kirova str, 86, Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia.

Fax. +7 383 2184516, Tel. +7 383 2048888 www.olympia-reisen.ru Working hrs Mon-Fri: 12:00 - 21:00 (Tokyo time) / 03:00 - 13:00 (London time)

Yulia Gamboeva (ENG) mice@orsib.ru, Anastasia Porotnikova (ENG) siberia@orsib.ru, Ksenia Biushkina (ENG) incoming@orsib.ru, Aleksandra Belova (DE, CN) russia@orsib.ru,

Olessia Varnavidou (ITA) contact@orsib.ru

CAMEL TO BEAR 4WD tour by Land Rover Defender cars China (Urumqi) - Western Mongolia - Altai Mountains - Novosibirsk (Russia)

and vice-versa (BEAR TO CAMEL)

This trip by Land Rover Defender cars highlights a new pass-through of unexplored and untraveled picturesque zones of the Altai Mountains, Western Mongolia and Northern China. Travelers will cross the high mountains of Russian and Mongolian Altai, Jungaria and the legendary Gobi Desert, meeting the traditions and lifestyle of the indigenous people: the Altaian, the Kazakh, the Mongols, the Jungarians and the Chinese.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fb5vTtB4gOo

CAMEL TO BEAR itinerary from China to Russia

Day Brief description of the active part Km

1

Urumqi- Turfan. Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, is just like a piece of emerald embedded at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains. With a population of two million gaily-dressed ethnic inhabitants, This graceful prairie city is an important stop along the ancient Silk Road, leading to the Central Asia and even as far as Europe. Our tour starts with pick up at your Urumqui hotel. We will visit of the famous Turfan Depression, situated at 154 m under the Sea Level (the second lowest planet place after the Dead Sea in Israel) and Turpan city, which was an important city along the ancient Silk Road. Turpan is an old city with a long history. Traces have been found of humans living there, dating as far back as 6,000 years ago. We will see Emin Minaret - the largest ancient Islamic tower in Xinjiang; Gaochang Ancient City, Aydingkol Lake, at the bottom of Turpan Basin - the lowest point in the country, Karez System - one of the four great irrigation system of China and it is a crystallization of ancient people's wisdom and the life source there. As a city inhabited by minority groups, you can find Uygur snacks in the streets and lanes. The traditional handcrafts are exquisite and are worth collecting. Carpets, clothes, caps and knives are favorites, with distinctive folk characteristics. Overnight in Turpan, at the 3* hotel.

200 4 hrs

2

Turfan. Jiaohe & the "1000 Buddha" Cave We continue touring around Turfan region. Today we will visit one of the world's architectural wonders hides in Yarnaz Valley, 10 kilometers west of Turpan. Like a willow leaf, the ancient city of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto) with a history of 2300 years lies between two rivers on a loess plateau atop a cliff of over 30 meters. The largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world, Jiaohe has an area of 220,000 square meters. It was included in the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014 Continue to see the "1000 Buddha" Cave Mountains Temple Bizalkik within 15 min drive from the Turfan Center (more than 1200 m2 of well-saved frescos). Overnight in hotel 3*.

10 km

3

Turfan – Qitai drive through Tien Shan Mountains. Overnight in the hotel 2*.

320 km

4

Qitai – Qinghe Xian drive through the Gurban-Yungut desert (Western Gobi) & Multicolored Bay – the most curious place of this region, covering an area of 3 sq kilometers. Hills and rocks of Multicolored Bay have various shapes. Overnight in the hotel 2*.

260 km

5

Qinghe Xian - Uench/Bulgan. Crossing the Chinese-Mongolian border. Overnight in a yurt camp.

300km

6

Uench/Yurty - Hovd. We drive out of the Altaian Gobi Zone and Mongolian Altai. Drive through the one of the remotest and sparsely populated regions of Mongolia. Hovd once was a trade city of the Northern Silk Way, connecting Russia and China. All of 18 Mongolian ethnic groups from the Genghis Khan times live now in Hovd, and each group has its unique traditions and culture. We will see the cave paintings - these red-ochre paintings are believed to be 15,000 years old. The drawings depict a wide variety of animals, some are readily identifiable, such as camels, sheep, bulls, and ibex, others are open to the interpretation of the viewer. Overnight in hotel.

300 km

7

Hovd- Ulgi. Drive to the North till Ulgy. On the way to Ulgy we stop for lunch near the picturesque lake Tolbo. The Tolbo Nuur is a large saline lake about 50 km south of the aimag capital. It features clear and cold water on an elevation of 2080 m. Overnight in hotel.

350 km

8

Ulgi – Tashanta –Chibit. After completing all the border-control formalities, we enter Russia. Picnic lunch. Drive through the mountain steppes to Chibit settlement (2-3 hrs). Drive along the famous Chuysky Tract that was once the main trade route of Russia and Mongolia. The Chuysky Tract runs across the severe Chuysky steppe to the Kosh-Agach district where compact groups of cattle-breeders – Kazakhs – live. It is the remotest area of the Russian Altai. Overnight at eco-camping NOMAD.

260 km

9

Chibit settlement - Lake Aya. Continue driving along the famous Chuysky Tract with stunning landscapes on each car turn. Passing through the Seminsky Pass and the Chike-Taman Pass. In the ancient times Chuysky Tract route was the path of Tatar-Mongolian forces led by Genghis Khan. Many nations supposedly migrated along this path, and ancient carvings and mysterious tomb stones still remind about that. The road was first mentioned in history 1000 years ago, and before the 20th century existed as a mountain path for the merchants and local pilgrims. The highway we know today dates back to 1935, when numerous detention camps appeared along the Chuysky Tract, so the prisoners, mostly dispossessed by Soviet system farmers, were the main labor force. The beauty of Chuysky tract required awful human losses. Some people, who have died during the construction, were buried right in the roadbed, so that their mates might own their dietary. The most spectacular road of Russia has a fairytale beauty, and as a real fairytale it can be a bit scary… Overnight in hotel 3* near the lake Aya.

380 km

10

The Altai Mountains – Novosibirsk The Chuysky Tract finally leads us to the unofficial capital of Siberia – Novosibirsk with all the conveniences that a big modern city can offer. Novosibirsk city was founded in 1893 owing to the construction of the Great Trans-Siberian Railroad. In fact, it is the only construction workers settlements of Transsib that turned to a metropolis. The crossroads of the major transport routes proved to be an advantageous location, which promoted rapid growth of the city, sometimes called Siberian Chicago because of its phenomenal growth rate:it reached a million population mark in less than 70 years (Chicago - in 90 years, New York - in 250, Moscow - in more than 700 years!). Nowadays it's a third largest city of Russia (after Moscow and St. Petersburg) both by population and area and is often called «Uncrowned capital of Siberia».Overnight in the hotel NOVOSIBIRSK 4*.

460 km

11

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight. International connections to: Urumqui, Beijing, Hong Kong, Almaty, Astana, Tashkent, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Prague. Domestic connections: all over Russia.

BEAR TO CAMEL itinerary from Russia to China

Day Program Km

1

Arrival in Novosibirsk. Transfer to the hotel (early check-in), breakfast and morning free. 14.00 – 19.00 Lunch in Siberian tavern, followed by a city tour of Novosibirsk, covering all the main attractions of the city: Novosibirsk Railway Station – the biggest station of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, Ascension Cathedral, Krasny Prospect street, Lenin Square - city center with the biggest world’s Opera House (inside visit), old wooden houses on Gorkogo Str. - the oldest part of the city, St.Nicolas Chapel – the geographic center of Russia, river Ob’ embankment. Participate at North Siberian cuisine degustation at the Hunting Workshop (bear salami, wild meat, wild berries) and visit Transsib Museum. Novosibirsk city was founded in 1893 owing to the construction of the Great Trans-Siberian Railroad. In fact, it is the only construction workers settlements of Transsib that turned to a metropolis. The crossroads of the major transport routes proved to be an advantageous location, which promoted rapid growth of the city, sometimes called Siberian Chicago because of its phenomenal growth rate:it reached a million population mark in less than 70 years (Chicago - in 90 years, New York - in 250, Moscow - in more than 700 years!). Nowadays it's a third largest city of Russia (after Moscow and St. Petersburg) both by population and area and is often called «Uncrowned capital of Siberia».

-

2

Novosibirsk – the Altai Mountains. Drive from the Western Siberia depression to the foothills of the Altai. Evening arrival to LESOTEL Lodge on the river Katun bank.

460

3

Lake Aya - Chibit settlement. Drive along the famous Chuysky Tract that was once the main trade route of Russia and China. Going over Seminsky Pass and Chike-Taman Pass in mountains. Overnight in tents camp. We shall depart very early in the morning for Chibit settlement by the extremely picturesque Chuysky Tract highway, connecting Russia with Mongolia. Behind the boring road name M52 the most scenic road in Russia is screened, ranked by National Geographic as the 5th most scenic road of the planet. This drive can be called excursion itself, as it can be compared with traveling through all the country: travelers can see both cities and villages, birchwoods and taigas, rapid rivers and rivers’ junctions, mountains and steppes. The breathtaking landscapes are uncovered with each road turn and the travelers make several interesting stops en-route (Seminsky Pass 1739m, picturesque and serpentine Chiket-Aman Pass 1295m, so much liked by the photographers, panoramic view points and local markets stops). In the ancient times Chuysky Tract route was the path of Tatar-Mongolian forces led by Genghis Khan. Many nations supposedly migrated along this path, and ancient carvings and mysterious tomb stones still remind about that. The road was first mentioned in history 1000 years ago, and before the 20th century existed as a mountain path for the merchants and local pilgrims. The highway we know today dates back to 1935, when numerous detention camps appeared along the Chuysky Tract, so the prisoners, mostly dispossessed by Soviet system farmers, were the main labor force. The beauty of Chuysky tract required awful human losses. Some people, who have died during the construction, were buried right in the roadbed, so that their mates might own their dietary. The most spectacular road of Russia has a fairytale beauty, and as a real fairytale it can be a bit scary…

380

4

Chibit - Tashanta - Ulgi. The Chuysky Tract runs across the severe Chuysky steppe and gets into the Kosh-Agach district where compact groups of cattle-breeders – Kazakhs - live. It is the remotest area of the Altai next to the Russian-Mongolian border. After completing all the border-control formalities, we enter Mongolia. Picnic lunch. Drive through the mountain steppes to Ulgi settlement (2-3 hrs). Overnight at yurt-camping Sagsai.

260

5

Ulgi-Hovd. Drive to the South till Hovd. Hovd once was a trade city of the Northern Silk Way, connecting Russia and China. All of 18 Mongolian ethnic groups from the Genghis Han times live now in Hovd, and each group has its unique traditions and culture. On the way to Hovd we stop for lunch near lake Tolbo. The Tolbo Nuur is a large saline lake about 50 km south of the aimag capital. It features clear and cold water on an elevation of 2080 m. Overnight in hotel. Near Hovd will see the cave paintings - these red-ochre paintings are believed to be 15,000 years old. The drawings depict a wide variety of animals, some are readily identifiable, such as camels, sheep, bulls, and ibex, others are open to the interpretation of the viewer. Overnight in hotel.

350

6

Hovd-Uench/Yurty. The next 3 days we spend in the Altaian Gobi Zone. Drive through the one of the remotest and sparsely populated regions of Mongolia. Overnight in yurts.

300

7

Uench -Bulgan – Qinghe Xian. Passing the Mongolian – Chinese border. Drive across Jungaria along the frontier of the Gobi desert. Overnight in a hotel.

300

8

Qinghe Xian - Qitai –drive through the Gurban-Yungut desert (Western Gobi) & Multicolored Bay – the most curious place of this region, covering an area of 3 sq kilometers. Hills and rocks of Multicolored Bay have various shapes.

260

9

Qitai - Turfan – drive through Tien Shan Mountains. Overnight at Turpan city, which was an important city along the ancient Silk Road. Turpan is an old city with a long history. Traces have been found of humans living there, dating as far back as 6,000 years ago. As a city inhabited by minority groups, you can find Uygur snacks in the streets and lanes. The traditional handcrafts are exquisite and are worth collecting. Carpets, clothes, caps and knives are favorites, with distinctive folk characteristics. Overnight in the hotel.

320

10

Full day excursion in Turfan and surroundings. Today we will visit of the famous Turfan Depression, situated at 154 m under the Sea Level (the second lowest planet place after the Dead Sea in Israel) and Aydingkol Lake, at the bottom of Turpan Basin - the lowest point in the country, Karez System - one of the four great irrigation system of China and it is a crystallization of ancient people's wisdom and the life source there.

We continue touring to the one of the world's architectural wonders hides in Yarnaz Valley, 10 kilometers west of Turpan. Like a willow leaf, the ancient city of Jiaohe (Yarkhoto) with a history of 2300 years lies between two rivers on a loess plateau atop a cliff of over 30 meters. The largest, oldest and best-preserved earthen city in the world, Jiaohe has an area of 220,000 square meters. It was included in the World Heritage List on June 22, 2014. Continue to see

the "1000 Buddha" Cave Mountains Temple Bizalkik within 15 min drive from the Turfan Center (more than 1200 m2 of well-saved frescos).

15

11 Urumqi. Onward flight to Novosibirsk or Beijing.