A trip to the valley of lotuses. Tour to Astrakhan region

06:30 Early breakfast at the hotel.

07:00 Meeting with a guide, departure for an excursion to Kalmykia.

Today we are waiting for the unique Elista, the Pearl of the steppe, the capital of Kalmykia.

Cultures, religions, and architectural styles have mixed here. Kalmykia is a land of endless steppe expanses like the ocean.

Elista is the capital of this amazing republic. The life of stolny grad is saturated with legends, legends and ancient rituals. For example, guests of a diverse city are invited to pass through Altyn Bosch — the Golden Gate. Kalmyks believe that such a rite cleanses the soul and thoughts.

There is also the largest Buddhist temple in Kalmykia in Elista, and the influence of Tibetan architecture can be unmistakably determined in its outlines.

12:00-13:00 Arrival in Elista. Memorial to the victims of political repression The exodus and return of the work of Nobel Prize winner Ernst Neizvestny.

The Stupa of Enlightenment is a traditional place of pilgrimage for Buddhists all over the world, a place of strength and inspiration, a place of fulfillment of desires.

13:00-14:00 Lunch at a cafe in the city.

14:00-17:00 Visit to the new Central Buddhist Hurula of Kalmykia with a 9 m high Buddha statue.

Museum of the History of Buddhism.

Museum of Unique Kalmykia.

Walking tour of the city center — Golden Gate, inspection of sculptural compositions created at the international Biennial of sculptors The Great Silk Road and Man and nature through the eyes of the East

17:00 Free time to buy souvenirs.

17:30 Gathering of the group and departure to Astrakhan.

22:30 Arrival in Astrakhan, transfer to the hotel.

Breakfast at the hotel.

08:30 Meeting with the guide, departure of the group to the village of Saltpeter.

Today we will take another amazing trip to Sarai Batu, the medieval capital of the Golden Horde.

140 km above Astrakhan, the village of Selitrennoe (Kharabalinsky district of the Astrakhan region) is located in the steppe. Looking at the wide desert steppe surrounding the village, it is impossible to believe that one of the capitals of the world, one of the largest centers of civilization, was once located here.

But, nevertheless, it was here, on the hills and mounds of the modern village, that the Golden Horde once settled.

The raids and campaigns of the conquerors took place from here, and the ruins of the huge Golden Horde city of Sarai-Batu, called the Saltpeter Hillfort, rest here.

10:30 Arrival at the Batu Barn.

10.30-12.30 An exciting tour of the scenery of Sarai Batu, the reconstruction city of the Golden Horde, which was built in 2010 in the Kharabalinsky district of the Astrakhan region for Andrei Proshkin's film The Horde.

When you get to Sarai Batu, the city impresses with maximum historical authenticity, which archaeologists have helped to recreate thanks to their long and painstaking work.

Free time, you can walk along the shore of Ashuluk, visit the khan's headquarters, the site of sand figures.

For an additional fee, you can have a snack at the Khan cafe (pastries, pilaf, shurpa), ride a camel, visit a torture chamber or shoot an arrow (from 300 rubles per person per service).

12:30-13:30 Arrival at the Saltpeter hillfort excavation site. Inspection, guided tour.

13:30 Departure to Astrakhan.

15:30 Arrival in Astrakhan. Lunch in Astrakhan, transfer to hotels.

Breakfast at the hotel.

The trip to the lotus fields is carried out without a guide, there is no fixed seating arrangement, we get to the departure point and to the hotel after the trip on our own (for an additional fee, you can order a transfer starting from 800 rubles one way).

There are 2 departures daily — 08:00 and 11:00 with the program time offset, respectively. Choose a time that suits you.

08:00/11:00 Departure by minibus from the Heydar Aliyev Square.

The Heydar Aliyev Square is located:

• from the Azimuth hotel: 930 m, 11 minutes on foot, 6 minutes by taxi;
• from the Volga-Volga hotel: 1.4 km, 15 minutes on foot, 5 minutes by taxi;
• from the Cosmos hotel: 4.5 km, 10 minutes by taxi.

09:30/12:30 Arrival at the FICH-CLUB recreation center. Changing clothes, briefing, and getting ready to set sail.

10:00/13:00 Transfer to boats. 1.5-2-hour guided tour of the lotus fields.

12:00/15:00 Arrival at the FISH-CLUB recreation center, lunch: fish soup from river fish, pilaf, salad of fresh vegetables, bread, tea.

13:30/16:30 Swimming in the pool on the territory of the base, sunbathing, visiting the mini-farm, sports games: volleyball, football.

14:45/17:45 Changing clothes, preparing for departure.

15:00/18:00 Departure from the base.

16:30/19:30 Arrival in Astrakhan.

Free day.

For an additional fee, an excursion to the Bogdinsk-Baskunchak Nature Reserve (5,000 rubles, the tour will take place subject to group recruitment).

06:30 Breakfast at the hotel.

07:00 Gathering of the group, departure from the city, on the way — travel information from the guide.

Bolshoe Bogdo Mountain and the Baskunchak salt lake are unique natural sites, they are part of the Bogdinsk—Baskunchak Nature Reserve.

To the east of Bolshoe Bogdo Mountain there are many caves of karst origin, which are called Singing Rocks.

Bolshoe Bogdo Mountain is the highest point of the Caspian lowlands, and the salt lake Baskunchak is similar in its healing properties to the Dead Sea.

12:00-13:00 Arrival, lunch.

13:00-14:00 Excursion to the salt lake Baskunchak, visit to the old salt fields. The salt and mineral mud of the lake are powerful healing agents.

Baskunchak is a unique creation of nature, it is the largest and saltiest of all known salt lakes in the world. For those who want to plunge into the lake, a shuttle service is organized to places where you can swim (for an additional fee).

14:00-17:00 Guided tour of the slopes of Bolshoe Bogdo mountain, singing rocks.
Bolshoe Bogdo Mountain is covered with many legends, one of which says that the mountain was moved here by Buddhist monks from the Urals. Since then, her peace has been guarded by the spirit of the giant Tsagan Ebugai, who lives on the eastern slope and drives away the uninitiated with terrible sounds.

17:00 Departure to Astrakhan

22:00-23:00 Arrival in Astrakhan

Attention! Additional mandatory expenses in case of bad weather (rains) include a transfer fee to Bolshoe Bogdo Mountain on PAZ buses in the amount of 400 rubles per person.

Transfer to the bathing place on the spot on UAZ trucks, organized by local residents for an additional fee (from 600 rubles per person) — optional.

Breakfast at the hotel, room release.

09:45 Gathering of the group and departure for an excursion to the sturgeon farm. On the way there, you will be told about the history of fishing in Astrakhan.

11:00 Arrival at the sturgeon farm.

11:00-12:00 Guided tour of the Astrakhan fish sturgeon farm. This sturgeon farm is one of the four largest enterprises for the cultivation of sturgeon fish in the Astrakhan region.

The farm has 40 pools for growing sturgeon from eggs to fry and 180 cages for growing fish in the river, as well as its own breeding herd of sturgeon, beluga, sterlet and bester.

At the sturgeon farm, you will see the entire process of reproduction and cultivation of sturgeon, sterlet, beluga and bester, and you can also participate in the process of feeding sturgeons.

They will tell you about the process of obtaining caviar in the lifetime method, as well as about the subtleties of keeping juveniles in pools.

12:00-13:00 Delicious fish lunch in the restaurant of the author's cuisine with fish dishes (sturgeon ear, sturgeon steak with potatoes, sliced vegetables, drink).

13.00-14.00 Free time on the farm. There is an equipped swimming area.

There is a company store on the farm's territory where you can buy farm products at below—market prices (with a full package of documents) - hot and cold-smoked sturgeon, balyk and black caviar without intermediaries and trade margins, hot and cold-smoked catfish, dried roach, bream, pike caviar, various canned fish, preserves, fresh fish and other items at a bargain price; souvenirs with symbols of the Astrakhan region and the sturgeon farm.

Fishing enthusiasts should definitely take fishing rods with them and try their hand at fishing on the picturesque banks of the Kizan River.

14:00 Departure to Astrakhan.

15:00 Arrival in Astrakhan, free time.

On the way, tourists departing by plane are taken to the airport.

Tourists leaving by evening trains can be taken to the railway station or to the hotel (optional).