Blooming steppes of Kalmykia

06:12 Arrival of the tourist train at the railway station in Rostov-on-Don. 

Breakfast on the train.

08:00 Meeting with the guide on the platform. Boarding the bus (the bus number is indicated on your voucher).

Visit to the Don Cossack Guard Cultural and exhibition Center, the only one in Russia. 

Here you will see a unique private collection, which was collected by Nikolai Novikov from Rostov for 25 years: documents, uniforms of Cossack units, household items, weapons and equipment. 

Learn about the Don Cossack elite, the three most renowned units of the Russian Imperial Guard.

Sightseeing bus and walking tour of the glorious merchant city, the capital of the Don land – Rostov-on-Don! 

During the tour you will get acquainted with the history of Rostov-on-Don, culture, and modern look. 

A tour of the main attractions awaits you.: ancient merchant mansions on the main street, historical squares, a masterpiece of architecture of world significance – the building of the Gorky Drama Theater. 

Merchant Rostov-on-Don welcomes you with warm hugs on the well-maintained city embankment. 

You will walk along the old streets and see the most popular places and significant monuments of the city. 

You will walk along the pedestrian Soborny Lane, which connected the former Moskovskaya main street with the modern Bolshaya Sadovaya Street, and on Sobornaya Square you will admire the main city cathedral. 

Let's go down to the famous underground passages, because like the Moscow metro stations, people come to see them for the sake of their cladding, and in this case we are talking about amazing mosaic panels. 

Visit the central market, where you can purchase Don specialties.

And then we will have lunch at the famous Levberdon in the restaurant "Kazachy Kuren". 

An authentic restaurant of real Don cuisine. The restaurant's space is stylized as a typical Cossack kuren in the traditions of the Don Cossacks. The staff and waiters in the uniform of Cossacks of that time fit very seamlessly into the interior. 

A welcome glass of moonshine and a salzo with black bread awaits the guests. The restaurant has access to the river, and after lunch you can walk to the Don, admire the views of Rostov from the opposite bank of the river, and take colorful photos.

Free time in the city center for a walk along the Rostov embankment*.

*An alternative to free time is a 1–hour boat trip along the Don River (for an additional fee).

Transfer to Rostov-on-Don railway station.

18:15 Departure of the tourist train to Elista.

Rest on the train.

Breakfast on the train.

08:30 Arrival of the tourist train to Elista. Meeting with the guide on the platform, boarding the bus (the bus number is indicated on your voucher).

Kalmykia is a small republic in the south of the country with a distinctive culture and people, the only one in Europe professing Buddhism. 

Blooming steppe expanses, ancient burial mounds and the largest Buddhist temple in Europe, a unique tulip festival – all this awaits you today.

Transfer to the Lone Poplar Natural monument (~20 km, ~40 min on the way).

A natural monument of local significance, the Lonely Poplar, is considered a sacred tree by Kalmyks Buddhists. It is surrounded by eight Buddhist stupas. 

Monks from Central Khurul hold a large prayer service here every year. One of the 10 in the world, the only Kalachakra Stupa of Green Tara in Russia, is installed here. 

Lonesome Poplar is the winner of the 2019 Main Tree of the Country – Russian Tree of the Year contest (No. 390 in the Register of Old–age Trees of Russia)!

On the way we will see the steppe (with a stop for a photo shoot)! 

The steppe in spring is a unique phenomenon, because only during this period of the year it can be called picturesque. 

The blooming steppe is made up of hundreds of dissimilar colors, all shades of the natural palette with which God painted the landscape called "Planet Earth".

Meeting at the Lonely Poplar with Kalmyk tea and bortsokami, Kalmyk songs from the soloists of the ensemble "Zulturgan".

Visit to the ethno-hoton "Ceren". 

The excursion program "Holiday in the Kalmyk hoton", where you will meet guests according to Kalmyk customs with a long song and dances, get acquainted with the musical culture of the Kalmyk and Mongolian peoples, have a photo session in national costumes, taste national drinks Chigyan, milk araki, Kalmyk tea with borziki and camel and horse riding.

Lunch at a cafe in the city (menu of Kalmyk national cuisine). National cuisine is, in a sense, the soul of the people, a reflection of their character, moods, and feelings. Kalmyk cuisine bears the imprint of the nomadic pastoral life of the Kalmyks.

Visit to the Central Hurul "Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha". 

The Hurula building is 63 meters high and houses the largest 9-meter Buddha statue in Russia and Europe. 

The largest Buddhist temple in Europe stands in the center of Elista, the capital of Kalmykia. The temple impresses with its grandeur and beauty. It is no coincidence that it is called the "pearl of the Kalmyk steppes."  

The Buddhist temple was officially opened in the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia on December 27, 2005 after the visit of the spiritual leader of the Buddhists, His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV, to Elista. And after visiting khurul, we will make a kora (clockwise detour) around khurul, making the most cherished wish!

Walking tour of the center of Elista. 

We invite you to see the "Pagoda of seven days", the prayer drum, the golden light and musical fountain "Three Lotuses", the Statue of "Buddha Shakyamuni", which is the only statue of Buddha in Russia, installed outside the Buddhist hurul. 

We will pass through the Golden Gate "Altn Bosch", we will see the Statue of "Tsagan Aav – the master of the Steppe, the Eastern rotunda, the Monument to the folk storyteller of the Kalmyk epic "Dzhangar" – dzhangarchi "Elyan Ovla".

Visit the events of the Tulip Festival, held at the venues of the city of Elista.

Transfer to the railway station of Elista.

19:30 Departure of the tourist train to Moscow.

Rest on the train.

Breakfast on the train.

Rest on the train.

Breakfast.

10:00 Arrival of the tourist train at the Kazan railway station in Moscow.

The time in the program is indicated approximately. 

The company reserves the right to make changes to the tour program without reducing the total volume and quality of services, as well as to cancel the tour and/or offer alternative travel options in case of a shortage of the group and cancellation/replacement of rolling stock.