Blooming steppes of Kalmykia

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The unique tourist route to Kalmykia via Rostov-on-Don is a real treasure among the offers for travelers in Russia, the emotions of the trip will stay with you for a long time.

You will find the history of the Don Cossacks, and the original Kalmykia, where there are iconic places reminiscent of the culture of nomadic peoples, steppes, against which the best photos are obtained. Join us!

Location

Russia, Moscow

from

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

Blooming steppe expanses

We will make stops in the fields with wild tulips for amazing photos

Delicious hospitality

In Rostov-on-Don, we will be greeted with a glass of moonshine and salsa, and in Elista with exotic Kalmyk tea and bortsokami

The largest Buddhist temple in Europe

We will visit the "Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha", which houses the largest 9-meter Buddha statue in Russia and Europe

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure from Moscow
Independent boarding of a tourist train (carriage number, seats will be indicated on the voucher).
09:41 Departure of the tourist train from the Kazan railway station in Moscow.
Rest on the train.

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Day 2 - Rostov-on-Don
Breakfast on the train.
08:00 Arrival of the tourist train at the railway station in Rostov-on-Don. 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 famous 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 connects 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 to the central market.
Transfer to the Left Bank.
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.
Transfer to the Right Bank.
Boat trip along the Don River (optional, for an additional fee).
Free time in the city center for a walk along the Rostov embankment.
Transfer to Rostov-on-Don railway station.
18:30 Departure of the tourist train to Elista.
Rest on the train.

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Day 3 - Elista
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.
Walking tour of the center of Elista (1 hour). As part of the tour, guests will visit the Seven Days Pagoda cultural complex, in the center of which is the Kurde prayer drum, the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, pass through the Golden Gate Altn Bosch, the statue of Tsagan Aav – the Master of the Steppe, the Eastern Rotunda, and the Monument to the folk storyteller of the Kalmyk epic Dzhangar - Dzhangarchi Eelian Ovla..
Visit to the Buddha Park, where the statue of the Buddhist deity "Green Tara" is located (the location is located near the Hoton Glamping facility)
Departure to the photo session.
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".
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!
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.
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.

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Day 4 - The road to Moscow
Breakfast on the train.
Rest on the train.
Day 5 - Return to Moscow
10:00 Arrival of the tourist train at the Kazan railway station in Moscow.

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Train

4 nights

Comfort

Midscale
Upscale

The tour provides for travel in wagons of the selected category along the route Moscow – Rostov-on-Don – Elista – Moscow.

The cost of the tour for 1 person, depending on the accommodation, RUB.:

Carriage category	Four-seater compartment	sv	sv Single occupancy	Luxury	Luxury Single occupancy
For an adult	77200	119500	205800	152300	274600
For children from 0 to 9 years old inclusive (with a seat)	76660	119200	–	152300	–
For children from 0 to 4 years old inclusive (without providing a separate seat and without providing breakfast on the train)	28600	28600	–	28600*	–

*The price is for 1 child up to and including 9 years old when staying with 2 adults in a luxury car.

Purchase of an additional seat in a 4-seater compartment – 36,000 rubles.

The tourist train includes comfortable luxury, SV, and compartment cars. The cars are 1-storey, the train has 2 dining cars, 1 lounge car, 1 bar car, a shower car, and a sauna car.

luxury

The upper shelf + 1 lower shelf (unfolds, it turns out the analogy of a bed is slightly smaller than a 2-bedroom bed), a soft ottoman, TV, bathrobes + slippers, 1 medium + 1 large towel. Personal amenities in the form of 1 shower + WC with sink.

When fully loaded, there are about 10 people in the car.

sv

2 lower shelves, 1 medium towel for 1 person, linen change (extra charge), daily cleaning, traveler's kit (slippers, brush + toothpaste, soap).

1 shower + 2 WC with sinks per car.

When fully loaded, there are about 18 people in the car.

4-seat compartment

2 lower + 2 upper shelves, 2 safes, it is possible to set the temperature in the compartment itself, 1 medium towel for 1 person, linen change (for an additional fee), compartment cleaning - every day, traveler's kit (slippers, brush + toothpaste, soap).

1 shower + 2 WC with sinks per car.

When fully loaded, there are about 36 people in the car.

Tour conditions

Group

up to 40 tourists

Duration

5 days 4 nights

Group meets at

Russia, Moscow

Included in price

travel in wagons of the selected category on the route Moscow – Rostov-on-Don – Elista – Moscow;
transportation and sightseeing services, including entrance tickets to the sightseeing facilities according to the program;
meals specified in the tour program:
- breakfast – on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th day;
- Meals are served on days 2 and 3.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Moscow and back;
personal expenses;
purchase of an additional compartment seat – 36,000 rubles.;
boat trip along the Don River in Rostov-on-Don (duration 1 hour) – 1,800 rubles.;
meals not included in the tour program:
- meals (except meals on day 2 and 3);
- dinners.

It's important to know

Air and railway tickets are not included in the price of the tour. You can purchase them yourself or contact us for help.

It is impossible to know in advance whether passengers can board and disembark at non-fixed stops, upon arrival at which the tour service is provided (there may be parking on the train, but boarding/disembarking may not be allowed. There are various reasons for this. For example, the length of the platform does not allow, the train is on the sidings, and there is basically no platform.). The tour operator is not responsible for boarding and disembarking passengers when the train stops without sightseeing services.
Tourists can join the tourist route at any part of it, where there is a train parking with an excursion day service. But without recalculating the cost of the tour in terms of railway transportation. Since a cruise train ticket is issued from the start point of the tour to the end point of the tour, there will be no recalculation of the cost of railway travel in this case. For sightseeing days when tourists will not be present on excursions, we will recalculate the cost.
In a 4-seater compartment for two people, top+bottom accommodation is provided. Placement on the two lower shelves is possible only in a 2-seater compartment or a single compartment.
The purchase of the fourth seat in the compartment is optional, accommodation with check-in is possible.
Tours on the territory of the Russian Federation do not imply the presence of a notarized consent from one of the parents / legal representative for the child's trip accompanied by a third party. However, we recommend a handwritten consent from one of the parents / legal representatives to make a decision if medical care is needed for the child + a copy of the first page and the page with the registration of the parent / legal representative giving the handwritten consent.
Smoking is prohibited on the train (both electronic and plain cigarettes; a fine of 1,500 to 2,500 rubles). You can smoke in the train parking lots, if possible, get off the train in smoking areas specially designated on the platforms.
The tour operator issues railway tickets at a tariff without carrying animals (for group railway transportation of tourists, this tariff is not possible for registration). In addition, it is not allowed to enter the tour bus with animals (there may be allergies in the group). Pets are also not allowed to enter the museums.

Dates and Prices

The tour dates are not confirmed yet. Please, for clarification

$1,053

2 – 6 Apr, 2027 5 days 4 nights

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P
Polina

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5 May, 2026

The providers are true professionals. You feel completely safe and in good hands with them.
VS
Valentina Spasskaya

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11 Mar, 2026

The tour provider is very responsible and professional. They are attentive to the clients’ needs and preferences, take them into account, and help you find your way and make the right choice.
VK
Veronika Karpova

about provider

5 Mar, 2026

Professional and friendly.