Lotuses in Europe. Astrakhan – Elista

07:30-08:30 Breakfast at the campsite.

08:30-09:00 Gathering at the campsite and departure to Kalmykia.

13:45-14:45 Lunch on the way (on your own).

15:30-19:00 Guided tour of the Mekletinsky Nature Reserve.

Excursion to the Pink Lake — microscopic crustaceans Artemia salina live in the water of this lake, which give the lake such an unusual color. 

The mud of the Pink Lake is used in the treatment of skin diseases and the production of cosmetics.

A tour of the "Singing dunes". 

Kalmykia has a real desert with typical flora and fauna — lizards, snakes, exotic birds. 

In dry weather, the sands of the dunes emit a sound similar to the melody of an organ. In ancient times, there were camps of various nomadic peoples here. 

Ancient artifacts of the Sarmatian, Yamskaya and Scythian cultures can still be found on the blown-out hillsides. 

Excursion to the "Burning Spring". 

Not far from the singing dunes there are springs with water that can be set on fire, and it will burn! Along the way, you can meet ancient antelopes, the same age as mammoths — steppe saigas. 

The tourist complex "Bumba Country" — acquaintance with the life of nomadic Kalmyks, master classes in Kalmyk puzzles, lasso throwing, photographing in national costumes. 

20:30 Arrival in Elista, check-in at the hotel.

08:00- 09:00 Breakfast.

09:30-12:00 Excursion to the steppe to the place of power — a lonely poplar with a cascade of springs. 

This relict tree is a place of worship and a natural monument. It is a sacred place where various Buddhist rituals and prayer services are performed. 

8 Buddhist stupas have been erected around the poplar. Nearby there is an open source with medicinal properties, which were first described by the doctor S.R. Zalkind.

12:00-13:30 Guided tour of the Geden Sheddup Choi Korling resort.

Hurul "Shakyusn-Xume" is a Buddhist temple of the hurul complex "Geden Sheddup Choi Korling", located in the suburb of Elista. 

This place was consecrated in 1992 by the Dalai Lama XIV himself during his second visit to Kalmykia, and four years later the "Shakyusn-Syume" hurul was erected on this site. 

In 2004, the Dalai Lama visited Kalmykia and Elista for the third time, in order to hold the radne ceremony, after which hurul rightfully became a real abode of deities.

13:30-15:00 Lunch (on your own).

15:00-16:30 Excursion to the hurule "Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha" with an expert guide on Buddhism.

The Golden Abode of Shakyamuni Buddha" (kalm. Burkhn Bagshin altn syume) is the largest Buddhist temple in Europe. 

The entire architectural plan of the temple has the shape of a mandala. The hurula building is surrounded by 17 pagodas with statues of the great Buddhist teachers of Nalanda Monastery.

In the prayer hall of the Central Hurul "Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni", the first, the main object in size and importance that attracts the eyes of any person is the figure of Buddha Shakyamuni. The height of the statue is 9 meters.

16:30 Transfer to the hotel. Free time.

08:00-09:00 Breakfast.

09:30-10:00 Walk through the City Chess, visit the Stupa of Enlightenment.

10:00-11:00 Visit to the Museum of the Gallery of Artists of Kalmykia.

11:00-13:00 Visit to the N. N. Palmov National Museum of Local Lore.

13:00-14:30 Lunch (on your own).

14:30-16:30 City tour of the city of Elista.

We are going for a walk around the city. We will walk through the city center, through the Seven Days Pagoda, which is the hallmark of our capital. It symbolizes the exit from samsara and the achievement of nirvana. 

The largest prayer drum in Europe, the Kurde, is installed in the Pagoda, which is filled with 75 million mantras. Make a wish, walk around it three times, and it will definitely come true!

You will hear the music of the wind as you walk under the Golden Gate decorated with 28 paintings by local artists. 

The Kalmyk people have a tragic page in their lives — the deportation of 1943-1957. We will visit the monument "Exodus and Return", dedicated to the victims of Stalinist repression, created by the outstanding sculptor of our time Ernst Neizvestny.

16:30 Transfer to the hotel. Free time.

07:30-09:30 Breakfast. 

09:30-11:30 Walk around the city, visit souvenir shops.

11:30-12:00 Departure from the hotel.

12:00-13:30 Lunch (on your own).

13:30 Transfer to Astrakhan airport (you can fly from Elista airport).