Treasures of the southern steppes. Sightseeing tour to Kalmykia

After breakfast, you will have a trip to Lake Manych-Gudilo.

Along the way, you will make stops to admire the landscapes of the blooming steppe and enjoy the magnificent aromas of various grasses.

You will see purple fields of musk mallow and sage, yellow astrogal thickets, various types of tumbleweeds and flowering belvalia Sarmatian - a plant listed in the Red Book of Russia. 

Lunch in the form of a mini-picnic with Kalmyk dishes will be organized right in the steppe, you will be told about the peculiarities of the national cuisine of nomadic peoples.

Also, if desired, you can watch birds with professional binoculars.

In the vicinity of Lake Manych-Gudilo there are terns, steppe eagles, strepets, beautiful cranes, and various types of seagulls.

One of the islands of the lake is home to Europe's only breeding colony of pink and crested pelicans. If you are lucky, you will be able to see these rare birds. 

In the evening, you will return to Elista and have dinner at a cafe.

After that, you will have a guided walk through the evening city.

You will visit the Seven Days pagoda, where the largest prayer drum in Europe is installed — "kurde" with 75 million mantras.

You will see the statues of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Golden Gate.

Then return to the hotel and relax.

The length of the route is about 200 km.

In the morning, after breakfast, you will go back to the steppe to visit a nomad family.

They came to the Kalmyk lands from Mongolia, live in yurts in the middle of the steppe and breed camels.

You will learn how their everyday life goes, what are the similarities and differences between the way of life of nomadic Kalmyks and Mongols, and try dishes of national cuisine.

If desired, you will ride a camel, take part in a camel milking master class and will be able to taste fresh camel milk. 

Then you will go to explore the unique natural attractions of Kalmykia.

On the way, you will stop for lunch at a cafe.

After that, you will have a walk through the desert with "singing dunes" and along the shore of the salty Mekleti lakes. 

Migrating birds brought a small pink crustacean into the lakes, which bred here, and therefore now the water in them seems pink. In addition to staining water, this crustacean is involved in the formation of therapeutic mud, which is used in cosmetology and the treatment of skin diseases.

In ancient times, there were camps of various nomadic peoples along the shores of the lakes. Fragments of ancient clay vessels and arrowheads belonging to the pit, Catacomb, Sarmatian and Scythian cultures can still be found on the hillsides.

After a walk along the shore of the pink lakes, you will go to the spring, where you will take part in the ritual of igniting the "burning spring".

In the evening you will arrive in the village of Adyk, where you will have dinner in a yurt with dishes of national cuisine.

After that, you will be taken back to the hotel in Elista.

The length of the route is 200 km.

Today you will have an early breakfast and a morning trip to the steppe. 

Here you will meet with a descendant of a shaman, who will conduct an ancient rite of offering to heaven, earth and the spirits of the area especially for you. 

You need to have a stone of natural origin with you, which you can either bring from home or find while traveling in the previous days. 

The ceremony will end with an offering of gifts to each guest from the shaman. 

Then you will return to Elista and pick up your things from the hotel. 

Before you are taken to the airport for your departure flight, you will make a farewell stop in the spacious steppe and will be able to have lunch at a roadside cafe. 

To return to Moscow, choose a flight departing from Volgograd at 17:45.