Big Country Travel: Trips to Russia, Adventure Tours & Vacation Packages

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An unforgettable journey through the ancient cities of Southern Siberia, amazing natural attractions and the majestic Yenisei River. In 11 days you will visit the Shushenskoye ethnographic complex, the Ergaki Nature Park, the observation deck of Russia's most powerful Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power station, the Krasnoyarsk Pillars National Park, and also take a small cruise on a motor ship along the picturesque stretch of the Yenisei from Yeniseisk to Krasnoyarsk.

Location

Russia, Krasnoyarsk

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Tour highlights

Yeniseisk – "open-air museum"

The urban development includes 94 architectural monuments

The trail of the Siberian hunter

Let's get acquainted with the traditions of hunters of the early XX century, ancient samolovs and enjoy the picturesque landscapes

By boat on the Yenisei

Let's take a short trip along the famous Siberian river

Rocks and lakes

We will hike through the magnificent Ergaki Park, see the wonder of nature — the Hanging Stone

Itinerary

Day 1 - Departure to Minusinsk from Krasnoyarsk by train
Boarding a train in a compartment car.
Departure to Minusinsk at 18:40.
Dinner (lunch box).
Day 2 - Ergaki Nature Park
Early arrival in Minusinsk, one of the ancient cities of Southern Siberia, founded in 1739, 58 km.
It is located in the center of the vast forest-steppe Minusinsk basin, surrounded on all sides by mountains.
Departure to Ermakovskoye village.
Departure to the Ergaki Nature Park.
Unique, unusual and so different - either attractively homely, or coldly harsh, but always charming beauty of the natural landscapes of the Ergaks, their aura has long been a byword.
It is this beauty and this aura that attracts countless fans, if not pilgrims, to them.
Arrival at the Visitor Center of the nature park.
An excursion along the ecological trail of the Siberian hunter, leading to a special world, according to the laws of which people lived and still live, whose main trade is hunting fur-bearing animals.
You will get acquainted with the life and traditions of hunters of the early XX century, fishing techniques, ancient samolovs, and enjoy picturesque landscapes.
After the tour, departure to the campsite.
Placement.
Lunch.
A walk through the park.
Rest.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 3 - Hanging Stone Tour
Breakfast.
Departure to the Ergaki Nature Park.
Excursion to the Hanging Stone.
A fairly long route in terms of time and distance will not tire you, because you simply will not have time to think about fatigue.
The changing landscapes, the majesty of the surrounding nature, the splendor of the subalpine meadows, which sometimes light up with orange roasts, then overflowing with blue catchments will not even leave a reason for fatigue.
In one radial hike you will visit the most popular tourist sites: lakes "Raduzhnoye" and "Karovoe", the rock "Hanging Stone".
The Hanging Stone rock is the central feature on the route.
Its name did not appear by chance: the fact is that it is really a huge stone that stands on the edge, as if hanging over the lake "Rainbow".
If you look from below, from the lake itself, it seems that the stone is about to break off and fall down with a terrible roar.
After the Hanging Stone, the route goes to the Raduzhnoye Lake.
And then, heading to the Tarmazakovsky bridge, it is nearing its logical conclusion. (15.8 km - 6-9 hours).
Lunch lunch box.
Return to the campsite.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 4 - Shushenskoye
Breakfast.
Room release.
Departure to Shushenskoye.
Accommodation in the New Village hotel complex.
The New Village is an architectural and ethnographic complex of the Shushenskoye Museum–Reserve, which offers a unique opportunity for visitors to find themselves in a Siberian village of the late 19th century with its streets and houses, with its customs and traditions.
Sightseeing tour of the museum.
Excursion to the Historical and Ethnographic Museum-reserve Shushenskoye.
A unique historical, architectural, ethnographic complex located in the open air on the banks of the Shusha River, near its confluence with the Yenisei.
The area of the museum-reserve is about 16 hectares.
The museum represents the historically formed central part of the ancient Siberian village.
The economic activity, way of life, social life, and spiritual culture of Siberian peasants at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries are represented in monuments of rural architecture, in the interiors of peasant houses and public buildings, in rich collections of tools and household peasant art.
The main and scientific-auxiliary fund of the museum has 106,225 items of storage.
It consists of more than 30 different collections: memorabilia, books of the XIX – early XX centuries, vehicles, furniture, clothing, tableware, samovars, musical instruments, religious objects, numismatics, graphics, paintings, tools of agriculture, cattle breeding, hunting, beekeeping, fishing, weaving, wood processing, blacksmithing and shoemaking crafts , etc .
Lunch.
Visiting exhibitions, demonstration of crafts (weaving), master class.
The Shushenskoye Museum-Reserve has been engaged in exhibition work since its inception, most actively since the late 80s of the twentieth century.
Exhibitions from the museum's collections are exhibited not only on museum squares, but also exported to nearby territories.
In the Shushenskaya parish of the Minusinsk district in the late XIX – early XX century, more than thirty types of crafts and crafts were developed.
The exposition of the museum-reserve presents widespread crafts related to the processing of wood, clay, fibrous crops, wool, and others.
One of the main directions in the work of the museum-reserve now is not only the display, but also the revival of ancient crafts.
Supper.

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Day 5 - Shushenskiy Bor National Park
Breakfast.
Excursion to the Shushenskiy Bor National Park.
The National Park is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.
It is a member of the Association of Nature Reserves and National parks of the Altai-Sayan ecoregion.
The territory of the park is located at the junction of two natural and climatic zones - forest—steppe and taiga and includes unique natural and territorial complexes of the Western Sayan and Minusinsk basin.
The total area of the park is 39,180 hectares.
The first national park in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Shushenskiy Bor, introduces its visitors to unique natural and historical sites.
These are the extrazonal ribbon forests of the right bank of the Yenisei, an arboretum with typical and introduced plants, alpine meadows and glacial lakes of the Borus range, a museum of the history of forestry, untouched taiga, a peasant hut, specially equipped recreation areas and much more.
More than 750 species of plants grow in the park, 11 of them are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, there are more than 270 species of birds, 27 of them are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, 4 species of amphibians, 5 species of reptiles, 47 species of mammals.
Excursion to the hut where V.I. Lenin rested during the hunt.
V.I. Lenin had especially favorite places in the vicinity of Shushenskoye.
They have been taken under state protection.
During hunting trips, Vladimir Ilyich went to the pine forest, to the Crane and Sand hills, to Lake Perovo.
Lunch.
Visit to the visit center of the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve.
You will see rare wild cats of southern Siberia, which are under state protection, learn interesting facts and stories about the system of protection and study of snow leopards living on the territory of the Sayan mountains.
Return to the village.
Free time.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 6 - Excursion to the observation deck of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP. Minusinsk Museum of Local Lore
Breakfast.
Room release.
Excursion to the observation deck of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP with a visit to the museum. Ivan Yarygin and the temple (83 km, 2 hours on the way).
The Sayano-Shushenskaya hydroelectric power plant named after P. S. Neporozhny is the largest power plant in Russia by installed capacity, the 9th among operating hydroelectric power plants in the world.
It is located in the village of Cheryomushki (near the city of Sayanogorsk) in the Republic of Khakassia and is the most powerful hydroelectric power station in Russia and one of the most powerful in the world.
The Mainskaya HPP is a counterregulator of the Sayano-Shushenskaya HPP, smoothing out fluctuations in the water level in the Yenisei that occur when changing the operating modes of this powerful HPP. The height of the HPP is more than 200 meters, and the length along the upper edge is about one kilometer!
The arch-gravity dam is able to hold the pressure of more than 30 cubic kilometers of water!
The sight of a working dam will touch and leave an unforgettable mark on your soul.
And photos will save this event for a lifetime!
Trout farming is organized at the hydroelectric power station.
Transfer to d. Grey.
Visit to the Church of St. Evdokia of Moscow and the Ivan Yarygin Museum.
Ivan Yarygin is a legend of Russian sports.
He won Olympic gold twice, won the World and European championships, and set an eternal record by putting absolutely all his rivals on the shoulder blades at three of the most prestigious competitions.
Lunch.
Transfer to Minusinsk.
Excursion to the Minusinsk regional Museum of Local Lore named after N.M. Martyanov.
The Minusinsk Museum named after N.M. Martianov is the oldest museum in Siberia, was founded in June 1877 by Nikolai Mikhailovich Martianov (1844-1904), a pharmacist, a botanist.
This is the first museum in Siberia and the Far East with a Program and Charter.
The museum's specialists will conduct a sightseeing tour about the history of the development of the population of the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory from ancient times to the present day, about the flora and fauna of this territory.
Of particular interest to those present are expositions related to the ancient world, telling about the culture of the peoples inhabiting the south of the region in the past centuries.
The museum has unique exhibits.
For example, a collection of shells from the bottom of the Indian Ocean, donated by the traveler Potanin, an album by the artist Shishkin, a collection of photonegatives on glass in Minusinsk, Tuva, Khakassia.
Transfer to the railway station.
Boarding a train in a compartment car.
19:45 Departure to Krasnoyarsk.
Dinner (lunch box).
Day 7 - Krasnoyarsk Pillars National Park
Early arrival in Krasnoyarsk (approximately at 06:55 – local time).
Breakfast.
Excursion to the Krasnoyarsk Pillars National Park — the natural boundaries of the protected area are the right tributaries of the river. Yenisei: in the northeast is the Bazaiha River, in the south and southwest are the Mana and Bolshaya Sluznevka Rivers.
From the northeast, the territory borders with the city of Krasnoyarsk.
It was founded in 1925 on the initiative of the residents of the city to preserve the natural complexes around the picturesque syenite remnants — "pillars".
Currently, its area is 47,219 hectares.
The main attraction of the park are the rocks.
The name "Pillars" is common to all rocks, although all rocks and even some stones have their own names.
There are directly "Pillars" — rocks open to tourists, and "Wild pillars" — rocks located deep in the park, access to which is limited.
Return to the Krasnoyarsk Hotel.
Lunch.
Free time.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 8 - Guard Island. Yeniseisk. Excursion to the private Plane Museum
Early departure by tourist bus to Yeniseisk.
The path lies through the highway of regional significance "Yenisei tract", which connects the northern regions of the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
It runs from Krasnoyarsk through Lesosibirsk and ends in Yeniseisk.
The length of the highway is 345 km.
The highway passes through many settlements, formerly Yamshchitsky villages founded by Cossacks.
Merchants' shops, coachmen's stations, and taverns were opened.
On the way we pass Bolshaya Murta village, Kazachinskoye village.
Next, we follow to the "Strelka" – the place where the Angara flows into the Yenisei.
There are many beautiful legends about the beautiful Angara, the only daughter of the old man of Lake Baikal, and the mighty handsome Yenisei.
Baikal was against their wedding, following his fleeing daughter, he abandoned the palace, which was supposed to be her wedding gift.
The palace fell apart into many fragments, they became the Strelkov threshold, and the largest stone is the Guard Island.
Nothing could stop the wayward daughter on the way to the Yenisei: neither the ferocious rapids, nor the scattering of stones, nor the cliffs that stood in the way of the fugitive.
Lunch is a picnic in nature.
Arrival in Yeniseisk.
Yeniseisk is one of the oldest Siberian cities.
The history of the annexation of Eastern Siberia to Russia is inseparably linked with its past.
The city was founded in 1619 by a detachment of Cossacks as a military fortress (ostrog) on the left bank of the Yenisei.
For a century and a half, this city has been the main gateway to Eastern Siberia.
Excursion to the private Plane Museum.
The only collection of planes that is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
2-3-bed accommodation in the Yeniseiskaya hotel.
The hotel is located in the city center, has a unique architecture of the 18th century and an ancient interior.
The facilities are located on the floor, washbasins with hot and cold water, modern showers.
The rooms are equipped with handmade pine furniture (beds, bedside tables, cabinets), the halls are carpeted.
The hotel has a dining room, which is located on the ground floor.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 9 - The monastery lake. Sightseeing walking tour of the city of Yeniseisk
Breakfast.
Excursion to the Monastery lake.
The lake is located 30 km west of Yeniseisk.
Here, on the holy piece of the Yenisei land, prayer services and the sacraments of baptism are performed.
This is a great place to relax and swim.
Lunch.
Sightseeing walking tour of the city of Yeniseisk.
Yeniseisk is located on the Yenisei Plain, on the left bank of the Yenisei, below the confluence of the Angara River, 330 km north of Krasnoyarsk.
The city of Yeniseisk is called an "open-air museum", the urban development includes 94 architectural monuments.
The complex of the Transfiguration Monastery and four churches are unique examples of Siberian Baroque, built in the middle and second half of the XVIII century. They are close to the Russian temples of the previous century in terms of planning and spatial structure and picturesque decor.
The stone civil buildings of Yeniseisk are mainly two–storey houses along the main street, on the embankment and central squares.
The museum was founded in 1883.
It is one of the oldest museums in Siberia.
Over the years, material has been accumulated reflecting the history of the development of Siberia, the way of life, the culture of peoples, traditional crafts, the stay of the Decembrists in the Yenisei exile, the development of the Great Northern Sea Route.
Supper.

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Day 10 - Departure from Yeniseisk to Krasnoyarsk by ship
Breakfast.
Room release.
Departure to the pier.
Boarding a passenger flight t/h "A. Sailors", departure from Yeniseisk to Krasnoyarsk.
Accommodation in single and double cabins of the first class.
Lunch.
Boat tour, travel information.
Supper.

1 more photo
Day 11 - Passage of the Cossack threshold. Arrival in Krasnoyarsk in the evening. End of the program
Breakfast.
The ship passes by a large transshipment pier and the village of Strelka, which stands at the confluence of two large Siberian rivers, the Yenisei and the Angara.
The passage of the Kazachinsky threshold is the most impassable section on the Yenisei near the village of Kazachinsky (233-240 km from Krasnoyarsk).
Its length is 4 km.
It is formed by rocky ledges, rocky ridges of the Yenisei Ridge, crossing the riverbed along its entire width.
The vessels are conducted upstream by the only special motor ship in Russia, the Yenisei tourer, moving by stretching a cable laid along the bottom of the river.
The Yenisei riverbed narrows to 350 m at the threshold, and the ship's passage is up to 70 m.
But how beautiful the Cossack threshold is, for all its severity!
Many artists have repeatedly painted his views.
The threshold originates at Kamenny Cape.
The water in the Yenisei is noisy and foaming at the rocks.
The high hills of the river banks fascinate with their beauty, beautiful rocks are visible, ending at the water's edge, for example, the Eagle rock on the left bank.
On the right bank there is an amazingly beautiful island with the name Islets, and behind it the picturesque Zaostrovskaya bayou.
Lunch.
Supper.
20:00 arrival in Krasnoyarsk at the river station.

Difficulty

Involves moderate physical activity

Accommodation

Hotel

5 nights
Camp Site

2 nights
Train

2 nights
Cabin on the boat

1 night

Comfort

Basic+
Midscale

The tour includes accommodation:

Krasnoyarsk – Krasnoyarsk Hotel (1 night);
Ergaki – recreation center “Ergaki" (2 nights);
Shushenskoye – historical and Ethnographic Museum-reserve "Shushenskoye" (2 nights);
Yeniseisk – Yeniseiskaya Hotel (2 nights);
Train compartment (2 nights).
On the ship in single-double cabins of the I class (1 night).

Surcharge for single accommodation: Ergaki (2 nights) – 4,400 rubles, Shushenskoye "New Village" (2 nights) – 5,500 rubles, in Krasnoyarsk (1 night) – 1,400 rubles.

Surcharge for a room with amenities in Yeniseisk (2 nights) – 4000 rubles/person. The surcharge for single accommodation in Yeniseisk is 4000 rubles/person (subject to availability).

Check-in is possible on the tour (on request).

The three-star Krasnoyarsk Hotel with views of the Yenisei River and the Stolby Nature Reserve is located in the city center, on the Theater Square of Krasnoyarsk. It offers free Wi-Fi and air-conditioned rooms with a flat-screen TV.

The modern Krasnoyarsk Hotel offers rooms with a refrigerator, a work desk and a bed with orthopedic mattress. Each bathroom comes with a hairdryer and free toiletries.

In the morning, the Krasnoyarsk Hotel serves a rich buffet breakfast with a special children's menu. Guests can order meals at the a la carte cafe, which is open around the clock seven days a week, and drinks are available at the lobby bar.

The Krasnoyarsk Hotel has a sauna, a beauty salon and a solarium. There is a gift shop on site.

Krasnoyarsk Train Station is 3 km away.