Big Trip Itinerary

September 21 - October 10, 2008

China, Mongolia, Siberia and Russia.

Sunday, September 21, 2008: Leave the Isle of Wight, meet with Nikki and take overnight flight from the UK to Beijing.

Monday, September 22, 2008: Arrival in Beijing and make our own way to the Red Wall Hotel, which is within walking distance of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Start exploring!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008: Full day tour to the Great Wall of China and the Ming Tombs.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008: Full day tour to the Forbidden City, Temple Of Heaven and Summer Palace.

Thursday, September 25, 2008: Free time to explore Beijing. Perhaps meet with some local writers?

Friday, September 26, 2008: Free time to explore Beijing.

Saturday, September 27, 2008: Catch the train from Beijing, across the Gobi Desert and the Mongolian steppes.

Sunday, September 28, 2008: Arrival in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, in the middle of the day. Transfer to a nearby hotel to freshen up and have a snack before departing on a city tour. Then travel approx 70km to Elstei Ger Lodge on the steppes. Have supper with local families then enjoy local entertainment such as live Mongolian music with traditional instruments and Mongolian throat singing.

Monday, September 29, 2008: A day of relaxation on the steppes. I am looking forward to riding a Mongolian horse with local nomads.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008: After breakfast, return to Ulaanbaatar and spend some free time exploring the city. I hope to catch up on my e-mails today too!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008: Today we might make a return to Gandan Monastery to see the morning prayer-ceremonies in progress and do some shopping, including getting some provisions for the train journey ahead. Tonight we are catching the Irkutsk-bound train.

Thursday, October 2, 2008: A day on board the train  heading for Siberia. We  will make a border crossing today.

Friday, October 3, 2008: A morning arrival in Irkutsk. We will be met at the train station and taken 110km to the remote village of Bolshoe Goloustnoe. We will be shown around the village, including the old church and the stunning shoreline of Lake Baikal, also known as the Pearl Of Siberia. This village has no hotels or cafes, so we will meet our host family and enjoy traditional Siberian cuisine, as well as a Russian Banya (sauna).

Saturday, October 4, 2008: Today we will take a leisurely walk along the lakeside to Ushkani Cape to visit local fishermen and experience smoked local fish in their cabin. Then we will return to our host family for the evening.

Sunday, October 5, 2008: After breakfast, we will say goodbye to our hosts and return back to Irkutsk city, where we will have some free time to explore, prior to catching the late afternoon Moscow-bound train.

Monday, October 6, 2008: On board the Trans-Siberian, where the ability to socialise with many inquisitive Russians, eat caviar and drink fine vodka are legendary. I am sure lots of writing will be done by this stage!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008: Another day aboard what many consider to be the most famous train in the world.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008: Afternoon arrival in Moscow and checking into a hotel, where we will probably spend a bit of time smartening up and chilling out.

Thursday, October 9, 2008: After breakfast, a local guide will give us a tour of Moscow and introduce us to the public transport system so we can get around more easily ourselves later. We will see the Kremlin, St Basil’s Cathedral and many other famous places during the day and who knows - maybe even get an evening ticket for the circus, ballet or opera!

Friday, October 10, 2008: All good things come to an end and today our trip will finish. We will be catching an afternoon flight back to the UK.