Summer ecotour to Kalmykia and Astrakhan region

Day 1 Elista city tour and sunset watching in a steppe

After meeting at the airport of Elista, you will have lunch in the Kalmyk cuisine cafe. Then you will be taken to your hotel and have a city tour.

Elista is one of the largest centers of Buddhism in Russia. You will see the Central Khurul of Kalmykia – the Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni, the temples Syakyusn-sume and the Seven Days Pagoda. 

Afterward, you will travel to the steppe where you will meet sunset near the Lone Poplar – one of Kalmykia's places of strength. You will hear the legend of the place and learn why it has become a Buddhist shrine.

Upon your return to the city you will have dinner at a restaurant with traditional Kalmyk cuisine and spend the night in the hotel.

Day 2 Singing dunes and the Pink lakes

Today you will get acquainted with the unique natural sights of Kalmykia. First, you will walk through the desert with the "Singing dunes". The place is called so because in the dry weather the sands sound like an organ.

Then you will continue your route and head to the unique salty pink lake. Migrating birds have brought small pink crustaceans, which have bred in the lake, therefore water in it looks pink now. In ancient times, on the shores of the lakes there were camps of various nomadic peoples. On the slopes of the hills, you can still find fragments of ancient clay vessels and arrowheads belonging to the Sarmatian and Scythian cultures

Lunch will be organized in a gazebo on the shore of the lake, and then you will go to the burning spring that contains methane gas in its water.

Then you will move to the border of "Chernye zemli" (Rus.for "Black Lands") Nature Reserve. This vast, untouched steppe is the habitat of the steppe saiga antelope. During the walk, you will get acquainted with the unique flora and fauna of the protected steppe and, if you are lucky, you will see saigas.

Next you will stop at the village of Adyk, where an ethnic program in the Kalmyk yurt, the traditional home of a nomad, is waiting for you. At the master class, you will learn how to lasso a horse properly and  how to tie a Kalmyk knot. The evening will end with a dinner in a yurt with national cuisine. After that, you will be taken to the base located in the Volga River Delta. You will stay in the rooms and relax.

The length of the route is 339 km.

Day 3 In the lotus valley

In the morning you will have breakfast and go on a boat trip along the Volga delta. There you will have a unique opportunity to admire the blooming lotuses. You will also learn more about its diverse flora and fauna.

After lunch in the cafe you will have free time . If you wish, you can go fishing from the bank or by boat (rent of gear is paid additionally). Or just walk around the surrounding area, admiring the picturesque scenery of the Volga Delta. You will return to the base for dinner and rest.

The length of the route is 100 km.

Day 4 Astrakhan Kremlin and the capital of the Golden Horde

Early in the morning, you will have breakfast and go to Astrakhan along the picturesque road past the small lakes located along the Bakhtemir River.

Arriving in the city, you will visit the Astrakhan Kremlin with a guide. There are more than 20 architectural monuments of the XV-early XX centuries: ancient temples and chapels, tower gates and various civil structures.

After the tour you will have lunch and go to one of the main sights of the Astrakhan region – the reconstructed capital of the Golden Horde, Sarai-Batu. Founded in 1250 by Batu Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan, the ancient city grew out of a nomadic staging post.

By the end of the XV century attacks of enemies, natural disasters and time destroyed the capital of the Golden Horde. Bricks from the ruins of the city were used in the construction of the Astrakhan Kremlin. Originally at the site of the excavations was supposed to be a museum, but in 2010 the Sarai-Batu was reconstructed for the shooting of the film "Saint Alexis" ("The Horde").

From the capital of the Golden Horde you will go to Akhtubinsk, where you will stay in a hotel. After dinner at the restaurant (extra charge), you can take a walk along the Akhtuba River.

The length of the route is 450 km.

Day 5 Bogdo mountain and Baskunchak lake

After breakfast you will go to the unique salt Lake Baskunchak.

At first you will have a short hiking trip to Big Bogdo Mountain. This is the highest point of the Caspian lowland (150 m above sea level). The geological layers of the mountain consist of rocks that are more than 200 million years old. Another unique feature of Bogdo mount is that it continues to grow, and its height increases by up to 2 mm per year.

After lunch you will walk around the Baskunchak lake, accompanied by a guide, who will tell a lot of interesting things about this natural object.

The basin of the lake is filled with salts and clayey deposits of the Permian and Triassic periods, as well as rocks of the Quaternary age. Since the 8th century, salt has been extracted from the lake and sent along the Great Silk Road. On the coast of the lake, there are deposits of medicinal clay, and bathing in brine (a spring with a highly concentrated solution of salts) has a healing effect.

In the evening, you will move to Kolkhoznaya Akhtuba village, located near Volgograd, have dinner in a restaurant and check into a hotel.

The length of the route is 300 km.

Day 6 Volgograd city tour and homecoming

In the morning after breakfast, you will be transferred to Volgograd. There you will visit the famous memorial "To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad" on the Mamayev Kurgan. You will listen to the sounds of war, walk between the ruins, see the changing of the guard at the Hall of Military Glory, see the main sculpture of the ensemble "Motherland Calls!", and explore the other compositions of the complex.

You will also visit the museum-panorama "The Battle of Stalingrad", which is located near the central embankment of Volgograd.

After lunch at the cafe you will be taken to the airport for your departure flight.