“S Priezdom” Welcome to Moscow. Our driver will be there to meet you from whichever flight, train or boat you arrive. You’ll then be transferred to the Panorama 3★ Hotel. (We can obtain rates for superior hotels, ask a member of the reservations team for details.) Your complimentary InfoPack is full of ideas for getting the most out of your free time.

After breakfast one of our local experts will meet you at the hotel lobby for a three-hour walking and familiarisation tour to introduce the city (and its public transport system) and to get your sightseeing off to a flying start. The rest of the day’s yours.

Transfer to Yaroslavsky Station where you will board the Irkutsk bound train.

The dining car is the heart of social life on the train. It functions as a bar, lounge, and take-out snack store, as well as a café serving reasonably-priced meals. It is a great place to meet fellow travellers and locals alike, to share experiences of your journey and a few drinks, which no doubt will include some Vodka – and maybe smoked salmon and caviar too!

Arrival in Irkutsk, transfer to U Ozera 3★ Hotel situated in Listvyanka Village (70km) travelling by road through the forest. The Hotel is just 50 metres away from the shores of Lake Baikal.

Choose one activity from the list, it’s all included in the trip price! You’ll need to inform us of your choice before commencing your journey so that we can have the appropriate staff on hand when you arrive.

(A) Siberian trek

(B) Circum Baikal picnic

(C) Taltsy wooden museum

(D) Port Baikal excursion

After breakfast transfer back to Irkutsk city. Check-into The Angara 3★ Hotel. The Angara Hotel is located on the Kirov Square, in the heart of Irkutsk city. Our local staff will provide a map and some recommendations regarding interesting places to visit. Some of our top suggestions (please check opening times/days before setting off) Decembrist Museum, Volkonsky House and The Epiphany Cathedral.

Early morning transfer to the station where you will board the Ulaanbaatar bound train.

Our driver and guide holding a meeting- board with your name on it will meet you at the platform. Transfer from the station to Zaya Hostel with a chance to freshen up and have breakfast before departing to the enormous monument to Genghis Khan (aka Chinghiiskhan.) It may be not quite traditional in style (since it’s made of stainless steel) but it’s an astounding edifice and a testament to Genghis’s role in Mongolian culture (astonishingly the Communists tried to write him out of official history text-books). Taking the elevator to top of this 10 metre high monument you visit the exhibition hall from where you will have an excellent panoramic view over the complex area and the scenery beyond. Then set off for Khustai National Park. (Around 155km West of Genghis Khan Statue). This is the perfect location to see and to feel the beauty of Mongolia with its unique landscape, mountains, steppe, sand dunes and river wetlands. The national park is home to the “Takhis”, the famous wild horse, and 46 other species of mammals including deer, wild boar, white-tailed gazelle, grey wolf, Eurasian lynx, to name but a few. Also if you are an ornithologist, you will be glad to get to know that there are over 161 species of birds including Eagles and Cranes. Supper and overnight at the tourist Camp.

Travel from Khustai National Park to Ugii Lake directly on country roads. Enjoy lunch at the ger camp before exploring the fabulous Lake environs at your leisure. Overnight at a tourist Ger camp.

Head for Tsenkher Hot Springs. If you are feeling a little bruised or achy from your travels, bouncing over Mongolian roads, then an hour or two in the springs is just the ticket for you. Time to relax and enjoy your surroundings.

This morning starts with an early drive to the lost capital of Genghis Khan at Karkhorum (approximately 2 hours) and a visit to the magnificent Erdene Zuu Monastery, where you will see a mixture of the styles of Mongolian and Tibetan Buddhism. Karkhorum was once the heart of the Mongol Empire and today, you’ll still see remnants of the long-standing walls that encircle the city. Also in the afternoon, visit the newly established Karkhorum Museum. Overnight in the hotel.

After breakfast head for Elsen Tasarkhai (which will include a break in your journey at the picturesque “Khugnu Khan Mountain” also known as Bayan Gobi) Camel riding is on offer here, Elsen Tasarhai literally means “an isolated torn-off piece of sand” and it is a small sequence of real desert in the midst of green steppes.

Around 2pm you return to Ulaanbaatar. On arrival to Ulaanbaatar your city tour will include Sukhbaatar Square and the National History Museum. Check into Hotel Nine 3★ Hotel. Why not visit Peace Avenue or buy some snack food for the train in one of the many supermarkets? There is a wide range of traditional and new style Mongolian eateries as well as European restaurants. Or maybe go to see a Folklore concert this evening?

Your day is free and it will be easy to keep yourself amused as there is still so much to see and do. We recommend you take this opportunity to purchase provisions for the next leg of your journey, as often this service has no dining car. Be back at the hotel at 8 pm where your driver will meet you at the reception. You will then be transferred to Ulaanbaatar station where we will assist your boarding of the Huhehot bound train.

Spectacular scenery that’s worth waking up early this morning as your road passes through the Southern Gobi. There’s a layover at the border while they change the train bogeys to Chinese gauge – there is no rush, so it’s worth getting out to wander around to enjoy the surroundings. Late evening arrival in Huhehot, the capital of Inner Mongolia. Transfer to the Chunxue Siji 3★ Hotel, which is located in the city’s shopping and business district.

After breakfast your guide will meet you at the reception, where you will depart for a full day city of Huhehot, which will include Zhaojun Tomb, Dazhao Temple and The Five Pagoda Temple. Expect to return to the hotel late afternoon. Our recommendation for this evening: treat yourself to a slap up Chinese meal – Huhehot has a super selection featuring both local Mongolian (you can even eat in a Mongolian cart-drawn war-ger) and traditional Beijing-style cuisine.

Your day is free to participate in extra shopping or sightseeing. Own transfer to the station for the Beijing bound train.

Arriving into Beijing West Station at the end of your Trans-Siberian journey.