LOST stupas AND lotus fields
MAY 9 ⇾ MAY 16
In addition to our regular group departures to Kalmykia, we also offer tour services for private travel parties and lone wolves alike. As a traveller-oriented boutique operator, tailored trips and bespoke adventures are our bread and butter. Get in touch for more info on our customised journeys to Kalmykia!
DAY 1 to day 2 — Stalingrad (Volgograd)
Meet-and-greet at Volgograd International Airport and transfer to our hotel of choice in downtown Volgograd.
We’ll devote two entire days to Volgograd (Stalingrad), a heroic Soviet city that really needs no introduction: Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring once famously said: a thousand years hence, every German will speak with awe of Stalingrad and remember that it was there that Germany put the seal on her victory; well, history proved him wrong.
Besides enjoying an extensive tour through Volgograd’s de-rigueur Soviet-era sights, we’ll take also some time to experience less solemn but equally compelling facets of the city such as the colourful central bazaar and the melancholic city beach.
Just south of Volgograd, we’ll also visit Lysaya Gora, home to a majestic obelisk, and Krasnoarmeysk, where we will stare in awe at a giant Lenin Statue towering above the entrance of the Volga-Don Canal.
Overnights in Volgograd/Stalingrad.
DAY 3 — Elista
Early morning start and transfer to Elista, the exotic little capital of Kalmykia, an autonomous republic mainly inhabited by Mongolic people predominantly adhering to the Tibetan branch of Mahayana Buddhism.
Once in Elista we’ll undertake a comprehensive tour around this remote provincial capital where Soviet heritage and Buddhist traditions merge together to form an idiosyncratic urban kaleidoscope of socialist monumentalism and colourful pagodas.
Highlights of our sojourn in Elista will include: Cinema Rodina, Central Bazaar, Seven Days Pagoda, Buddha Shakyamuni Golden Abode, Old Hurul, Lenin Statue, WWII Monument, Deportation Memorial and a few selected art-for-architecture hidden gems (mosaics, bass-reliefs, and murals alike).
Our visit will also include a short detour to Chess City, a mostly empty and truly surreal upscale neighbourhood built around an incongruously large Chess Palace.
Overnight in Elista.
DAY 4 — Kalmyk Steppes
We'll leave Elista in the morning and head for the vast central steppes, the heartland of Kalmyk culture and traditions.
After a rather monotone and yet somewhat romantic two-hour drive through the windswept Kalmyk flatlands, we’ll eventually reach the Black Lands National Park, home to the extremely rare saiga, a rather bizarre species of elusive antelope characterised by a ridiculously prominent nose.
We’ll make our base in Adyk, a traditional hamlet inhabited by a strong Soviet-minded community of young and old Kalmyks relentlessly fighting against the advancing desertification of the area.
We’ll then spend the rest of the day touring the many natural wonders of the Black Lands National Park (pink salty lakes, fuming thermal springs and high sand dunes) and, with a bit of luck, we might also be able to spot the odd saiga herd grazing in the steppe.
Overnight in a traditional guesthouse.
DAY 5 — SOVIET BADLANDS
In the morning we'll drive to Lagan (formerly Kaspiysky), a medium-sized Kalmyk town surrounded by the avifauna-rich wetlands bordering the shallow shores of the Caspian Sea.
En route to Lagan we’ll stop in the traditional Kalmyk villages of Komsomol, Naryn-Khuduk and Ulan-Kholl: far-off Soviet outposts of unpaved dusty roads, post-socialist decay and heartbreaking humanity.
In the early afternoon we’ll reach Lagan, locally dubbed as the Venice of the Steppes for the many navigable canals crisscrossing the surrounding area… well, truth to be told, Lagan is nothing more than a sleepy Soviet backwater of semi-abandoned concrete blocks and lonely white stupas: way more photogenic the Venice itself!
After a short tour around the invariably Soviet-looking downtown, we’ll be met by local boatmen, who will take us on a tour across the fish-thriving marshes and lagoons notoriously knowns as favourite hunting grounds for caviar poachers.
Overnight in Lagan.
DAY 6 — Volga Delta
We'll leave Lagan early in the morning and head for the Volga Delta National Park, a protected area covering more than 27000 km² of idyllic wetlands.
We’ll spend the entire day in the park visiting traditional fishing hamlets, hunting for gloomy Soviet remnants and indulging in romantic boat trips across wild landscapes of water lilies and swishing reeds.
In the late afternoon we’ll then transfer to the splendid city of Astrakhan, the last stop of our journey.
Overnight in Astrakhan.
DAY 7 — Astrakhan
Full day devoted to Astrakhan, the pearl of the Volga Delta, a marvellous city with a rich Soviet and pre-Soviet history.
In addition to the mandatory Soviet and Tsarist sights (Lenin Statue, WWII Memorial, White Kremlin, Old Embankment), our tour around Astrakhan will also include more mundane and arguably also more interesting spots such as smelly fish markets, ancient Tatar mosques and highly photogenic backstreets of rickety wooden houses, fluttering clotheslines and playing kids.
We’ll then conclude our stay in Astrakhan with a lavish dinner of (legally-obtained) black caviar and sizzling sturgeon skewers!
Overnight in Astrakhan.
DAY 8 — DASVIDANIYA
After enjoying a last Soviet meal together, we'll take care of your transfer to Astrakhan International Airport.
For those wishing to take the train/bus to reach further destinations: we will arrange transport to the local train/bus station in Astrakhan.
End of the tour.
1890 €
INCLUSIONS
Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), private transport in Russia (car/minivan), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.
EXCLUSIONS
Single supplement, international flights, main meals (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.
