ETERNAL NATURE
REMOTE PEOPLE
LOST LANGUAGES 

October 2025 Update: in compliance with the latest amendment (23 October 2025) to EU Council Regulation 833/2014 / Decision 2014/512/CFSP, all tours and tourism related services to the Russian Federation are currently suspended until further notice. This page remains active for informational purposes only. Individual travellers can still legally travel to the Russian Federation without breaching international regulations, though. Russia remains open and welcoming to foreign visitors: don’t let nonsense regulations and bad press scare you away! Please contact us to learn more about your options to visit the Russian Federation, including all locations of the Tofalaria Tour described hereunder, without incurring any violation to the existing sanctions against the country.

DAY 1 - Irkutsk

  • Meet-and-greet at Irkutsk International Airport, transfer to our hotel of choice, Soviet-themed city tour around Irkutsk and short boat excursion on the mighty Angara River.

  • Overnight in Irkutsk.

DAY 2 - Nizhneudinsk

  • Free morning in Irkutsk and post-lunch transfer to the quintessentially Soviet town of Nizhneudinsk.

  • We’ll arrive in Nizhneudinsk in the late afternoon and spend the last daylight hours touring the many USSR-era remnants scattered around town.

  • Overnight in Nizhneudinsk.

DAY 3 to DAY 8 - Tofalaria

  • In the morning we’ll visit the local market in Nizhneudinsk to stock up on food supplies and other essential goods we may need while in Tofalaria, a magical land covered with impassible forests: you can't take a train or a bus to reach Tofalaria, no roads, not even a dirt track.

  • Around midday we’ll head for the local airport and board our Soviet-built Mil Mi-8 helicopter to the village of Alygdzher, the unofficial capital of Tofalaria.

  • The wilderness in Tofalaria is ancient and untarnished, mostly made up of dense forests, canyons and mountains; and yet, even here some humans have found their way in: the Tofalars, the shy and gentle Turkic-Siberian people that have been inhabiting this extremely isolated patch of the Taiga well before the advent of the Russian Empire.

  • We’ll spend the next six days in Tofalaria, exploring its majestic nature and getting to know its secretive dwellers.

  • Highlights of our stay in Tofalaria will include staggering natural sights, such as the Kinzelyuk Waterfalls (second highest in Russia), traditional Tofalar culture in the settlement of Verkhnyaya Gutara, a motorboat ride along the Agul River, and daily hikes through the untamed wilderness of the Siberian Taiga.

  • Meals and overnights in guesthouses and tents.

DAY 9 - FAREWELL TO THE TAIGA

  • After a last Tofalar meal together, we'll say dasvidaniya to our Taiga guides and begin our journey back home via Nizhneudinsk.

  • For those flying out: transfer to either Irkutsk International Airport or Krasnoyarsk International Airport.

  • End of the tour.

4950 €

 

INCLUSIONS | Double/twin-room accommodation (breakfast included), helicopter flight to Tofalaria, private transportation during the entire trip (jeep/minivan/speedboat), all entrance fees, English-speaking guiding service, camping gear, all meals and drinks in Tofalaria, 24/7 on-site and remote assistance.

EXCLUSIONS | Single supplement, international flights, main meals outside of Tofalaria (lunches and dinners), extra drinks, visa fees (if required), tips, travel insurance.