Traveling the full length of the Trans-Siberian Railway can be the experience of a lifetime. Today train lovers and cultural travelers alike have the chance to traverse this legendary route in the comfort of a private train specially designed and adapted for this ultimate rail adventure.

Russia's far-flung Trans-Siberian rail line has over 6,000 miles of track laid through cities, villages, taiga and mountains. The BAM (Baikal Amur Mainline) route detours north above Lake Baikal, through remote Siberian villages built on permafrost where international travelers are seldom seen.

Following the BAM Route, visit Russia's last frontier, through tiny villages untouched by tourism. Though bracketed by the same two cities as the Classic Route, Vladivostok and Moscow, the BAM line explores more remote stretches of Siberia.

One of the featured stops is Severobaikalsk. The city of Severobaikalsk began in 1974 as a base camp for construction of the BAM railroad line. Cleared from the virgin taiga on the north shore of Lake Baikal, the town was little more than a collection of tents, cabins and railroad cars at first. By 1980 it was declared a city, and today more than 30,000 people live in this remote place, surrounded on three sides by mountains, and on the other by Lake Baikal.

• View Departure Dates & Prices
• Route Map
• Tour Images
• View Itinerary

Call 877-929-7245 to book your
Trans-Siberian Express via BAM rail vacation today!

Day 1 Vladivostok
Flights are met at Vladivostok airport and guests are transferred to the four-star Hotel Hyundai for a one-night stay. Enjoy the welcome reception in a city restaurant and start to get to know fellow travellers with whom you will be sharing this 14 night epic journey.

Day 2 Vladivostok
Our city tour includes the principal military attractions of this once “closed” Russian town, including a tour of a restored submarine. In the late afternoon board the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express private train and have time to settle in to your modern, stylish cabins. Enjoy dinner on board the train in one of our beautifully designed restaurant cars.

Day 3 Komsomolsk na Amur
During the night your will cross the Amur River in Khabarovsk and reach the most easterly point of the journey. After visiting Komsomolsk you join the BAM (Baikal – Amur Mainline), the new line that runs north of and parallel to the original Trans-Siberian and head westwards through a virtually untouched area of outstanding natural beauty. After dinner on board you can listen to the resident pianist in the bar car whilst enjoying a drink with new friends.

Day 4 On Board
Spending the day on board the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, there is the chance to relax in the bar car, have your first Russian language lesson and enjoy the scenery. Travelling through the untouched tundra travelers experience Russia at its most remote. The beauty unfolds before you as you enter the region of permafrost. Here the vast distances and forbidding geographic and climatic conditions render the entire region a extreme environment for human existence.

Day 5 Tynda
Heading west you visit Tynda. With a population of around 40,000, it is the largest town for over 300 miles in any direction. It was built to be the administrative centre for the construction of the BAM route during the 1970’s and our visit to a local museum gives you a fascinating insight into the building of this line.

Day 6 Novaya Chara
Spend the whole day in this small village lost in the middle of Russia. The tour takes you to visit an interesting small museum that covers the history of this area including the Marble Canyon Gulag. Many prisoners were sent here during the Soviet regime to mine Uranium for the Russian nuclear programme. Today the area is famous for Charoite, a rare semi-precious lilac coloured gemstone, unique to this region.

It is likely that during our time here you will meet some of the many gem traders who frequent this area. You will also make a stop at the unique 6 km long Sand Dunes, the origin of which remains a mystery. We know that they had important significance to the indigenous people of this region as many ancient artefacts, dating back several thousand years, have been found buried here.

Day 7 Severomuysk, Severobaikalsk
This morning as you travel through the scenic Severomuysk mountain range you pass through the longest railway tunnel in Russia. Stretching for 15.7 km it was also one of the most complicated of all the tunnels to be constructed along the railway. After lunch you arrive in remote Severobaikalsk (North Baikal), where the road network is completely cut-off from the rest of the country. The BAM is a vital lifeline for this beautiful area at the northern tip of the Lake and we have the afternoon to explore the unique way of life here, and meet some of the local inhabitants.

Day 8 Bratsk
Spend several hours in the city of Bratsk visiting one of the biggest hydroelectric dams in the world, built during the 1960’s. After the tour you continue on to Taishet, where the BAM ends and travelers cross the Trans-Siberian main line. This part of our journey was nicknamed the “Road of Courage” after the many natural obstacles that had to be overcome during its construction; notably the massive Sayan mountains with their thick Siberian forests, rapid rivers and permafrost. Construction began in 1942 and it took 23 years to complete the section between Taishet and Abakan.

Day 9 Sayan Mountains and Abakan
Heading west you can enjoy the peaceful pace on board, as the Golden Eagle climbs through the spectacular Sayan Mountains, which stretch for over 1,000km. As well as watching the magnificent scenery, there will be the choice of attending one of the various lectures/lessons on board, socialising in the Bar Car and, if time permits, you will have a short visit to Abakan.

Day 10 Novosibirsk
Around breakfast time you stop at Seyatel to visit the Novosibirsk Railway museum before continuing into Novisibirsk a modern “Soviet” city, where you will visit the famous Opera House, Lenin Square and marvel at the immense river Ob, which flows 3,500 miles from its source to the Arctic.

Day 11 Yekaterinburg
After lunch you arrive in Yekaterinburg, the last city in Asia and capital of the Urals. The city tour includes the Romanov execution site, now a Church dedicated to the memory of the Russian Royalfamily, and the monument to the Europe/Asia divide where you can stand with a foot in each continent.

Day 12 Kazan
After a morning arrival you have time to discover Kazan, the picturesque capital of Tatarstan on the Volga river. One of the highlights of today is the visit to the Kremlin fortress, a UNESCO world heritage site, containing a stunning mosque and Russian Orthodox cathedral. Tonight you will have the final dinner on board the Golden Eagle, your home for the last 11 days.

Day 13 Moscow
Mid-morning arrival in Moscow. Spend the rest of the day touring the amazing sites of this vibrant city, including Red Square and the Kremlin. You transfer to a centrally located five-star hotel for a onenight stay and enjoy the farewell dinner where you say our goodbyes.

Day 14 Moscow
After breakfast in the hotel, free time in the rapidly-changing Russian capital brings the tour to an end (note that it is possible that the Kremlin visit could be this morning). Airport transfers are provided for your departing flights.

Tour is also available in reverse.

   

   

   

Dates	Silver Class	Gold Class
Feb 27 - Mar 11, 2009	$10,995	$13,595