25 July - 31 August 2012
join us for an expedition to heart of Asia
it is a dream of many to visit Mongolia
it is a remote country and it is so different to the European reality that you can almost call it a fairy-tale place
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This expedition is not for everybody. If you count the number of kilometres only, the distance does not seem to be long. But if you count days of slow travelling in the car, if you take into consideration the difficulties which we will encounter on the way, the company of mosquitoes and midges, the monotony of the Siberian landscape - all these make it the trip for those who are persistent.
In 2011 we went to visit Mongolia on our own and instantly we had the desire to show it to others. We would also like to share with you our fascination with the beauty of Siberia: on the way to Mongolia we will cross the Altai Mountains, and the Lake Baikal will be our dessert!
Mongolia is the land of emptiness, vast spaces and silence. Local nature has a great impact on all travellers.
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It is possible to join us even if you do not have your 4x4 car. You can travel with us along the section through Altai and Mongolia. We provide transport in a 4x4 bus with 4 passenger seats. You will need 20 days for this section of the route. You will need your own camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, camping cooker). The limit for your luggage is a max 60 litres backpack. The fee per person of the complete route is EUR 1,000. On top of that you should add ca. EUR 120 /per person for the cost of visas (Russian and Mongolian), admission fees, food, plus cost of transport to the starting point and return (e.g. train / airplane fares).Ask for more info.
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The route is ca. 16,000 km. We have already travelled the whole route at least once, and some sections even two or three times. The starting point is on the Latvian-Russian border, and it ends in Irkutsk near the Lake Baikal. All participants get to the meeting point and travel back home independently. Each participant will get the route of the expedition, as well as the return way from Irkutsk as a GPS file and a description. The return way from Irkutsk is planned along the main roads through Ukraine; it is a distance of ca. 8,000 km. The travel time to the meeting point from central Poland is approximately one day. The return way from Irkutsk to the Ukrainian-Polish border takes ca. 10-12 days. The route of the expedition is divided into three stages: Stage one is the distance to Novosibirsk. It is ca. 5,000 km and it is going to take us ca. 7 days. On the way, we will visit several interesting places of northern Siberia (including its old capital in Tobolsk) and see its typical landscape, that is the vast swamps of the West Siberian Plain. This stage is quite challenging since all days we are going to be on the road. Every day we will start at 7:00 a.m. at the latest (local time, so almost every day we are going to "lose" one hour due to time zone changes) and finish at ca. 7:00 or 8:00 p.m. During our expedition we are going to spend all nights camping in the forest or in the steppe ("sleeping rough").
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Stage two is the genuine adventure part of the trip. It is going to be like the glazing of the cake, the actual aim of our journey. Then we will go off the beaten tracks of Altai travelling along the beautiful Katun River, and later Chuia River. We will enter Mongolia from Altai, and instantly the paved road will finish. From then onwards, 90% of roads will be dirt roads or gravel roads. The route across Mongolia first leads along its northern areas. We are going to visit the Mongolian Altai, see salt lakes, the Khorgo volcano, Buddhist monasteries hidden far away from the civilised world - Tovhon and Amaybayasgalant, as well as the monasteries in Kharakorin and Shankh. We are also going to visit Ulan Batar. We will also visit the beautiful Gobi desert. So with the exception of the eastern areas, we are going to have a glimpse at the whole country. Finally, we are going to head towards the border with Russia and the Lake Baikal. On the way we will also stop in the Ivolginsky Datsan, the centre of Buddhism in Buryatia. The second stage will be less intense with respect to the number of hours spent on the road. Every day we are going to start at 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. (local time) and finish at 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. The breaks will be much longer, but we will not have any day free from driving. This stage is ca. 3,000 km and it will take 18 days. Stage three is the return way home. This stage is planned according to the tempo from the first stage of the expedition. The detailed plan of the expedition is going to be available for the participants.
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Equipment which each participant should have includes, obviously, a 4x4 car with a transfer gear and MT tyres, min. 31 inches. Each car must have a CB radio for communication and a GPS unit with memory capacity to store min. 500 waypoints. That is an absolute requirement for every car. The only exception (which is most welcome!) is an enduro motorcycle in place of a 4x4 car. Additional recommended equipment includes: covers for chassis, bullbars, 33 inch tyres, tuning suspension, a set of spare parts, radiator protection, spotlights protection, steel bumpers, hi-lift jack, winch. Of course, each driver should also have a toolbox, an axe, a spade, protection gloves, a kinetic towing rope, several shackles, tapes. But that is only the equipment for the car.
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The camping gear is another important aspect of your preparation. We are going to spend 5 weeks in the areas without access to hotels or campsites. Your good memories from the trip may depend to a great degree on how well you are prepared to camp in the wild. Siberia in the summer may be rainy, but it can also be extremely hot. It means that we may have to cope with hundreds of mozzies and midges. We are going to be exposed to them all nights and days, so be prepared for the confrontation. On the other hand, Mongolia at the end of August may be freezing cold and windy at night. Most of you are experienced travellers, so we address our recommendations mostly to the beginners. You have to decide how you are going to sleep during the trip some hints are available here. Think of a good sleeping bag, cooking gear, camping tables and chairs, mosquito nets, rain protection, your travel menu. More about that is available here.
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The cost of such an expedition is not low, but the prices in Russia and Mongolia are almost on the European level. The participation fee is EUR 3,000 per car (EUR 1,500 per motorcycle) irrespective of the number of people in/on the vehicle. The fee includes: the guidance of the group leader who accompanies and leads the group 24/24, as well as our assistance in contacts with the locals, car repairs, arrangement of auxiliary excursions; also assistance in visa procedures; advertising gadgets. It also includes the GPS waypoints (over 2,000 waypoints). The fee does not include: insurance, cost of visas, fuel, food, car repairs, other charges (border fees, fines, toll, etc.). The minimum cost which we calculated for one team (i.e. 2 people, including: visas, fuel for the distance estimated "from Poland to Poland" for diesel consumption 12 l/100 km, border charges + EUR 7 for daily expenses) amounts to ca. EUR 1,900 (according to prices in 2011).
You can enrol until the 1st May 2012. The number of participants is limited.
If you make your advance payment before the end of February, you will save EUR 200 of the participation fee.
Have a look at the reports and pictures from our two expeditions to Siberia in 2005 and 2007 You can also see pictures and comments of participants of the Bajkal expedition in 2011. The organiser has the right to cancel the event if there is no minimum number of participants. We also offer transport of luggage for motobikers.
More information available at info@kilometr.com or + 48 603668119.
sie ma
iwona & mariusz
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