Description

Day 1 between August 20 - August, 25
Upon arrival in Irkutsk transfer to the downtown located 3-star hotel for check in. In the evening after dinner, meet Executive Director of Local Indigenous National Minorities - Mr. Victor Kuznetsov.

View from helicopter

Day 2 - Sightseeing tour in Irkutsk and on lake Baikal (Listvyanka) including visit to Baikal Ecology Museum and lunch of tasty Baikal cuisine served in the lakefront restaurant.

Day 3 Accompanied by your local guide/tour leader ride a train on full-day trip to Nizhneudinsk. Upon arrival - transfer to the local guest house for dinner followed by the orientation lecture on the forthcoming trip and overnight at the lodge.

Day 4 After breakfast transfer to the local airport to board MI-8 helicopter for flight to Alygdzher village in the Tofalaria mountains (1 hour flight). Upon arrival, accommodation at the families (toilet is in the outhouse without a flash, hot/cold water provided inside your accommodation facility).

After lunch the rest of the day will be spent exploring the central village of the Tofalaria Alygdzher. First, we'll see the Tofa Ethno-cultural center. Founded in 1991 the Tofa Ethnic Center has now a nice display of original ethnic items of the Tofa people: national clothing, fur, embroidery and birch bark items, paintings and drawings. Here we will also listen to a story by the Tofa Arts Director. Later in the day we meet the Tofa community people for open discussions on their way of life.

"Fast Reindeer" Foklore Kids

Day 5 spend half a day watching the local Tofa folklore which will be a kind of mini- "Argamchi-eery" festival (or "the lasso games" festival).

The "Argamchi-eery" Tofa Festival dates back to the distant past when the Tofa tribes were a numerous nomadic group who migrated in a huge expanse from the Eastern Sayan down to the river of Yenisey. Though this holiday is celebrated usually once a year in the first decade of July, we will have during our stay an opportunity to see the major Tofa folkloric games that will be specially organized for us. Besides some Tofa sports competitions, we will watch the local "FAST Reindeer" children folkloric performance as well as see the local acting shaman who hitting the drum will do a special ritual to honor local deities (prepare your ribbons to tie on the "holy" tree or bush near the shamanistic ceremony to follow ancient tradition). In the evening we will have dinner featuring some simple but delicious entrees of the Tofa national cuisine.

Shamanistic Ritual

Day 6 After breakfast we start out for a 4-hour round hike to the waterfall on the Uda River with picnic-lunch in a very picturesque natural setting on the river bank. Upon return back to the village and before dinner there's still time to know your horses that you will ride during the upcoming 3-days horseback portion of the trip. If you're a beginner, you'll be welcome to take lessons on basic horse riding whereabouts and skills how to ride and handle a horse while on a one-of-a-kind exploration tour like this one.

Before dinner enjoy Siberian "banya" - steam-bath prepared in original way of Russian Cossacks early exploers of Eastern Siberia who penetrated this pat of the world in late 18-th century.

The Pretty Cross hunter log-cabin

Days 7- 9 "On Horseback En Route the Kuktey Creek and Summer Reindeer Herding Camp

After early breakfast last preparations before we start out for the horseback portion of the trip on the way to the seasonal camp of reindeer nomads. Your belongings/backpacks will be carried by pack horses to enable you get most pleasure from riding your horse through the pristine and fascinating wilderness of the Tofa Land. During the next 2 days we will spend the average of 5-6 hours per day on horseback moving to the summer camps of the Tofa reindeer herders.

Since reindeers feed primarily on thick ground moss called "yagel", the herders must always be sure that the "yagel" moss is not overgrazed or the local animals over-hunted. That's why the reindeer herding team migrates to a new pasture every 15 days, but migrations are usually no farther than 25 kilometers from the previous camp. Prior to a migration any wandering deer are tracked down and either corralled or bound to a tree. Then camp is torn down, packed onto saddles, and loaded on the backs of the strongest deer, children are placed in bucket-like "baby seats" made from two conjoined wooden rings that are bound to the back of the deer...

Our local guides who are well familiar with the Tofa reindeer herding routes know where the current camp of their relative nomads will be located this summer end. And we expect that our Tofa reindeer destination camp this time will be in the upper Kuktey Creek area which we plan to reach by the next evening.

Milking reindeer

Our horse riding trip these 2 days will, first, follow the river of Kara-Buren upper reaches, to the so-called "Pretty Cross" hunter's log cabin near beautiful water fall. We will have lunches as picnic on the way and dinner will be prepared over the campfire in the premises of the local Tofa hunters. If we're lucky we will meet them with their excellent "laika" hunting dogs, and hear the stories of "taiga- world wisely dwellers".

In the evening of Day, 8, proceeding on horseback to the upper Khailama River we will reach the reindeer breeding camp near the Kuktey Creek.

Day 9 This morning don't be frightened if you awake to deep guttural grunting and shuffling sounds: they will not belong to a brown bear, but produced by the reindeer grazing in the woods around our tents. In the summer months, the reindeer usually scatter through the surrounding hills and graze at night when the temperature is cool and the mosquitoes are fewer, and during the day the reindeer return to camp to escape the heat...

We spend the whole day and next night at the Tofa reindeer summer camp learning from firsthand their every-day life, their attitude to nature, taiga-woods survival skills, world outlook. We can also try some of their traditional Taiga-cuisine and the core staples of the Tofa diet. These are flat round bread cakes made from wheat flower with plain water added and dipped in vegetable oil or grease ( called "Lepyoushki" in Russian), meat and reindeer milk.

Reindeer saddle in the middle

The bread cakes and black tea with some sweets or sugar usually constitute breakfast while lunch and dinner consist of unseasoned, boiled reindeer meat (mostly of the wild one) which is gamey and delicious and has to be eaten with one's fingers and a hunting knife.

During our stay we may see how the Tofa women or kids milk the reindeer. Seven times richer than goat milk, reindeer milk is thick--somehow similar to yogurt--and serves as the most important source of vitamins in the Tofa diet. Children too young to hunt usually spend the day milking the reindeer, or else gathering wild berries and fishing. Berries mixed with fresh reindeer milk are an especial treat which we'll most likely be able to try this day. Before each meal, a small portion of the food will be fed by Tofa to the fire spirit who is thought to protect the camp from evil spirits.

Finally, after lunch we will have enough time to take the reindeer riding lessons from Tofa. The upcoming 2 days we plan to be riding reindeer, which is not an easy task. Firstly, reindeer saddles are made from reindeer leather and bones/or wood and have no stirrups. Then, unlike horses, reindeer have weak backs and so the saddle must be placed high on the shoulders of the deer, that's why the shifting scapulas can sometimes -especially when crossing rocky riverbeds- make balancing critical.

After dinner and before going to bed, don't miss your chance to watch the near skies enchanted in stars above the upper reaches of the river of Khailama. Overnight in tents or "choom"-tepees.

Days 10-11- We begin our reindeer riding trip after Tofa guides will place the riding saddles on your personal reindeer and provide for each of us a long stick to spur a reindeer that can also be used in case of an emergency to recapture one's balance. There will also be a single rein used to whip the deer or to stop it. And to steer the animal the rider must kick the side of the head opposite to the desired direction. So, -"off we go in a cloud of dust on a reindeer back!"

Those who after the test reindeer ride the previous day may think they are not well fit for a long " staying on alert" reindeer ride, will at all times have chance to change the reindeer for their familiar horse. Our horses will continue following us both pack and personal ones. During these 2 days we will be proceeding on reindeers or horseback to the upper Hunga River en route crossing some rivulets, often encountering wild animals such as noble deer, sables, fox, moose, even wolves and, probably, a brown bear.

During one of the days our Tofa guides will provide us a unique chance to watch so-called "dancing with wild musk deer" (the smallest deer on earth valuable for its musk gland widely used in medicine and perfume). The Tofa will lure/attract the musk deer by means of special whistle and give us a chnance to tke pictures of the musk deer just 1 or 2 meters away from us!

In the evening of Day 11 we approach the confluence of 2 rivers near the Hunga river for dinner and overnight in tents or hunter's log cabin.

Day 12 After breakfast we bid our farewell to our Tofa guides and get on the Soviet Army "Urals" 4-WD truck for 6 hour transfer to Nizhneudinsk from where we started our trip to Tofalaria by helicopter. With lunch prepared over the campfire en route nd before dinner we arrive in Nizhneudinsk to overnight in the guest house.

Day 13 Board the train for a full day ride to the city of Irkutsk. Upon arrival in Irkutsk transfer to your downtown located Hotel. Farewell Dinner. Overnight.

Day 14 Transfer to the airport for flight #_____ to _____.

Highlights

Highlighting meeting with unique Tofa reindeer breeders in their homes and seasonal camps, their mini-Argamchee Ethnic Festival, Horseback and reindeer rides through pristine Tofalaria wildlife, ..."dances with musk deer" ... the Soviet Armee 4-WD truck or tankette safari-drive and more... Explore unique cultural and nature environment of Siberia's one of the most isolated area inhabited by its smallest and oldest ethnic reindeer herding nationality- on horseback and riding reindeer through the virgin taiga-woods of "Siberian Switzerland", take a chance to watch and take pictures of "dancing with musk deer" , see the Tofa folklore and shaman ritual... and more

Duration: 14 days/13 nights; August-September, 2011 (one departure)

Logistics: After touring most atmospheric sights of Irkutsk and on Lake Baikal take a train to Nizhneudinsk for an overnight (Day 3) before flying to Tofalaria, where we spend 2 days to explore the local cultural environment; then take a 2-days smooth horseback expedition ride to the summer camp of reindeer herders to reach them on Day 09; after stay in their camp proceed with reindeers riding them to the upper reaches of Hunga river. On Day 11 take 4-WD ride back to Nizhneudinsk for overnight and take then train back to Irkutsk on Day 13.

Travel Types

• Camping
• Eco Tours
• Horseback Riding
• Nature Tours
• Off Road / 4X4 Driving
• Tours

Cost in US$:

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves

• Other

"Absolute Siberia" Events & Expeditions Bureau's Mission Statement

Committed to showing Lake Baikal area, Siberia and beyond in a sustainable way, enriching both travelers' life experience and that of local cummunities while preserving cultures and natural environment.

Year Founded

2000