Russia, Baltic States & North Asia
This region is truly wonderful!!!
Kamchatka is without exaggeration one of the most spectacular regions in Russia. It occupies the area of 470,000 sq. km, which equals the size of France, Belgium and Luxembourg combined, and separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean. The mountain ranges stretch from the north to the south giving the peninsula the shape of a giant fish. There are more than 160 volcanoes on the peninsula (29 of them are active), due to the fact that it lies on the Great Pacific “ring of fire”. Volcanoes and volcanic peaks, cyclones and underground heat created here a mixture of twenty climate zones and a great variety of flora and fauna. But the main attractions of Kamchatka are volcanic calderas, stone sculpture “parks” and lakes in craters, geysers and mineral springs, all in pristine condition. And, not forgetting; incredible wildlife.
Take advantage of direct flights from Anchorage and Tokyo to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky during northern summer 2013. This makes access to the peninsula swift and easy with only one stop from Australia or the US. Ask us for details.
Read more about touring in Kamchatka in the following articles in the DestinAsian magazine and Vacations & Travel.
Chic medieval hot spots like Kraków and Gdańsk vie with energetic Warsaw for your urban attention. Outside the cities, woods, rivers, lakes and hills beckon for some fresh-air fun. Poland, often overlooked in the European tour, offers architectural triumphs, scenic mountains, a rich heritage and charming, rural idylls,
For half a millennium Krakow was the royal capital of Poland and for centuries the city walls have guarded its traditions and secrets. Highlights in Krakow are walking around the Old Town with the St. Mary’s Church, the Jagiellonian University, the Cloth Halls and Wawel with the Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral.
The smallest but loveliest Baltic State. Estonia makes its presence felt in the region with its lovely seaside towns, quaint country villages and verdant forests and marshlands, all of which set the scene for discovering many cultural and natural gems.
Estonia is also known for magnificent castles, pristine islands and a cosmopolitan capital, Tallinn amid medieval splendour. Easily accessible from Helsinki, many of our Finnish tours include day trips to Tallinn.
Mongolia is still a nation where more than half the population live off the land keeping livestock as herders. Living a nomadic lifestyle has been the way of life for 1000’s of years, and you will find Mongolia one of those countries where little has changed in the past millennia. There are no fences and very few sealed roads, and the main form of transport is still on horseback, though we can organise you a 4WD.
Mongolia lies on the southernmost edge of the Arctic; where the Central Asian deserts and the steppe meets the deep forests of the Siberian taiga of the north. A trip to Mongolia allows you to soak up vast open landscapes and enjoy the incredible hospitality of nomadic herders.
Our Mongolian tours run with a minimum of two and can be tailor made to suit your needs.
By sheer landmass Russia is the largest country on earth, by remote wilderness Siberia is wilder than most, and by accessibility Siberia is far off the beaten track. Russia has 101 nature reserves and 40 national parks, which are strewn from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East to Lake Baikal in the southeast, and the subtropics of the Caucasus to the mouth of one of Siberia’s largest rivers - the Lena. These are tremendously vast expanses of wilderness across various climatic zones. Find yourself in the wilderness areas of Kamchatka or Baikal; go trekking, wildlife viewing or fishing in pristine rivers. We can also hire you a remote log cabin for a week if you are in search of solitude. If you are looking for an adventure, we offer plenty in a remote and spectacular last wilderness frontier.
Alternatively, you can join our tours and cruises that visit the amazing cities of Russia. St.Petersburg, Moscow and the Golden Ring villages all done in style. We will open private doors to the Hermitage and Peterhof, seeing these magnificent treasures before the crowds. You can enjoy the grand restaurants and palaces of Russia with us.
"The tour in St. Petersburg was excellent in every way, the guide was fantastic, the cars new and the hotel very good and in a perfect spot." Larry, 2011
Enjoy the excitement of Riga and the beautiful countryside of Latvia.
Bustling Rīga, with its pumping nightlife, cobbled streets and marvellous art-nouveau architecture is one of Eastern Europe's most fun cities. Away from the capital, the pace slows. Historic villages, miles from anywhere, sit frozen in time. Despite growing popularity, Latvia is still one of those places where you can embrace the unbeaten path and become an intrepid adventurer exploring virgin terrain.
Imagine a capital with an Old Town, covering 255 hectares of the city, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is Lithuanian's capital, Vilnius - and it sums up this lovely country.
Lithuania is a place of rolling hills and gentle plains; of quietly flowing rivers and of lakes. The largest river, the Nemunas, gathers and carries the waters of many tributaries to the Baltic Sea, wherein lies Lithuania´s famous "amber coast".
Curonian spit is the most beautiful part of Lithuania, its "tiny Sahara". Registered as a Unesco world heritage site in December 2000, the Curonian lagoon and spit were formed 5000 years ago by the churning waves of the restless Baltic Sea: the northern part of the lagoon belongs to Lithuania and the southern part to the Russian Federation (Kaliningrad district).