Trans Mongolian Express

If you have booked this trip or are curious about all of the details, you can download this trip's information as a PDF.

Please ensure that you print a final copy of your Trip Details to review a couple of days prior to travel, in case there have been changes that affect your plans.

Places To See, Events, Pre-departure Information, Health Issues, Weather Information, History and Culture

It is your responsibility to arrange visas before you travel.

CHINA: all nationalities require a visa to visit China.

You must organise your visa prior to arrival to China. Please contact the Chinese Embassy in your country for application and up to date information. When filling out the visa application form list the trip's finishing Point Hotle (Harmony Hotel, Beijing) as the "company or person to visit in China". We recommend to put arrival date one day earlier than your actual arrival to China. Departure day is day 4 of the trip (we recommend to add one more day to this date)

MONGOLIA: most nationalities require a visa. Exceptions: holders of US, Filipino and Thai passports. For more exceptions, please, contact nearest Mongolian embassy. Some nationalities might require Letter Of Invitation (LOI). In this case G Adventures will be able to provide one through our local supplier. Please, contact your agent or G Adventures sales, and you will be sent the list of questions to obtain Mongolian LOI.

When filling out embassy visa application form please list "Monkhutuch Trade & Travel, Bayanzurkh Duureg, 13-r Horoolol 12-179, Ulaan Baatar, tel: 976 1199199291" as the hosting company or individual in Mongolia.

Groups enter Mongolia on Day 4 of the trip and depart on day 9, travelling by rail.

RUSSIA: almost all nationalities require a visa to visit Russia. Exceptions: holders of Israeli and Thai passport and citizens of most former Soviet Republics. Russian government often changes visa obtain rules, so we recommend you to double check all info with Russian embassy in your home country.

Single entry tourist visa provides maximum 29 days (30 nights) stay in Russia. Please, remember that it is impossible to extend tourist visa within the country. If you are planning to travel in Russia before the trip starts and total time in the country is more than 29 days, you will have to arrange business visa (there are no double entry Russian visas). In this case, please, contact the nearest Russian embassy or consulate for details.

To obtain Russian visa everyone required Letter Of Invitation (LOI) from one of the companies in Russia, who has a tourist license.

G Adventures passengers can obtain this letter through our visa support agent in Russia by completing our on-line visa application. LOI support link will be sent to you or your travel agent at the time you make a booking and will be sent to the email address that you give our sales department. LOI will be sent to the same address later, after you filled in online application form.

We recommend to contact nearest Russian embassy or consulate before filling the form, as document requirements might vary from country to country. Please, be aware that many Russian embassies throughout the world issue visas only to citizens or official residents of the country where embassy located.

Submitting online form, you must read the instructions carefully and fill out all the details. Group spends days 9 - 21 of the trip on the territory of Russia. We recommend to add at least one extra day at the start and one extra day at the end. If you departure later, put departure day in the application one day after your actual departure from Russia.

First Name: should include your First and Middle and Third names - as per your passport. Russian embassies have a right to deny visa, if the information in passport is different from information you provided for the LOI.

Your russian visa LOI will be emailed to you or your travel agent directly within 5 working days upon submission of your online application. If trip is not guaranteed at the moment of submitting online application, your visa support letter will be emailed to you or your travel agent soon after the trip is guaranteed, but not earlier than 3 months before trip departure.

If you haven't received email with your Russian LOI within 5 working days after the submission - check your SPAM folder. Emails sent from .ru server are sometimes automatically directed into SPAM.

Once you have received your LOI you can apply for your Russian visa by going to your closest Russian embassy or by using a visa service recommended by your travel agent. Do not obtain your visa until 6 weeks prior to your trip departing in the unlikely event that the trip does not meet the minimum number of 4 participants.

Take LOI to the embassy along with your passport, three passport photos, the filled in visa application form, a copy of your trip voucher and proof of onward travel from Russia and they will issue the visa. Please, contact the embassy you are going to apply in and check - what documents you are required to bring. It can take up to 15 working days for the embassy to issue your visa.

Fees vary with nationalities but the cost for a 30-day single entry tourist visa is approximately 40 USD. Most countries have a Russian embassy or consulate. Some websites that have information are: www.russialink.org.uk/embassy/, www.russianembassy.org/ and www.sydneyrussianconsulate.com

Helpful Hints for completing your application:

*Please wait until you receive your Russian visa LOI before completing your application as information must match in order for you to receive your visa from the embassy.
* Please ensure that entry and exit dates on the LOI match the dates that you will be in Russia as these will be the dates that your visa is issued for.
* Please, note that Letter Of Invitation may state hotels or cities that are different from your tour. These hotels may not be the exact hotels that you will be staying at during your trip. It is critical however, that when you complete your Russian visa application that you copy the hotels that are on your visa support letter rather than those that are on your G Adventures voucher or dossier.

*Answers to questions on Visa Application:
1. The type/purpose of visa: Tourism
2. Company or organization in Russia to be visited: Karelia Plus
3. Name of Russian Travel Agency: Karelia Plus
4. Reference number of Russian tour agency: This is in the top right hand corner of your visa support letter
5. Route of Journey: Copy the dates and cities that appear below your name on the left hand side of your visa support letter (Moscow & St Petersburg)
6. Confirmation voucher/Invitation number: This usually starts with SPC

Please note that unless you are a resident of China you will NOT be able to obtain your Russian visa in China. Please organise your visa prior to arriving in Beijing.