Travel to Tuva?

GETTING THERE



    BY AIR



    Some flight information is available online at

    http://geocities.com/ai320/av_misc.htm#tu .  This includes data

    on the fabled and feared Yak-40 jet airliners.



    In Moscow in 1995 it was possible to purchase a ticket to Kyzyl

    for about $150 US (cheaper than a flight from Moscow to Abakan,

    which costs about $250 US). As of February, 1998, the asking

    price according to Victor Akiphen is $500 US for the return

    flight.



    The entity that used to be Aeroflot doesn't exist any more, and

    several smaller (more regional) airlines are filling in the

    holes; some even lease their planes from Aeroflot. The Aeroflot

    in Kyzyl is a different company than the one in Moscow, and

    that's still a different company from the one in Montreal.



    Yak airlines flies once a week to and from Kyzyl, from Moscow.

    There are stops both ways in Omsk, lasting about 1.5 hours. Route

    727 flies from Moscow to Kyzyl on Saturdays. Route 728 returns

    from Kyzyl to Moscow on Sundays. The quoted price is $148.00 each

    way (please note: in general, in Russia and the former Soviet

    Union, there is no such thing as a ``round trip rate''. Round

    trip is simply twice the one-way rate.



    The Yak Flight Director, Victor Akiphen(r?), is a nice guy, a

    mountain climber, and speaks some English. He can be reached in

    Moscow at 151-66-92 or 151-89-86, or by fax at 956-16-13, and

    will be happy to provide further info and assistance. By the way,

    Yak's planes are OK, and the service is pretty decent by Russian

    standards. If you contact Victor, please give him Steve Sklar's

    regards.



    As of November 1997, there were weekly flights from Moscow to

    Kyzyl on Sundays, leaving Vnukovo Airport (take Bus #511 from

    Metro Station "Yugo-Zapadnaya"), at 21:45 (9:45pm) on "Yak

    Service" flight IB 727, arriving in Kyzyl at 08:15 Monday

    mornings. Flights from Kyzyl to Moscow are on Mondays at 12:25 pm

    ("Yak Service" flight IB 728), arriving in Moscow at 14:45

    (2:25pm) Monday afternoons. This is presumably the flight that

    previously departed Moscow Saturdays (listed above) and stopped

    at Omsk enroute to Kyzyl.



    As of April, 1999, Yak Service from Moscow Vnukovo to Kyzyl is

    now non-stop. Current cost is supposedly 1500 roubles (cheap like

    borscht!). Flights are still Sunday evening to Kyzyl, Monday

    morning to Moscow.



    Other flights are still available via Abakan. Khakkasia Airlines

    fly as follows to Moscow Domodedevo:



    Moscow to Abakan Wed, Fri, Sun, dep. 22:55, arr. 07:25 1450

    roubles Abakan to Kyzyl Mon, Wed, Fri, dep. 07:05, arr. 08:00 250

    roubles



    Kyzyl to Abakan Mon, Wed, Fri, dep. 08:40, arr. 09:30 250 roubles

    Abakan to Moscow Wed, Fri, dep. 09:30, arr. 10:20 1450 roubles

    Sun, dep. 19:30, arr. 20:25 1450 roubles



BETWEEN AIRPORTS IN MOSCOW



    In Moscow, use the blue Aeroflot transit busses to go from any

    airport to the central Aerovokzal (Airstation) where you can

    either change to another bus to another airport, or get on the

    Metro (nearest is 'Aerport' station on the 'V. I. Lenin' - pale

    green - line). The Aerovokzal is next to the Aeroflot hotel.



    Busses to and from Vnukovo cost 12 roubles plus 3 roubles for

    luggage, take 70 minutes and leave hourly between 06:10 and

    23:10.



    Busses to and from Sheremetevo cost 12 roubles, 3 roubles for

    luggage, take 45 minutes and leave every hour between 07:15 and

    23:15.



    Busses to and from Domodedevo take 1 hour 40 minutes, cost 18

    roubles plus 5 roubles for bags and leave hourly between 06:30

    and 22:30.



OVER LAND



    From Novosibirsk, trains head south to Abakan where there are

    frequent buses to Kyzyl. The bus between Abakan and Kyzyl takes

    about 7 hours and costs 85 roubles (as of April, 1999). Some

    prefer the daytime bus, not the overnight, to arrive in Tuva

    overland, and later leaving by air to get the morning bird's eye

    view. Be warned, the bus ride looks long and challenging.



MONEY



    Bring lots of new bills. Outside of Moscow and a few other large,

    western Russian cities, they don't accept American Express. Or

    Visa. Or traveller's checks. Or anything. You must have 1990 or

    newer dollars, preferably very new, and they must be unwrinkled,

    untorn and unmarked if you don't want difficulties.



    Although the exchange rate in Kyzyl is theoretically higher than

    in Moscow, you may want to exchange at least some money in

    Moscow. In previous years Kyzyl's banks sometimes had no roubles

    to exchange.



    The exchange rate "on the street" in Moscow may be better than

    that in the bank in Kyzyl or via official channels in Moscow, but

    be careful. Exchanging money on the street is illegal and the

    penalty includes a fine as well as confiscation of your money.

    You also risk being cheated (robbed or given counterfeit bills)

    or you may get a worse exchange rate than that offered by the

    banks.



    Recent travellers advise that when possible, you should exchange

    your money in a bank. Problems with the availability of roubles

    do not exist any more.



    As of the summer of 1998, there is an ATM in Kyzyl - in one bank

    only, for now. It is in a main street backyard establishment (ask

    for it, in front of OVIR and Bank of Tuva). It works with Visa

    cards.



GUIDES AND REFERENCES



    Buy your maps in your home country, or in Moscow. Topographical

    maps are hard to come by in Tuva. When you meet people along the

    road and in villages, you will be proud to show off with your 1:1

    000 000 scale map from the US Defence Mapping Agency.



    The Lonely Planet guidebook for Russia is has seven pages on Tuva

    (seven among 1200) but they are useful and include a map of

    Kyzyl.



    Some experienced travellers are now leading tours into Tuva. We

    can not give first-hand recommendations for anyone, but we will

    not list anyone who has not already travelled into Tuva.



       * Gary Wintz

            o 1247 Lincoln Bl. PMB 232 Santa Monica, CA 90401 tel/fax

              310.822.7908 email: globalgary@email.com

       * Sasha Lebedev

            o An independent guide who has worked with Catapult

              Adventures for 6 years. Email: alebedev@techmarket.ru



OTHER



    You don't need to have Kyzyl listed on your visa any more, but it

    is advisable and will generate less hassle.



    There is a classical process to obtain a visa in order to travel

    freely through all Russia. The classical process makes it almost

    impossible to travel there independently and without personal

    invitation. The Lonely Planet guide for Russia has a section on

    visas. This section is very complicated but details the best

    (quickest) way to get a visa - this has worked for some

    correspondents but be warned that there is some question as to

    whether this approach is completely legal.



    Patience and flexibility are the greatest of virtues. Practice

    the mantra ``we will wait, and we will see''.