• 11 June 11 to 4 July 11

From the Baltic to the Black Sea featuring Moscow, St Petersburg, Russia's Golden Ring, Minsk, Kiev, Lviv, Yalta and Istanbul

Our 22-night program explores the history, cultures and heritage of the vast region that stretches between the Baltic and Black Seas and comprises the Eastern Slavonic countries of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. These 3 countries share a common heritage of the Orthodox Slavonic Church and recent Soviet domination but differ in their climate and culture, from the Western-looking Baltic Sea port of St Petersburg to the ancient Kremlins and monasteries of Moscow, Novgorod, Vladimir and Rostov-Veliky, to the Crimean Black Sea resort of Yalta via mysterious Minsk in Europe's last dictatorship, Belarus, and the eclectic mixture of Byzantium and Stalinism which makes up the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.

We travel by coach, boat, plane and overnight train to experience the vast expanse of these 3 countries, still with a covering of Europe's primeval forests. We stay in comfortable 3-star hotels.

Whereas Russia is used to welcoming foreign travellers, visitors to Ukraine and, in particular, Belarus are fewer and so it would be wise to expect the unexpected and to travel with a sense of ed-venture!

Itinerary at a Glance & Site / # Nights

• Ex Australia / New Zealand - 1, Russia Moscow - 2, Suzdal - 1, Kostroma - 1, Yaroslavl - 1, overnight train - 1, St Petersburg - 3, overnight train - 1, Belarus Minsk - 1, Grodno - 1, overnight train - 1, Ukraine Kiev - 2, Lviv - 1, Yalta - 2, Turkey Istanbul - 1. Program ends with flight from Istanbul, where we board our return flight to Australia / New Zealand.

Program Includes

• Return economy class international airfares.
• Economy fare from Kiev to Lviv, Lviv to Simferopol and Simferopol to Istanbul.
• Departure taxes applicable to the standard itinerary.
• 16 nights hotel accommodation in en-suited share twin rooms.
• 3 nights accommodation onboard overnight trains in share 2 berth compartments.
• Typical local breakfast daily, 17 dinners and 12 lunches.
• Transport, lectures and field trips as indicated.
• Services of a Program Leader.
• Comprehensive travel insurance (additional premiums will be imposed by the insurer for those participants who are over 60 years and/or with pre-existing medical conditions.
• Applicable entry fees and services of local guides.
• Cost for Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian and Turkish Visas.
• Service Charges and Gratuities.
• Detailed Preparatory Materials.

Program Excludes

• Items of a personal nature

Program Notes

• Single compartments are not available on the overnight train.
• Ex Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Auckland & Christchurch.
• No obligation registrations of interest are invited on next year's departure.

Program Leader: Hugh Morgan

Program Summary: Slavonic Ed-Venture