Siberia is massive! It’s spread out over a gargantuan 10 million square kilometres, and there’s no way you’re going to see much of what Siberia has to offer if you stay in one place.
Siberia is peppered with a combination of hills, mountains, meadows and forests, and is a hotbed of outdoor activity, year round.
With freezing cold winters, and blazing hot summers, visitors can come around at a seasonal time that best suits their preferences. You can see a few of these wonderful sights and experience experience Trans-Siberian tours like never before.
Novosibirsk Zoo
The Novosibirsk Zoo is an absolute must see, and is popular with both locals and tourists alike, any time of the year. Novosibirsk Zoo is easy to find and not far from the city but once you’re inside you’d swear the city was miles away.
The majority of this world-class zoo is a great habitat, well looked after and includes many trees and ponds throughout.
Once inside, you’re able to get up close to over 4,000 animals representing 399 unique species, so you’re sure to have a memorable experience!
Novosibirsk Zoo actively works to increase animal populations of endangered species and has on-site breeding facilities.
Some of the animals you might expect to see are polar bears, brown bears, white tigers, leopards, monkeys, and ligers.
Ligers are a rare and unusual species created by a fusion between tiger and lion. Be sure to look for one when you visit the Novosibirsk Zoo!
Want to see more animals?
There are a number of other animal-related activities you can take part in while on your trans-Siberian journey.
In the winter, tourists can book dogsledding trips for a real authentic Siberian experience, or even try their hand at herding reindeer.
Stolby National Park
Another great place worth visiting is the picturesque Stolby National Park.
Stolby is designated as a UNESCO World Cultural and Heritage site, and the park is named after the pillar like rocks which are present along the skyline.
They are unusual rocks, which appear to take the shape of animals and birds like animal crackers. They look great and they’re perfect for climbing.
Stolby National Park consists of 42,700 hectares spread over 34 kilometres between Mana and Bazaikha rivers, approximately 3km from Krasnoyarsk.
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal is prehistoric, and is the oldest freshwater lake on Earth. It is estimated to be a whopping 25 million years old! This lake is also one of the largest and deepest, holding an incredible one-fifth of the worlds freshwater.
Lake Baikal contains more flora and fauna than any other lake in the entire world. It is home to the only fresh water seals in existence, too –which helps to earn it the title of “Pearl of Siberia”. It really is an awesome place.
Getting Around
There are many ways to get around Siberia, including the Trans-Siberian Railway, and a wide selection of tours are available.
The Trans-Siberian Railway is the longest train journey in the world. It crosses 7 time zones and around 9,100 km. The trip takes about 6 days to complete, and is a splendid way to see the country.