Elista is a steppe pearl

Kalmykia is an endless steppe expanses, amazingly beautiful tulip islands, this is the only saiga habitat in Europe. Here lay the Great Silk Road, lived the Khazars, built the cities of the Golden Horde, there are the remains of Sarai Berke - the second capital of the Golden Horde.

The capital of Kalmykia is Elista, a city where multilingual speech sounds. The Kalmyks are the only people in Europe who practice Buddhism. It is here that the largest Buddhist temple of Kalmykia is located - Syakyusen Sume, made in the Tibetan style. The visiting card of the capital of the republic is "Altyn Bosch" - the Golden Gate, through which guests coming to the capital must pass. The person who passes through these gates has his soul and thoughts purified. Not far from the City Chass, the Stupa of Enlightenment is built, which gives peace, harmony and beneficial energy to all living things.

7:00 Departure from Astrakhan.
11:30 Arrival in Elista.
11:30 - 13.00 Sightseeing tour: "City-Chess" - a unique chess town (the venue of the XXXS World Chess Olympiad), a memorial to the victims of political repression "Exodus and Return" by Nobel Prize winner Ernst Neizvestny, "Stupa of Enlightenment" - a traditional place of pilgrimage of Buddhists around the world, a place of strength and inspiration, a place of fulfillment of desires. Elista diocese (Cathedral). Visit the new Central Buddhist Khurul of Kalmykia with the highest Buddha statue in Europe (9 m)
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch in the cafe
14:00 - 17:00 Walking tour of the city center - Golden Gate, inspection of sculptural compositions created at the international biennale of sculptors "The Great Silk Road" and "Man and nature through the eyes of the East".
17:00 Departure
22:00 - 22:30 Arrival in Astrakhan