Travel Logistics

There are different travel routes to East Russia/Siberia.

Through Moscow with direct flights to most East Russian cities on a variety of carriers. The cities in the Russian Far East and Siberia include: Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Petropavlovsk, Irkutsk, Yakutsk, Krasnoyarsk and others. We book most of our air through Julia@discoveryclub.info. We have been doing business with the agency for over ten years. Book early as fares escalate the longer you wait.

Through Seoul, Korea with direct flights on Korean air to Vladivostok four times a week, Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, or on Vlad Avia, on the same dates, and interestingly the fares quoted by Vlad Avia are more than the fares on Korean Air. Please note that most connections in Seoul require an overnight.

It is best to overnight in the airport, as you do not have to hassle going through customs and immigration and spending time to go to a hotel and back. If you wish to do this, check your luggage to your Russian arrival city. In Seoul, you stay within the airport and overnight in the Air Garden Hotel. Note that there are two hotels by the same name on each end of the airport. The hotel is comfortable with good service and also provides internet access. Reservations can and should be made in advance.

Asiana Airlines flies to Khabarovsk from Seoul, Korea on the following days, Saturdays and Wednesdays.

Asiana Airlines also flies from Seoul, Korea to Yuzhno Sakhalinsk on Mondays and Thursdays. Sakhalin Air flies on Wednesdays and Saturdays on an IL62.

Through Japan to Vladivostok
Vladivostok Air from Toyama on Tuesdays
Vladivostok Air from Tokyo, flight still pending

You may go to Vladivostok by boat from www.euras.co.jp/en/ship.html

• The Heartland Ferry Company runs ferries from Wakkanai, Japan runs ferries to Korsakov, Sakhalin Island between June and September. The cruise takes approximately 5 hours plus a 2-hour difference in time between Japan and Russia.

Invitations and Visas

We issue invitations through our cooperative partners to any one booking their travel arrangements through our Web Site. This may be for individual or group travel. We do not issue invitations under any other circumstance.

We also handle visa processing for a nominal charge of $20 (excluding visa processing costs) per visa. This is in addition to the charges for the visa itself. The charges depend on the time period required for visa processing. For a visa application and rules and regulations governing Russian visas, please go to www.russia.net.

Arctic and Antarctic Travel

For travel on our Arctic and Antarctic Expeditions, unless it is an escorted departure, our US office at usa@oceanwide-expeditions.com may be able to assist, or you may wish to use a travel agent. On all our departures to assure that you get there on the day of the ship's departure, we suggest that you arrive one day earlier. Also on our non-escorted departures, transfers on the way in are included in the Arctic, but not in the Antarctic. Transfers from the ship are never included.

On our escorted departures we include all services upon arrival in Buenos Aires, including a short sightseeing tour, transfer between airports, flights to Ushuaia, transfers to hotel, hotel accommodations, a short sightseeing tour the next morning and a transfer to the ship. Upon departure from the ship, we provide a transfer to the airport, and again transfers between airports in Buenos Aires.

Safety and Crime

Your safety is in your own hands as it is in any country of the world, even in the US. Do not attract attention, keep your valuables hidden, and do not go out alone in the evenings in areas which you are not sure about.

In general most likely, people will want to be of assistance to you if you look like a foreigner. They want to make a good impression. You do the same and safety will not be a problem.

In hotels, it is the usual custom that the hotel staff keeps your passport overnight for registration. This is normal, and in our estimation, no one has ever lost his or her passport under these circumstances. Please be sure to keep any and all paperwork relative to your visa as sometimes it is checked upon departure.

Crime is a domestic issue and has very little to do with you, the traveler. Unless you associate yourself with the wrong people, and you will know who they are, it is highly unlikely that you will find yourself a victim of a local situation.

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