Kalmykia travel guide - Wikitravel

Kalmykia
From Wikitravel

Europe : Eastern Europe : Russia : Southern Russia : Kalmykia

A giant chess set in Kalmykia's capital, Elista

Kalmykia [1] is a republic in Southern Russia and is most certainly the only Tibetan Buddhist
"nation" of Europe.

Regions

Cities
● Elista — the capital and Kalmykia's only "city"
● Gorodovikovsk
● Iki-Burul
● Komsomolsky
● Lagan — located near the Caspian Sea.
● Tsagan Aman — located on the Volga River, Tsagan Aman is a popular fishing area
and a fast developing spa-resort

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● Zundi Tolgi

Other destinations
● Yashalta Salt Lake — located between Berezovoe and Solenoye villages of Yashalta
district, it is known in Kalmykia for its therapeutic values. The administration of
Yashalta district and republican authorities are planning to open a balneo-resort on
Yashalta Salt Lake.

● Chess-City — an administrative unit within Elista, it often serves as a venue for

multiple international chess events. The Chess-City complex also hosts meetings of
Russian state officials as well as Russian school olympiads.

● "Black Lands" Biosphere Reserve — a nature reserve situated on the territory of

Chernozemelsky and Yashkulsky districts. It is a refuge for ancient saiga antelopes.

● Lola Horse Farm — situated not far from Elista in the quiet village of Lola —
produces kumys (see Drink). During the Soviet era, this horse farm and adjoining clinic
for respiratory treatment was very popular among communist party bosses, who traveled
from Moscow, Saint Petersburg and from other far-way places in Soviet Union.

● Khurul Monastery — a Buddhist Monastery located about 6kms north east of Elista.

● The Ergeni Hills are located in the northern part of Kalmykia. Different from the sandy
dunes and steppe regions of central and eastern part, the Ergenis represent 'forest area'
of republic. Ergeni landscape area is filled with numerous heights, ravines, spring
streams, and water-bearing sands. Popular for its mineral medicinal and fresh sobsoil
waters, the Ergeni Hills are also home to endangered fish species and Kalmyk medicinal
plants. In addition, it is the highest point in the republic which rises to 218 metres above
the sea level.

● The Sarpa Lakes — right next to the Ergeni Hills, in the north-central part of
Kalmykia freshwater lakes called the Sarpa are dispersed. The Sarpa Lakes include lake
of Sarpa 42,6 sq.km, lake Barmanzak 25,8 sq.km, lake Tsagan-Nur 23,5 sq.km, and lake
Batur-Mala 21,9 sq.km. Not only it is a picturesque wild scenery of Kalmyk flora and
fauna, but also a perfect place for hunting and fishing.

Understand

The Kalmyks, also known as Oirats, migrated across Central Asia from an ancestral home
around Xinjiang, China and southeastern Kazakhstan and eventually arrived in Southern
Russia, displacing the Tatars of the Astrakhan Khanate. Originally an independent khanate,
Kalmykia's independence was slowly chipped away and eventually assimilated into the Russian

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Empire.

As more than half of Kalmyks are followers of Tibetan Buddhism, the country is often referred
to as the only Buddhist country in continental Europe. Sadly, the majority of Kalmykia's
beautiful khuruts (Kalmyk Buddhist temples) were demolished under Stalin's massive
campaign of cultural vandalism. In an act of genocide following WWII, Stalin deported the
entire population of Kalmykia across Kazakhstan and Siberia. The Kalmyks that survived the
brutal deportation were allowed to return, however, under Khruschev. But despite these
hardships, Kalmykia's khuruts and the people that built them remain and merit a visit.

Present day Kalmykia garners some press attention for the excesses of its flamboyant and
dictatorial president Ilyumzhinov. Ilyumzhinov, a former Kalmyk statesman in the USSR and
president of the World Chess Federation, has led Kalmykia since the break up of the Soviet
Union, but has so far failed to deliver on rather grandiose promises to turn Kalmykia into a
"Caspian Kuwait" in which there would be "a cell phone for every shepherd." He has, however,
turned Elista into the veritable chess capital of the world by building a whole district of Elista
known as "Chess City" and by hosting successive chess world championships in the capital.

Talk

Although the native language of the majority of Kalmykia residents is Kalmyk, Russian is
understood everywhere.

Get in

The Republic of Kalmykia is currently a part of the Russian Federation. Therefore, when
planning your trip to Kalmykia, you should apply for Russian visa.

By plane

The Elista airport is temporarily closed due to non-compliance with technical requirements of
Russian Airlines Committee. Most likely, it will undergo the procedure of bankruptcy before
being opened by new private owner first half of 2007.

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Thus, travelers have two options to get to Elista by plane: via Astrakhan or Volgograd airports.

By train

The Moscow-Elista train route goes through Stavropol. However, the most convenient way is
travel to Volgograd by train then on to Elista by an express minibus (marshrutka), which are
cheap.

By car

By bus

Several private companies operate a daily bus service between Moscow and Elista. The pickup
point in Moscow is Luzhniki Stadium. A one-way ticket costs about 1000RUR.

By boat

Get around

See

Itineraries

Do
● The republic's national sport is (by the will of President Ilyumzhinov) chess and locals
play throughout school. Pick up games in parks are easy to come by.
● Fishing, hunting (especially geese, apparently)
● Attend a performance of traditional Kalmyk dance
● Horseback riding

Eat
● Borg — Kalmyk traditional dumplings are larger and contain more meat than your
average meat dumplings
● Bortsg — Kalmyk traditional bread
● Makhan sheltagan
● Kyur

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Drink

Traditional Kalmyk drinks bear some similarity to those found in Mongolia, but are unique to
the region. Try:

● Dzhomba — milk tea

● Kumys — a sour horse milk that is considered a cure for respiratory diseases like
tuberculosis, asthma, etc.
● Araka — a milk vodka

Sleep

With tourism on the rise, travelers will have no difficulty finding good accommodation in
Elista, although accommodations outside of the capital may be scarce or of lesser quality. It
may be possible (and extremely rewarding) to arrange homestays in rural areas by asking
around town or village centers.

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Kalmykia is known for its sunny weather and fresh air. However, visitors are advised not to
drink tap water due to the high content of minerals and salt. Otherwise, Kalmykia offers a
healthy environment, and delicious and fresh food — mutton and beef being specialties, which
are prized as far away as Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

This is a usable article. It has information about the

region and for getting in, as well as links to a few
destinations. An adventurous person could use this
article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!
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● This page was last edited at 18:42, on 8 June 2007 by Colin Jensen. Based on work by David,
Peter Fitzgerald and Erdni Sharmandzhiev, Wikitravel user(s) Cacahuate and WindHorse and

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Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel.

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