GEOGRAFIA EXPEDITIONS
RUSSIAN WAYS to ASIA, AFRICA and OCEANIA.
ABOUT US. "Geografia" Travel Club is the
commercial enterprise, acting with the financial support
of their members, commercial and state organizations. Our
task is the realization of scientific and media projects
in the spheres of geography, ethnology, culture and
tourism. Participation in our expeditions gives you
possibility to take part in some bigger projects, than
simple travel just for fun.
"Geografia" was established in January 2006 on
the base of "Media Tourism" Travel Club and G.E.O.
(Geographic Elisseev's Society - G.E.O. in Russian
interpretation) - geographic society, received its name
in honour of Russian most popular travel writer of XIX
century Alexander Elisseev (1858-1895).
"Media Tourism" was born in April 2000, and in
its portofoglio there are several TV expeditions in Papua
New-Guinea, South Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, French
Polynesia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Yemen, Libya etc. Yes, we
were the first who had discovered Libya for Russian
tourists! Mixture of tourism and journalism had
impressive results and led us further. Among our patners
in 2000-2005 there were leading Russian TV channels and
such popular TV programms as "Around the World"
("Vokrug Sveta"), "Naturalist's Travels",
"Russian Extreme", "Unknown Planet",
"Way of Life" ("Ikh Nravy"). A lot of
articles and photo reportages appeared on the pages of
travel press and web-resources.
OUR METHOD is "Tour-expeditions". What does it
mean? "Tour-expedition" is the leight-weight
variant of "expedition" in the slyle of soft
adventure. Tour-expedition has nothing common with "Overland
expeditions". It assumes higher level of comfort and
the definite aims and tasks. We are too serious and don't
intend to play boy-scouts. We never seek for difficulties
if we could escape them. If we can sleep in hotel - we
stay in hotel or guesthouse. Only if there are no other
possibilities, we set up our tent camp. Meals is not
problem of our tour members - we hire professional cooks.
Some of our itineraries are not fixed and allow
improvisations. So, this is the real Travel. Travel with
sensible results - documentary movies, professional
photos and incredible impressions. Our tour-expeditions
are designed not for backpackers, but not for VIP-tourists
also. We are amidst.
OUR WAY is "Deep tourism". In other words, our
interests during the tour-expedition concentrate around
definite side of aboriginal life and culture, around
definite scientific problem. Our pathfinders -
experienced travellers and explorers, who assist
expedition's members in dicovering the country, to learn
more about it. Next time maybe you become our guide, why
not? Today you are just a tourist, who pay your money to
join a group of expeditioneers, but tomorrow you could
suggest your own travel project and see yourself as a
tour leader. We'd like to underline, that we are namely
the "Club", so we need not "clients"
but "members" who can spride our project around
the world.
OUR PRINCIPLES - reasonable prices and accessibility.
Direct contacts with first service providers and our own
experience allow to make offers with prices, sometimes
lower than you can find with local travel agents, who
sell standard tour packages. This circumstance help us to
attract people with moderate financial possibilities
without reducing of service and comfort level. Our
message consists of attracting more people rather than
making elite tours. We'd like to emphasize also, that
Russian participants pay the same sums.
 LEADERSHIP.
"Geografia" is the project of Nikolay
Balandinski, journalist and professional traveller,
author of numerous publications and TV episodes dedicated
to different countries of the world. His passion of
travel was evoked by narrative stories of his grandfather,
who was the military pilot during WWII and afterwords
spent a lot of time in Maoist China and Russian Far East
and Arctic regions. His second grandfather was born in
Chinese Harbin, where his family had been possessing tea-shop
in KVJD zone (KVJD - Chineese Eastern Rail Way was under
formal Soviet control till 1928, gathering in the
meantime the crowds of Russian emigrants). So, the love
to Far Lands of N.Balandinski is the inherited feature.
OUR PROJECTS for FOREING MEMBERS.
RUSSIAN WAY to TIBET (RWT).
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| А.Redko |
Russian explorers were among the first European
scientists, who were discovering Central Asia in XIX
century. Nikolay Prjevalskiy accomplished 5 expeditions
in Central Asia and Tibet between 1870 and 1888, was the
living ideal for future explorers of the region (f.e. for
famous Swedish explorer Dr Sven Hedin, who had translated
all books of Nikolay Prjevalskiy into Swedish language).
Nikolay Prjevalskiy is famous first of all by the "horse
of Prjevalskiy" - endangered specie of wild horse,
still living in Mongolia, but his merit in exploring the
region is 100 times wider.
That were Russians who had discovered Shambhala... It
sounds like paradox? Not at all. Russia is the Land of
paradoxes, but all of them have logical structure. Baron
Ungern von Sternberg was one of the main figures of
Russian White movement during Civil War. In 1920 he
captured Urga - capital of Mongolia and announced himself
the Head of new Asiatic empire. Baltic aristocrate von
Sternberg, whose grandfather was pirate in Indian ocean,
wanted to rule the Mongols and other Asian nations with
support of Russian Kazaks... Buddism had to become new
state religion... Polish ingeneer and writer Ferdinand
Antoni Ossendovskiy was one of the secretary of Admiral
Kolchak, whose train coach, full of gold of Russian
Empire, is not found till now. He visited Ungern in Urga
and spent with him a lot of time. Later, in Riga in 1925,
he published a book "Beasts, humans, gods"
which soon became the manual of worldwide occultism.
Legendary Agarti was described in this book. Other
Russian occultist and traveller Elena Blavatskaya made
Shambhala myth the centre of her Doctrine. We cannot miss
unique experience of Nikolay Rerikh (Roerich).
Foundations of Roerich family are well known in Russia,
USA, India.
And after that all who can contest the right of Russians
to present Tibet?
What is Tibet without miracles, enigmas, mythes? Just
draughty mountains. We don't want to concentrate on
esoterics but we cannot ignore this stratum of culture.
As Russians say: The Truth is somewhere amidst.
OUR MAIN IDEA is to use TRANSSIBERIAN RAILWAY to visit
Baikal region and Buryatiya, then continue to MONGOLIA to
make 4X4 drive in Gobi desert, then continue by train to
Beijing (CHINA) and from here to take new train T37
Beijing-Lhasa. From there you can visit famous
monasteries or even continue your way to Kailash Mountain.
You can start your tour in Moscow, St. Petersbourg or in
Vladivostok. Our partners - specialists in Russian and
international history - can show you some relics from
Russian Asiatic expeditions and relics of Soviet - Nazi
German "Battle for Himalayas". You can try the
uniform of Ungern army or touch the flag with German
"svastika" - please, remember, that secret
archives of III Reich institute "Ahnenerbe",
organized SS expedition in Tibet, are also kept in Moscow!
So, you have a lot of things to explore on your Russian
Way to Tibet.
Duration of journey Russia-Mongolia-Beijing-Tibet - 21-28
days. Budget of this tour - 3900 USD + air tickets and
visas costs.
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| Nikolay
Prjevalski |
N.
Roerich |
Elena
Blavatskaya |
RUSSIAN WAY to AFRICA (RWA).
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There are 2 biggest
Russian explorers of Africa - Vassili (Wilhelm) Unker and
Alexander Bulatovich. Unker was the pioneer of
exploration of South Sudan region in 1870-80s, but
military officer Alexander Bulatovich, being on service
of Abyssinian negus-negesti (emperor) Menelik II,
discovered unknown lands along Baro river and in 1898 he
was 1st European who reached the estuary of Omo river,
entering Rudolf (Turkana) lake. Tribes, living on Omo
region in Equatorial Ethiopia, are very interesting still
now, keeping intact their traditions and way of life.
When you meet them, always remeber - you are not a viewer
of tourist show! This is real life, like riffles on their
shoulders. Our groups visit this area at least 3 times
per year and you can join them in the dry season.
Our usual itinerary is following:
Addis Ababa- Arba Mynch - Chamo lake - Konso village -
Tsamai and Arbore villages - Turmi (Hamer people) - Omo
river ( Karo people) - Jinka - Mursi tribe - Arba Mynch -
Awash NP - Addis Ababa. Budget of travel - 1390 USD for
13/14 days + air tickets and visa cost.
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Vassili Unker
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Alexander
Bulatovich
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RUSSIAN WAY to OCEANIA (RWO).
If you never heard about Nikolay Miklukho-Maklay (1846-1888)
we must inform you, that he was the first European who
ventured to spend his vacation in the village of papuas!
It happened in 1871 and he returned to New Guinea island
4 times more. His ethnographic and antropological
experiment was unique for that time. Even now some people
of the Bay of Austrolabe on Maklay Coast use Russian
words as "topor" (axe)! If you want to repeat
his exploit - you are welcome! We can help you. Please,
take into consideration, that Papua-New Guinea is not so
cheap for travelers like in Nikolay Miklukho-Maklay times,
so prepare 2150 USD for 15 days trip to Maklay Coast,
Mount Hagen and Sepik River.
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| Nikolay Miklukho-Maklay |
If you have some questions , don't hesitate to contact us:
geografia@mail.ru, mediatourism@mail.ru
+7 (495) 788-76-63, +7 (484) 352-35-58
USEFUL LINKS (Tibet):
http://www.roerich.org/
http://www.roerich.org/nr.html?mid=bio_rus
http://www.roerich.org/archives.html
http://roerichtrust.org/home.htm
http://www.blavatsky.net/
http://www.russianbooks.org/montsegur/ahnenerbe.htm
http://www.berzinarchives.com/kalachakra/nazi_connection_shambhala_tibet.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/blavatsky.html
http://www.crystalinks.com/shambhala.html
OUR FOTO EXHIBITION:
WWW.GEOFOTO.RU
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