Zabaykalsky Krai

The Eastern Siberian territory of Zabaykalsky Krai (Russian: Забайкальский край) was formed in 2008 by the merger of Chita Oblast with its smaller neighbor Agin-Buryat Autonomous Okrug. It borders Buryatia to the west, Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest, Yakutia to the north, Amur Oblast to the northeast, Northeast China to the east, and Mongolia to the south.

Cities

• 1 Chita — the largest city and the region's capital
• 2 Aginskoye the capital of the Aginskoye-Buryat Autonomous region is a center of Buryat culture
• 3 Chara — gateway to the pristine and remote Kodar Mountains Region of northern Chita Oblast, home to snow-capped mountains, the Chara Sand Dunes, numerous small, isolated Evenk villages, and a former Stalinist gulag network; reachable via plane or rail from Chita or via the Baikal-Amur Mainline
• 4 Nerchinsk — founded in 1654, this town was the regional hub for Chinese trade until it was surpassed by Chita on the new railway in the late 19th century; a very historical town with some impressive architectural monuments in varying states of disrepair; also, there is a nearby 350 year old monastery marking the spot of Nerchinsk's former location
• 5 Petrovsk-Zabaikalsky — an old site of the Decembrist exiles on the Trans-Siberian Railway
• 6 Zabaykalsk - on the border to China, you will pass through here if you travel on the Trans-Manchurian.

Other destinations

• 1 Alkhanay National Park – home to Mt Alkhanai, sacred to the Indigenous Buryats people with two unofficial visits having been made by the Dalai Lama
• 2 Kurort Darasun — a balneological spa in a mountain valley
• 3 Daursky Nature Reserve
• 4 Sokhondo Nature Reserve

Understand

Chita Oblast is similar to Buryatia in the great diversity and beauty of its landscapes. It is, however, far less visited than its western neighbor. Chita Oblast derives much of its importance to Russia from its proximity to China. As such, it has served as a point for international trade, migration, and even war. Today Chita Oblast contains a large Russian military presence — for this reason Chita was a "closed city" during the Soviet era.

Talk

Expect that Russian will come in handy in this remote Siberian region.

Get in

Chita is the principal arrival point for most visitors, who usually arrive on the Trans-Siberian Railway, although the Baikal-Amur Mainline also cuts through Chita Oblast's more isolated north. Chita is also served by VIM Airlines from Moscow and Bratsk. However, VIM are by far the worst airline in Russia and it is a much better idea to fly Siberian (S7) or Ural Airlines.

Go next

The next major stops on the Trans-Siberian Railway are Ulan Ude to the west and Skovorodino and Svobodny to the east. On the Baikal-Amur Mainline: Severobaikalsk to the west and Tynda to the east.