Aginsk Buryat Autonomous Okrug

Getting there: From Moscow, you can take a six-and-a-half hour flight to Chita (there are several flights per week) or spend five days on the Trans-Siberian train. From Chita, take one of several daily buses (3-4 hours, about 150 rubles) or a shared taxi (leave throughout the day, price about 200 rubles) three hours to Aginsk, 180 kilometers away.

Where to stay in Aginsk: By far the nicest place is the Western-style Hotel Sapsan (Tel: 3-45-90), located a few kilometers from the center of town. Double rooms with occasional hot water cost 800 rubles. You can also try the Hotel Dali (Tel: 3-52-82; closer to the center of town, but there is no hot water and service can be surly; 150-350 rubles/night) or the dormitory at the Pedagogical Institute.

Where to Eat: Hotel Sapsan has three nice restaurants: a Chinese restaurant, a Mongolian restaurant in a traditional Buryat yurt, and the Black Pearl, which, according to the Lonely Planet guide, is one of the 100 finest restaurants in Russia. Restaurant Harbin, on the opposite side of town, also serves good Chinese at slightly lower prices. Fresh and affordable local food can be found at Buryat cafes clustered around the central square and marketplace.

When to go: The best times to visit are for the Lunar New Year celebration in February or the Suharbaan festival in June. When in Aginsk, contact Tsyren Dashiev (Okrug government building, ulitsa Komsomolskaya; Tel: 3-41-52) for information on local events and places to visit.