FOBOS: Weather in Kyzyl/Tuva
Kyzyl Weather

Travel To Tuva

Posted June 21, 2008

Friends of Tuva is occasionally asked for details on how to travel to Tuva.  Unfortunately we do not always have up-to-date information about flights to Tuva.  As of June 21, this is what we have been told by recent travellers.

Most travellers seem to still fly to Abakan and travel the final 421 kilometres to Kyzyl by land.

People have reported finding a Russian travel agency where there are English speakers:
    Roman Averkin Travel agent in Moscow, good English speaker: 7(495)956-50-19
    [email protected]

The Kyzyl flights leave from Domodedovo Airport, usually a late evening flight.  There was once a flight through Ufa (the city in the Urals) but it is definitely no longer available.

The above mentioned travel agency has no record of Kyzyl flights at this time, however.

Correspondents at  'Tuva Online' provide the following advice:

  1. Don't bother with Kyzyl flights because they are not dependable for scheduling.  Go to Abakan.

  2. Travellers from Norway were flying through a different city - probably Novosibirsk to Kyzyl.

The Tuva Lingua Translation Agency can also help some travellers.

One traveller from the summer of 2008 advises the following:

  1. At present time there are only 6 flights a week between Krasnoyarsk and Kyzyl. No other flights are available. So the best way is to fly to Abakan and take a taxi.

  2. It is important to everybody visiting Tuva to know that if you are travelling alone (with no support from a travel agency) there is a severe public security (safety) problem in Kyzyl and all bigger and smaller towns. Even in the mountains. Drug routes in the Alai and Sajan Mountains are very dangerous. Even Tuvans do not go there if not absolutely necessary.

    Nomads in their yurts and villages where only Russians live are secure. Be careful to avoid restricted areas (there are many! But the government will not give you an overview): Mugur Aksy, the complete border area along the Mongolian border, Ersinn...... It may be possible to get a special permit. But with time it becomes more and more difficult to get them.