The Republic of Tuva is the former Tannu Tuva, a country in south Siberia absorbed by the former USSR in 1944. Tuva was at one time an oblast of Russia, then the Tuvinskaya Soviet Republic, and is now a member of the Russian Federation.

Tuva is arguably in the center of Asia, nestled just north of Mongolia between the Sayan mountains in the north and Tannu Ola mountains in the south, with an area of 171,300 sq. km. (66,140 sq. miles), somewhat larger than England and Wales. Over 80% of the republic’s territory is mountainous, with the highest point being Mongyn Taiga at over 15,000 feet. Major ranges include the Altai Mountains in the west and the Sayan Mountains in the east.

Tuva’s population is 308,000 (approximately 64 percent are Tuvans and 32 percent are Russians). Tuvans are nomadic pastoralists by nature, Buddhist and shamanist by religion, Mongolian by culture heritage, and Turkic by language. Much of the Tuvan population is still semi-nomadic, moving their herds out from their villages to summer pastures where they live in yurts – you will see these if you travel around rural Tuva.

First inhabited at least 40,000 years ago, Tuva fell under Turkic rule in the 6th century AD. Then, in the 8th century, it was conquered by the Uyghurs from modern Xinjiang (China). In the 9th century Tuva was taken over by Turkic “Yenisey Kyrgyz” empire; then, like neighboring regions to the east and to the west, ruled by Jenghiz Khan’s Mongolian successors from about the 13th century. When the last independent Mongolian state, that of the western Mongolian Oyrats, was wiped out by the Manchu Chinese in the 1750s, Tuva became an outpost of China but left fairly well alone under local chiefs. It was during the Chinese period that Buddhism, of the Yellow-Hat Tibetan variety led by the Dalai Lama, came to Tuva, where it coexisted with the older shamanist-nature religion. By 1929 there were 22 monasteries in Tuva.

Russian traders, gold prospectors, and peasants first began to settle in Tuva in the 19th century. Come the Chinese revolution of 1911, Russia stirred up a separatist movement in Tuva and took it under protection in 1914. In 1921 Tuva became an independent people’s republic, and in 1944 received the status of the Tuvinian Autonomous Region. Limited agriculture and industry were introduced in the1950s.

Tuva has many sacred sites, considered to be spiritually significant. People decorate these sites with ribbons, pieces of cloth, string, money, and shoes; just about anything gets left as an offering, or as a gesture of respect. There are numerous medicinal & sacred springs, called Arzhans that people visit for their healing properties. These spots can be just about anywhere, and are marked by monuments ranging from piles of stones to the tipi-like structure below (a sacred site).

The capital city of Kyzyl (population 80,000) lies at the confluence of two major forks of the Yenisei River. Founded as a Russian settlement in 1914, it used to be called Belotsarsk. Kyzyl is a Turkic word simply meaning red.

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City Center Walking Tour with visit to Tuva National Museum, 2.5 hours

In April 1914, the Russian government decided to set up a city of Belotsarsk – an administrative center of the area – at the confluence of two rivers Khem and Beldir. The construction of the city started in May, and in August the first building was completed. After the revolution the city was renamed Kyzyl, and in 1922 it got the status of the capital of Tuva People’s Republic.

During this tour you will learn about the city’s history, see its main sights, and visit the Tuva National Museum that chronicles the history of the region from ancient times to the 20th century.

Central Square. The tour starts from the city’s main square. In the middle of the square you will see a big building of the National Theater with some exotic Tuvan woodcarvings around its upper level, and a Parliament building – the Supreme Khural.

Center of Asia Monument. Kyzyl’s focal attraction stands on the bank of the Yenisey River. Everyone says that a mysterious 19th-century English adventurer marked the geographical center of Asia and erected this stone globe and obelisk – or at least their forerunners – here. Locals who want to talk with foreigners hang around the monument knowing that every visitor to Kyzyl finds their way to it sooner or later.

Buddhist Temple. The little Tuvdan Chaykhorlin temple was built in 1992 and is Tiva’s leading Buddhist temple. It’s just the beginning of what’s planned to be a larger complex.

Tuva National Museum. Operating hours: from 10am to 5pm, closed on Mondays. The collections cover Tuva’s geography, archeology, history, and culture. There are fine stone-carved figures from the Turkic periods between the 6th and 12th centuries, and sections on Nomadism and Buddhism. One room has a yurt and an exhibit on shamanism, with costumes and apparatus. A map of 1931 shows that there were 725 shamans in Tuva, and nearly half of them women. Have a look out the back, where ancient stone carvings are located.

Visit to Shaman Clinic, 2 hours

One of the old traditions of Tuvan people is Shamanism. This is a blend of magic, medicine, and spiritual guidance. Traditional medicine in Tuva has a long history. Since 1990 favorable circumstances have been created for revival of the Tuvan traditional medicine. Kyzyl’s main shaman clinic offers everything from diagnoses for various diseases to treatment with medicinal and non-medicinal therapy.

Khoomei Performance (Throat Singing), 1 hour

Tuva is a world-known center for throat singing. Tuvan musicians are masters of a technique called khoomei. This entails producing two notes at once; one is a vibrating hum, and the other one is a quaver. Khoomei groups have toured many countries of the word. The performance will be hosted by one of them. If you want to have an experience to cherish forever, this is a perfect chance.

Trip to Tozbulac Mineral Spring with visit to Cattle-Breeder Monument,   2.5 hours

There are about 50 thermal carbonate springs in the region .You will have an exclusive opportunity to visit Tozbulac Mineral spring, to meet aboriginal people, and to learn their traditions. On the way to the spring you will see the Cattle-breeder Monument, which is 6 miles away from Kyzyl. It’s another photographic opportunity for ardent photographers to capture the Tuvan landscape and return home carrying in your mind a desire to come back again.