Tundra, taiga, steppe, and desert. These are the four types of giant expanses you’ll find along the Trans-Siberian. We stopped in Krasnoyarsk for the taiga – a vast wilderness forest that spans from Scandinavia to the Pacific.

Krasnoyarsk is special for many reasons, one being because David Bowie made a stop here in the 70s when foreigners were not allowed in, and the second being the amazing rock formations that peer out over the never-ending taiga. Rock climbing has some daring roots here with a style called stolbism, named after the Stolby Nature Reserve just outside of town. Stolbism is climbing without the aid of ropes and harness. This is not really our cup of tea, so we took a day tour with a local guide, university professor and our homestay host, Anatoliy. Along with a fun Scottish couple we scampered around the wilderness crawled over, through and around the formations that make Stolby a favorite stopover for train weary passengers.

Now, back to the train. This time we are on a higher numbered train, which means on older, slower and more odorous ride.

For more Stolby and Trans Siberian photos click here