First part is published in #83
3. Chara Sands (Photo credit: Anton Petrov for RBTH)
Where: Zabaykal Territory (sometimes known as Transbaikal)
Why you should see it: This is an authentic large sandy desert surrounded by taiga, fast-flowing rivers and inaccessible mountains: welcome to the Chara Sands, perhaps the most ”non-conformist” desert in the world. It is also one of Siberia’s most unique places. Here you can walk barefoot on hot sands, perch yourself atop of huge dunes, bathe in a cool lake and pick bilberries. The Chara Sands represents the “taiga” and the “Eastern” character of Siberia simultaneously, making it completely different from any other place on Earth. If you climb in the nearby Kodar Mountain Range in a place called the Marble Gorge you can find the remains of the remote and isolated Soviet BorLAG camp and touch the disturbing and horrific history of Stalin’s secret prisons in Siberia.
http://rbth.com/travel/2015/21/05/ siberias_seven_wonders_the_regions_most_ astounding_places_to_visit