Winter at Baikal is special – it is fresh frosty air, white snow squeaking under your feet and sparkling like myriads of small suns, blue bright sky, grandiose views of Siberian taiga forest and mountain ranges, and He – the powerful Old Baikal…
In this tour, we will explore the central part of Baikal and visit its heart – the Olkhon island. In these parts of Baikal, you can often spend lots of time peering at the weird snow structures at the entrance of the grottoes or at impressive cracks going from under your feet through incredibly transparent Baikal ice into the very depths of the lake.
We invite you to experience Baikal in winter, listen to its vast silence, have a walk on its blue ice, try your luck in ice-angling and find out Baikal’s secrets.
Day 1
Arrive in Irkutsk in the morning by a night flight from Moscow, make an acquaintance with your guide in the airport. We are leaving for a full-day trip to Listvyanka, a settlement located on the shore of Baikal, in the mouth of Angara-river, 70 km away from Irkutsk (appr 1 hr by mini-bus one-way). On the way, we will stop at an obo, the site once upon a time worshipped by local shamanism believers where you’ll be invited to follow the local tradition and make an offering to the local master-spirits – sprinkle vodka infused on the cedar nut.
Further stop is at Taltsy, the open-air museum of wooden architecture, which exhibits over 30 specimens of Siberian architecture of 17-19c brought from the different locations in this region, among them a Buryat yurt and an Evenk traditional tent. We will have a guided tour of this open-air museum and continue the trip till the source of the Angara river, the only river flowing out of Baikal, where we will stop to listen to a beautiful legend about Baikal and Angara.
Arrive in Listyanka in time for lunch (at your own choice and expense) in one of Listyanka’s cafes. After lunch, we will visit the Baikal Ecology Museum to learn interesting facts about the lake’s formation, about its flora and fauna, to see an interesting video about Lake Baikal and Baikal fresh water seals in the aquarium.
After the museum, we will have free time to discover Listvyanka. We suggest that after the museum you walk up to Chersky Rock to enjoy a wonderful view over Baikal and its scenic opposite shore with the impressive Khamar-Daban mountain range, walk along the shore of Baikal in Listyanka till the central square, where one can taste the famous Baikal omul fish smoked hot or cold.
Return to Irkutsk city by the evening (1 hr). Check-in at a hotel***, time at leisure to accommodate the jet lag. Dinner at your own choice and expense in the restaurant.
Night in Irkutsk in the hotel *** (DBL).
Day 2
After breakfast, check-out. Today we start our way towards the Olkhon island, to Maloe More (the Little Sea), the part of Baikal between the mainland and Olkhon, located in the central part of Baikal. Before we see the picturesque bays of Maloe More, we will need to make 250 km by mini-bus (appr 5 hrs). We’ll stop for lunch (at your own choice and expense) in the roadside café, where you will have an opportunity to taste the local dish – Buryat boozy.After accommodation in the guesthouse at Maloe More, you can explore the scenic surroundings or enjoy an excellent Siberian banya (steam sauna, optional) with traditional dipping in the snow or water.
Dinner and night in the guesthouse at Maloe More (DBL).
Day 3
Today we are going to do the ice-angling local style. After breakfast, put on the thickest clothes you have – we are setting out for a day on the ice of Baikal. At the central part of Baikal, you can often see cracks in the ice, which are formed as a result of the sudden changes in temperature or because of the passing water currents. Some of these cracks do not freeze all through the winter and are living - extending or shrinking. When such a crack starts “running” towards you with a frightening loud cracking noise, you come to realize the power of Baikal at its fullest. Our experienced instructor will tell us about the specificity of winter angling at Baikal, will show how to drill the ice and catch a fish. Lunch as a picnic.
After return to the lodge, have a walk along the coast of Baikal wondering at the bizarre shapes of the snow and ice structures on the shore. Optional: banya.
Dinner and night in the guesthouse at Maloe More.
Day 4
After breakfast, get ready for a new experience. Today we are leaving for a full-day trip to Olkhon, the largest island of Baikal, its geographical and sacral center veiled by the ancient myths and legends. We are going to Olkhon’s northernmost point – the Khoboy Cape (“Crag” in Buriatian), located at the merge of the Maloe More (the Little Sea) and Grand Baikal (the Big Sea). By the Russian off-road car (UAZ or similar), we will make the 45 km (appr 1.5 hr) on the island to get to Khoboy. The access track will stop in 500 m before the cape. Around Khoboy, it is best to walk on the strong ice to see “from the water” the grottoes decorated by the fairy ice splashes and transparent icicles. To visit the longest grotto (19 km), you would need a flashlight. While we are walking around KHoboy, the instructor will cook a delicious lunch with traditional fish dishes – Baikal fish soup and omul fish “na rozhnakh” (cooked on the wooden sticks set vertically around the fire).
After lunch, there is time for walks. We will return to our guesthouse at Maloe More by the ice way, if the ice is strong and reliable enough. Optional: banya.
Dinner and night in the guesthouse at Maloe More.
Day 5
We will dedicate the whole day today to the ice-angling and walks. After breakfast, if you are a passionate fisherman, you will be enjoying the angling. If you are more in for nature, it might be worth to use this day to stay alone and wander to discover to yourself the winter beauty of Baikal, to admire the stunning views, and to think over your life. The places in the central part of Baikal are considered by locals very special - here one can feel Baikal’s power and energy at the fullest, here were the traditional shamanistic sites for contemplation and meditation. Lunch as a picnic at the fishing spot. Dinner and night in the guesthouse at Maloe More.
Day 6
Today is our last day at the bays of Maloe More. After ice-angling for those wishing and lunch, we are setting out for the way back to Irkutsk (appr 5 hrs by mini-bus).Upon arrival in the city, we will check in at the comfortable rooms of the hotel ***. After a short rest, we will have a guided tour of Irkutsk, a city on the bank of the Angara river. We will see the old center with the wooden houses, the embankment, and Irkutsk’s most interesting sites.
Dinner at your own choice and expense in one of the city restaurants.
Night in the hotel *** in Irkutsk (DBL).
Day 7
Today is the end of our short but fascinating trip – we are saying good-bye to Baikal land.
After breakfast, transfer to the airport for departure by the morning flight to Moscow.
The Tour Operator reserves the right to introduce alterations to the itinerary due to weather conditions or other factors out of control by the Tour operator.
