Sightseeing tour to Lake Baikal

Day 1 The first meeting with Baikal

You will go along the famous Baikal highway to the village of Listvyanka (68 km) — a gracious place where a lot of ships of Baikal fleet, including icebreaker "Angara", were built.

On the way you will visit the Taltsy Wooden Architecture Museum. It exhibits rare old buildings and artifacts of the indigenous peoples that inhabited the Baikal region from the 17th to the 19th century. Here you will find four reconstructed historico-cultural zones representing four native nationalities: Buryat, Evenk, Russian and Tofalar

After walking and taking pictures, you will move on. Having reached the lake, you will enjoy a panoramic view from the restaurant where you will have lunch. You can visit the Baikal Museum where you will watch the lake creatures in big aquariums as well as a real-time show enabled by cameras located at the bottom of the lake. You will also meet some charming seals.

If you wish, you can go up with a cable railway and enjoy your first Baikal sunset. At the end of the day, you will arrive at the guest house in Listvyanka village and have rest.

Day 2 Excursion to the Baikal biosphere reserve

After delicious home-made breakfast, you will start today's journey. The destination is the village of Tankhoi on the opposite shore of Baikal.

You will cross the lake with a high-speed boat (40 km) and will reach the nature reserve. Here an alpine tundra is neighbouring with firry and pine taiga. There are bears, roe deer, red deer and sable in Chamar-Daban environs.

First you will go to the visit centre and then you will take a short walk along the eco trail accompanied by a ranger. You will admire the unique nature and enjoy the fresh forest air. Then you will have lunch in the real winter cabin with taiga herbal tea, and funny stories.
 

In the evening you will go back to the village of Listvyanka and have dinner in the restaurant.

Day 3 Going to Big Baikal

Today you will go to the "heart of lake Baikal" — to Olkhon island. On the way you will stop in Irkutsk, where you will have a tour of the city. Angara embankment, monuments and churches, old houses with carved shutters and sparkling skyscrapers – Irkutsk looks like a city of contrast, but it could save its own harmony.

After one hour on the way from Irkutsk you will stop at the Golden Horde ethnic park, where you will get acquainted with the culture of the indigenous people of the Baikal region. You will listen to the fascinating throat singing performed by the local ensemble, have lunch in a huge Buryat Yurt and take part in a master class of making traditional Buryat dishes – meat dumplings, named "buuzy".

After lunch you will continue the journey, making stops in the most interesting places. Then, in order not to wait in a queue to a ferry, you will take a boat trip to the Ogoy island, where you will visit the buddhist Stupa of Enlightenment. This Island has never been inhabited by people and it is considered to be "a pure land" — free from negative energy. 

After arriving on the Olkhon island you will be accommodated in the hotel in Khuzhir, rest and have dinner. In the evening you can walk along the shore of lake Baikal and watch the sunset at the legendary Shamanka rock.

Day 4 Trip to the Cape Khoboy

The touring days are intense and exhausting, so you will be able to take your time and do whatever you want in the morning. Sunbath on the beach, ride a quad around, or take a walk and enjoy the nature.

Afternoon you will ride a car to the northernmost end of the island, Cape Khoboy (translated from the Buryat language as a "fang"). It is considered to be a sacred place.

Taiga and steppe landscapes, sand dunes and rocky shores — all of these are found on the island, which is exactly what makes this place so unique. Some of the landscapes here resemble Mongolia, others look a lot like the Mediterranean.

After picnic you will go back to the village of Khuzhir.

Day 5 Along the western lake Baikal's bank

In the morning you will have free time. You can take a walk around the Khuzhir village or just relax on the shore. 

Towards the evening the group will get together and will depart to the southern part of the island by a speed boat with underwater wings. You will walk along the picturesque western bank of lake Baikal, admiring the rocky coasts and green forests, colorful beaches and beautiful Khamar-Daban peaks.

Late in the evening you will arrive in Listvyanka, where you will be transferred straight away to Irkutsk by bus. You will check in the hotel and rest.

Day 6 Homecoming

After breakfast you will be taken to Irkutsk airport.