Tour Itinerary

A magnificent tour of Lake Baikal, which will acquaint you with the most famous and most picturesque places of Lake Baikal: settlement Listvyanka, the legendary Circum-Baikal Railway and the majestic island Olkhon. The power, grandeur and beauty of the lake will truly open to you during this tour, which includes both exciting excursions and friendly evenings around the campfire on the shore of Lake Baikal.

Day 1. Irkutsk – Listvyanka – Taltsy (dinner)
11.00 – Departure from the hotel for a sightseeing tour of Irkutsk, the ancient city of the Decembrists;
A trip to Lake Baikal, to the tourist village Listvyanka on the shore of the lake;
Sightseeing tour, walk along the shore of Lake Baikal;
Souvenir market;
Fish Market;
Excursion to the Taltsy Museum – a unique open-air storage of historical and cultural monuments of the peoples of Eastern Siberia. This is an old Siberian village, where four historical and cultural zones have been recreated – Russian, Buryat, Evenk and Tofalar;
Return to Irkutsk;
accommodation in the boutique hotel " Marusya '', located in the 130th quarter – a tourist quarter, restored for the 350th anniversary of the city, a rare example for Russia of reconstruction and recreation of historical buildings. Reminiscent of the Moscow Arbat: cafes, restaurants, street artists, souvenir shops.

Day 2. Irkutsk – Circum-Baikal Railway (breakfast, dinner)
Transfer to the place of departure for the excursion.
Traveling by motor ship along Circum-Baikal Railway .
An amazingly beautiful monument of engineering art of the early 20th century, where 424 engineering structures were manually built, including 39 tunnels, with a total length of 8994 m. By the number of works per 1 km of track, The Circum-Baikal Railway surpassed all the constructed railways in the world and is considered the most beautiful among the railways. It is called the Golden Buckle of the Steel Belt of Russia.
Interesting is the shore of Lake Baikal and the taiga approaching the lake, rock structures reminiscent of medieval castles, in which tunnels have been made. Among the vaults of numerous tunnels, there is not one with the same architecture.
A guide works along the entire route, there are stops, time for a walk, the opportunity to take a photo against the backdrop of Lake Baikal.
Overnight at a hotel in Irkutsk.

Day 3. Irkutsk – Island Olkhon – Khuzhir (breakfast, dinner)
08.00 – departure from the hotel to Lake Baikal (by bus, travel time is about 5-6 hours).
Departure to island Olkhon – the largest island on Baikal, which concentrated on its territory all the variety of natural landscapes of the Baikal shores. Even in its shape, it resembles the outlines of Lake Baikal.
The island stretches along the shore of Lake Baikal for 73 km, its width reaches 15 km. Olkhon is located on the territory of the national park and is considered one of the best the most beautiful places of Baikal.
Acquaintance with traditions: tying cloth ribbons – hadak zalaa on tree branches or serge pillar (hitching post), " splash '' alcohol, tea, milk for treating and coaxing local spirits.
Ferry crossing to island Olkhon , travel to the capital of the island – settlement Khuzhir .
Accommodation at the recreation center, free time.

Day 4. Island Olkhon – Cape Burkhan – Cape Burkhan – Shamanka rock (breakfast, dinner)
Sightseeing tour of Khuzhiru .
Excursion to the sacred 'Cape Burkhan' (Shamanka rock) , this is one of the nine shrines of Asia. There is a through cave in the rock.
According to legend, the spirit of the island's owner dwells in this cave. It was believed that this is one of his three palaces – earthly, and from here there are exits to the heavenly and underground palaces. For many centuries, shamanistic rituals with sacrifices were held near the rock.
Having visited this place, you will be charged with the energy of Lake Baikal for a long time.
Visit to an art and souvenir shop. Paintings, handmade souvenirs of local craftsmen will be presented to your choice , teas and herbs of the generous shores of Lake Baikal, jewelry made of precious Baikal stones.
Free time.
Those who wish can go sunbathing on the 5-kilometer Saraysky beach with white sand.

Day 5. Island Olkhon – Cape Khoboy – Cape Sagan-Khushun (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Travel by UAZ car to the northernmost point of the island – Cape Khoboy.
A place of extraordinary energy and beauty. A beautiful high rock on Cape Khoboy, outwardly similar to a sharp canine, bears a resemblance to the profile of a woman's head with a bust.
During the excursion, you will be able to see the stunning natural difference between the rocky eastern coast and the more gentle western one. In good weather, Cape Khoboy overlooks the widest part of Lake Baikal (80 km).
At the capes of Sagan-Khushun and Shunte-Left you will see Baikal from a bird's eye view. You will see an indescribable view of the open, or as the locals call it, Big Baikal.
Upon returning to the recreation center – free time.

Day 6. Island Olkhon (breakfast, dinner)
Free day.
You will be offered excursions (optional, for an additional fee):
- excursions by boat: to the island of Ogoy, to the Buddhist Stupa; on the islands of the Maloye More;
- excursion to the local history museum;
- excursion to Lake Shara-Nur;
- excursion to the Buryat village;
- horseback riding;
- fishing; visiting a mobile bath on the shore of Lake Baikal;
- ATV rental.

Day 7. Island Olkhon – Irkutsk (breakfast)
Departure to Irkutsk. 16.00-20.00 arrival in Irkutsk.

Overview

Visa: citizens of 58 states that hold all types of passports are eligible for visa-free entrance to Russia for a period up to 14 days (you can see the list on the official website), citizens of the 52 countries will be able to obtain a single e-visa of up to 16 days (you can see the list on the official website)

Schedule

Fees

Payment schedule: 5% – at booking, 95% – 15 or 30 days prior to arrival.

Payment methods:
- bank transfer in USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, AED, ILS, DKK etc.
- credit/debit card online on our website

Fees include

- accommodation in a hotel of the selected category in Irkutsk, 2 nights:
hotel « Marriott » 4^★
hotel « Sayen » 4^★
hotel « Marusya » 3^★
hotel « Empire » 3^★
hotel « Europe » 3^★
hotel « Hangar » 3^★
hotel « Sports » 2^★

- accommodation in a hotel of the selected category on the island Olkhon, 4 nights

- group transfers according to the tour program

- meals: breakfasts and dinners (when staying at the Sport Hotel, Irkutsk, breakfasts are not included on the 2nd and 3rd days of the tour)

- excursions: Sightseeing tour of Irkutsk and Listvyanka (bus)

- Baikal Museum, Museum " Taltsy ''

- a trip by boat along the Circum-Baikal Railway

- sightseeing tour of Khuzhir , to the sacred " Cape Burkhan '' (Shamanka rock)

- trip to Cape Khoboy by car UAZ (with lunch)

- necessary permits to visit specially protected natural areas

- the language of excursions is Russian but the guides speak English.

Category of accommodation for unclassified hotels:
1^★ - standard, toilet and shower on the floor or on the territory
2^★ - standard, toilet and shower on the floor or for two rooms
3^★ - standard, toilet and shower in the room
4^★ - increased comfort, toilet and shower in the room.

The place of residence is determined by the Travel Company, taking into account the wishes of the tourist, subject to availability of places in the indicated accommodation or in similar ones.

Fees exclude

- airfare to Irkutsk city and return

- meals not specified in the program

- personal spending

- early check-in or late check-out in hotels

- accommodation in Irkutsk hotels before and after the end of the program

- not included in the program or indicated as additional excursions

- personal English/Spanish guide: 100 USD per required day.

Travel tips

We recommend that you come to Irkutsk a day before the start of the tour, because due to the long flight and the time difference (the difference with Moscow is +5 hours), according to many years of observations, it is difficult to endure the first excursion day without rest.
Additional days must be booked when booking the tour.

Map

Irkutsk city

Olkhon island