THE SNOW QUEEN
Tour Itinerary
Day 1. Irkutsk – Mount Sobolinaya – Baikalsk (lunch, dinner)
Meeting 10:00 a.m. at the airport or railway station in Irkutsk.
Сitytour of Irkutsk: historical center – Eternal flame – Monument to pioneers – Moscow gate (lower embankment of the Angara River) – Znamensky monastery – monument to Admiral Kolchak – st. Karl Marx – Monument to Alexander III (upper embankment of the Angara River) – block "130".
Lunch at a cafe.
Transfer to Baikalsk city. Accommodation in the guest house "Northern Slopes". Transfer to the hot-ice bath (Sebirian "banya"). Hot bath with swimming in the ice hole, dinner from traditional Baikal dishes.
Return to the hotel.
Day 2. Baikalsk – Sobolinaya Mountain – Ski resort (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Visiting the Sobolinaya Mountain ski resort, taking a chair lift to the observation deck with views of the taiga and winter Baikal.
Alpine skiing (for beginners – alpine skiing master class from an experienced instructor).
Lunch at a cafe. Return to the hotel. Free time.
The services of an instructor for a group, rental of ski equipment, a ½ day ski pass are included in the tour price.
Day 3. Baikalsk – Circum-Baikal Railway – Listvyanka – Olkhon Island (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Breakfast. Snowmobiling to the opposite shore of Lake Baikal to the Circum-Baikal Railway.
The Circum-Baikal Railway is a structure that has incorporated many unique engineering, technical and architectural solutions, intricately intertwining and complementing each other.
Snack and hot tea on the way. Trekking to Listvyanka village. Lunch at a cafe.Excursion to the Limnological Museum, acquaintance with Baikal, its nature, an aquarium with a Baikal seal.
Transfer by bus to Olkhon Island, to the village of Khuzhir. Check-in at the camp site. Dinner.
Tourists with accompanying persons make the transition on snowmobiles along the Baikalsk-KBZhD-Listvyanka route. In Listvyanka, the group is waiting for a bus with suitcases (which must be packed in advance and taken out of the rooms before departure). After lunch in Listvyanka and an excursion to the Limnological Museum, transfer by bus to Olkhon Island.
Day 4. Olkhon Island – Cape Khoboy (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Breakfast. Excursion to the northern tip of the island to Cape Khoboy. The cape from the side of the sea resembles a woman's head and is considered sacred by the Buryats; in ancient times, it served as a place for religious rituals. The excursion to Cape Khoboy is designed for the whole day. Lunch on the route – fish soup from the famous Baikal fish. Walk to the Shamanka rock.
Return to the hostel. Dinner.
Day 5. Olkhon Island – Ogoy Island – Irkutsk (breakfast)
Breakfast. Excursion to the island of Ogoy. In 2005, at the highest point of the island, at the initiative of the Moscow Buddhist Center, a Buddhist Stupa of Enlightenment was erected. Excursion on the ice of the Small Sea. Lunch at a cafe. Transfer to Irkutsk.After breakfast, departure from the camp site with suitcases. After excursions to the south of Olkhon Island and Maloye More, exit to the tract, transfer to Irkutsk. Lunch at a cafe on the way. Transfer to the hotel. The hotel in Irkutsk is not included in the tour price.Transfer to the airport or railway station.
Overview
Itinerary: Irkutsk–Mount Sobolinaya–Baikalsk–Sobolinaya Mountain–Ski resort–Circum-Baikal Railway–Listvyanka–Olkhon Island–Cape Khoboy–Ogoy Island–IrkutskDays: 5 days / 4 nights
Group: от. 1 pax, max. 8 pax
Accommodation: 3★
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)
Accommodation: comfortable hotel in the Baikalsk city, tourist center on Olkhon Island
Accompanying: experienced guides, tour guides
If you are planning to travel by rail, it would be more expedient for you to consider purchasing a ticket directly to the Baikalsk station. Thus, you will exclude unnecessary transfers and will be at the hotel much faster.
Schedule
Available departure dates in 2024: нет
Available departure dates in 2025:
Fees
The price of the tour per pax (without airfare), USD:
| ½DBL (double) | – | 1,120 |
| ⅓TRPL (triple) | – | 1,120 |
| SNGL (single) | – | 1,200 |
| CHLD (child under 12 years old) | – | 960 |
| CHLD (child under 5 years old) | – | 0 |
Children under 5 years old without a separate seat.
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 chosen category in the Baikalsk city, 1 nights:
hotel «Severny sklony» 3★
- accommodation in a hotel of the selected category on the island Olkhon, 3 nights:
camp site «Oazis» 2★
- food according to the program
- transfers specified in the program
- excursions specified in the program
- rent of the necessary equipment (skis, boots and glasses for one day, snowmobiles)
- instructor for 1 hour, Lift pass for 1 hour during training
- escorting tour guides and guides
- necessary permits to visit specially protected natural areas
- the language of excursions is Russian but the guides speak English.
Category of accommodation in unclassified hotels:
3★ – standard, toilet and shower in the room.
2★ – standard, toilet and shower on a floor or for two rooms.
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
The best time to visit Lake Baikal in winter – from February 10 to March 8. In January, the ice finally hardens, gains strength, becomes transparent, and in early February (usually in the 2nd week) the official ice crossing is opened at island Olkhon . Earlier these dates, the ice is not guaranteed strength, and later snowstorms begin, it warms up, and the ice grows dull.
The period of freeze-up is on average from January 9 to May 4. Baikal freezes as a whole, except for a small, 15 – 20 km long, section located at the source of the Angara. The shipping period for passenger and cargo ships is usually June to September; research vessels begin navigation after the opening of the lake from the ice and end it with freezing of Lake Baikal, that is, from May to January.
By the end of winter, the ice thickness on Lake Baikal reaches 1 m, and in the bays – 1.5 – 2 m.In severe frost, cracks that have the local name " back cracks '' break the ice into separate fields. The length of such cracks – 10 – 30 km, and width – 2 – 3 m. Fractures occur annually in approximately the same areas of the lake. They are accompanied by a loud crackle, reminiscent of thunder or cannon shots. It seems to a person standing on the ice that the ice cover is bursting just under his feet and he will now fall into the abyss. Thanks to cracks in the ice, fish on the lake do not die from lack of oxygen. Baikal ice, in addition, is very transparent, and the sun's rays penetrate through it, therefore planktonic algae, which release oxygen, develop rapidly in the water. Along the shores of Baikal can be seen in winter ice grottoes.
