Tour Itinerary

Incredible beauty and cleanest air of Lake Baikal, which is simply impossible to breathe. This is the time when the lake is covered with hard ice, transparent like glass, which allows viewing the bottom of the lake at great depths. One gets the impression that you are walking on water or very thin ice, although its thickness can exceed a meter.

Day 1. Irkutsk – Listvyanka – Taltsy – dog sledding (lunch, dinner)
Meeting in Irkutsk, acquaintance with the guide. Citytour of Irkutsk.
Transfer to Listvyanka, a tourist village on the shore of Lake Baikal.
Excursion to the Museum of Wooden Architecture «Taltsy» – an old Siberian village of the 17th century, a unique open-air repository of historical and cultural monuments of the peoples of Eastern Siberia, where four historical and cultural zones have been recreated – Russian, Buryat, Evenk and Tofalar.
Lunch at a restaurant overlooking the non-freezing source of the Angara, with water birds.Dog sledding.Ascent by cable car to the observation deck on the Chersky Stone.
Accommodation at the Krestovaya Pad hotel. Dinner.

Day 2. Listvyanka – Olkhon Island – Bolshoye Goloustnoye – Peschanaya bay (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Breakfast. Meeting with the guide. Landing on Khivus (hovercraft). Moving to Olkhon.
On the way, check in to Bolshoye Goloustnoye, to the famous «bubbles». Amazing methane bubbles frozen at different levels are like futuristic skyscrapers! Continuation of the journey. Check-in at Peschanaya Bay. Peschanaya Bay is located in one of the most beautiful bays of Lake Baikal, in a pine forest. This is one of the most beautiful and famous places on the lake. The semi-valleys of the Sandy Bay are framed by the Bolshaya and Malaya Kolokolny rocks. During the excursion – a picnic on the ice of Lake Baikal with champagne and snacks! Continuation of the way to Olkhon Island. Ice skating (you can bring your own skates or make an application, we will purchase them for you in advance).
Arrival on the island, transfer to UAZ, transfer to the guest house "Olkhon Residence". Dinner.

Day 3. Olkhon Island – Khuzhir – Cape Burkhan – Cape Khoboy (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Breakfast. Meeting with the guide at the reception. Landing on the UAZ.
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, this cave is inhabited by the spirit of the owner of the island. Having visited this place, you will be charged with the energy of Lake Baikal for a long time. Further Travel to the northernmost point of the island – Cape Khoboy. A place of extraordinary energy and beauty. During the excursion, you will be able to see the stunning natural difference between the rocky eastern coast and the gently sloping western one. Lunch is a picnic.
Return to Khuzhir. Dinner.

Day 4. Olkhon Island – Ogoy Island – Irkutsk (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Breakfast. Meeting with the guide at the reception. Delivery of numbers.Travel by Khivus to Ogoy Island. Numerous grottoes with stalactites, hummocks shimmering in the sun, a bright palette of Baikal ice. At the highest point of the island (512 meters) there is a snow-white Stupa of Enlightenment, which contains various relics brought from different parts of the world. Return to Khuzhir. Dinner. Departure to Irkutsk (travel time 5-6 hours). Arrival to Irkutsk. Dinner. Accommodation at the hotel "North Sea". Overnight at the hotel.

Day 5. Irkutsk (breakfast)
Breakfast in the hotel. Airport transfer.

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

The price of the tour per pax (without airfare), USD:

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:
Listvyanka – hotel "Krestovaya Pad", standard
Khuzhir – guest house "Olkhon Residence", standard
Irkutsk – North Sea hotels, standard

- transfers according to the tour program

- food: according to the program

- necessary permits to visit specially protected natural areas

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

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

- 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. On the shores of Lake Baikal you can see ice grottos in winter.

Map

Irkutsk city

Listvyanka village

Olkhon island