Among the sun and ice. Baikal Photo Tour

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Catching the moments… Beautiful sunsets, amazing Baikal ice, capture the most incredible things for a long time, and then not believe that it was with you, that you were the one who visited the ice kingdom of the Great Lake, the Great country — on winter Lake Baikal.

This tour is a unique chance to visit Lake Baikal in winter and take amazing photos of the beautiful Baikal nature. The tour dates are selected specifically for weather conditions, when the Baikal ice has not yet melted, and the temperature is quite comfortable to make photo trips.

Location

Irkutsk

Sightseeing tours

from

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Weekdays: 8am - 8pm
Weekends: 8am - 7pm (GMT +3)

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Tour highlights

The famous blue ice of Lake Baikal

Let's take photos of bizarre splashes, crystal stalactites, fabulous grottoes

Ice skating and cycling on ice

Let's go ice skating or cycling on the deepest lake on the planet

Colorful photos

Let's meet the dawn and sunset on Olkhon Island — in the heart of Lake Baikal

Itinerary

Day 1 - Meeting with Lake Baikal. Visit to the famous Shaman Stone
10:00 Gathering of the group at the airport in Irkutsk.
The day of the beginning of the journey and exploring Lake Baikal. We suggest starting it from the village of Listvyanka. Now this village has become a real "mecca" for tourists!
Sightseeing tour of the village with a visit to the observation deck at the famous Shaman stone.
Let's listen to the romantic legend of Lake Baikal, visit the current Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is the patron saint of all travelers and navigators.
Those who want to learn more about Lake Baikal can go on an excursion to the Baikal Ecological Museum (additionalthe fee), where there are many exhibits telling about the inhabitants of Lake Baikal, they can even be seen live in aquariums located in the museum.
Visit the souvenir market adjacent to the fish rows.
Here you will be offered all the variety of Baikal fish, cooked in various ways. We assure you, you will not be tempted to try Baikal delicacies!
Return to Irkutsk.
Transfer to the village. Listvyanka: (65 km, ~ 1 hour) and back.
Accommodation: in a hotel in Irkutsk.
Meals: lunch.

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Day 2 - Landscapes of the Tazheran steppe. Olkhon Island
After breakfast, we take the bus to Olkhon Island along the road going through the steppes past ancient Buryat villages, through the picturesque spurs of the Baikal ridge, the Siberian taiga, which then again give way to the Mongolian landscapes of the Tazheran steppe.
The crossing to Olkhon is via a special ice crossing.
Olkhon is the largest of the 26 islands of Lake Baikal, its geographical, historical and sacred center, even in its shape resembling the Sunday outlines of the lake.
The crossing takes about 40 minutes.
You will see both the "Small" and "Big" seas – two parts of Lake Baikal, separated by Olkhon, and the famous Olkhon Gate Strait, which runs between the island and the mainland.
Another 40 kilometers around the island and you are in the village of Khuzhir, the capital of the island.
After a busy day of travel experiences, sleep in the fresh air of a wooden house will be deep and long.
Transfer by regular tourist transport to Olkhon Island, 320 km, ~ 6 hours.
Accommodation: at the campsite.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.

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Day 3 - Visit to the sacred cape Burhan. Excursion to the local history museum
Walking sightseeing tour of the surrounding area: a walk through the village of Khuzhir, a visit to the sacred cape Burkhan (Shaman Rock) – one of the 9 shrines of Asia, equally revered by shamanists, Buddhists and Lamaists.
You have the opportunity to take a photo of the famous Shaman in your own special angle, which no one has done yet!
In the evening, independent walks, photos of the starry Baikal sky – at the end of winter it is special.
Accommodation: at the campsite.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Day 4 - Excursion to Cape Khoboy
The island is an island, but there are such distances and roads that if you go on an excursion, it's for the whole day.
So this day will almost entirely be spent on a full–day excursion to Cape Khoboy - the northern tip of the island, near the widest point of Lake Baikal.
Along the way, you will be able to see all the variety of Baikal natural landscapes concentrated on the island: steppes with bays that go deep into the land and warm up well in summer, sand dunes, mixed deciduous forests with areas of relict spruce forest, picturesque cliffs on the shore made of marble covered with red lichens.
And on the cape itself, with a panoramic view of the northern part of Lake Baikal, and in good weather you can see the outlines of the Ushkany Islands and the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula – a walk through the surroundings, during which the guide will tell you about the legends, traditions and customs associated with these places.
And if the local gods are quite complacent, they will give you the opportunity to see the unique Baikal seal, the only freshwater relative of the seal.
Accommodation: at the campsite.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

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Day 5 - The coast of the Small Sea
Today we are returning to the "mainland".
After breakfast at the recreation center, the bus will take you along the ice crossing to the opposite picturesque shore.
Staying at one of the recreation centers on the coast of the Small Sea, you can enjoy a Baikal winter beach holiday, which has picturesque sandy shores mixed with snow, contrasting against the background of the bluish ice of Lake Baikal.
Transfer by regular tourist transport to the Small Sea, ~ 1.5 hours.
Accommodation: at the campsite.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

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Day 6 - Free day, self-guided photo walks
Free day at the campsite.
You can visit caves, take an ice tour of the islands of the Small Sea (additional payment).
Ride bicycles (extra charge), or skate on the ice of Lake Baikal.
Accommodation: at the campsite.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.

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Day 7 - Transfer to Irkutsk
Transfer by regular tourist transport to Irkutsk.
You will again see the picturesque mountains of the Baikal range, covered with forest thickets.
Arrival in Irkutsk.
Accommodation at the hotel.
Transfer by regular tourist transport to Irkutsk, ~ 4.5 hours.
Accommodation: in a hotel.
Meals: breakfast.
Day 8 - Sightseeing tour of the city of Irkutsk. Departure
Sightseeing tour of the city of Irkutsk: visit the historical center, the embankment of the Angara river, architectural monuments.
Excursion to the Znamensky Monastery — one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Siberia, famous for its iconostasis and burials on the territory (graves of the Decembrists, Grigory Shelikhov, etc.).
Visit to the central market and souvenir shop.
The approximate end time of the program is 14:00.
Meals: breakfast.

Difficulty

Suitable for everyone

Accommodation

Hotel

2 nights
Camp Site

5 nights

Comfort

Basic+

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The tour provides accommodation in hotels in Irkutsk (2 nights), at camp sites on Olkhon (3 nights), on the Small Sea (2 nights) on the basis of double accommodation.

An approximate list of possible accommodation facilities:

Hotels in Irkutsk: Angara, Empire;
Small Sea – used Naratei, Oltrek, Uyuga;
Olkhon – b/o Hotei, b/o Olkhon camping Hotel, b/o Nikita Bencharov's Estate, b/o Baikal Khan;

Please specify the exact information about the accommodation when booking — it depends on availability and other factors.

The surcharge for single occupancy is 34,000 rubles.

Tour conditions

Group

up to 25 tourists

Minimum age

1 years old

Duration

8 days 7 nights

Group meets at

Irkutsk

Included in price

accommodation in hotels in Irkutsk (2 nights), at camp sites on Olkhon (3 nights), on the Small Sea (2 nights) on the basis of double accommodation;
meals according to the program:
- Day 1 – lunch;
- Day 2 – breakfast, dinner;
- Day 3 – breakfast, dinner;
- Day 4 – breakfast, lunch, dinner;
- Day 5 – breakfast, lunch, dinner;
- Day 6 – breakfast, dinner;
- Day 7-8 – breakfast.
all transfers and excursions according to the program (except those indicated for an additional fee);
services of local guides on the excursion program.

Paid extra

Air or railway tickets to Irkutsk and back;
meals not specified in the program;
excursions and services indicated for an additional fee.The fee:
- excursion to the Baikal Ecological Museum;
- ice tour of the islands of the Small Sea;
- cycling on the ice of Lake Baikal.

It's important to know

- Photographic equipment;
- boots or boots designed for severe frost;
- a hat with the ability to cover the ears;
- warm, windproof gloves;
- ice slides (rubber, worn on any shoes), or crampons on shoes from slipping;
- a warm jacket;
- a warm sweater or fleece jacket;
- pants (ski pants are available);
- socks (thermal socks and woolen ones);
- thermal underwear;
- sunglasses;
- flashlight;
- lipstick is hygienic.

Dates and Prices

$875

8 – 15 Feb, 2025 8 days 7 nights

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$875

15 – 22 Mar, 2025 8 days 7 nights

Submit request
No need to pay now