Baikal multiactive in winter: trekking, ice skating, “loaves” and bicycles

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Baikal is a unique place. In winter, Lake Baikal also turns into the world's largest ice rink! We are sure that ice skating is the best and most interesting way to explore Lake Baikal in winter. In 6 days you will walk and drive about 190 km, see Olkhon Island from the east and west, Shamanka Rock and famous ice caves, grottoes and, of course, the ruler of winter posts on social networks – Baikal ice.

And Baikal will delight you with amazing landscapes, creaking Siberian frosts and hearty gastronomy: we will show you the places where the most delicious bouzas are made in the area.

The format of the trip is a multicative tour (on foot, on skates, on bicycles, on off–road vehicles) with overnight stays at tourist bases and hotels.

Location

Russia, Irkutsk

from

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

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Tour highlights

Unusual format

Winter ice skating trip – in 5 days, accompanied by a guide, we will walk about 65 km

Vivid impressions

We will meet the sunset at the sacred Shaman rock at Cape Burkhan

The best places

We will see ice caves, grottos and the lord of winter posts on social networks – Baikal ice

Safety on the route

We will have professional guide instructors with extensive experience and special training.

New skills

If you do not know how to skate, we will try to teach you, or you can walk in the "ice walks"

The "Voice" of Baikal

We will hear the sound of cracking ice, which creates an indescribable symphony of sounds

Itinerary

Day 1 - Irkutsk – Sakhyurt settlement
Meeting at 07:45 – 08:00 in Irkutsk at the central railway station (3/1 Chelnokova Street).
Transfer by minibus to the village of Sakhyurt (MRS) with stops on the way for breakfast (not included in the price).
Upon arrival, accommodation at the campsite, equipment delivery and introductory instruction on its use and safety during the tour.
After that, a walk to the Olkhon Gate Strait to practice ice skating on Lake Baikal.
Skating is not an obligatory part of the program: one instructor will lead the "skating" part of the group, and the second – on foot.
In the evening, dinner and a Russian bath.

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Day 2 - Sakhyurt settlement – Ogoy Island – Yalga village
On the second day, the group will have a simple 15 km walk from the village of Sakhyurt to the island of Ogoy.
Along the way, participants will visit Cape Shalnugai (beautiful sokui), the Kobylya Golov Peninsula (Olkhon Island), see many ice grottos and caves, and the most active will be able to climb Ogoy Island, which is located in the Small Sea and offers magnificent views of the entire area.
Ogoy Island is known for Cape Dragon and Buddhist Stupa.
The group will be transported from the island to the place of overnight stay by the workhorses of these places – the UAZ "Loaves".
In the evening, after dinner, you can go to the sauna and go to sleep, or you can pass the time with board games to get to know the other participants of the tour better.

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Day 3 - Yalga Village – pad Idiba – Yalga Village
The western coast of Olkhon Island (the Small Sea) is an incredibly popular and crowded place.
During the day from February to March, hundreds of cars pass through here and dozens of groups of tourists pass.
To escape from the crowds of people and plunge into the silence of Lake Baikal, we will make a walking radial exit (light) to Idiba Falls, on the eastern shore of Olkhon.
There are practically no people here, it's good if 2-4 people meet during the day, thanks to which the island appears in its pristine beauty, and tourists feel the true spirit of discovery when they are alone with the nature of Lake Baikal.
In the complete silence of Idib Pad, it is best to listen to the very "voice of Baikal" – the sound of the movement of many kilometers of ice binding the surface of the lake.
But you'll have to walk around: a looped route with an altitude of up to 400 meters and a length of 25 km will take almost the entire daylight day.
It is not necessary to go through the entire route if you are too tired: one of the guides will be able to take part of the group back to the cottage while the rest of the tourists continue their way through the ridge to the east.

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Day 4 - Yalga village – Cape Khoboy – Khuzhir village
From Yalga, if you go out onto the ice road, Khuzhir seems very close.
But we don't have much time, so we'll drive this way on "loaves" and not to Khuzhir, but immediately to the northernmost point of Olkhon Island – Cape Khoboy.
Unlike the desolation of the previous day, hundreds of tourists exploring the statues and grottoes will meet us on this route.
Well, that's fine, but we'll be fed delicious omul soup cooked over a campfire right on ice, and we won't have to walk much either: we'll let our feet rest from the routes of the previous days.
We will return to the village of Khuzhir for the night, the center of civilization on Olkhon: restaurants, shops, souvenir shops and numerous hotels, in one of which the group will stay overnight.
The participants will go to meet the sunset at the famous Shamanka rock to the pillars of Serge.

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Day 5 - Khuzhir village – Halgai village – Kharantsi village – Khuzhir village
The most unusual and at the same time convenient way to travel on the ice of Lake Baikal is not skating at all, but a bicycle.
And yes, today will be bicycle day.
In Olkhon, all bicycles have studded wheels in winter to make it easier to ride on ice.
For safety, we provide knee pads, elbow pads and helmets.
For those who like big bike rides, we have made a large (35 km) route through the village of Halgai, and for those who do not particularly like to pedal, a small one through the village. Kharants (15 km).
In the evening, upon returning to the village of Khuzhir, we will again meet the sunset at the Shamanka rock and walk through souvenir shops, because the next day buses will take the group to Irkutsk.

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Day 6 - The village of Khuzhir – Irkutsk
It's time to say goodbye to Lake Baikal!
A bus will pick us up at 10:00 and take us to Irkutsk.
We will be in the city a little after noon: there will be time to stroll through the historical center, admiring the old wooden houses, look at the central market for Siberian herbs, honey, resin, bath oils and other gifts of Siberia.

Difficulty

Does not require specific skills, but one must be in good health

Tour organizer's comments

The format of the trip is a multicative tour (on foot, on skates, on bicycles, on off–road vehicles) with overnight stays at tourist bases and hotels. The participants will carry their belongings (backpacks) with them (walking and / or skating part of the route) on special sledges tied to a belt with a long sling – this is a common and convenient way of transporting cargo in winter hikes on flat terrain. Daytime trips between camp sites are within the power of most active people.

We estimate the difficulty of the Baikal skating tour as "Average". If you do not have hiking experience, you do not burden yourself with systematic sports and all your travels before that took place in warm countries with accommodation in comfortable hotels, then it is worth thinking about.

A winter multiactive on Lake Baikal, even with accommodation in comfortable camp sites, is a tour with serious running loads.

Special training is not required for participation, but it is worth remembering that the tour program provides for long hiking (optional - skating) in difficult weather and climatic conditions (low temperatures from -5 ° C to -35 ° C). Of course, before the start of the skating part of the program, we will conduct an instruction and training, but we strongly recommend that participants visit the ice rink or go roller skating at least 3-5 times 1-2 months before the tour date. If you realize on the tour that you can't skate, then you can walk. In this case, we recommend taking universal ice-walking crampons with you (suitable for any shoe).

Accommodation

Camp Site

4 nights

Comfort

Basic+

The tour provides accommodation at regular tourist bases along the route, accommodation at camp sites (2 and 4-bed heated rooms, with a shower in the room, or a shower on the floor).

The usual tourist bases ("standard" with amenities in the room and, in one case, on the floor), with wooden houses or one large house with electric heating. Accommodation for 2 people (by family or gender) in a room with a bathroom. The exception is an overnight stay in Yalga village, where the cottage has only 4-6-bed rooms, and the facilities are located on the floor.

Tour conditions

Group

up to 14 tourists

Minimum age

14 years old

Duration

6 days 5 nights

Group meets at

Russia, Irkutsk

Included in price

meals on the route: dinners in hotels from the first to the penultimate (fifth) day of the tour, "walking" snacks (hot tea/coffee, cheese, sausage, bacon, bread, sweets) from the second to the fifth day of the tour and breakfasts in hotels from the second to the sixth day of the tour. The organization of breakfasts and dinners is provided by the accommodation facilities;
minibus transfer Irkutsk – Sakhyurt and Khuzhir – Irkutsk;
accommodation at camp sites (2 and 4-bed heated rooms, with shower in the room or shower on the floor);
rental of specialized equipment: sledge, helmet, protection kit (knee pads and elbow pads), group thermoses;
bicycle rental in the village of Khuzhir;
sauna at the campsite of the village of Sakhyurt;
extended group first aid kit;
the work of the guides-instructors.

Paid extra

air and railway tickets to Irkutsk and back;
accommodation in Irkutsk on the day of arrival and on the day of departure
meals not specified in the program;
insurance;
skate rental (we recommend you to take your skates, rolled at your home rink).

It's important to know

The set of equipment and clothes listed below must be mandatory for each of the participants of the Baikal skating tour. The organizers have the right to prevent a person from participating in the tour in the absence of the specified equipment or its analogues. Optional equipment is marked in the list accordingly:

Clothes:
To all of the following, you can mentally add "warm / oe /th"
- a headdress covering the ears (windproof)
- fleece tube scarf (aka "buff")
- thermal underwear (pants and long sleeve T-shirt) made of merinos wool or polartec fleece
- thick fleece (fleece density from 300 g/m2)
- winter jacket (with a hood and covering the ass) for little active excursions
- windproof "running" jacket for ice skating transitions
- winter pants (similar to a jacket in terms of thermal insulation properties), you can ski
- five-fingered gloves (thick fleece or ski gloves)
- tops (these are special mittens worn over gloves, most often made of windproof fabric with insulation)
- underpants (can be made from merinos wool)
- insulated socks (preferably fleece or special for tracking)
- trekking boots (necessarily with a high ankle boot)

Equipment:

- ice skates (walking, hockey type, or hockey);
- pads on the sole of the shoes "Iceholes" (a rubber plate with spikes) or their more serious version - ice-walking cats (not to be confused with climbing cats).
- sunglasses or ski mask with a high degree of UV protection, sunscreen, lipstick
- thermos from 0.5 liters (it is a thermos, not a thermocup) for individual use.
- backpack from 70 liters (it is a backpack, because you can not put a suitcase in a travois and on your back, if necessary, you will not throw it)
- mug, spoon and bowl

Here is a list of optional, but recommended equipment:
- bath/shower slippers
- swimming trunks/swimsuit
- balaclava to protect your face from wind and sun
- towel for shower and bath
- hob (foam, podzhopnik, polyurethane seat - whatever they call it)
- chemical heating pads for heating the body and batteries of electronic equipment

We do not recommend taking children under the age of 14 on this tour. Teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 can only participate if accompanied by their parents or legal guardians. The participation of teenagers is strictly by prior agreement with the organizers BEFORE the conclusion of the contract
Drinking alcoholic beverages on our tours and using drugs are not welcome. This is both a security measure and a measure of cultural recreation.
We estimate the difficulty of the Baikal skating tour as "Average". If you do not have hiking experience, you do not burden yourself with systematic sports and all your travels before that took place in warm countries with accommodation in comfortable hotels, then it is worth thinking about.
A winter multiactive on Lake Baikal, even with accommodation in comfortable camp sites, is a tour with serious running loads.
Special training is not required for participation, but it is worth remembering that the tour program provides for long hiking (optional - skating) in difficult weather and climatic conditions (low temperatures from -5 ° C to -35 ° C).
Of course, before the start of the skating part of the program, we will conduct an instruction and training, but we strongly recommend that participants visit the ice rink or go roller skating at least 3-5 times 1-2 months before the tour date. If you realize on the tour that you can't skate, then you can walk. In this case, we recommend taking universal ice-walking crampons with you (suitable for any shoe).
Participants should pay special attention to collecting equipment and take our requirements regarding this issue seriously (see "What to take with you" below). The more carefully and responsibly you approach the issue of collecting clothes and equipment, the more comfortable you will feel on the tour.
The format of the trip is a multicative tour (on foot, on skates, on bicycles, on SUVs) with overnight stays at tourist bases and hotels. The participants will carry their belongings (backpacks) with them (walking and / or skating part of the route) on special sledges tied to a belt with a long sling - this is a common and convenient way of transporting cargo in winter hikes on flat terrain.
Daytime trips between camp sites are within the power of most active people.
In 2025, we redesigned the tour taking into account the experience of previous years: we removed long pedestrian crossings, increased the level of accommodation facilities and added luxurious locations not visited by ordinary tourists. It turned out cool! Come and see for yourself ;)
You do not need to buy special equipment and overpay for luggage, taking it with you. WE PROVIDE THE NECESSARY EQUIPMENT: sledges, ski poles and a set of protection (helmet, knee pads and elbow pads) and group thermoses.
The only thing that can be taken from the profile equipment, if desired, is skates.