Legends of autumn on Lake Baikal

After breakfast, we will go to the village of Listvyanka.

The village of Listvyanka is located at the source of the Angara River and stretches along the shore of Lake Baikal for 5 kilometers. The village got its name because of the large number of larch trees growing around.

Previously unremarkable, it has now become the hallmark of Lake Baikal, the sightseeing center of the Baikal region, a place combining both the wild and beautiful nature of Lake Baikal and modern developed infrastructure.

Listvyanka can rightfully be called the gate of Lake Baikal, for many tourists it is here that the acquaintance with the great lake begins.

On the way, we will visit the open-air ethnographic museum complex "Taltsy". The museum recreates the cultural and everyday life of the Siberian village of the 17th and 19th centuries.

Here you will see the estates of wealthy peasants, the Spasskaya Tower Ilimsky ostrog, the Parish Council, the parish school, the temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God of the 17th century. What is especially interesting is that each courtyard of the museum has its own exposition, you can go into each house and plunge into the atmosphere of those times.

Here you can ride in a carriage, walk on stilts, swing on a Siberian swing, and in winter ride down a slide on a cowhide.

After stopping in Listvyanka, we will make a stop in front of the legendary Shaman Stone, reminiscent of the legend known to all Siberians about the love story of Angara and Yenisei.

After that, visit the Baikal Museum, where you will meet with the inhabitants of the lake. Seals, gammaruses, gobies, sponges — these are the amazing organisms that live in Lake Baikal.

Next, we go to the market (fish and souvenir market in one place) — this is a good opportunity to purchase souvenirs from Siberian craftsmen made of stone, wood, birch bark and glass, as well as taste Baikal fish — omul, grayling, cold and hot smoked whitefish.

Lunch during the tour.

Accommodation in a hotel in Listvyanka.

On your own, on foot or by chairlift, you can climb to the observation deck on the Chersky stone, which offers a beautiful view of Lake Baikal and the source of the Angara.

Meals: breakfast, lunch.

Guide: Yes.

Breakfast.

A very eventful, interesting and long day of sightseeing. 

Departure by ferry to the port of Baikal.

Tour of the KBZHD (Circum-Baikal Railway)

The golden buckle of the Transsib, a technical wonder of the world, a strategically important section of the way!

Today, Forbes magazine has included KBZHD among the most beautiful railway routes in the world.

The railway line along the shore of Lake Baikal was built on September 30, 1904, and permanent traffic was opened on October 15, 1905.

Tunnel punching was carried out mainly manually using explosives. The daily penetration rate was 40-50 cm. 424 engineering structures have been built on 84 km of the road from Kultuk station to Baikal station, including 39 tunnels with a total length of 8,994 m. 14 km of retaining walls, 47 stone and 3 iron galleries have been built in collapse-prone areas.

In terms of volume, complexity and cost of work, this section had no equal among the railways of Russia. Before the revolution, it was called the "Golden Buckle of Russia's Steel Belt." A buckle, because it connected the Trans-Siberian railway torn by Baikal, and a gold one, because it surpassed all roads that existed in Russia in terms of cost of work.

The exit is in Mica.

The railway station in Slyudyanka is a unique architectural monument. For more than a hundred years, it has been the only operating railway station in the world, built entirely of white and pink marble.

We are going to the Tunka Valley, Arshan. 

Arshan is a wonderful corner of the Siberian land. It is located in the extraordinarily beautiful sprawling Tunka Valley, at the foot of the monumental Sayan loaches, sparkling in the sun with snow-capped peaks almost all year round.

Arshan is a bright sun, blue sky, pristine taiga with spreading cedars. In the mountains there are magnificent alpine meadows with blooming poppies, lilies, locusts and fluttering colorful butterflies. In spring, all the mountain slopes are covered with a delicate pink color - the crimson blossoms, and in winter there is a lot of snow…

The resort is mountainous and climatic. High sun exposure in the mountains increases ultraviolet radiation, which increases pulmonary ventilation and oxygen consumption, which leads to a decrease in blood sugar, equalization of blood pressure, and immunity of the body to infectious diseases. It surpasses Crimea in terms of the number of sunny days per year.

Arrival in Arshan, dinner. For dinner, we will taste Buryat cuisine and, of course, the famous BUZAS!

Accommodation at the recreation center /in the manor.

Guide: during the KBZHD tour — KBZHD guide, during the transfer — yes.

Meals: breakfast, dinner.

Attention: the excursion to the KBZHD by train can be replaced by a boat tour (timetable change, train cancellation).

Additional payment for a guaranteed place on the Baikal side: 1,650 rubles per person

Lunch: there is no cafe on the train, please take care of meals during the tour in advance (order meals on the train (when booking a tour: lunch 1000 rubles, three meals a day 1600 rubles), order a lunch box (700 rubles), take lunch with you.

Breakfast.

Walking tour along the scenic trail to the waterfalls on the Kyngarga River.

The length of the river, whose name translates from the local language as "drum", is 27 km. In general, there are about 12 small waterfalls on the river, all of them are located above the first one and they can be approached along an 11-kilometer path along the Kyngarga. The tour takes you to the first waterfall.

The first and most visited of the waterfalls is located at a distance of 1.5 kilometers from the Arshan resort. A well-equipped trail along the left bank of the river leads to this waterfall. Above the path there is a river gorge, squeezed by stone walls and "decorated" with intricate rock formations.

The bottom of the gorge is covered with yellow-pink marble, polished to smoothness by water — this section of the riverbed is called "Marble bottom".

Guide: During the walking tour, a local guide.

Meals: breakfast.

Breakfast.

Free time.

On this day you can join a car tour (Pearl hot springs, Valley of Extinct volcanoes, Nile Deserts).

You can walk around the village on your own, along the trail along the Kyngarga River to the following waterfalls, climb the peak of love (trekking).

Guide: No.

Meals: breakfast.

Breakfast.

Free time.

12:00 Room release.

Departure to Irkutsk.

Accommodation in a hotel in Irkutsk.

Meals: breakfast.

Guide: No.

Breakfast at the hotel.

We are going to the central part of Lake Baikal — to the Small Sea, today we have to drive 250 km, with stops in the most interesting places.

During the trip, the landscape outside the window will change from urban to endless steppes, green taiga and finally, the rocky shores of Lake Baikal.

According to local beliefs, you should always go to Lake Baikal with a pure soul and thoughts, appeasing the local spirits. Therefore, we will make a stop at a place that is significant for the local population, where you will learn about shamanism and local traditions. 

After passing the village of Yelants, entering the Tazheran gate, we will stop at the bronze figure of a flying eagle, the patron saint of the steppe expanses of Tazheran and Olkhon. The wingspan is about 7 meters, the weight is about 4 tons, and the height of the stele is 9 meters.

And then we will stop at the observation deck of the Kurkuta Bay. Here, the Tramp hero of the Russian folk song "Through the Wild Steppes of Transbaikalia" was immortalized in bronze. Next to the 4-meter sculpture there is a cross and a marble slab on which the lyrics of the song are carved. From here you can enjoy a magnificent view of the bays of the Small Sea.

Upon arrival at the Small Sea, check-in at the hotel and lunch.

A little rest after the road.

Walking tour along the coast of the Small Sea.

In Buryat, the Small Sea sounds like Narin Dalai, which means Narrow Sea. This narrow strait is separated from the "Big Baikal" by the island of Olkhon. The climate of the coast is ideal for recreation: there is very little precipitation and it is sunny most of the time.

During the tour, you will learn the legends about our Sacred Lake. The guide will tell you interesting facts about Lake Baikal, its flora and fauna.

It offers views of Olkhon Island, Olkhon Gate Strait, Cape Kobylya Golova, Ogoy Island and Tankhan Mountain.

Supper.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Guide: Yes.

On one of the days according to the schedule (the excursion is included in the tour):

A full-day car tour to Olkhon Island to Cape Khoboy.

Route: hotel — ferry crossing through the Olkhon gate — Zagli — Kobylya golova — Cape Burkhan — Sandy tract — Sagan-Khushun — Khoboy — hotel.

Resorting to poetic images, we can say that Baikal is the blue heart of Siberia, and Olkhon is the heart of Lake Baikal.

Olkhon is rightfully called the heart of Lake Baikal: the island is the geographical, historical and sacred center of the lake. This is one of the most beautiful places on Lake Baikal, with incredible energy, fascinating landscapes, many legends and legends.

It is located in the central part of Lake Baikal, near the highest depth mark (1,637 m), at an equal distance from the northern and southern ends of the lake and concentrated on its territory all the diversity of natural landscapes of the Baikal shores. Here are steppe expanses, sand dunes, mountains and forests, pellets and pebble beaches, hills and cliffs.

Even in its shape, it resembles the outlines of Lake Baikal.

Olkhon is the largest island on Lake Baikal (almost 73 km long and up to 15 km wide), and our tour runs from the southernmost tip of the island (ferry crossing) to the north — the legendary Cape Khoboy.

And, of course, we will visit the most important places of the island:

Cape Burkhan is an extraordinary rock that has been revered by the indigenous population of the island since ancient times. Currently, it is considered a state natural and historical monument, and in ancient times, cult sacrifices were made here to the owner of the island, who, according to legend, lived in the cape cave.

The Sandy tract ("miniature" of the famous Sandy Bay). Constant winds blowing from the sea carry sand from the shore and form sand deposits, which are called "Moving Sands".

The landscape of the bay is gradually changing, and if you look at the photos from 10 years ago, the landscape is different from the picture now. At the edge of the forest, you can find stilted trees that have risen 30-40 cm above the sand on their roots. Of course, their height is much lower than that of the famous stilt trees in the Sandy Bay, but still surprising.

Cape Khoboy, the northernmost tip of the island, is located near the widest point of Lake Baikal (79.5 km), and only in clear weather it is possible to see the opposite shore, the mountainous contour of the Holy Nose Peninsula. There is a site on the cape where the pan-Mongolian shamanic tailagans are performed. This is a place of power, spend a few minutes alone with yourself, think about the most desirable things, feel the power of this place and the powerful energy of Lake Baikal.

After lunch, having refreshed ourselves in the fresh Baikal air, we set off back.

Transfer to the hotel. The end of the tour.

The tour can be postponed to the 9th day.

On your free days, you can just relax admiring the beauty of the Sacred Sea, ride quad bikes, go on a mini cruise or go on car excursions.

We recommend that you pay attention to the following excursions for an additional fee.

Water excursion to Ogoy Island (duration about 3 hours).

The Buddhist stupa, erected on Ogoy Island in the summer of 2005, is officially referred to as the Stupa of Enlightenment, the Conquest of demons, containing a statue of a Female form, the mother of all Buddhas. In other words, this stupa belongs to the type of stupa in which various Buddhist relics are embedded.

Ogoy Island, stretching a narrow winding strip of land from south to north for 6 km, strongly resembles the dancing goddess Dikanya from the air with outstretched arms, facing north. The stupa, built at the highest point of the island (512 m), at an altitude of 60 meters above the level of Lake Baikal, turned out to be located just in the area of the island's heart.

Volunteers from different places took part in the construction of the stupa: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, New York, London, Lisbon. Everything necessary for the construction was transferred by boats and then manually lifted to the top, and the heaviest loads were transported by helicopters. The stupa project was designed by an Irkutsk architect. The construction was led by a lama from Bhutan.

Sarminsky gorge (estimated cost 3,000 rubles per person).

The Sarminsky Gorge is one of the legendary places of Lake Baikal. Sarma is the largest of the rivers (42 km long) flowing into the Small Sea. The river originates from the northern slopes of the Three-headed Char. Over millions of years, the icy stream of the Sarma River has washed out the powerful Sarminsky gorge in the Primorsky Ridge, on both sides of which two rocks rise, creating an unusual, somewhat ominous pattern of the Sarminsky Gate.

Here, waddling over the Primorsky Ridge from the vast Prilensky upland, the Arctic air rushes into the valley narrowing to the mouth, which forms a kind of natural wind tunnel at the outlet into the basin of Lake Baikal. This is how the most powerful wind of Shame is born.

In ancient times, the approach to the Sarminsky Gorge was separated from the rest of the Baikal shore by a wall of stones. Shamans of ancient tribes inhabiting Lake Baikal separated the sacred territory of the mouth of the Sarma River from outsiders.

The excursion to the Sarminsky Gorge begins along the picturesque road along the Mukhor Bay, the warmest and shallowest section of the Strait of the Small Sea. Beyond the Khuzhir-Nugai Bay begins the vast delta of the Sarma River, with several low sandy islands, nesting sites for birds. The further journey takes place along the road in the valley of the river, along which the Cossack Pentecostal Kurbat Ivanov passed in 1643.

A vast expanse opens up to tourists, with huge boulders randomly scattered against the background of emerald grass, as if the spirits of the mountains were playing skittles. The whole road is a change of amazing landscapes: this is a blooming mountain valley, and a dense forest thicket, and a path leading along a cliff above the river and, of course, a mountain river with its drops and rapids…

According to the Tageran to the Anga (the estimated cost is 5,000 rubles per person).

The Tazheran steppe is amazing and vast, stretching from the Olkhon Gate to the purest waters of the Anga mountain river. In this tour, we visit places that will introduce our guests more closely to the nature of Lake Baikal and the culture of the people living here.

From the Salt lakes, to the most beautiful views of Aya Bay with its turquoise water.

You will see Panoramas of the mouth of the Anga River, a tunnel made of white marble, we visit petroglyphs (rock carvings) whose age dates from 4-2 millennia. The road runs along picturesque places fed by a mountain river.

To get to know Buryat culture better, we spend lunch time in a traditional cafe, where you can try hand-made bouzas, traditional Buryat shulen soup, and homemade firewood.

Since ancient times, traditional Yerdyn games have been held on the Sacred Buryat land near the Khada Yerd Mountain. Guests of our company will be able to feel the traditions of the Buryat people while staying in a sacred place.

At the end of the excursion program, we climb the mountain, where the ancient rock garden is located. The history of the scattered megaliths is mysterious and perhaps their origin will remain a big secret for all mankind.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.

Guide: for the duration of additional excursions.

Breakfast.

Rooms are available until 12:00.

Transfer to Irkutsk (estimated departure time 14:30, 250 km, 4 hours)

The end of the tour program: center / railway station / airport.

Meals: breakfast.

Guide: No.

Attention!

We strongly recommend taking tickets for the return trip home after 22:00, as there may be a delay (estimated time of arrival in Irkutsk is 19:00-20:00).

Note: it is possible to change the order of excursions (or replace them).