Snowy Lake Baikal. Sightseeing tour

Breakfast at the hotel.

Transfer to Olkhon Island by group tourist transport. (320 km, ~ 7 hours) on a road running through the steppes past ancient Buryat villages, through the picturesque foothills of the Baikal range, the Siberian taiga, which then again give way to the Mongolian landscapes of the Tajeran steppe.

You will see both the "Small" and "Large" 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 across the island and you are in the village of Khuzhir, the capital of the island.

An afternoon activity for you will be a walking sightseeing tour of the surrounding area: a walk through the village of Khuzhir, a visit to the sacred cape

Burkhan (Shaman Rock) is one of the 9 shrines of Asia, equally revered by shamanists, Buddhists and Lamaists.

Dinner at the campsite.

Overnight at the campsite.

(meals included: breakfast, dinner).

Breakfast at the campsite.

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.

This day will also be spent almost entirely on a full–day excursion to Cape Khoboy, the northern tip of the island, near the widest part of Lake Baikal.

Along the way, you will be able to see all the diversity of Baikal's natural landscapes concentrated on the island: steppes with bays jutting deep into the land, sand dunes, mixed deciduous forests with patches of relict spruce forest, picturesque cliffs on the shore of marble covered with red lichens.

And on the cape itself, from where you can enjoy 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.

A hot lunch.

Dinner at the campsite.

Overnight at the campsite.

(incl. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Breakfast.

Free day on the island.

We suggest you take a walk around the surroundings, visit the Sarai Bay and admire the views of winter Lake Baikal.

You can also take an ethnographic tour to a Buryat village (extra charge), where you will get acquainted with local traditions and customs.

Dinner at the campsite.

Overnight at the campsite.

(including meals: breakfast and dinner).

Breakfast at the campsite.

Transfer to Irkutsk by regular transport (320 km, ~ 7 hours).

In the evening, after staying at the hotel and relaxing from the road, you can walk through the streets of Irkutsk in the evening and gain strength before the second, no less exciting, part of the program.

Accommodation at the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.

(incl. meals: breakfast).

Breakfast at the hotel.

Irkutsk – Arshan shuttle bus (210 km, ~ 5 hours): first along the picturesque Kultuk highway to the village of Kultuk, and then along the road passing through a wide valley between two mountain ranges: Khamar–Daban on the left, Eastern Sayans on the right.

In this unique Tunka valley, you can see young volcanoes and old Buryat yurts, the gray peaks of the Tunka Chars against the piercing blue sky.

Accommodation at the hotel.

Lunch at the hotel.

It is better to take a tour of the village on foot, then you can see those details and details of the local way of life that are not visible from the bus window.

You will walk along the forest road to the datsan, a Buddhist temple, where you will be told about its history, rules of conduct in datsans, and Buddhism in Buryatia.

Then visit the healing mineral springs (take a mug or even a plastic bottle with you), the picturesque mountain river Kyngarga, stroll through the park of the Arshan resort with its natural monuments, pick up a souvenir at an entertaining market, where souvenir stands side by side with sellers of local medicinal herbs for literally all diseases.

A simple trekking through the Kyngargi canyon will allow you to enjoy the landscapes that can only be seen in winter: a rushing river bubbling under a layer of transparent ice, bizarre splashes on the rocks, reminiscent of fairy-tale palaces, bridges and caves.

Dinner at the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.

(incl. meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner).

Today we continue to explore the picturesque surroundings and get acquainted with the amazing Tunka Valley.

You will visit the crater of the extinct volcano Talskaya Vershina, see the cones of the Chersky and Kovrizhka volcanoes. You will hear about the distant past of the Tunka Valley from the time of the Jurassic period, as well as fascinating legends about the ancestor of the Buryat tribes of Bukhara-noyon, the beautiful Kyngyrga.

The Tunka Valley is often called the "Land of healing narzanes" because of the abundance of mineral springs, which in their healing properties are not inferior to the famous waters of the Caucasus and the Carpathians.

The methane baths of the Pearl spring are unique in their chemical composition.

The hospital is located in a picturesque location on the right bank of the Irkut River.

You can swim in the pool with mineral water (for an additional fee), drink healing phyto-tea, and taste Buryat cuisine (for an additional fee).

And later in the evening, before returning to Arshan, we will have an excursion to the maral farm.

Marals are primarily known for their horns, which are used to make various medicines, vitamins, cosmetics, etc.

You will be told about the features of harvesting antlers and their benefits for the body.

The deer on the farm are mostly wild, but some individuals have already been tamed, and anyone can pet and even feed them.

(incl. meals: breakfast, dinner).

I really don't want to return to the usual urban life, hustle and bustle, so the fees are delayed.

But the time is coming, the bus is waiting, it's time to leave.

Transfer by public transport to Irkutsk (210 km, ~ 5 hours).

The road to Irkutsk is filled with memories of the time spent, funny and amusing incidents, interspersed with exclamations of surprise from the views outside the bus window.

To the very suburbs of Irkutsk is the Kultuksky tract with its serpentine

(incl. meals: breakfast).

Breakfast at the hotel.

A day of exploring the ancient Siberian city of Irkutsk.

Sightseeing tour of the city: a visit to the historical center, the embankment of the Angara river, monuments of architecture, history and culture.

Excursion to the Znamensky Monastery with 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 the central market and souvenir shop.

The program ends at 14:00.

(incl. meals: breakfast).